Manhattan High boys’ wrestling took a significant step forward Saturday at the Hays tournament over the weekend, capturing the team title in dominant fashion.
Making the trip west, the Indians overcame the weekend’s winter weather and tough competition as they continue to build toward the postseason. MHS finished first with 533 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Hays (402.5), Ulysses (273.5), Bonner Springs (234) and Russell (198).
The Indians produced seven individual champions, led by Caeleb Hutchinson (150), Cameron Coonrod (144) and Jack Hutchinson (126). Joseph Panfil won the title at 132, while Josiah Borge (113), Kadin Dibbini (215) and Liam Nider (190) also topped their brackets.
Manhattan continued to pile up points throughout the finals rounds, with Benjamin Busch (138), Bode Busch (157), Brecken Crist-Funk (165), Garrison Vikander (285) and Max Evans-Pryor (175) each finishing second.
Additional points came from Ilex Disney (138) and Tucker Werth (120), who placed fourth, while Chase Broderson (157) took fifth. TJ Lucios (106) finished sixth and Hunter Flagg (175) added a seventh-place result.
As the two-time reigning 6A state champions, Manhattan continues to focus on peaking at the right time of year, and the Hays tournament provided an indication that the team is trending in that direction.
Postseason play nears for the Indians, with both the boys and girls’ squads competing at the Centennial League tournament on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Washburn Rural. State regionals for the girls begins the following Saturday, Feb. 14, while the boys will begin the postseason on Friday, Feb. 20.