The Junior National Duals are simply the greatest team event on earth.

The 25 Kansas warriors that paid the price in OKC won 14 of 16 duals!! Both of those losses could have gone our way...

I want to thank those that contributed to the effort. Our coaching staff of Scott Rieck, Jacob Marrs and Ryne Cokeley did a fantastic job both in mat coaching and sportsmanship! Thank you to Tom Richard and Mark Stanley for getting our USAWKS trailer to Topeka, ready to go on Tuesday morning. Thanks to Mark Dulgarian for driving a team van and helping with the daily chores. Thank you to Tyson Toelkes mother Jenna Henderson who coordinated the food each day. A huge thank you to Randy Ewing who contributed 350 waters and sport drinks along with some of the best cookies and muffins we've ever had. They were a hit. Thank you to Jerry Tujague for loading videos on HUDL and to Sean McCarthy and Randy Hinderliter for posting results along the way. Thank you to Rance Stein for transporting our clocks back to Wichita. That was a huge help. Thanks also to our three referees, Mark Anderson, Drew Anderson and Charlie Knox who represented Kansas in a professional manner.

What was also very encouraging was our vocal fan base! Many Kansas faithful made the trip down and I know our Juniors appreciated it.

Let's talk about our Juniors...

Every single one of these guys contributed. I could just say they went 14-2 but I have to get more detailed.

100 - Hunter Kiser - This freshman from Abilene stepped up without any GR/FS experience and filled this weight class that is very hard to fill. He had a contagious positive attitude on our bench and went 7-9 over 16 duals.
106 - Skylar Johnson - Yet another son of Billy Johnson making his mark for Team Kansas. Skylar went 6-9 and had three big pins for us, two against PA and one against GA in our FS final!
113 - Josiah Seaton - An All-American and veteran of past Junior teams, he went 10-6 with several falls while battling from behind more than once. You can never count him out.
120 - Reese Cokeley - returning from last years successful Junior Dual trip, he went 4-5 against very tough competition, winning some critical matches for us.
120 - Park Howell - A last minute fill-in role by a three year JD veteran going 4-4. Great effort!
126 - Zak Hensley - Carrying the full load at this weight, Zak went 10-5 and dominated many matches. His aggressive style paid off in critical matches for us.
132 - Tyler Dickman - A returning JD team member went 4-4 and had very close matches with nationally ranked guys. One tough hombre!
132 - Tyler Mies - Ty rebounded from a rough GR session to finish 4-4. He went 4-0 in FS with some really helpful wins against tough competition.
138 - Andrew Tujague - This guy is flat out fun to watch. Andrew went 8-3, finishing near the top in many categories.
138 - Connor Penka - This freshman went 2-3 in a very tough weight class. Looks like he's filling his brothers shoes well.
145 - Isaac Dulgarian - This All-American made the all-tournament GR team and went 12-1 for the week. Isaac is quite possibly our most talented wrestler in the state. You cannot take your eyes off of his matches, lest you miss a highlight reel flurry of points.
145 - Tagen Lambotte - This 3X state champion went 1-2 and also won an exhibition match. His three matches were a blast to watch winning 16-13 and then losing two matches 5-5 and 6-6 against nationally ranked guys.
152 - Andrew Millsap - He went 8-1, going 5-0 in freestyle and made the all-tournament FS team! His payback match against Texas was one for the ages. You talk about a beastly body lock throw!
152 - Jonathan Blackwell - Once again he was one of our most consistant wrestlers going 7-2, only losing one at his weight. I will never forget his match that found him high in the air in a seemingly impossible position and scrambling to give up no points! He has an uncanny ability to land on his frontside.
160 - Calvin Ochs - This AA and Virginia Beach finalist was an anchor for our team. He finished 9-3 and bumped up a weight twice to help. Colby is getting a gem in this guy!
160 - Dustin Williams - He went 3-1 in GR and had to take off in FS competition due to an injury. Those GR matches he wrestled were historic battles. Am I glad he has one for year for us!
170 - Jared Johnson - Another veteran team member that I will miss. Jared went 8-5 in a very tough weight class. We were counting on his pin points and he delivered!
182 - Levi Eck - It was an emotional time as Levi had his picture taken leaving his wrestling shoes in the middle of the mat. I can't think of a better way to finish a wrestling career than to go an UNDEFEATED 8-0 for the entire tournament!
182 - Spencer Wilson - Going 5-3 with some critical pin points, this AA gave us some much anticipated throws. He is always a positive influence on the rest of the team. We are going to miss this guy.
195 - Emilio Fowler - Having come off of a 14-1 Cadet Dual effort, he moved to the next level and turned in a solid 4-4 performance. He had some beasts at this weight and came through for us in the tight matches that we really needed.
195 - Sage Eckman - Another underclassman that contributed in a big way going 4-4. Great future ahead of this Emporia kid!
220 - Ray Gallegos - He wrestled GR only and almost ran the table going 4-1. Newton has a good one coming back next season!
220 - Kane Washington - This Hoxie state champ was the hero of our last dual against GA. We were tied 32-32 and with all the weight on his shoulders and a roaring crowd he won 13-6 to clinch the dual win and title in our bracket. Kane went 3-4 in FS.
220 - Tyson Toelkes - He went 1-3 before he was injured in a powerful throw in the Texas dual. Tyson has only one gear and that's full out. Look out for next year at Shawnee Heights!
285 - Nathan Butler - What can I say? Nathan went 15-1. He was simply our hammer. He cemented his place in the history of great Kansas heavyweights and we are all going to miss him. His future is so bright you have to wear shades!

I can tell you that there are plenty of wrestlers across the nation that will remember they wrestled Team Kansas! The 2013 version was a special group. Congratulations on bringing home the hardware!!

- Chief