Three more Buffs moving on
Garden City, Kan (westernkansasnews.com)-The year of prominence continued Wednesday morning as three more Buffaloes inked college contracts.
First there was swimmer Samantha Norton-making the decision to stay instate and attend Tabor next Fall. The senior is having a splendid campaign in the pool and is coming off one of her best finishes of the season last week in Salina.
Norton is a four-year state championship qualifier as well as a four-year first-team All-Wac selection. She fell just eight-tenths of a second shy of tying her best individual time in the 200 individual medley at Salina-recording a 2:28.79. In addition-Norton becomes the first swimmer in Casey Wise’s 15 year stint at Garden City to sign a national-letter-of-intent.
In the case of state champion wrestlers Sammy Reyes and Chris Adler, their decision came as a package deal. The duo is going from Garden City to Chanute, KS to duel at Neosho County.
“It was basically a package deal,” Reyes said. “They were getting us both.”
What Neosho is getting are two of the best. Reyes was one of the best wrestlers in the state at 195 pounds this past season. He was one of 12 state qualifiers in 2014, and despite finishing runner up to Gardner-Edgerton’s Seth Pesek, his finish was vital in Garden City capturing a second consecutive 6A state title.
Chris Adler’s rise to the top didn’t start out all rosey.
“When I was a freshman, I was a tough kid but didn’t really know what I was doing,” he said. “It’s so much different now.”
You can say that again. Adler was ranked No. 1 at 145 pounds for most of the 2013-2014 campaign. He reached the state tournament only to lose in the opening round; then suffered a broken hand in his consolation match.
Adler finished the season at 43-8 with his career mark standing at 116-43.
