PARK CITY — It was a familiar situation for Great Bend High School senior wrestler Chris Burley.
For the third straight year, he was wrestling for a Class 5A state title — this year in the 126-pound weight class at Hartman Arena in Park City.
Just like in his sophomore season when he was wrestling at 112, Newton’s Quinton Harrison was his final opponent, and just like his sophomore season, he beat him for a state crown on Saturday evening.
“It kind of was familiar in a sense,” Chris Burley said. “Before this match, we’ve wrestled six times. I was 3-3 against him going in. Now I’ve beaten him one more time.”
The two wrestlers competed for a regional title on Feb. 16 at Panther Fieldhouse, with Harrison winning out, but Chris Burley beat his nemesis 2-1 in a tiebreaker.
“It felt awesome,” Chris Burley said. “Just like the first time. I can’t think of a better way to go out than with a state championship.”
The two-time state champion pinned Kapaun-Mt. Carmel’s Jacob Mills and beat Zak Hensley of St. James Academy 7-5 on Friday to advance to Saturday’s semifinal matches. He beat Ben Lightfoot of Andover Central in a 10-0 major decision to advance to the final round against Harrison.
“He won when he was a sophomore,” GBHS head coach Norbert Muth said. “He was in the final as a junior (at 120), but he didn’t win. I know he was disappointed by that. It’s good to see him win out as a senior.”
Junior Greg Burley finished fourth place at 132. He made it through to a semifinal match, but fell to Sawyer Like of Blue Valley Southwest 2-1 in an ultimate tiebreaker.
“Greg was in a pretty tough bracket,” Muth said. “I think everybody ahead of him is graduating, so we’ll see what happens next year.”
Greg Burley beat Valley Center’s David Ortiz to advance to the third-place match, but fell to Tyler Dickman of St. Thomas Aquinas 8-2.
Kade Sander also took fourth place, competing in the 138 weight class.
Sander lost in a quarterfinal match against Andrew Tojague of St. James Academy 3-2, so he had to face elimination twice before he was guaranteed a top-6 medal. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Isaac Dulgarian bested Sanders 8-2 in the third-place match.
“He wrestled well,” Muth said. “It’ll be something good for him to build on next season.”
Senior Bryce Hofmeister (160) left Hartman Arena on Friday with a pair of pins under his belt. He fell 6-0 in a semifinal match against Noel Torres of Emporia.
He lost again before pinning Jesse Oliver of Wichita West in the fifth-place match.
“He had a good tournament,” Muth said of Hofmeister. “He finished his season strong. He really made some improvements down the stretch. I was happy with his performance.”
Darion Yager fell 3-2 against Arkansas City’s Bryson Teufel in the 170 weight class’ fifth-place match.
Justin Henry (195) was eliminated in the consolation bracket’s quarterfinal round.
Cody Liles (120), Joe Lindenberger (182) and Jacob Crane (285) were eliminated in the consolation bracket’s second round.
— Kevin Price
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Class 5A state
wrestling tournament
Friday-Saturday
At Park City
Hartman Arena
Team scores
1. Arkansas City, 177.5; 2. St. James Academy, 141; 3. St. Thomas Aquinas, 128; 4. Topeka Seaman, 115; 5. Valley Center, 105.5; 6. Andover Central, 100.5; 7. Newton, 98; 8. Shawnee Heights, 90; 9. Great Bend, 87.5; 10. Kapaun, 80; 11. Emporia, 56; 12. BV Southwest, 55; 13. Leavenworth, 53; 14. Carroll, 45; 15. Goddard, 42; 15. Salina Central, 42; 17. SM South, 42; 18. Mill Valley, 39; 19. Hays, 35; 20. Andover, 26.5; 21. KC Turner, 23; 22. Wichita West, 20; 23. Salina South, 18; 24. Maize South, 8; 25. Liberal, 6; 26. Lansing, 4.5; 27. KC Schlagle, 3; 28. Bishop Miege, 3; 29. KC Harmon, 1; 29. KC Washington, 1; 29. Topeka West, 1.
Individual results
Semifinals
106 pounds — Dakota Rodd, Andover Central, dec. Ryan Delforge, Valley Center, 7-3; Logan Terrill, Arkansas City, tech fall Landon Scott, Mill Valley, 18-2.
113 — P. J. Cheney, KC Turner, dec. Joey Defore, Arkansas City, 9-4; Parker Howell, Kapaun, pinned Daniel Wilson, Leavenworth, 4:35.
120 — Zac Gentzler, Andover Central, major dec. Marcus Phillips, Wichita West, 19-7; Dakota Leach, Goddard, dec. Reese Cokeley, St. James, 1-0.
126 — Chris Burley, Great Bend, major dec. Ben Lightfoot, Andover Central, 10-0; Quinton Harrison, Newton, dec. Dalton Dietrich, Arkansas City, 4-2.
132 — Sawyer Like, BV Southwest, dec. Greg Burley, Great Bend, 2-1; Lukas Maki, Andover, dec.Tyler Dickman, Aquinas, 3-2.
138 — Daemeion Gay, Topeka Seaman, injury default Dayton Will, Salina Central; Andrew Tujague, St. James, dec. Joe Umscheid, Andover Central, 5-2.
145 — Reis Humphrey, SM South, major dec. Christian Frame, Goddard, 11-3; Cody Eastman, Arkansas City, dec. Ben VanLerberg, St. James, 13-7.
152 — Josh Ortiz, Valley Center, dec. Matt McWhorter, BV Southwest, 7-4; Wyatt Villers, Arkansas City, dec. Matt Pratt, St. James, 7-0.
160 — Noel Torres, Emporia, dec. Bryce Hofmeister, Great Bend, 6-0; Tony Bluml, Valley Center, dec. Michael Helms, Arkansas City, 7-5.
170 — Bryant Guillen, Topeka Seaman, major dec. Trent Salsbury, St. James, 9-0; Jared Langley, Newton, pinned Darion Yager, Great Bend, 1:38.
182 — Chad Blair, Valley Center, pinned Nick Heiland, Kapaun, 2:14; Nick Meck, Shawnee Heights, pinned Nick Nolting, Carroll, 1:52.
195 — Dillon Archer, Newton, Ben Taliaferro, Shawnee Heights, 3:45; Preston Weigel, Hays, tech fall Sage Eckman, Emporia, 16-0.
220 — Ben Ewing, Aquinas, dec. Dylan Cox, Arkansas City, 4-3; Kade True, Salina Central, dec. Tyson Toelkes, Shawnee Heights, 2-0.
285 — Dylan Hall, Seaman, dec. Shannon Meck, Shawnee Heights, 5-1; Nathan Butler, Leavenworth, pinned Garret Lee, Newton, 2:22.
Medalist round
Fifth-place matches
106 — Scott, Mill Valley, dec. Verhaeghe, BV Southwest, 3-1.
113 — Gooch, Aquinas, major dec. Crow, Seaman, 10-2
120 — Elbrader, Aquinas, dec. Perez, Arkansas City, 3-0.
126 — Dietrich, Arkansas City, dec. Henes, Aquinas, 7-5.
132 — Burrus, Kapaun, dec. Ortiz, Valley Center, 7-1.
138 — Umscheid, Andover Central, def. Will, Salina Central.
145 — VanLerberg, Aquinas, injury default Frame, Goddard.
152 — Hoskins, Aquinas, dec. Woodruff, Goddard, 9-2.
160 — Hofmeister, Great Bend, pinned Oliver, Wichita West, 2:25.
170 — Teufel, Arkansas City, dec. Yager, Great Bend, 3-2.
182 — Nolting, Carroll, dec. Heiland, Kapaun, 2-1.
195 — Kelly, Seaman, injury default Taliaferro, Shwnee Heights.
220 — Gallegos, Newton, pinned Cox, Arkansas City, 4:06.
285 — Sander, Valley Center, dec. Lee, Newton, 3-2.
Third-place matches
106 — Tujague, St. James, major dec. Delforge, Valley Center, 15-4.
113 — Defore, Arkansas City, dec. Wilson, Leavenworth, 7-3.
120 — Cokeley, St. James, dec. Phillips, Wichita West, 6-4.
126 — Hensley, St. James, dec. Lightfoot, Andover Central, 6-0.
132 — Dickman, Aquinas, dec. Greg Burley, Great Bend, 3-1.
138 — Isaac Dulgarian, Aquinas, dec. Kade Sander, Great Bend, 8-2.
145 — Ellis, Mill Valley, dec. Suhr, Andover Central, 6-0.
152 — McWhorter, BV Southwest, dec. Pratt, St. James, 3-1.
160 — Perz, Aquinas, dec. Helms, Arkansas City, 5-4.
170 — Salsbury, St. James, pinned Hand, Kapaun, :54.
182 — Brady, SM South, dec. Rodd, Andover Central, 2-0.
195 — Eckman, Emporia, dec. Marquez, Carroll, 3-1.
220 — Toelkes, Shawnee Heights, pinned Stanley, Topeka Seaman, 2:28.
285 — McGrew, Arkansas City, dec. Meck, Shawnee Heights, 3-2.
Championship matches
106 — Terrill, Arkansas City, pinned Rodd, Andover Central, 1:15.
113 — Howell, Kapaun, pinned Cheney, KC Turner, 1:05.
120 — Gentzler, Andover Central, major dec. Leach, Goddard, 10-2.
126 — Burley, Great Bend, dec. Harrison, Newton, 2-1.
132 — Maki, Andover, dec. Like, BV Southeest, 4-3.
138 — Tujague, St. James, dec. Gay, Seaman, 1-0.
145 — Eastman, Arkansas City, dec. Humphrey, SM South, 8-3.
152 — Villers, Arkansas City, dec. Ortiz, Valley Center, 4-1.
160 — Torres, Emporia, pinned Bluml, Valley Center, 3:56.
170 — Guillen, Seaman, dec. Langley, Newton, 2-1.
182 — Meck, Shawnee Heights, dec. Blair, Valley Center, 4-3.
195 — Weigel, Hays, dec. Archer, Newton, 3-2.
220 — Ewing, Aquinas, dec. True, Salina Central, 2-1.
285 — Butler, Leavenworth, dec. Hall, Seaman, 9-2.
