Wrestlers wrap up memorable season
Freshman Sammy Stewart won the state championship in his weight class, becoming Manchester’s 16th State Champ! Congratulations on your wins and we look forward to seeing your future successes! Photo courtesy Brock Vlcek.
submitted by Coach Steve Vlcek
What a great weekend at Ford Field for the Manchester wrestling team! Even with the terrible weather, the kids all had a good weekend; and the team ended up bringing home five All State wrestlers.
Chase Conklin had a tough draw, wrestling the number one seed right out of the gate and then a tough 30-win junior; he was out in two. Chase has had a great season for us, finishing up with 26 wins on the season. He really stepped up for the team; many of his losses were at 120 or to state qualifiers. We are really looking forward to him being a major contributor to the team’s success next year. He is by far one of our hardest workers and will definitely have a few more shots at individual states.
Dylan Gauss was much like Chase, with a tough road from the beginning. Both kids Dylan lost to were state placers. He wrestled hard in both matches, but couldn’t make up the 60 pounds he was giving up to both kids. Dylan finished with 26 wins on the year; he is by far one of our most improved kids. With just six wins last year, he became one of our most important upper weights this year, winning several big matches for the team. We can’t wait to see what he does next year as he continues to grow as a wrestler, especially considering this is just his second year.
Nathan Fletcher came up one match short of being a All-Stater. The best thing for him was that now he knows what he is capable of and knows that he can compete at this level. Nathan ended up with 33 wins on the year and had numerous big wins at the end of the year for the team. He is in only his second season and keeps improving each day. Along with Dylan, these two will be key pieces in the upper weights for the next couple of years.
Senior Mason Schmitt closed out his fine career for Manchester going 1-2 on the day, and losing a heartbreaker in overtime 7-5 to place. Mason ended up with 36 wins on the season. He will be greatly missed by the team, always working hard and being a leader in and out of the practice room. His career had many great accomplishments — winning three League Championships, two District Championships, and winning over 100 career matches. Great career, Mason.
Onyx Ostrum walked out of Ford Field as an All-State wrestler bringing home an eighth place finish in a very tough bracket. He finished up with 42 wins on the year and did a great job wrestling wherever we needed him. This was his second trip to the finals, and most likely not his last. We are really looking forward to next year and seeing how much he improves on this year’s season.
Gunner Carson brought home his first All-State honors and the way he wrestled the last month of the season it probably won’t be his last, either. Gunner brought home eighth place in a loaded 157 bracket. He had 44 wins on the year and was the glue in the middle of our young lineup. He is also one of best leaders; we’re really excited about what he brings next year after finishing this season the way he did.
Ben Gautz continued his Cinderella senior season in great way, wrestling tough all weekend.He ended up placing seventh and becoming a All-Stater in his first and only season. Ben did a great job — getting better each week and it showed this weekend. Ben ended up with 37 wins on the season, going 3-2 on the weekend and bringing home his first All State medal. We will miss Ben’s vocal leadership! He was by far the most vocal of our captains. Congrats on your determination over the past three years; it was a long road with a great reward at the end.
Freshman Blake Sloan had a outstanding weekend, going 3-1 and placing second, losing a tough 4-2 match in the finals. His first three matches he dominated much like the rest of the season; along the way Blake set records for most 2-point nearfalls in a season and wins by a freshman with 54 wins on the season. Even though he came up a little short this year, I am more than confident that he will have a couple of more shots at being a State Champ. He’s one of the most talented youngsters we’ve had. I can’t wait to see what records he goes for next year.
Sammy Stewart had a career weekend, going 4-0 and becoming a State Champion. On the road to the finals, he had probably one of the most exciting matches at the tournament. He was down 9-7 with 10 seconds to go; he got a quick reversal then pinned his opponent who was the first seed with 3 seconds to go. The Manchester crowd went crazy and that put him in the finals where he would face a St. Louis kid who had given him his only loss on the year. In the finals, Sam came out a little slow and got down early but came roaring back to being down 9-8 in the 3rd period. Sammy totally dominated the 3rd and ended up winning 14-11. I thought this was the best finals match in our division.
This is only the second freshman in Manchester’s history to win a State Championship, which is a huge accomplishment. Sammy ended up with 19 wins in his injury-shortened season. We can’t wait to see what he can do in a healthy season! Congratulations on becoming the 16th State Champion at Manchester!
Overall, it has been a great season for the Manchester Wrestlers and we see nothing but great things in the future as we not only have the State qualifiers coming back but a lot of kids who you will be hearing more about next year. The future is bright as we try and improve as a team and Individually. Once again, thank you for the great support as we had another great crowd at Ford Field and throughout the season. Our team really appreciates the support our wrestling family gives us. See you next year!
Manchester’s All-State Wrestling competitors and coaches pictured on Ford Field — a great season for all. Photo courtesy of Brock Vlcek.
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