Team from Manhattan calls Fracas a highlight

PREP WRESTLING
By Marc Zavala
marc.zavala@theindependent.com
Published: Friday, December 17, 2010 10:00 PM CST

The Manhattan (Kan.) wrestling team gets pumped for one tournament on its schedule other than its state tournament.

That’s the Flatwater Fracas in Grand Island.

The Indians were one of 24 schools competing in the Fracas, which started Friday at the Heartland Events Center. They are one of two out-of-state schools competing in the tournament along with Charappal, Colo., and is the only one from another state to compete in the tournament all four years.

“Our kids get fired up for this tournament more than any other tournament we go to in Kansas,” Indians coach Robert Gonzales said. “It’s one of the more competitive tournaments we go to.”

Manhattan, which is ranked seventh and has four wrestlers rated in Class 6A in this week’s Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, is a powerhouse that has won state titles in 2004, 2005 and 2007.

The Indians finished the first day of this year’s event at 4-1 with its loss coming to Gretna.

Four years ago, Grand Island Senior High activities director Joe Kutlas contacted Gonzales and asked if he was interested in participating in the Fracas.

Gonzales wondered how Kutlas found out about the Indians’ success, and Kutlas told him about seeing Manhattan being voted the athletic team of the year for Kansas on ESPN’s top 50 programs for each state.

Kutlas then told him about the Heartland Events Center being built and what kind of facility it was going to be. That convinced Gonzales and the Indians to participate in the tournament.

“At first I was wondering, ‘Grand Island is where?’,” Gonzales said. “I was convinced after he told me what kind of tournament they were hoping to have. Our first year was just amazing. We were competing against some of the best teams in Nebraska, regardless of what class they are in.

“The people at the events center and around the city have been great to us every year. They have a lot to offer. And the arena is one of the finest venues in the Midwest.”

It took Manhattan about four hours to travel to Grand Island for the Fracas. The money raised at a middle school wrestling tournament that involves 25 schools along with money given to them by their school district help pay for the Indians’ trip to Grand Island.

GISH coach Mike Schadwinkel said he appreciates Manhattan coming up to this tournament.

“I think there’s a huge advantage for any school that comes up here because they are going to wrestle a bunch of Nebraska schools that they will likely never see again,” Schadwinkel said. “We are glad to have them and glad they keep coming back here. I think they have had a great experience coming to this tournament.”

The Indians finished second to Kearney in 2007, fourth in 2008 and sixth in 2009.

Last season, Manhattan won the Mike McClaren Memorial Sportsmanship Award, which goes to the team that showed the best sportsmanship during the weekend.

Gonzales said the Fracas is only going to grow. The tournament increased from 20 teams last season to 24 this year.

“Kutlas and Schadwinkel, as well as the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce and the Heartland Events Center, all had a vision of this tournament of being a premier event. I think they are heading in the right direction,” Gonzales said. “Our kids have gotten better by coming to this tournament.”