Wrestling wraps up season

me to an end at the state tournament last Saturday. The Indians came home with two fourth place finishers and a fourth-place finish in girls.

Cade White, a junior, became a two-time state placer with his fourth-place finish. After losing his opening match by decision, he wrestled his way through the consolation bracket to make it to the third place match where he and his Inola opponent, Cason Thomas, battled to a tie through regulation. Thomas, though, would win in overtime by a 3-1 score.

Another junior, Tucker Oliver, also placed fourth. Oliver won his first match before falling in the semifinals. He would then work his way to the third-place match, where he would lose in a 9-4 decision to Brody Thomas of Jay.

Hannah Koen was the second Comanche girl to ever make it to state, but she then became the first to win a match and the first to place at the state tournament.

Koen won her first match at 152 pounds before falling in the semifinals. She wrestled her way back into the third-place match before losing by fall to Kaylee Davis of Yukon. There were no classifications in the girls state tournament as all girls were grouped together.

Including Koen, Comanche sent 11 wrestlers to the state tournament. Most of the Indian wrestlers to qualify for state will have a chance to return next year as will Koen.

That is good news according to head coach Casy Rowell.

“Next season, we will be in a great position as a team with seven returning state qualifiers for the boys’ team (six of those being seniors and 3 of those being state placers). We will have one returning state placer for the girls’ team,” Rowell said in a Facebook post. “It would be great to come back with a vengeance and put Comanche back on top. What we do from now until then will be crucial but anything is possible when you set high goals and work hard towards them.”

As a team, Comanche finished in 10th place with 30 points. Three of the Indians advanced in the winners bracket out of the first round with Gunnor Yates, Tucker Oliver, Cade White and Kasen VanBuskirk all making it to the semifinals.

Comanche will be losing three seniors who qualified for state - Gunnor Yates, Owen Bigford and Devon McCarty.