Maize wrestling among these 10 highlight performances at Derby high school tournament
Following a star-studded Kansas high school wrestling tournament this past weekend in Derby, here are the 10 performances you need to know coming away from the January event.
1. Another dominant performance from Maize came from junior Connor Padgett, who made short work of the 170 field to win the title and improve to 21-3 this season. El Dorado junior Terek White (6-3) made an impressive run to reach the finals, but Padgett, the No. 3-ranked all-class wrestler at 170, proved to be on another level. Padgett did not allow a single takedown and scored a total of 26 takedowns in his five matches, including five in the finals, before ultimately pinning White in the third period.
2. No one could touch Maize sophomore Ayden Flores, the No. 2-ranked all-class wrestler at 182, who had a dominant run to the 182 title. He pinned all three of his opponents in pool matches, including one over Campus’ Aiden Williams, ranked No. 6 in 6A, then scored a 13-0 major decision over Derby’s Peyton Neptune in the finals. Flores improved to 11-2 this season with the perfect day.
3. It was a dominant showing from Maize senior Keton Patterson, who racked up three wins over ranked wrestlers and should be moving up the 132 rankings in 5A after winning a 5-3 decision over Mill Valley’s Eddie Hughart in the finals. Patterson, ranked one behind Hughart in 5A at No. 3, scored a nearfall in the second period, which proved to be the difference in the match. Patterson, who improved to 24-3 this season, also picked up notable wins over St. James’ Angel Miranda and Washburn Rural’s Brode Byrne.
4. Ryan Pacha registered the upset of the tournament when he became the surprise 145 champion, as the unranked Bishop Carroll senior won a 3-2 decision over Maize junior Camden Padgett, ranked No. 2 in 5A, in the finals. Padgett scored a takedown in the first 20 seconds of the first period, but Pacha would take the lead near the end of the second period with a takedown of his own for a 3-2 lead. Pacha was able to ride Padgett out for the entire third period to clinch the win that moved his season record to 9-1, as he also notched a win over another ranked wrestler in Mill Valley’s Colin McAlister along the way. Other notable performances from Carroll included senior Caleb Means (15-4) reaching the 138 finals and senior Antonio Huerta (17-2) taking third in a loaded 160 bracket.
5. Maybe the most exciting match of the day came from Derby junior Miles Wash, who pulled out a last-second win over St. Thomas Aquinas’ Pierce Cunningham in the 220 finals. Wash was hit with a stalling penalty with 11 seconds left in the third period, which erased his one-point lead, only to score a title-winning takedown in the closing seconds. Wash also picked up an impressive 5-1 decision over El Dorado’s Collin Scott, ranked No. 3 in 4A, as he improved to 13-4 this season.
6. While Maize sophomore Ronan Wunsch came up short in the 195 finals, he did score one of the more impressive victories of the day in the semifinals with a 12-1 major decision over Lawrence Free State’s Matthew Marcum, handing the No. 6-ranked all-class wrestler at 195 just his second loss of the season. Wunsch, who improved to 21-5 this season, lost a 4-1 decision in the finals to St. Thomas Aquinas junior Sean Carroll, ranked No. 2 in 5A.
7. Campus senior Dylan Sheler, ranked No. 1 in 6A, and Mill Valley sophomore Dillon Cooper, ranked No. 3 in 5A, put on a show in the 120 finals with Cooper holding on for a 5-3 decision to hand Sheler his first loss of the season. Cooper scored the lone takedown of the match in the first period, then took a commanding lead with a reversal in the third period for a 4-1 lead. Sheler made things interesting with a reversal of his own, but could not find the takedown in the final minute to extend the match.
8. Maize sophomore Jayden Ford reached the finals in the 160 division, dropping a 10-2 major decision to St. Thomas Aquinas junior Dylan Elmore, ranked No. 2 in 5A. Ford picked up a dramatic win in the semifinals, notching an escape with six seconds left in the third period to force overtime against Washburn Rural’s Aiden Boline, then scoring the match-winning takedown a little more than a minute into overtime to improve to 18-6 this season. His teammate, Maize junior Cody Hughbanks, also reached the finals in the 152 division, finishing runner-up to improve to 13-6 this season.
9. Winfield freshman Talon Suttles notched his best performance of the season with a second-place finish in a loaded 106 division, highlighted by victories over Lawrence Free State’s Grayson Hagen and Bishop Carroll’s Caden Denton — both ranked wrestlers. Suttles, who entered unranked in 4A, improved to 16-4 on the season. His twin brother, Owen Suttles, also came away with a standout performance, taking third in the 113 division after winning a major decision over Derby’s Cole Molloy, ranked No. 3 in 6A. Like his brother, Owen was also unranked in 4A and improved to 15-5 this season.
10. In the team race, Maize sent seven of its wrestlers to the finals and had three champions to help propel the No. 1-ranked team in 5A to the team title in Derby with 163.5 points. St. Thomas Aquinas was 14 points off the mark in second place, while Washburn Rural took third with 130 points. Bishop Carroll (116 points, fourth) and Derby (113 points, sixth) were working with depleted lineups, but still managed impressive showings at the star-studded event.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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