Bobcat Preview and Predictions

It’s finally here folks. One of the best, if not, THE BEST high school tournament in Kansas during the regular season. The Bobcat Classic. Since it’s my favorite tournament of the regular season, I am going to do a preview of each weight class and include my predictions...

Here we go:

This year Basehor-Linwood high school will host-
Andale, ACCHS, Atchison, Baldwin, BLHS, Blue Springs Mo,
Blue Valley, Bonner Springs, Chapman, Clay Center, Collinsville OK, Columbus, Fort Scott, Glenwood Iowa, Goddard, Junction City, Lansing, Mountain Range Co, Olathe North, Olathe South, Paola, Piper, Pittsburg, Platte County Mo, Prairie View, Riley County, Rossville, Royal Valley, Santa Fe Trail, Smithville Mo. St. James, St. Thomas Aquinas, Tonganoxie, Topeka Seaman, Turner

106
Ranked Wrestlers:
SO. Matthew Schmidt (Platte County, MO)- ranked #5 in the nation on Intermat and #6 on Flo. Also ranked #1 in MO Class 3. He was this year’s Stampede champion at 106.

FR. Nathan Keim (Collinsville, OK)- Ranked #1 in OK 5A. He was 3rd at the Stampede this year.

FR. Gary Joint (Junction City, KS)- ranked #1 in 6A and #3 All Class.

FR. Corbin Nirschl (Basehor-Linwood, KS)- ranked #1 in 4A and #4 All Class.

FR. Lane Glover (Goddard, KS)- ranked #3 in 5a and #5 All Class.

FR. Bryce Gfeller (Rossville, KS)- ranked #3 in #321A.

FR. Hunter Ostertag (ACCHS, KS)- ranked #4 in #321A.

FR. Tyler Flood (Paola, KS)- ranked #3 in 4A.

FR. Tanner Snow (Prarie View, KS)- ranked #6 in 4A.

FR. Tanner Hitchcock (Pittsburg, KS)- ranked #6 in 5A.

FR. Riley Alderman (Olathe North, KS)- ranked #5 in 6A.

FR. Gage Hermon (Blue Springs, KS)- ranked #5 in MO Class 4.
Mathew Schmitt is the guy to beat in this bracket. I don’t think anyone will really challenge him, except for Nathan Keim. A lot of good young studs in this bracket. Lane Glover is coming in off a great performance at Derby and Corbin Nirschl just won a close battle over Flood. Gary Joint has been looking better and better every week.

Predictions:
1. Schmitt
2. Keim
3. Glover
4. Joint
5. Nirschl
6. Flood
7. Hermon
8. Hitchcock



113
Ranked Wrestlers:
SO. Stephen Tujague (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #2 in 5A and #4 All Class.

SR. Josiah Seaton (Bonner Springs, KS)- ranked #1 in 4A and #5 All Class.

FR. Zach Eck (Andale, KS)- ranked #3 in 4A and #7 All Class.

SO. Case Pemberton (Prarie View, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A.

JR. Khamin Crow (Topeka Seaman, KS)- ranked #4 in 5A.

FR. Will Spexarth (Goddard, KS)- ranked #5 in 5A.

FR. Tyler Kester (Pittsburg, KS)- ranked #6 in 5A.

SR. Benney Deaton (Olathe South, KS)- ranked #4 in 6A.

SR. Matthew Barmann (Platte County, MO)- ranked #3 in MO Class 3.

Collinsville Stud Christian Moody is reported sick and will miss another Bobcat appearance. Tujague has been a little shaky to start the year off but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn things around. I’m going to go with another Seaton vs. Tujague final. However, it would be no surprise to see red hot freshman Zach Eck make a finals appearance. Will Spexarth has made a name for himself after a finals appearance at Derby. Let’s see if he can keep up his momentum into this weekend.

Predictions:
1. Tujague
2. Seaton
3. Eck
4. Barmann
5. Pemberton
6. Spexarth
7. Crow
8. Kester


120
Ranked Wrestlers:
SR. Jacob Findley (Collinsville, OK)- ranked #2 in OK Class 5A.

SO. Christian Bowen (Goddard, KS)- ranked #2 in 5A and #2 All Class.

SR. Gabe Gooch (Saint Thomas Aquinas, KS)- ranked #4 in 5A and #7 All Class.

SO. Brody Lamb (Smithville, MO) - ranked #3 in Class 2.

JR. DJ Ballard (Bonner Springs, KS)- ranked #4 in 4A.

JR. Ryan Brocker (Paola, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A.

SO. Timmy Romero (Mountain Range, CO)- ranked #5 in CO Class 5A.

Only 6 ranked guys in this bracket. Findley is a stud and maybe the guy to pick. But not for me… I’m going with Christian Bowen. He looked awesome at Derby and I’m thinking he’s going to keep up the momentum and win a Bobcat title. Romero is a returning placer from last year. A Dark Horse is Marty Robinson from Clay Center. He won the Rossville tournament. Zac West from Santa Fe also had a decent Rossville tournament.

Predicitons:
1. Bowen
2. Findley
3. Ballard
4. Gooch
5. Romero
6. Lamb
7. Robinson
8. Brocker


126
Ranked Wrestlers:

SR. Reese Cokeley (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #2 in 5A and #2 All Class.

FR. Thomas Lisher (Baldwin, KS)- ranked #4 in 4A and #5 All Class.

SR. Jerad Heckman (Fort Scott, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A and #6 All Class.

SR. PJ Cheney (Turner, KS)- ranked #3 in 5A and #7 All Class.

FR. Kendall Frame (Goddard, KS)- ranked #4 in 5A and #8 All Class

Another bracket that’s not very deep. Cokeley is back this weekend after being absent since the Stampede. He’s your obvious pick to win this tournament. Lisher has looked real good all season long. He will get another test from state runner up PJ Cheney. I’ll take Cheney in that match. Kendall Frame is another freshman who is looking to make some noise this year. Sky Summers is also one guy to watch for. Bailey Yetmar from Olathe South is a gamer as well as Paul Koontz from Andale.

Predictions:
1. R. Cokeley
2. Cheney
3. Lisher
4. Frame
5. Summers
6. Heckman
7. Yetmar
8. Koontz


132
Ranked Wrestlers:

SO. Blake Stovall (Olathe North, KS)- ranked #1 in 6A and #2 All Class.

JR. Zak Hensley (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #1 in 5A and #3 All Class.

SO. Ethan Karstens (Platte County, MO)- ranked #2 in MO Class 3.

SR. Clayton Himpel (Tonganoxie , KS)- ranked #2 in 4A and #6 All Class.

JR. Logan Bowen (ACCHS, KS)- ranked #2 in #321A.

FR. Kameron Frame (Goddard, KS)- ranked #5 in 5A.

Stovall vs. Hensley III. These two will be fun to watch against each other this weekend. Karsten and Himpel are two guys to watch out for as well. Kameron Frame has been having a good year for a freshman so far. Logan Bowen had a shaky Eudora tournament but has been looking better ever since. Dylan Eck from Andale will be looking to renew himself after a disappointing weekend in Maize. Jacob Gentry from Rossville will be coming in hot, from a good weekend in front of his home crowd.

Predictions:
1. Stovall
2. Hensley
3. Himpel
4. Karsten
5. Frame
6. Bowen
7. Gentry
8. Eck


138
Ranked Wrestlers:
SR. Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, KS)- ranked #9 in the nation by Intermat and #7 by Flowrestling. Also ranked #1 in Oklahoma Class 5A. He was a runner up at this year’s Stampede.

SR. Tyler Mies (Andale, KS)- ranked #1 in 4A and #2 All Class.

SR. Jake Elbrader (Saint Thomas Aquinas, KS)- ranked #2 in 5A and #5 All Class.

SR. Christian Frame (Goddard, KS)- ranked #3 in 5A and #8 All Class.

SR. Tucker Clark (Baldwin, KS)- ranked #6 in 4A.

FR. Clay Lautt (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #4 in 5A.

SO. Stuart Schafer (Olathe North, KS)- ranked #4 in 6A.

JR. Jake Bazan (Junction City, KS)- ranked #5 in 6A.

Gary Wayne Harding will be looking for his first Bobcat championship. He has been on fire this year. He’s already got a win over Tyler Mies and it was by major decision. In my opinion Harding has this one in the bag. Mies is the clear number 2. We will see how he responds to their last match in Enid. Elbrader has been solid all year and Christian Frame will be coming off a convincing Derby championship. Freshman Clay Lautt is getting better and better every weekend. Schafer will be looking to make some noise after missing Derby. Caleb Crabtree from Platte County is also someone to watch out for. Tucker Clark was a runner up last year at the Bobcat and he will look to make another trip to the finals.



Predictions:
1. Harding
2. Mies
3. Elbrader
4. Crabtree
5. Frame
6. Lautt
7. Clark
8. Schafer


145
Ranked Wrestlers:

SR. Michael Olsen (Lansing, KS)- ranked #1 in 5a and #1 All Class (at 152).

SR. Andrew Tujague (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #1 in 5A and #1 All Class

SR. Will Steltzen (Collinsville, OK)- ranked #1 in OK Class 5A.

SR. Kaleb Konitzer (Prarie View, KS)- ranked #1 in 4A and #3 All Class.

SR. Jacob Durossette (Fort Scott, KS)- ranked #2 in 4A and #4 All Class

SR. Grady Ware (Clay Center, KS)- ranked #3 in 4A.

JR. Jon Pratt (Baldwin, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A.

JR. Daemeion Gay (Topeka Seaman, KS)- ranked #3 in 5A.

SR. Zach Hoskins (Saint Thomas Aquinas, KS)- ranked #4 in 5A.

SO. Tanner Madl (Blue Valley, KS) – ranked #4 in 6A.

JR. Nick Haug (Olathe North, KS)- ranked #5 in 6A.

SO. Jonny Blankenship (Platte County, MO)- ranked #5 in MO Class 3.

Michael Olsen has been confirmed to be at 145 for this weekend. He and Tujague could potentially be the match of the night. Tujague will have a rematch with Steltzen in the semis but I’ll take Tujague to win that match again. Konitzer will be a tough competitor in this bracket as will Durossette. This bracket will be an exciting one to watch unfold. Zach Hoskins and Nick Haug have proven to be tough outs and not to be overlooked. At some point this season, Tanner Madl will go on a rampage. Tighten up your shoelaces if you get in the way.


Predictions:
1. Olsen
2. Tujague
3. Konitzer
4. Steltzen
5. Durossette
6. Madl
7. Gay
8. Blankenship


152
Ranked Wrestlers:

JR. Isaac Dulgarian (Saint Thomas Aquinas, KS)- ranked #1 in 5A and #1 All Class (at 160).

SR. Tagen Lambotte (Rossville, KS)- ranked #1 in 321A and #2 All Class.

SR. Andrew Millsap (Junction City, KS)- ranked #1 in 6a and #3 All Class.

SR. Dalton Tipton (Smithville, MO) - ranked #1 in Class 2.

JR. Asher Huseman (Tonganoxie, KS)- ranked #4 in 4A and #8 All Class.

SR. Justin Wagner (ACCHS, KS)- ranked #5 in 321A.

SR. William Holland (Prarie View, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A.

SO. Zach Jaso (Olathe North, KS)- ranked #3 in 6A.

JR. Patrick Romero (Mountain Range, CO)- ranked #8 in CO.

It’s been confirmed that Dulgarian is moving down to 152. Was looking forward to seeing him at 160, but I don’t mind seeing him in the mix at 152 either. Millsap makes his return to the season and I am expecting big things from him. Huseman is a solid guy as is Holland. I don’t know much about Romero other than he had a less than convincing Bobcat last year. Unranked Sammy Cokeley had a big win over Jaso last weekend at Derby. I like him to be a dark horse in this weight. He’s still a little green but he finds ways to win. No other weight has as tough of a top 3!

(I just found out about Tipton from Smithville! He's #1 in MO and undefeated. Come on in, the water's fine!)

Predictions:
1. Dulgarian
2. Lambotte
3. Millsap
4. Tipton
5. Huseman
6. Holland
7. S. Cokeley
8. Jaso
8. Romero


160
Ranked Wrestlers:

SR. Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, MO)- ranked #7 in the nation by Intermat and #3 by Flowrestling. Ranked #1 in MO Class 4. This years Stampede Champion and also a 3 time Bobcat Classic Champ.

JR. Taylor Watkins (Columbus, KS)- ranked #1 in 4A and #2 in All Class.

SR. Ben Vanlerberg (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #3 in 5A and #5 All Class.

SR. Brett Woodruff (Goddard, KS)- ranked #4 in 5A and #10 All Class.

SR. Luke Henes (Saint Thomas Aquinas, KS)- ranked #2 in 5A and #6 All Class (at 152).

SR. Corey McCleary (Basehor-Linwood, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A.

JR. Tyler Moulden (Olathe North, KS)- ranked #6 in 6A.

All Lewis, all day. This guy is an absolute monster and I doubt he will have any trouble at all. It’ll be interesting to see how the seeds shake out between Watkins, Henes, and Vanlerberg. I’m guessing since Henes hasn’t spent much time at 160 he will get the short end of the stick with the 4 seed. It would be an interesting match up between Watkins and Vanlerberg. Vanlerberg has been looking solid all year and Watkins hasn’t really been battle tested this year. I’ll take Vanlerberg in that match, by a late score. Sam Mizell from Seaman is a dark horse in this weight.

Predictions:
1. Lewis
2. Vanlerberg
3. Watkins
4. Henes
5. Woodruff
6. Mizell
7. Moulden
8. McCleary


170
Ranked Wrestlers:

JR. Matt Pratt (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #1 in 5A and #2 All Class.

JR. Tyler Harris (Atchison, KS)- ranked #4 in 4A and #5 All Class.

SO. Isaac Luellen (Rossville, KS)- ranked #2 in 321A.

SR. Scott Birkinsha (ACCHS, KS)- ranked #3 in 321A.

SO. Bailey Wilson (Smithville, MO) - ranked #3 in Class 2.

JR. Dakota Driskill (Goddard, KS)- ranked #4 in 5A.

SO. AJ Totta (Blue Valley, KS)- ranked #4 in 6A.

Matt Pratt has looked way better this year than in the past. He will look for his first Bobcat Championship. He will get a good test from Atchison’s Tyler Harris. Not a whole lot going on in this weight for this weekend. John Hughes from Fort Scott and Jacob Folsom from Bonner Springs are dark horses at this weight

Predictions:
1. Pratt
2. Harris
3. Luellen
4. Driskill
5. Totta
6. Hughes
7. Birkinsha
8. Wilson


182
Ranked Wrestlers:

SR. Gavin Grater (Riley County, KS)- ranked #2 in 321A and #2 All Class.

SR. Trent Salsbury (Saint James Academy, KS)- ranked #1 in 5A and #3 All Class.

SO. Jace McDown (Columbus, KS)- ranked #6 in 4A.

SR. Jackson Macoubrie (Blue Valley, KS)- ranked #2 in 6A.

SR. Devonte Wilson (Junction City, KS)- ranked #4 in 6A.

It will be exciting to see Salsbury and Grater go at it. This is the first time they’ve met since their freshman year and Grater came out on top by DQ in that meeting. Salsbury has looked almost untouchable this year. He has 21 falls out of 22 matches and the one guy he didn’t pin was a 195 pounder. Grater will be a tough match for him but I’m taking Salsbury. Having said that, Grater has this uncanny ability to win these type of matches. Especially with the bulletin board material I just gave him. The rest of the weight is a toss up. Ethan Dean of Santa Fe Trail and Dayton Driskill of Goddard could potentially place. Along with who ever the other states bring as well.

Predictions:
1. Salsbury
2. Grater
3. Macoubrie
4. McDown
5. Wilson
6. Dean
7. Driskill
8. ???????


195
Ranked Wrestlers:

SR. Michael Pixley (Blue Springs, MO)- ranked #2 in the nation by Intermat and Flowrestling. Ranked #1 in MO Class 4. Was this year’s Stampede runner up at 182. Was Also a Junior National Champ in Freestyle.

JR. Adam Muehlback (Platte County, MO)- ranked #8 in MO Class 3.

JR. Mario Garcia (Baldwin, KS)- ranked #6 in 4A.

JR. Caleb Ward (Lansing, KS)- ranked #6 in 5A.

After Pixley this weight is wide open. Anyone could take 2nd. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Bailey Kelly of Seaman will make another finals appearance. He’s currently unranked but he had a good Bobcat showing last year. Jacob McGaha of Olathe North and Leslie Marou of Goddard are solid unranked guys. Again we will probably see some tough out of state guys here that are under the radar as well.

Predictions:
1. Pixley
2. Kelly
3. Ward
4. Muehlback
5. Garcia
6. Marou
7. McGaha
8. Carter


220
Ranked Wrestlers:

JR. Ben Ewing (Saint Thomas Aquinas, KS)- ranked #1 in 5A and #1 All Class.

SR. Keenan Priddy (Collinsville, OK)- ranked #1 in Ok Class 5A.

SO. Corey Atkins (Goddard, KS)- ranked #2 in 5A and #4 All Class

JR. Tiler Garcia (Baldwin, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A.

SR. David Feist (Saint James Academy)- ranked #5 in 5A.

FR. Kanye Hutchinson (Junction City, KS)- ranked #6 in 6A.

SR. Kody Kleman (Mountain Range, CO)- ranked #10 in CO Class 5A.

SR. Michael Barret (Platte County, MO)- ranked #6 in MO Class 3.

Ben Ewing is the guy to beat here. Priddy had a good showing at Stampede. Corey Atkins looked good at Derby as did David Feist. Kleman was just shy of placing last year. Not much info on Barret.

Predictions:
1. Ewing
2. Priddy
3. Atkins
4. Feist
5. Kleman
6. Hutchison
7. Barret
8. Garcia


285
Ranked Wrestlers:

SR. Jorge Rodriquez (Mountain Range, CO)- ranked #1 in CO Class 5A.

SO. Jason Zook (Chapman, KS)- ranked #3 in 4A.

SR. Brendan Blackburn (Fort Scott, KS)- ranked #5 in 4A.

SR. Mason Naphy (Lansing, KS)- ranked #6 in 5A.

JR. Jaden Helms (Chaparral, KS) - ranked #2 in 321A.


Rodriquez is the returning Bobcat Champ and the favorite again this year. Zook has looked solid as well as Blackburn. This is another bracket that I think is a race for 2nd. I’ll take Zook off a gut feeling. Jaden Helms of Chaparral, Naphy from Lansing and Blackburn from Fort Scott could crash the finals. The dark horse here is Chase Miller from Olathe North.

Predictions:
1. Rodriquez
2. Zook
3. Helms
4. Naphy
5. Blackburn
6. Miller
7. Gragg
8. Funk