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Eli Crouse, shown wrestling Feb. 8 at Andover, will be competing Feb. 16 and 17 in a Class 5A regional tournament hosted by Valley Center.

Hornets optimistic as they host regional wrestling
By Randy Fisher
Last Updated: February 15, 2018

At the beginning of the season, the Valley Center High School wresting team had high hopes of winning it all in Class 5A. However, unforeseen circumstances have cast a different light upon the season. Nevertheless, the postseason begins this weekend, as the Hornets host one of two 5A regional tournaments, Feb. 16 and 17.

"We've coined ourselves as the dark horse, the team that no one really sees coming," Valley's second-year coach Tate Lowe said. "Winning is an outside shot. More realistic is to place in the top three and bring home a state trophy."

Valley Center hopes to repeat its success from 2016. That year, the Hornets hosted and won an eight-team regional, sending 12 wrestlers to state. That road won't be as easy this time around.

The No. 3 Hornets are one of six ranked teams in the 16-team field. That includes top-ranked and three-time defending state champion Goddard, along with No. 2 Maize.  

"It's a tough regional, no doubt," Lowe said. "That's why we go to the tournaments we go to, so we're ready for regionals, ready for that grind."

As if a stellar field wasn't enough, the Hornets have had their share of adversity.

After bouncing back from reconstructive ACL surgery, senior Payton Stoffel suffered a minor bump in the road a couple of weeks ago when some of the scar tissue broke up.

"It's fine," he said. "It hurts, but it's bearable. … Adrenaline takes over, and you're good to go."

Additionally, an off-the-mat disciplinary issue left the Hornets with an empty weight class this weekend.

"It hurts us as a team to not have that kid, but we still have the same goal — to place as high as we can at state," Stoffel said. "We're still working hard to achieve our goals."

"Our kids are pretty goal-oriented," Lowe said. "They've stayed on the same track all year and just know things are going to happen and we've got to overcome them."

Fifty wrestlers in this regional field are ranked, with at least one from each school. Eight of them are ranked No. 1.

Goddard has 10 wrestlers ranked, with two at No. 1. Maize has six individuals ranked, including two at No. 1. Valley Center has five ranked, with one at No. 1. Newton (two) and Kapaun Mount Carmel (one) account for the other two top-ranked wrestlers.

Rounding out the regional field are Andover, Bishop Carroll, Emporia, Eisenhower, Great Bend, Heights, Liberal, Maize South, Salina Central, Salina South and Topeka West.

"We are the dark horses but if we wrestle how we know how to and give all our effort, we'll place higher than a lot of people anticipate us to," sophomore Devin Gomez said.

At 138 pounds, Gomez is Valley's lone No. 1 wrestler. Seniors Dallas Boone (145) and Tyler Boone (170), along with sophomore Tony Caldwell (285), are ranked second. Another senior, Mike Turkali, is third at 126. Freshman Alyeus Craig (113) is currently unranked, but has been in and out of the rankings all season.

Hopefully, a raucous home crowd will provide an extra incentive for the Hornets.

"My eighth-grade year, regionals were here," Gomez said. "I thought it was awesome, coming down to watch. It really shows pride when you win big matches at home. It's nice having a lot of home support. You look around the stands and see a lot of people in the stands. It's a really good feeling."

Matches begin at 1 p.m. Feb. 16 and 9 a.m. Feb. 17. The top eight qualifiers at each weight will advance to the Class 5A state tournament, Feb. 23 and 24 at Hartman Arena.

Valley Center regional lineup: 106 — Ben Carver, 6-15, freshman; 113 — Alyeus Craig, 30-10, freshman; 120 — open; 126 — Mike Turkali, 28-9, senior; 132 — Eli Clouse, 16-13, sophomore; 138 — Devin Gomez, 33-5, sophomore; 145 — Dallas Boone, 23-6, senior; 152 — Brantly Loibl, 13-20, senior; 160 — Chase Ramirez, 22-12, senior; 170 — Tyler Boone, 30-4, senior; 182 — Carson Kraus, 5-9, sophomore; 195 — Payton Stoffel, 9-5, senior; 220 — Dayton Watkins, 8-9, senior; 285 — Tony Caldwell, 29-8, sophomore.






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