There’s only one way into the Class 5A state wrestling tournament — win two matches at a regional tournament.
Great Bend High School saw nine athletes do exactly that at Panther Fieldhouse on Saturday.
“I think we wrestled hard for the most part,” said GBHS head coach Norbert Muth of his team, who qualified one more wrestler for the state tournament than they did last season. “You always have some disappointments. That wasn’t for the lack of effort. I think everybody wrestled hard.
“We might have got beat in a few places where they were better than us, but I don’t think we gave anything up.”
Senior Bryce Hofmeister in the 160-pound weight class, junior Kade Sander (138), junior Greg Burley (132) and freshman Cody Liles (120) each claimed regional crowns.
Senior Chris Burley (126) finished as regional runner-up.
Jacob Crane (285) finished third, and Darion Yager (170), Joe Lindenberger (182) and Justin Henry (195) each finished fourth to round out the state qualifiers from GBHS.
Newton took the team title with 178.5 points. Valley Center finished second with 158.5, and Great Bend took third with 149.
No. 3-ranked Hofmeister capped his final wrestling meet at home by pinning Valley Center’s Tony Bluml for a regional championship.
“He was a little nervous, I think, before the finals match,” Muth said of Hofmeister. “I said, ‘You already made it to state. You’re at home. You’re a senior. Just go out and have fun.’
“I think that’s what he did.”
Greg Burley, who is ranked No. 4, got a 7-4 decision over No. 5-ranked Kevin Kissane of Maize South to claim a regional title.
“Definitely feels good,” Greg Burley said. “The main goal for the whole year is to get to the state tournament. Trying to improve on what I did last year. That’s the thing about wrestling. You got to keep improving.”
Greg Burley got a pair of pins to advance him to the championship match.
Liles had his championship match go into overtime, where he flipped Valley Center’s Braden Holle in the final 10 seconds to win an 11-9 decision.
“That was a stressful point,” Muth said, “but again, I just tried to make them feel like you’re in the finals. You’re going to state, so just go out and wrestle. If not, you do start to think about those things. You feel the pressure and you don’t wrestle well.”
No. 2-ranked Sander dominated his championship match against Salina Central’s Dayton Will, winning a 6-0 decision.
No. 1-ranked Chris Burley, who was a state champion his sophomore year in the 120 weight class and a second-place finisher in 126 last season, got a pin and a 9-0 decision to advance him to the championship match against Newton’s Quinton Harrison, who is ranked No. 4.
“It doesn’t relieve the pressure because the next kid is the one I really want to beat,” Chris Burley said after clinching a state berth with a semifinal victory. “He’s the same kid that we’ve been going back and forth.”
Harrison got two points for a takedown as time ran out, giving him a 3-1 victory.
The 6A and 5A state tournaments will be held at Hartman Arena in Park City on Friday and Saturday.

HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Class 5A regional tournament

Saturday

At Great Bend
Panther Fieldhouse

Team scores
1. Newton, 178.5; 2. Valley Center, 158.5; 3. Great Bend, 149; 4. Salina South, 99; 5. Maize South, 86; 6. Salina Central, 69; 7. Hays, 55; 8. Liberal, 50.5

State qualifiers
106 — 1. Ryan Delforge, Valley Center; 2. Rylan Kasitz, Maize South; 3. Trevor Pryor, Newton; 4. Randall Bates, Salina South
113 — 1. Tyler Irwin, Salina South; 2. Bryce Garcia, Maize South; 3. De’Khyale McFarland, Saline Central; 4. Nick Romig, Valley Center
120 — 1. Cody Liles, Great Bend; 2. Braden Holle, Valley Center; 3. Josiah Endreshak, Salina South; 4. Jesse Bashor, Maize South
126 — 1. Quinton Harrison, Newton; 2. Chris Burley, Great Bend; 3. Jaysten McClure, Maize South; 4. Danny Turkall, Valley Center
132 — 1. Greg Burley, Great Bend; 2. Kevin Kissane, Maize South; 3. Cody Smith, Liberal; 4. David Ortiz, Valley Center
138 — 1. Kade Sander, Great Bend; 2. Dayton Will, Salina Central; 3. Anthony Monares, Newton; 4. Jared Hydock, Maize South
145 — 1. Dalton Peters, Salina Cenral; 2. Garrett McEachem, Newton; 3. Ayodale Briamah, Liberal; 4. Jake Sedbrook, Hays
152 — 1. Josh Ortiz, Valley Center; 2. Trenton Wilson, Liberal; 3. Peter Nelson, Newton; 4. Leroy Franco, Hays
160 — 1. Bryce Hofmeister, Great Bend; 2. Tony Bluml, Valley Center; 3. Heydon Mock, Newton; 4. Josh Moyer, Maize South
170 — 1. Jared Langley, Newton; 2. Tyler McGaha, Salina South; 3. Kyler Meyers, Hays; 4. Darion Yager, Great Bend
182 — 1. Chad Blair, Valley Center; 2. Tanner O’Donnell, Salina South; 3. Noah Ornelas, Newton; 4. Joe Lindenberger, Great Bend
195 — 1. Preston Weigel, Hays; 2. Dillon Archer, Newton; 3. Mike Shirk, Salina South; 4. Justin Henry, Great Bend
220 — 1. Kade True, Salina Central; 2. Raymond Gallegos, Newton; 3. Luke Wledon, Valley Center; 4. Alex Parker, Salina South
285 — 1. Garrett Lee, Newton; 2. Zac Sander, Valley Center; 3. Jacob Crane, Great Bend; 4. Zak Will, Salina Central

Results
106 — Championship: Ryan Delforge, Valley Center def. Rylan Kasitz, Maize South, 5-0 dec.; Third place: Trevor Pryor, Newton def. Randall Bates, Salina South, fall; Pryor def. Ryan DesLaurier, Great Bend, fall; Bates def. Chance Sorell, Salina Central; Pryor def. Nate LaPorte, Hays, fall; Delforge def. Bates, fall; Kasitz def. DesLaurier, 6-0 dec.; Delforge def. LaPorte, fall; Bates def. Pryor, 4-1 dec.; DesLauriers def. Sorell, fall
113 — Championship: Tyler Irwin, Salina South def. Bryce Garcia, Maize South, 1-0 dec.; Third place: De’Khyale McFarland, Salina Central def. Nick Romig, Valley Center, 3-0 dec.; McFarland def. Eliseo Torres, Newton, 15-2 maj.; Romig def. Arturo Sanchez, Great Bend, 7-4 dec.; Torres def. Oscar Garcia, Liberal, fall; B. Garcia def. Romig, 1-0 OT dec.; Irwin def. McFarland, 10-1 maj.; Romig def. O. Garcia, 9-1 maj.; B. Garcia def. Torres, 3-0 dec.; Irwin def. Sanchez, 17-0 tech. fall
120 — Championship: Cody Liles, Great Bend def. Braden Holle, Valley Center, 11-9 OT dec.; Third place: Josiah Endreshak, Salina South def. Jesse Bashor, Maize South, 10-1 maj.; Endreshak def. Ross Hattan, Hays, fall; Bashor def. Kyler Thompson, Liberal, 8-4 dec.; Hattan def. Tyler Lindzy, Salina Central, 6-3 dec.; Thompson def. Jeremy Christiansen, Newton, fall; Holle def. Bashor, 13-3 maj.; Liles def. Endreshak, 6-3 dec.; Holle def. Lindzy, fall; Bashor def. Hattan, 11-1 maj.; Endreshak def. Thompson, 15-0 tech. fall; Liles def. Christiansen, fall
126 — Championship: Quinton Harrison, Newton def. Chris Burley, Great Bend, 3-1 dec.; Third place: Jaysten McClure, Maize South def. Danny Turkali, Valley Center, 4-2 dec.; McClure def. Gregg McClurg, Liberal, 4-2 dec.; Turkali def. Seth Leuthiphonh, Salina South, 11-2 maj.; McClurg def. Russ Kohl, Hays, fall; Burley def. Turkali, 9-0 maj.; Harrison def. McClure, 7-0 dec.; Burley def. Kohl, fall; Turkali def. McClurg, 4-2 OT dec.; McClure def. Leuthiphonh, fall
132 — Championship: Greg Burley, Great Bend def. Kevin Kissane, Maize South, 7-4 dec.; Third place: Cody Smith, Liberal def. David Ortiz, Valley Center, 7-2 dec.; Ortiz def. Gabe Torres, Newton, 4-3 dec.; Smith def. Dylan McKinney, Hays, fall; Torres def. Aaron Akers, Salina Central, fall; Burley def. Smith, 6-0 dec.; Kissane def. Ortiz, 5-0 dec.; Burley def. Akers, fall; Smith def. Torres, 6-0 dec.; Ortiz def. McKinney, fall
138 — Championship: Kade Sander, Great Bend def. Dayton Will, Salina Central, 6-0 dec.; Third place: Anthony Monares, Newton def. Jared Hydock, Maize South, fall; Monares def. Cade Albert, Hays, fall; Hydock def. Corey Campos, Liberal, fall; Albert def. Jace Boone, Valley Center, 6-0 dec.; Hydock def. Kaleb Garibalde, Salina South, fall; Sander def. Campos, fall; Will def. Monares, 6-2 dec.; Sander def. Boone, fall; Campos def. Albert, fall; Will def. Hydock, 6-1 dec.; Monares def. Garibaldi, fall
145 — Championship: Dalton Peters, Salina Central def. Garrett McEachem, Newton, 6-0 dec.; Third place: Ayodale Braimah, Liberal def. Jake Sedbrook, Hays, 7-2 dec.; Briamah def. Cameron VanDusen, Valley Center, 3-2 dec.; Sedbrook def. Brett Roberts, Great Bend, 9-0 maj.; VanDussen def. Isaiah Kamps, Maize South, fall; Roberts def. Toby Schamberger, Salina South, fall; Peters def. Sedbrook, 7-0 dec.; McEachem def. Briamah, 5-3 dec.; Peters def. Kamps, 5-0 dec.; Sedbrook def. VanDussen, 4-3 dec.; McEachem def. Roberts, 4-1 dec.; Briamah def. Schamberger, 17-0 tech. fall
152 — Championship: Josh Ortiz, Valley Center def. Trenton Wilson, Liberal, 2-1 dec.; Third place: Peter Nelson, Newton def. Leroy Franco, Hays, 8-4 dec.; Franco def. John McNabb, Salina South, 9-6 dec.; Nelson def. Emerson Campbell, Great Bend, 8-2 dec.; McNabb def. Easton Ryser, Salina Central, fall; Campbell def. Luke Moore, Maize South, 7-2 dec.; Ortiz def. Nelson, 4-3 dec. ; Wilson def. Franco, 6-4 OT dec.; Ortiz def. Ryser, 14-5 maj.; Nelson def. McNabb, 12-5 dec.; Wilson def. Campbell, 3-0 dec.; Franco def. Moore, fall
160 — Championship: Bryce Hofmeister, Great Bend def. Tony Blumi, Valley Center, fall; Third place: Heydon Mock, Newton def. Josh Moyer, Maize South, fall; Mock def. Kyle True, Salina Central, 10-0 maj.; Moyer def. Clay Drylie, Hays, 4-2 dec.; True def. Beau Fick, Liberal, 8-2 dec.; Hofmeister def. Drylie, 4-2 dec.; Blumi def. Mock, fall; Hofmeister def. Fick, fall; Drylie def. True, 7-0 dec.; Blumi def. Moyer, 14-5 maj.
170 — Championship: Jared Langley, Newton def. Tyler McGaha, Salina South, fall; Third Place: Kyler Meyers, Hays def. Darion Yager, Great Bend, 4-2 dec.; Meyers def. Shelton Robison, Maize South, 9-3 dec.; Yager def. Miles Balthazor, Valley Center, fall; Robison def. Jack Halvey, Salina Central, fall; Balthazor def. Edgar Sandoval, Liberal, fall; Langley def. Yager, 12-0 maj.; McGaha def. Meyers 6-4 OT dec.; Langley def. Helvey, fall; Yager def. Robison, 18-8 maj.; McGaha def. Balthazor, 4-2 dec.; Meyers def. Sandoval, fall
182 — Championship: Chad Blair, Valley Center def. Tanner O’Donnell, Salina South, 5-1 dec.; Third place: Noah Ornelas, Newton def. Joe Lindenberger, Great Bend, 7-1 dec.; Lindenberger def. Jacob Hendricks, Maize South, 7-4 dec.; Ornelas def. Joe Pfeifer, Hays, 6-1 dec.; Lindenberger def. Shawn Lay, Liberal, 12-2 maj.; Pfeifer def. Mike McMullan, 7-1 dec.; Blair def. Ornelas, 9-1 maj.; O’Donnell def. Hendricks, 10-3 dec.; Blair def. Lay, 18-3 tech. fall; Ornelas def. Lindenberger, 5-0 dec.; Hendricks def. Pfeifer, 5-1 dec.; O’Donnell def. McMullen, 11-3 maj.
195 — Championship: Preston Weigel, Hays def. Dillon Archer, Newton, 5-0 dec.; Third place — Mike Shirk, Salina South def. Justin Henry, Great Bend, 3-2 dec.; Shirk def. Ty Zorn, Maize South, fall; Henry def. Corey Sibley, Valley Center, 5-2 dec.; Zorn def. Sam Allen, Salina Central, fall; Sibley def. Ryan McClurg, Liberal, 3-1 dec.; Weigel def. Henry, fall; Archer def. Shirk, 5-2 dec.; Weigel def. Zorn, fall; Henry def. Allen, fall; Shirk def. McClurg, fall; Archer def. Sibley, 16-0 tech. fall
220 — Championship: Kade True, Salina Central def. Raymond Gallegos, Newton, 1-0 dec.; Third place: Luke Weldon, Valley Center def. Alex Parker, Salina South, fall; Weldon def. Gunar Brewer, Great Bend, fall; Parker def. Jorge Nunez, Liberal, fall; Brewer def. Jacob Funschelle, Maize South, fall; Nunez def. Braydon Delzeit, Hays, fall; Gallegos def. Parker, fall; True def. Weldon, fall; Gallegos def. Funschelle, fall; Parker def. Brewer, fall; Weldon def. Delzeit, fall; True def. Nunez, fall
285 — Championship: Garet Lee, Newton def. Zac Sander, Valley Center, fall; Third place: Jacob Crane, Great Bend def. Zak Will, Salina Central, 7-1 dec.; Crane def. Vincent Scott, Hays, 5-4 2OT dec.; Will def. Sergio Borjas, Liberal, 6-3 dec.; Sander def. Will, 3-1 dec.; Lee def. Scott, fall; Will def. Crane, 3-1 dec.; Lee def. Borjas, 3-2 dec.