From CJOnline"
Though Greg Tooley has had his share of decent tests this season, both he and St. Marys coach Travis Van Vleck knew Saturday’s Silver Lake Invitational would be the ultimate challenge for the 145-pound junior.
“We’ve had this date circled since after Christmas,” Van Vleck said. “We knew this was going to be his toughest tournament leading up to state.”
Indeed, the challenge seemed formidable with Class 5A No. 2 Andrew Tujague of St. James Academy and Class 4A No. 2 Kaleb Konitzer of Prairie View — both returning state champions from a year ago — in the same bracket. Yet Tooley kept his undefeated season going, defeating both on his way to capturing the title.
“I was scared to death against Tujague going into the match,” Tooley said of the title showdown with last year’s 5A 138 state champion. “I saw he had a one-point match with Michael (Olson of Lansing, 5A’s top-ranked 145-pounder) and thought, ‘Oh man.’”
Tooley calmed those fears before facing Tujague, however, getting a big boost from an 8-7 semifinal win over Konitzer. Tooley was taken down for the first time this season in that match, falling behind 3-2 early, but came back to take down Konitzer two more times, building an 8-5 lead before hanging on.
The title match with Tujague wasn’t that close. After the two battled through a scoreless first period, Tooley got an escape and takedown in a five-second span and then added another takedown later in the period to lead 5-2 going into the third.
After Tujague worked an early escape to start the third, Tooley ended the match with one move. In taking Tujague straight to his back on a takedown, the St. James standout’s left leg got pinned under him and he cried out in immediate pain.
Tooley was somewhat distraught coming to his corner, yelling, “I heard it snap!” Tujague was helped off the mat with knee and ankle injuries, ending the match with an injury default.
“I felt bad because he’s probably going to win state and I was scared I took away that chance,” Tooley said. “I just did everything I wish I would have done in the state finals against Brogan (Humphrey of Fredonia). They both have the same style and both are small and down to the ground. In the state finals, I was scared and today I just saw all the moves I needed to do.”
Tooley improved to 33-0 with the title and was named the tourney’s most outstanding wrestler.
“Konitzer and Tujague, they’re amazing wrestlers,” Van Vleck said. “Greg wants to be considered one of the best and this was a very important day for him. This can catapult him to truly thinking he can go back and take state.”
Two other area wrestlers entered Saturday’s tournament with undefeated records, but only one joined Tooley unscathed. Doniphan West’s Tristan Speer pinned his way to the finals for a showdown with Iola’s Bryce Misenhelter, who had just one loss on the season.
Speer grabbed a 4-2 lead before getting Misenhelter to his back and working the pin with 1:15 left in the third period.
Silver Lake freshman Dalton Dultmeier also reached the finals at 113 with easy wins. But he couldn’t work any takedowns against St. James’ Stephen Tujague and dropped a 1-0 decision for his first loss of the year.
Rossville’s Tagen Lambotte captured his third Silver Lake title, but seemed none to pleased about how he got it. Though he beat Prairie View’s William Holland 11-6 in the finals to improve to 26-1, Lambotte was far from satisfied with his performance.
“Not at all,” said Lambotte, who got three of his five takedowns in the final period after trailing 1-0 in the first. “I have to get to my offense. I was in position, but I just have to execute better.”
Rossville also got a title from Bryce Gfeller at 106, who took an 11-3 win over Prairie View’s Tanner Snow in the finals. Bulldog Isaac Luellen also reached the finals but fell 5-2 to St. James’ Matt Pratt.
St. James ran away with the team title, getting seven champions to score 250 points and easily outdistance runner-up Baldwin (182.5), which had one champion — 220-pounder Tiler Garcia, a 7-4 winner over St. James’ David Feist.
Team scores
St. James Academy 250, Baldwin 182.5, Prairie View 142, Rossville 96.5, Silver Lake 94, Salina South 89.5, Doniphan West 69.5, St. Marys 69, Leavenworth 65.5, Free State 62, Wamego 60, Iola 55, Osawatomie 52.5, Erie 43, Clay Center 42, Anderson County 33, Chase County 10.
Championship finals
106 — Gfeller, Rossville maj. dec. Snow, Prairie View, 11-3.
113 — S. Tujague, St. James dec. Dultmeier, Silver Lake, 1-0.
120 — Heberly, Salina South pinned Christie, Wamego, 1:33.
126 — Cokeley, St. James maj. dec. Lisher, Baldwin, 12-0.
132 — Hensley, St. James dec. Howerton, Silver Lake, 9-2.
138 — Lautt, St. James dec. Clark, Baldwin, 3-1.
145 — Tooley, St. Marys won by injury default over A. Tujague, St. James.
152 — Lambotte, Rossville dec. Holland, Prairie View, 11-6.
160 — Van Lerberg, St. James pinned Tuckfield, Baldwin, 3:00.
170 — Pratt, St. James dec. Luellen, Rossville, 5-2.
182 — Salsbury, St. James pinned Koch, Anderson County, 5:07.
195 — Speer, Doniphan West pinned Misenhelter, Iola, 4:45.
220 — Garcia, Baldwin dec. Feist, St. James, 7-4.
285 — Colborn, Erie pinned Katzer, Baldwin, 1:57.
The details of all matches can be read at: http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/schools/rjshs/athletics/wrestling/13-14/14_sl.pdf
The Burlington Double Dual tournament scheduled for Feb. 6 was canceled.
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