TOPEKA — Two members of the Allen County Wrestling Club earned top-six finishes over the weekend to become the first ever members of the club to place at state.
Andrew Garber, sixth, and Trenton Jones, fifth, highlighted a successful weekend at the USA Wrestling Kansas Folkstyle State Championships Friday and Saturday.
Garber placed in the 14-and-under, 165-pound division. Jones took fifth in the 8-and-under, 110-pound group.
“We are so proud of the effort these kids showed this weekend,” coach John Taylor said. “Trenton is only in his second year as a wrestler. Andrew has wrestled for several years and has qualified for state twice.”
Two others shined in their respective competitions.
Seth Sanford brought home a top-12 finish in the 14-and-under, 235-pound division. Curt Shannon took a top-eight finish at 8-and-under, 40 pounds.
“Seth wrestled the best match I have ever seen him wrestle,” Taylor said. “He came up short, but he gave it everything he had.”
Taylor noted Shannon typically wrestled in the 6-and-under division.
“These kids have heart,” Taylor said. “They wanted to win. They gave it everything they could, and we walked out with our heads held high, ready to celebrate our success and learn from our defeat.”
Even with only four wrestlers at state, Allen County took home 112th out of 180 teams.
“We were competing against clubs that had more than 40 wrestlers at the state tournament,” Taylor said. “We are well on our way to becoming a strong force in the wrestling community.”
Wrestlers earn state medals
