EUREKA — Humboldt High’s wrestling program reached another milestone Saturday.
Buoyed by Cole Mathes and Garren Goodner, both of whom took second place in their respective weight classes, the Cubs qualified four wrestlers for the upcoming Class 3-1A State Meet.
Combine those four with the two Lady Cub grapplers who qualified for the week prior, and the six starbound wrestlers marks the most ever in a single year for Humboldt.
“It was a great day,” Humboldt head coach Kent Goodner said.
Saturday’s competition culminated with a showdown more appropriate for a state championship match.
Mathes, the second-ranked 175-pound wrestler in Class 3-1A, took on Garden Plain’s Gage Lee, who ranked third.
The two battled to a 2-2 deadlock through two periods of the championship match before Lee got a 2-point reversal midway through the period to take the lead.
Mathes, a junior, escaped to earn a point, paring the deficit, but another takedown from Gage proved crucial as he racked up additional points in the waning seconds to win, 10-5.
Mathes, who pinned his first two opponents to make it to the title match, carries a 24-5 record into the state tournament.
“It was a good match,” Coach Goodner said. “Cole fought hard.”
Garren Goodner’s day in the 215-pound weight class included a 2-1 thriller over Xander Woods of Central in the semifinal round.
In the championship match, Goodner was paired up with Brian Nguyen of Marion.
Like Mathes, Goodner fought tooth and nail, and even led 1-0 after two periods.
But Nguyen took the lead 11 seconds into the third round with a reversal and two additional points for nearly pinning Goodner.
Goodner, a senior, escaped, but another Nguyen takedown midway through the period marked the final points in a 6-2 victory.
Goodner takes a 23-7 record into the state meet, which runs Thursday through Saturday in Salina.
