BY ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's boys and girls wrestling teams took runnerup finishes at the Centennial League Championships Saturday at Topeka High.
The Manhattan girls defeated Washburn Rural 42-38 in the opening dual round. Manhattan and Washburn Rural won the rest of their respective duals, which helped the Tribe secure its first Centennial League championship in girls history.
Washburn Rural's Emmerson Blanco won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League wrestling tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural's Ashley Schwarz won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League wrestling tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
“We knew it was going to be tough coming in,” Washburn Rural girls head coach Damon Parker said. “Coach (Shawn) Bammes and that crew over in Manhattan have done a fantastic job with their girls. Looking at it on paper, we knew it was going to be a real tough matchup for us … We knew we were going to have our hands full and we were going to have to be at our absolute best and we weren’t in that first dual today. We wrestle that dual 100 times, we win 50 and they win 50.
"It was a lot of fun. We are absolutely not letting the fact that they finished four points above us in that one dual cloud how well our kids wrestled today.”
Washburn Rural’s girls had won four straight Centennial League titles (2020-2024) coming into Saturday. While not taking home the league championship stings for the Washburn Rural group, the optimism is high for its program for the remainder of the season.
“It’s been such a blast,” Parker said. “I’m sure I say something like this every year, but I don’t remember having this much fun coaching. I’m not sure this team is equipped to win a state championship this year, but I also remember saying the same thing last year. It’s all about who shows up when it matters. There’s no team that’s more dangerous than the team that doesn’t care whether they win or lose. We do not place any kind of value on them as human beings on how they do out there on the match. And I think that bleeds over to the way they wrestle.”
Washburn Rural's girls, ranked No. 7 in Class 6A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaching Association, defeated Topeka High (84-0), Junction City (54-30) and Emporia (62-18).
Washburn Rural’s Justice McBurney (235 pounds) won the league title and took home the league’s Newcomer award.
Lacey Middleton (120), Emmerson Blanco (140), Ashley Schwarz (155) and Elia Smith (170) all won league titles in their weight classes for Washburn Rural following an unbeaten day at the tournament.
The Washburn Rural boys went 3-1 on the day, falling to Centennial League champion Manhattan (46-23) in the first round. The Junior Blues defeated Topeka High (60-23), Junction City (47-31) and Emporia (45-32).
“It’s nice to dual a tough team like Manhattan,” Washburn Rural head coach Josh Hogan said. “We are going to see them again in regionals in two weeks and see them again at state the week after that. It’s nice to get a look at them in dual so we can figure out what we need to change here and there and get a better go at them the next time we face them. Manhattan is well-trained from top to bottom. Their conditioning is usually pretty good. Their boys wrestle hard. You got to bring your 'A' game in order to beat them.”
Washburn Rural’s boys, ranked No. 4 by the KWCA, were defending the Centennial League title coming into Saturday’s set of duals.
Easton Broxterman (144) won a league title in his weight class after going 4-0 on Saturday and secured the Outstanding Wrestler award.
Ryder Harrison (120), Owen Dowell (132), Landen Kocher-Munoz (138), Kristjan Marshall (157) and Jadyn Baum (190) all had perfect, unbeaten days.
After having a solid outing at the Centennial League tournament, Hogan saw a specific aspect of his team that he’d like corrected heading into regionals.
“Toughness, we need to improve our toughness,” Hogan said. “We can’t keep getting pinned the way we are getting pinned. A lot of duals this year we’ve given up a lot of pins. I mean sure, you get to a point where you got a kid more technically sound than you that is maybe going to be able to pin you, but not being pinned is about heart. We have to get tougher and make sure we stay off our backs.”
The Topeka High girls and boys teams didn’t get a team win in the championship but saw some individuals stand out in the tournament.
For the Topeka High girls, Jenea Bratton (140) picked up a team-high two individual wins. Bratton pinned Junction City’s Catelin Owens in 1:08 and pinned Emporia’s Marley Sewell in 5:22.
Topeka High's Nick Davis recorded his 100th career win en route to earning the 165-pound Centennial League title. [Topeka High Athletics]
The Topeka High boys got a title from Nick Davis (165) who went 4-0, pinning three opponents and recording a technical fall. Davis secured his 100th career victory after pinning Washburn Rural’s Brenner Beninga in 1:24.
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE
Boys dual results
Manhattan def. Washburn Rural, 46-23; Emporia def. Junction City, 41-28; Manhattan def. Junction City, 75-6; Washburn Rural def. Topeka High, 60-23; Manhattan def. Emporia, 63-15; Junction City def. Topeka High, 52-23; Washburn Rural def. Junction City, 47-31; Emporia def. Topeka High, 49-30; Washburn Rural def. Emporia, 45-32; Manhattan defeated Topeka High 68-12.
Girls dual results
Manhattan def. Washburn Rural, 42-38; Emporia def. Junction City, 42-36; Manhattan def. Junction City, 39-27; Washburn Rural def. Topeka High, 84-0; Manhattan def. Emporia, 46-24; Junction City def. Topeka High, 57-6; Washburn Rural def. Junction City, 54-30; Emporia def. Topeka High, 69-6; Washburn Rural def. Emporia, 62-18; Manhattan def. Topeka High, 65-6.
