Kansas high school wrestling: 11 top performances of Newton’s Tournament of Champions

Taylor Eldridge
·5 min read

The Tournament of Champions hosted by Newton always promises to be one of the best high school wrestling events in Kansas every season.

This year was no different. In case you missed it, here are 11 performances from area wrestlers last weekend you need to know about:

Newton junior Nick Treaster, a two-time state champion, showed why he is the No. 1-ranked 113-pound wrestler in Kansas. Treaster topped a loaded field, pinning Valley Center’s Aiden Shields, ranked No. 4 in 5A, in the quarterfinals, winning a 7-0 decision over Lawrence Free State’s Nolan Bradley, ranked No. 2 in 6A and No. 4 in all classes, in the semifinals, and winning 1-0 in an overtime tiebreaker over Blanchard’s Aden Sanders, a state champion from Oklahoma. Treaster improved to 21-2 this season with the sweep.

Newton sophomore Logan Buchanan registered perhaps the most impressive victory, scoring five takedowns in a dominant 12-5 decision over Wichita Northwest’s Caden Ross, who entered ranked No. 1 in 6A and No. 2 all classes. Buchanan topped off his memorable run with a 3-1 overtime victory over Manhattan’s Talique Houston in the finals. Buchanan, who improved to 23-5 this season, shot up to No. 2 in the 5A rankings and jumped from No. 9 to No. 5 in the all class rankings following the win.

Goddard’s Jerrdon Fisher picked up an impressive win in the 152-pound division at Newton’s Tournament of Champions last weekend.
Goddard’s Jerrdon Fisher picked up an impressive win in the 152-pound division at Newton’s Tournament of Champions last weekend.

Goddard senior Jerrdon Fisher, a two-time state champion, displayed his dominance en route to winning the 152-pound bracket. Fisher registered back-to-back technical falls over ranked opponents in Garden City’s Colin Kleysteuder (No. 5 in 6A) and Derby’s Troy Allen (No. 6 in 6A), then scored four takedowns in an 11-4 decision over Rose Hill’s Keegan Beavers, ranked No. 2 in 4A and No. 5 in all classes. Fisher, the No. 1-ranked 152-pound wrestler in Kansas, improved to 16-1 this season.

Valley Center sophomore Jett Schwartz continued his breakout season by winning the 106-pound bracket. Schwartz scored the winning takedown in overtime in a thrilling semifinals match against Newton’s Lucas Kaufman, ranked No. 4 in 5A, then pulled off a 12-7 decision over Washburn Rural’s Easton Broxterman, ranked No. 2 in 6A, in the finals. Schwartz, ranked No. 1 in 5A and No. 2 in all classes, improved to 20-2 this season.

Valley Center sophomore Jett Schwartz won the 106-pound division at Newton’s Tournament of Champions.
Valley Center sophomore Jett Schwartz won the 106-pound division at Newton’s Tournament of Champions.

Newton junior Rio Gomez pinned all four of his heavyweight opponents in a dominant first-place performance. It only took Gomez 59 seconds to pin Lawrence Free State’s Tai Newhouse (No. 4 in 6A, No. 7 all classes) in the semifinals, then he registered a second-period pin over Blue Valley Southwest’s Andrew Farrell (No. 2 in 5A, No. 3 all classes) in the finals. Gomez improved to 22-4 on the season and moved up to No. 2 in the 5A rankings and No. 4 in the all class rankings.

Maize junior Connor Padgett picked up a handful of ranked wins along the way of reaching the 170-pound finals. Padgett won a 13-3 major decision over Garden City’s Ben Dunlap (No. 3 in 6A), then pinned Norton’s Garrett Urban (No. 2 in 3-1A, No. 8 all classes) and won a 12-5 decision over Seneca’s Gabriel Commons, a highly-ranked wrestler from Missouri. In a showdown between the state’s two best 170 wrestlers, Dodge City’s Luke Barker emerged victorious with a second-period pin. Padgett, ranked No. 1 in 5A and No. 2 in all classes, improved to 25-4 this season.

Maize sophomore Ayden Flores reached the 182-pound finals thanks to an overtime victory in the semifinals over Washburn Rural’s Austin Fager, ranked No. 1 in 6A in No. 4 in all classes. That set up a finals match with the two best 182-pound wrestlers in Kansas, as Southeast of Saline’s Matthew Rodriguez won a 5-2 decision over the Maize sophomore. Flores, ranked No. 1 in 5A and No. 2 in all classes, improved to 14-3 this season.

Goddard senior Kaden Glass picked up a pair of ranked wins to reach the 195-pound finals. Glass pinned Rose Hill’s Cade Evans (No. 5 in 4A) in the quarterfinals, then won a 9-3 decision over Maize’s Ronan Wunsch (No. 3 in 5A) in the semifinals to set up a matchup against the No. 1 195-pound wrestler in Kansas. Glass, ranked No. 1 in 5A and No. 2 all classes, came up just short in a 3-1 decision to Olathe South’s Blake Jouret, a defending state champion, and sits with a 17-3 record on the season.

Andale sophomore Owen Eck proved his mettle, finishing second in a loaded 138-pound field. The defending 4A state champion scored three straight technical falls, including over Garden City’s Sebastian Rodriguez (No. 4 in 6A) and Newton’s Colin Bybee (No. 5 in 5A), before losing a 7-1 decision to Manhattan’s Easton Taylor (No. 1 in 6A) in the finals. Eck, who is ranked No. 2 in 4A and No. 5 in all classes, improved to 24-2 this season.

Valley Center junior Easton Boone, seeded sixth, made some noise by reaching the finals of the 160-pound bracket. Boone scored the winning takedown in overtime to top Maize’s Jayden Ford (No. 4 in 5A), then won a 5-0 decision over Andale’s Jonah Meyer (No. 6 in 4A) before being pinned in the finals by the state’s top-ranked 160-pound wrestler in Blue Valley Southwest’s Brett Umentum. Boone improved to 22-5 on the season and moved up to No. 5 in the latest 5A rankings.

Goddard sophomore Zachary Wessley came away with an impressive second-place finish in the 145-pound division. Wessley, a state champion last year, scored a notable 7-1 decision over Manhattan’s Blaisen Bammes, ranked No. 2 in 6A, in the semifinals, then fell in a 4-2 decision to the state’s top-ranked wrestler in Emporia’s Xerarch Tungjaroenkul in the finals. Wessley, ranked No. 3 in 5A and No. 4 in all classes, improved to 14-5 this season.