Hoisington to compete in regional tourney at Beloit

The Hoisington High School wrestling team will be sending 11 wrestlers to the Class 3-2-1A regional tournament in Beloit, starting tonight and continuing through Saturday.

“We would like to send 14 wrestlers,” Hoisington head coach Dan Schmidt said, “but we haven’t had a little guy all year long. Most years, we send 13 wrestlers (to regionals). We have never had a 103-pound.”

Cody Batt, who wrestles in the 189 weight class, has the best record at 30-5 this season.

Dalton Bell, who has been to the state tournament twice, is right behind him with 31-6 in the 145 weight class.

Chance Demel is ranked No. 6 in Class 3-2-1A’s 140-pound weight class in the latest Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association poll, and Eric Hellerud is No. 6 in the 171 weight class.

“(Tuesday night) was the first time Hellerud was back in the wrestling room in three weeks,” Schmidt said. “He’s been sick. It he’s healthy, we expect him to be a regional finalist.”

The Hoisington wrestling team has been stricken by illness in the final half of the season.

“(Zach) Sanders has missed more than a week,” Schmidt said. “We’ve had five or six kids miss more than a week of practice.”

The Cardinals are competing into tough regional competition, including Smith Center, the 2010 state runner-up.

“Norton is a perennial powerhouse,” Schmidt said of the competition at the Beloit regional. “Phillipsburg has been solid all year long. We expect Lyons to have a good team. Minneapolis will be bringing several good wrestlers, and Hillsboro has a great tradition of good wrestlers.

“There are several good teams in our regional. The kids are going to have to wrestle smart to advance to state.”

Hoisington regional wrestlers

125 — Bryce Boxberger (11-17)

130 — Zach Sanders (23-11)

135 — Hunter Rios (0-1)

140 — Chance Demel (25-8)

145 — Dalton Bell (31-6)

152 — Matt Manka (17-12)

160 — Hagen Hanzlick (18-18)

171 — Eric Hellerud (27-5)

189 — Cody Batt (30-5)

215 — Ethan Soeken (29-7)