MHS grapplers head to state
Sports reporter
If Marion High School wrestling coach Chad Adkins had his way, all 11 of his wrestlers would be heading to the 3-2-1A state tournament this weekend.
While 11 would be rare, the Warriors did qualify five wrestlers for the event, tying the school record.
Senior Charlie Holub, sophomores Tylor Neil and Cody and Dillon Wildin, and freshman Andy Shipman, all qualified by finishing in the top four of their respective weight classes.
Holub and the Wildins each finished second, while Neil and Shipman were fourth.
As a team the Warriors finished fourth out of 22.
"I felt pretty comfortable we would have had three," Adkins said. "In fact, I would have been mad if we didn't."
Adam Regnier (130 pounds) and Derek Riggs (215) just missed out on qualifying, losing in the fourth-place match.
Regnier (29-9 on the season) finished 3-2 on the day, and Riggs (30-11) was 2-2.
While both wrestlers will have next season to try for the state tournament, that wasn't the case for Holub.
He had been the past two years, and not making it this season was not an option.
"My first two years I always thought I had next year to do it," he said. "But this year is do or die."
He did.
After winning his first two matches in the 145-pound class, he faced Tyler Jones of Hillsboro.
Jones was 30-4 going into the match, and defeated Holub, 6-3.
Holub will take a 30-8 record into the state tournament.
"Now he's one of the guys to beat," Adkins said of Holub compared to his sophomore year.
On the other end of the spectrum was freshman Andy Shipman.
At the start of the season he was at 125 pounds, but with state-qualifier Cody Wildin already there, 119 was the only option.
"He's worked hard all year," Adkins said.
Shipman went in at 20-13 on the season and defeated Aaron Bina of Hillsboro and Seth Otis of Bluestem.
He was pinned by champion Devin Frye of Eureka, and forced into the back side of the bracket.
There he defeated Cody Lange of Wichita Independent, to guarantee himself a spot at state.
He was pinned by Jerry Bennett of Remington, but a fourth-place finished sent him to Hays.
"At first I thought I could have done better, but it's just an accomplishment to make it," a 23-15 Shipman said. "I just need to work harder at practice this week."
Adkins was impressed with the freshman.
"He wrestled his best tournament of the year," the coach said.
Tylor Neil (140) put himself in a tough position after losing an overtime match to Eureka's Ethan McCoy in the first round.
He bounced back with three straight victories, including pins in 55 seconds and one minute, 59 seconds.
He then lost again to McCoy in the third-place match, 5-2.
Neil is 21-14 heading into the state tournament.
The Wildin twins are starting to make state appearances an annual happening in their household.
Both wrestlers took second place in their weight classes, Cody at 125, and Dillon at 135.
Cody won his first two matches with pins lasting a total of 1:32, including a 19-second pin of Flint Hills' Jacob Solliday.
He then lost to 31-3 Brendan Harshman of Chase County, 13-0.
Cody will represent Marion with a 25-9 record.
Dillon just barely upped his brother with a 27-6 record heading into the final tournament, as he finished in second place at regionals as well.
He didn't wrestle for much longer than Cody, pinning his first two opponents in just 3:19.
It was another Marion-Hillsboro match-up in the final round, this time against state-ranked Nichols Mueller.
The two battled, but Mueller came out on top, 8-6.
As a team the Warriors earned 94 points, but finished 31 points behind third place Caney Valley.
The state tournament begins Friday at Fort Hays State University, and championship rounds will begin Saturday night.
