Six area wrestlers advance to regionals

Two Warriors stay alive, quartet left for Trojans

Hopes for Marion and Hillsboro High School’s wrestling teams to represent the county at state are getting slimmer two weeks away from the Class 3-2-1A state tournament in Hays. 

Six Warriors qualified for Friday’s regional round at Eureka, but 126-pound Chance Shults, and third-ranked 195-pound Todd Palic are Marion’s last hope. 

The Warriors finished 11th out of 19 schools with 40 points. Wellsville paced the field, beating out runner-up Douglass, 140-125.5. 

Friday marked the end of an ever-improving career for Warrior senior Forest Slater. Slater ended the season with a fifth-place finish and a 16-11 record. 

Other Marion wrestlers who finished out were underclassmen Jack Lanning, Trevor Schafers, and Chase Darrow. 

Shults stayed alive, suffering a pin 50 seconds into the title match by Chase County foe Trint Rogers. 

Palic opened the day hot, but his hopes were dashed in the semifinals by Wellsville’s Cruz Farley. 

Palic rebounded to finish third. 

The Trojans had eight competing in their regional tournament Friday at Hillsboro, but only Garrett Helmer, Tristan Rathbone, Jordan Bachman, and Austin Rempel stayed alive. 

Hillsboro finished sixth out of 20 schools with 86 points as third-ranked Republic County beat out Minneapolis, 174-160, for the top spot. 

Friday marked the end for Trojan senior Charlie Major, who didn’t place, along with underclassmen Lane Rogers, Deon Weeks, and Canton’s Isaiah Patton. 

Weeks and Rogers built momentum heading into next year with fifth- and sixth-place finishes. 

Rathbone is set up well for Saturday’s sub-state round at Minneapolis after capturing Hillsboro’s lone gold medal. 

Rathbone completed the day at 3-0, capping his day with a pin on Halstead adversary Ivan Gutierrez in the title match’s second period. 

Helmer took second in the 138-pound, dropping a 6-1 decision to Belleville’s Jonathan Dyke. 

Kingman’s second-ranked junior, Colby Schreiner, continued to be a thorn in the 145-pound Bachman’s side, winning the title match with a major decision. 

Rempel’s day got off to a rough start after Beloit’s Braden Burks pinned him in the first match of the 195-pound class. 

Rempel didn’t stay down long, though, winning his next three matches, including a 6-4 decision over Halstead’s fourth-ranked sophomore, Caleb Wise. 

Rempel closed out his day beating Smith Center’s Eli Franklin, 10-5, in the consolation final for third place. 

Saturday’s action for both Marion and Hillsboro starts at 12 p.m. with the Trojans competing at Minneapolis and the Warriors hosting the other side.