By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
PARK CITY -- Washburn Rural boys wrestling coach Josh Hogan said he doesn't look at the team scores during the course of a tournament, not even the state tournament.
Washburn Rural sophomore 138-pounder Landen Kocher-Munoz gives the heart sign to Rural's cheering section after Friday's semifinal win in the Class 6A state tournament. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
But Hogan didn't have to study the team scores to know his Junior Blues had a good day on Friday in the Class 6A state event at Hartman Arena. The proof was all around him.
Washburn Rural put four wrestlers in the state finals, including returning state champions Easton Broxterman and Landen Kocher-Munoz, while eight Junior Blues have already clinched state medals heading into Saturday's final day of competition.
"I don't look at the team scores,'' Hogan said. "I don't look at them at all. We've got one job and that's to get pins and not get pinned, so it doesn't matter really what's going on in the team race. Our job never changes, so I try not to cloud my mind with any of that but the boys always know where we're at.''
And Hogan was thrilled with how the Junior Blues did their job on Friday.
"I think all year the boys have proved who they are and who we are as a team,'' Hogan said. "We've been tough for a lot of years, we continue to be tough and we ought to be right there in the thick of it for years to come.''
Friday's success put Rural in second place in the team standings with 139.5 points, just two and a half points behind Mill Valley and a half point ahead of Centennial League rival Manhattan. Maize is fourth with 119 points.
"I reckon we knew it was going to be a three-dog race, maybe a four-dog race, and that's what we came for,'' Hogan said. "We're one of the dogs and we're ready for the challenge.''
Junior 132-pounder Broxterman advanced to the state finals for the third straight season while sophomore Kocher-Munoz earned his second straight finals berth.
The Rural state champs will be joined in the finals by junior 150-pounder Kristjan Marshall and senior 157-pounder Brody Byrne, with both Marshall and Byrne finishing fourth in 6A a year ago.
Broxterman (48-1) recorded a 15-0 technical fall over Olathe North sophomore Blake Samuelson and will take on Maize freshman Vincent Rosas (43-9) in the 132 final.
Rosas advanced with 3-2 decision over Lawrence's Andrew Honas.
Kocher-Munoz (36-4) pinned Blue Valley West junior Logan Meinheit at the 3:09 mark of his semifinal and will face Mill Valley senior Dillon Cooper (17-2) in Saturday's 138 final.
Cooper advanced with a 3-0 win over Daniel Gomez of Maize.
Marshall (38-4) advanced to his first state final with a 16-4 major decision over Olathe North junior Braiden Frey and will square off against Mill Valley senior Brady Mason (39-9) in the final.
Mason took a 2-1 semifinal decision over Grayson Hagen of Lawrence Free State.
Bryne becamse the fourth Rural wrestler to advance to the state finals when he took an 8-4 decision over Olathe North junior Vance Provost.
Bryne (36-3) will face Olathe East junior Ender Rider (42-7) in the 157 championship match after Rider advanced with a pin (3:59) over Manhattan's Ben Uher.
Rural sophomore 126-pounder Cooper Stivers and senior 165-pounder Chase Calhoon also advanced to the semifinals, with Stivers dropping a 5-3 decision and Calhoon losing by pin.
Stivers and Calhoon can still finish as high as third as can sophomore 106-pounder Ryder Harrison and freshman 144-pounder Brodye Kocher-Munoz, who advanced to Saturday with wins in the consolation quarterfinals.
Saturday's competition will get under way at 9 a.m.
