Buffalo wrestling thumps Great Bend

Garden City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Coming in to Thursday’s dual with Great Bend, Garden City knew they needed to pick up a WAC dual win to insert themselves back into the league standings. Earlier in the year, the Panthers knocked off Dodge City, and just one week ago, the Buffaloes found themselves on the short end of the score against the Red Demons. Thursday night in The Garden, it was overall a good performance for the brown and gold, as they took nine of the 14 matches wrestled en route to a 46-18 win.

While the No. 5 ranked team in Class 6A Garden City was not at full strength, the Buffaloes picked up some key early wins, and closed the dual out winning five of the final six weight classes.

The best matches of the night may cave come in the 113 and 120-pound weight classes. At 113, it was Great Bend’s Drew Liles getting an escape with just eight seconds remaining to win 1-0 over Silas Pineda, who came in ranked second in 6A, while Liles was ranked sixth in 5A. In the very next match, it would end up going to the first ultimate tiebreaker. While the match had no takedowns, it was Diego Hernandez winning with his only escape of the match in a 3-2 win over Great Bend’s Carsyn Schooler.

In the other two head-t0-head state-ranked wrestlers, it was George Weber with a 10-3 win over Kaj Perez at 132 in a battle of number three ranked wrestlers in their weight class, and at 152, Great Bend’s Gage Fritz, ranked third in 5A, held on for a 6-4 win over freshman Trey Medina, who bumped up a weight class, and is fifth at 145 in 6A. Jacob Holt, the second ranked wrestler in 6A at 126 and the fifth ranked wrestler at 285 in 6A Refujo Chairez each picked up falls for the Buffaloes.

Garden City will wrestle at the Arvada West Invitational on Saturday.

Garden City 46, Great Bend 18
106: Steven Sellers, Garden City, won by fall over Brantley Baldwin, Great Bend, :57
113: Drew Liles, Great Bend, won by dec over Silas Pineda, Garden City, 1-0
120: Diego Hernandez, Garden City, won by dec over Carsyn Schooler, Great Bend, 3-2 UTB-1
126: Jacob Holt, Garden City, won by fall over Skylar Burkes, Great Bend, 2:22
132: George Weber, Great Bend, won by dec over Kaj Perez, Garden City, 10-3
138: Elijahblu Ruiz-Hernandez, Garden City, won by maj dec over Braxton Schooler, Great Bend, 12-2
145: Alex Randolph, Great Bend, won by dec over Wyatt McElroy, Garden City, 10-6
152: Gage Fritz, Great Bend, won by dec over Trey Medina, Garden City, 6-4
160: Jacob Sims, Garden City, won by fall over Dalton Hoffman, Great Bend, 1:06
170: Alex Rodriguez, Garden City, won by fall over Wiley Brand, Great Bend, 2:12
182: Josh Dowdy, Garden City, won by dec over Eli Witte, Great Bend, 5-1
195: Jacob Meeks, Great Bend, won by inj def over Ian Crone, Garden City
220: Julian Facio, Garden City, won by fall over Ever Chavez, Great Bend, 1:23
285: Refujio Chairez, Garden City, won by fall over Eric Vazuez, Great Bend, 1:35

Garden City Coach Carlos Prieto