By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural dominates the TopSports.news' 2022 All-Shawnee County boys wrestling team after winning a second straight Class 6A state team championship..
The Junior Blues put seven wrestlers on the all-county team and swept the individual awards, with senior Austin Fager selected as county wrestler of the year, freshman Easton Broxterman named newcomer of the year and first-year Washburn Rural coach Josh Hogan earning coach of the year recognition.
Fager, 43-2 on the season, won his first individual state championship as a senior after finishing second as a junior, taking the 182-pound championship with a 1 minute, 13-second win by pin over Campus senior Aidan Williams in the finals.
Broxterman capped a 39-6 freshman season with a second-place state finish at 106 pounds to earn the Shawnee County newcomer of the year honor while Hogan guided the Junior Blues to a successful defense of the 6A team title by a 151-142.5 margin over Derby.
The TopSports.news all-county team is based in part on selections made by the seven Topeka head coaches as well as at large selections for county schools Rossville and Silver Lake.
Washburn Rural senior 160-pounder Aidan Boline (34-6) joined Fager as a 6A state champion, taking a 5-0 decision over Olathe East senior Nick Carlson in his championship match.
Also earning All-Shawnee County first-team honors for Rural were sophomore 113-pounder Jonathan Morrison (39-7) and senior 126-pounder Jacob Tangpricha (35-70, who both finished third at state, along with sophomore 132-pounder Brody Byrne (27-14) and freshman 152-pounder Kristjan Marshall (28-19).
Tangpricha earned his third state medal after winning 6A state titles in 2020 and 2021 while Morrison captured his second state medal after winning the 106-pound title as a freshman.
Shawnee Heights also put seven wrestlers on the All-Shawnee County first team after finishing seventh in 5A as a team, including senior state placers Brock Ferguson, Garrett Peery and Caden Walker and junior state placer Sean Wunder.
Ferguson (44-6) finished fourth at 120 pounds, Peery (44-7) fourth at 220 and Wunder (40-10) fourth at 195, while Walker (31-4) finished fifth.
Also named to the all-county first team for the T-Birds were senior 138-pounder Ty Lewis (39-10), 145-pounder Joey Hilton (37-10) and senior 170-pounder Cole Manrose (39-14).
Highland Park senior Morgan Dean earned a spot on the All-Shawnee County first team at 285 pounds after posting a 31-11 record on the season.
Rossville and Silver Lake combined to put five top-four state placers on the all-county first team.
Rossville junior 285-pounder Jacob Carver (34-4) was a state finalist in 3A-1A, finishing second, while Bulldawg senior 138-pounder Colby Hurla (44-9) and senior 160-pounder Sam Twombly (42-3) both finished third.
Twombly finished third as a senior after a fourth-place finish as a junior.
Silver Lake senior 182-pounder Triston Vande Velde (38-5) posted a third-place state finish in 3A-1A while senior 170-pounder Daigan Kruger (32-4) finished fourth.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS WRESTLING
First team
Aidan Boline, sr., Washburn Rural; Easton Broxterman, fr., Washburn Rural; Brody Byrne, so., Washburn Rural; Jacob Carver, jr., Rossville; Morgan Dean, sr., Highland Park; Austin Fager, sr., Washburn Rural; Brock Ferguson, sr., Shawnee Heights; Joey Hilton, sr., Shawnee Heights; Colby Hurla, sr., Rossville; Daigan Kruger, sr., Silver Lake; Ty Lewis, sr., Shawnee Heights; Kristjan Marshall, fr., Washburn Rural; Cole Manrose, sr., Shawnee Heights; Jonathan Morrison, so., Washburn Rural; Garrett Peery, sr., Shawnee Heights; Jacob Tangpricha, sr., Washburn Rural; Sam Twombly, sr., Rossville; Triston Vande Velde, sr., Silver Lake; Caden Walker, sr., Shawnee Heights; Sean Wunder, jr., Shawnee Heights.
Second team
Carson Anderson, fr., Shawnee Heights; Draven Bennett, jr., Seaman; Jayden Foster, fr., Seaman; Nick Freeland, jr., Shawnee Heights; Preston Hartman, sr., Shawnee Heights; Colin Little, so., Seaman; Cole Manrose, sr., Shawnee Heights; Henri McGivern, jr., Washburn Rural; Deyton Mentzer, fr., Seaman; Jahmari Pleasant, sr., Topeka High; Juan Roman-Perez, sr., Hayden; Jaxson Thomas, jr., Seaman; Mason Vicker, jr., Topeka West; Nick Vincent, sr., Washburn Rural.
Honorable mention
Hayden: Brodrick Desch, fr.; Ben Holmes, jr.; Jamison Kennedy, jr. Highland Park: Adrian Burney, fr.; Myles Curry, jr.; Tanner Lassiter, sr. Rossville: Barrett Lietz, so. Seaman: Lain Anderson, jr.; Tyler Brown, jr.; Zach Jowers, jr.; Justin Kruse, sr.; Bradley Thompson, fr. Silver Lake: Justin Rakestraw, sr.; Blake Redmond, so.; Chase Root, so.; Kaden Walker, jr. Shawnee Heights: Andrew Bonebrake, so.; Rykan Carver, so. Topeka High: Nick Davis, fr.; Tre-Shawn James, sr.; Andrew Perez, sr. Topeka West: Fox Cook, sr.; Preston Gengler, jr.; Dillon Jay, jr.; Malachi Kuebler, fr.; Kyrece Robinson, so. Washburn Rural: Ford Brandt, sr.; Jack Carey, sr.; Zach Franco, jr.
Wrestler of the year -- Austin Fager, Washburn Rural.
Newcomer of the year -- Easton Broxterman, Washburn Rural.
Coach of the year -- Josh Hogan, Washburn Rural.