COVID-19 protocols revamped the postseason wrestling schedule and after one week, Derby has 14 athletes still competing for a trip to the 6A state tournament at Hartman Arena in Park City.
The boys opened the weekend on Friday, Feb. 12 at Wichita Southeast and had nine of its 13 wrestlers qualify for sub-state. The girls followed 24 hours later at the same location and had five advance to next weekend’s sub-state matches.
“This team is battle tested from the regular season and in the postseason,” coach Bill Ross said. “… You qualify for state in this postseason format, you have a really good chance of placing once you get there.”
The weekend was highlighted by first-place finishes from Cody Woods (106, SR), Tate Rusher (126, SO), Cason Lindsey (152, SR) and Treyton Rusher (160, SR). Knowlyn Egan (132, SO) and Miles Wash (182, SO) each lost in the championship match.
Freshman Amara Ehsa (101) highlighted a list of five qualifiers for the Panther girls. She was one of three, including Maddie Snowbarger (132) and Callie Snowbarger (155) to place inside the top three.
“We’re taking two more wrestlers to sub-state than we even had out for the team last year,” Ross said of the girls team. “Now we’ve got five moving on and it tells you where we are in progression of the program.”
An immensely talented field awaits Derby’s boys sub-state qualifiers. On the boys’ side, 58 of the 84 ranked wrestlers in Class 6A will be at Wichita Heights on Saturday. Nine of the 14 weights will have four or more of a possible six ranked wrestlers in their brackets. Only four wrestlers from Saturday’s matches will advance to state.
6A Regional II at Wichita Southeast (Feb. 12)
106: Cody Woods (29-5), 1st
received bye
def. Ezekiel Witt, Junction City, (fall, 3:58)
def. Jonathan Morrisson, Washburn Rural (dec. 7-0)
126: Tate Rusher (27-9), 1st
def. Isaac Perez, Wichita East (fall, 0:54)
def. Ezra Birdashaw, Lawrence Free State (fall, 1:36)
def. Henri McGivern, Washburn Rural (fall, 3:03)
132: Knowlyn Egan (27-9), 2nd
received bye
def. Conner Botts, Washburn Rural (TF 16-1)
lost to Easton Taylor, Manhattan (fall, 3:17)
145: Troy Allen (8-11), 4th
lost to Blaisen Bammes, Manhattant (MD 8-0)
received bye
lost to Trace Lawler, Washburn Rural (fall, 1:33)
152: Cason Lindsey (30-2), 1st
received bye
def. Devin Seibert, Manhattan (fall, 0:57)
def. Nick Vincent, Washburn Rural (fall, 1:53)
160: Treyton Rusher (32-6), 1st
received bye
def. Isaac Sinks, Manhattan (fall, 3:01)
def. Laython Biddle, Lawrence Free State (fall, 4:45)
170: Jace Jenkins (17-10), 3rd
lost to Austin Fager, Washburn Rural (fall, 2:28)
def. Vondonae Williams, Wichita Southeast (fall, 0:18)
def. Logan Nabus, Junction City (TF 17-2)
182: Miles Wash (23-6), 2nd
def. Zion Pete, Wichita Heights (fall, 1:09)
def. Ben DeJesus, Manhattan (dec. 6-2)
lost to Remington Stiles, Washburn Rural (dec. 6-2)
195: Lane Bernstorf (10-13), 4th
def. Zach Agnew, Wichita Southeast (fall, 1:34)
def. Zachary Berry, Wichita Heights (fall, 3:23)
lost to Alex Allison, Lawrence Free State (fall, 4:36)
Other Derby wrestlers…
113: Cole Molloy, 5th
120: Ethan Albright, 5th
138: John Ray, 5th
285: Alex Hurtt, 6th
TEAM SCORES:
1. Washburn Rural, 251.5
2. Derby, 198.5
3. Lawrence Free State, 188
4. Junction City, 186
5. Manhattan, 175
6. Wichita Southeast, 28
7. Wichita East, 20
8. Wichita Heights, 14
6A Girls Division I Regional II at Wichita Southeast (Feb. 13)
101: Amara Ehsa (9-2), 2nd
received bye
received bye
1ST PLACE: lost to Larisa Garcia, Wichita North (fall, 4:46)
109: Clifton Kory (0-2), 5th
received bye
lost to Autumn Kowalski, Wichita South (fall, 0:24)
received bye
115: Alivia Owens (6-11), 4th
received bye
def. Delani Agnew, Wichita Southeast (inj. default)
lost to Charly Goodwin, Junction City (fall, 4:25)
132: Maddie Snowbarger (1-4), 3rd
lost to Jaycee Tyler, Wichita North (fall, 3:05)
received bye
received bye
143: Brenda Santillion (1-10), 4th
lost to Delilah Sherbin, Wichita South (fall, 1:46)
received bye
lost to Aislynn Bailey, Junction City (MD 12-4)
155: Callie Snowbarger (0-8), 3rd
lost to Jennifer Herrera, Wichita South (fall, 2:35)
received bye
received bye
TEAM SCORES:
1. Wichita North, 185
2. Wichita South, 111
3. Salina Central, 82
4. Junction City, 71
5. Andover Central, 56
6. Derby, 53
7. Campus, 39
8. Wichita Southeast, 28
9. Wichita Heights, 27
10. Andover, 14
11. Salina South, 11
