With just under a month left in the season, both the boys and girls wrestling teams are focusing attention on competing at the highest level possible, with several Varsity athletes placing high at every meet.
At the Washburn Women’s Invitational Saturday, almost every member of the Manhattan Varsity girls team ended up placing. Junior Sage Rosario and freshman Kayla Cramer took first, sophomore Alayna Silfer got fourth, freshman Sophia Hoeme took fifth, and sophomores Evelyn Thornburg and Ava Gary-Hernandez took sixth place, along with freshman Tierra Young.
Silfer scored 34.0 team points taking her record to a 16-5. During round one she received a bye. Her opponent won by default due to the injury at the end.
“I had a medical forfeit in the semi finals … .so I couldn’t finish my meet,” Silfer said. “I’m not sure until my appointment but they think my knee cap slid out of place. I’ll be back by Centennial League.”
Gary-Hernandez has a record over 17-8.
“My recent meets have been good. I got first in my last one,” Hernandez said. “The shots I’ve taken have improved a lot, like majorly since the beginning of the year.”
The team ended up taking fifth out of the 37 teams there.
Junior Alexis Haeusler has a record of 19-13, placing seventh and scoring 29.0 points for the team. Cramer now has a record of 29-2, Thornburg a record of 20-14, freshman Eleanor Radi 17-11, Young 21-12, Hoeme 25-8, Rosario 21-0 and sophomore Gabriella Grogg 15-15.
The Varsity boys earned first at their meet on Saturday, the latest win in an overall good season as they attempt to top last year’s fourth place finish at State. On Jan. 20 the boys earned second as a team at Newton’s Tournament of Champions.
“I got first at ace. I have been doing pretty good…had some bad matches but gonna improve and keep climbing,” sophomore Cameron Coonrod said. “Probably win State as an individual and as a team, that’s a pretty big goal for me.”
The team also hosted the annual Junior Varsity tournament on Friday. Freshman Julian Sexton placed fourth, freshman Isaac Espurvoa placed fourth, sophomore Levin Nickerson placed fourth, freshman Brayden Strutt placed fourth, freshman Sebastian Gonzalez placed fourth, junior Jason Lucas third, sophomore Joseph Panfil second, junior Nick Robert first, junior Dalton Devin first, sophomore Lane Mathies first, junior Steele Medaris first, senior Mark David fourth, sophomore Jonathan Jordan second, junior Orion Willoughby first, sophomore Hunter Flagg fourth, senior Jerek McClellan first, Brock Henningson first, Abram Farley third, freshman Isaac Black third, junior Jaden Demercurio placed first and sophomore Yasser Issoufou got fourth.
Varsity boys and girls next wrestle in the Centennial League meet on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. at MHS.
