SALINA — Iola High’s Korbin Cloud, who qualified for the upcoming Class 4A State Wrestling Championships, gets a doozy of an opening-round match to start the competition.
Cloud, who has racked up 20 victories against 10 losses while wrestling at 144 pounds as a senior, will face off against Tonganoxie’s Braeden Moore.
Moore (31-5) has been ranked all season as the state’s top 144-pound wrestler in all classes.
Moore brought home the 4A state championship at 132 pounds in 2023. He took third at state as both a freshman (in the 113-pound category) and as a sophomore (at 126 pounds).
Win or lose, Cloud will face off against either Zane Swinford of Winfield (28-11) or Erick Schroeder of Colby (30-10) in his second match.
The Class 4A wrestlers will hit the mats starting Thursday morning at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in downtown Salina.
HUMBOLDT’S contingent also will be in Salina. The boys are partaking in the Class 3-1A State Championships, which will begin around 5:15 p.m. Thursday. The Lady Cubs are in the Class 4-1A State Tournament, which starts at about 1:30 p.m.
Humboldt’s Curt Shannon, a junior, takes his 13-7 record into the 120-pound competition. He’ll face Chase Johnson of Minneapolis, the second-ranked 120-pound wrestler in the state with a dazzling 33-2 record. Shannon will then face either Jaxson Vice (28-2) of Maur Hill Mount Academy or Patrick Driggs (30-11) of Phillipsburg.
Broc Ivy, Humboldt’s first-ever freshman state qualifier, takes on Jacob Moore (42-3), the third-ranked 126-pound wrestler in the state. Ivy (16-12) will then face either Leo DeDonder (25-9) of Northern Heights or Kaden Sissob (31-6) of Phillipsburg in his second match.
Cole Mathes, ranked second among all Class 3-1A wrestlers at 175 pounds, will start his bid for a state medal against Micah Galvin of Ellis. Mathes is 24-5 on the season; Galvin 20-13. From there, Mathes, a junior, will face either Carsen Meitl of Phillipsburg (24-14) or Jose Arevalo (28-7) of Burlingame.
Humboldt senior Garren Goodner (23-7) tangles with Ivan Jirak of Oakley (36-8) in the 215-pound weight bracket. Jirak is the third-ranked 215-pound wrestler in 3-1A. A second-round match against either Colin Mater of Hoisington (26-18) or Vincent Webb of Effingham-Atchison Co. Community (29-6) follows.
ON THE GIRLS’ side, Humboldt sophomore Taevyn Baylor (29-6) tangles with Rose Latta of Marysville (27-3) to open the 155-pound division. Latta is ranked fifth in the state in Class 4-1A. Baylor then faces off against either Johnna Ebner of Phillipsburg (20-20) or Trista Rogers of Haven (33-6). Of note, Rogers is the fourth-ranked 155-pound wrestler in the state.
Humboldt’s Savannah Koch, another sophomore, takes her 20-13 record to state in the 235-pound division. She will face off against Halie German of Santa Fe Trail (14-5). A second match follows against either Cheyenne Jones (16-5) of El Dorado or Gracie Penrod (18-11) of Hill City.
