Last Saturday, Iola senior Colton Toney and Humboldt wrestlers Dagen Goodner, Noah Johnson and Gunner Elder all punched their tickets to the Kansas State Championships.
Now they know who they will be facing on the road to the ultimate goal of a state championship.
At the 4A tournament in Salina, Toney will square off against Abilene’s Sam Burt in the first round.
Burt, a senior, has a 33-6 record this season but is not among the six 4A heavyweights that the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association ranked during its most recent rankings update.
Win or lose, Toney will face either Baldwin’s Harley Stewart or Circle’s Austin King in his second match of the day on Friday.
Neither senior is ranked, but both King and Stewart sport winning records heading into the tournament.
King is 20-1 this season while Stewart is 19-16.
In Hays at the 3A tournament, Goodner finds himself in the most favorable bracket to make a run after winning the regional championship on Saturday.
Goodner wrestles Herington senior Richard Hagerman to start off the tournament.
Hagerman isn’t ranked, but has a 21-7 record this season.
In his second match, Goodner will either face Zac Schneider of Ellsworth or Rawlins County’s Maverick Green.
Neither of the junior grapplers are ranked. Schneider is 23-10 this season while Green is 30-7.
The first time Goodner could face a ranked wrestler ins in the semifinals where either top-ranked Isaiah Luellen, a 34-3 junior from Rossville, or second-ranked Kelton Suchy, a 35-2 senior from Russell, will likely be waiting if Goodner advances that far.
Elder will face St. Marys’ Charles King in the first round. The matchup will feature two 113 pounders that have had big freshmen campaigns.
While Elder is 17-6 this season, King has a 22-9 record.
In his second match, the Cub freshman will either face Trego’s John Kuhn — the No. 3-ranked 113 pounder — or St. Johns Military’s Kody Sudol.
Kuhn is 31-3 this season while Sudol is just 13-15.
At 220 pounds, Johnson has the toughest draw of any of the local qualifiers.
In the first round, he will square off with Norton’s Jacob Green.
Green in the top-ranked 220 pounder in the state and has a 26-1 record this season.
In his second match, Johnson will either face Keenan Hinton of Hiawatha or Hoisington’s Justin Bradley.
Hinton is 13-6 this season while Bradley is the No. 4 ranked wrestler in the bracket with a 29-4 record.
SCHEDULE
Both tournaments in Salina and Hays will run with the same schedule.
On Friday, gates will open at 8 a.m., and the first round will begin at 10 a.m.
The quarterfinals will begin at 2 p.m. and the first round of consolation will get underway at 4 p.m. with the championship semifinals following that.
On Saturday, gates open at 7 a.m. and the consolation cross-bracketing round starts a 9 a.m.
The consolation quarterfinals are scheduled to get going at 10:45 a.m., with the consolation semifinals at 12:15 p.m.
The fifth-place matches are a 2 p.m. and the third-place matches are at 3 p.m.
The championships will begin 40 minutes after the conclusion of the third-place matches with the ‘Parade of Champions’ happening just before the championship finals.
MORE INFORMATION
For more about the State Wrestling Championships follow the Iola Register’s Facebook page throughout the week.
