The Great Bend High School Panthers will be represented by nine wrestlers at the Class 5A state wrestling tournament on Friday and Saturday at Hartman Arena in Park City, a suburb of Wichita.
Due to inclement weather, Friday’s first round will start at noon for all state tournaments. Weigh ins will start at 9 a.m.
Of those nine, four were regional champions — Bryce Hofmeister (160-pound weight class), Kade Sander (138), Greg Burley (132) and Cody Liles (120).
Greg Burley finished third at the state tournament last year.
Senior Chris Burley (126) finished second in regional action, and finished second in the 120 weight class last season. He was a state champion as a sophomore at 119.
Jacob Crane (285) finished third at the regional tournament.
Darion Yager (170), Joe Lindenberger (182) and Justin Henry (195) each finished fourth.
Great Bend is ranked No. 9 in the latest Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association poll.
Great Bend to host regional bowling tournament
Fresh off their Western Athletic Conference victories, the Great Bend girls’ and boys’ bowling teams will be hosting a Class 5-1A regional tournament on Saturday.
The girls will compete at 10 a.m., followed by the boys at 12:30 p.m.
The Panthers are led by Dakota Conaway, one of five seniors on the team, who has a game average of 225.66 pins. Great Bend’s girls are led by Miranda Hejny, who has a game average of 186.33.
Both bowlers were WAC MVPs this season.
The regional competition includes teams from Andale, Buhler, Cheney, Garden Plain, Holcomb, Liberal, Maize South, McPherson, Newton and Salina-Sacred Heart. Little River will have a boys’ team competing.
Cardinals to send
seven to state tournament
Hoisington’s wrestling team has seven wrestlers heading to Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays for the 3-1A state wrestling tournament on Friday and Saturday.
The No. 3-ranked Cardinals have a lot of experience heading to state with four-time qualifier Chance Demel wrestling in the 145-pound weight class.
Hoisington, which finished second as a team at the state tourney last year, will also be bringing Brandon Ball, who was crowned state champion in the 120 weight class last season. He qualified in the 126 weight class, winning a regional title last weekend.
Landon Harmon (113), Hagen Hanzlick (182), Avery Urban (195), Cayton Janousek (220) and Darwin Brickley (285) round out the Cardinals’ state qualifiers.
