The wrestling team fell short of a win on Thursday but came back on Saturday to get second at their home duals. Bonner Springs visited to dual the team on Thursday, which also was the team’s senior night.

“We’ve had four years to get better,” senior Jake Mitchell said. “We are basically the top now.”

Even though all eyes were on the seniors Thursday night, they gave the packed home gym a show to watch and a night to remember. Senior  Bubba Wilson (160) won his match 14-5. Seniors Quincy Saddler (170) and Robert Houston (195) won with a pin. Mitchell (138) ended up losing his match 2-11.

“It was good to get to wrestle in front of a home crowd one last time and actually have some decent competition for the team,” Wilson said.

The rest of the team gave Bonner Springs a run for their money also. Freshmen Easton Taylor (106) won his match 14-7 and Blaisen Bammes (132) won with a pin. Sophomore Damian Llalio (285) also won with a pin.

They had some small setbacks. Junior Darius Island-Jones lost 1-7,  while freshmen Talique Houston (182) and Tucker Brunner (126) lost to a pin. Juniors Mikey Soberano (220) lost to a pin and Tate Sauder (120) lost by a decision 0-6. Freshman Jantzen Borge lost with a technical fall 0-15.

“I was being sloppy with my shots and couldn’t get off bottom,” Saddler said.

There was also an open weight class (152) that the team did not participate in and ended coming up short by losing the dual 31-39.

The boys came back to Manhattan High’s gym on Saturday for the Manhattan Dual Tournament to go up against Paola, Shawnee Heights, Smith Center, Abilene and Mustang, Oklahoma.

For the first round of the tournament Manhattan went up against Paola and won 48-34. They had seven pins by seniors Christian Schlepp (220), A.J Bunning, Saddler, Houston, Island-Jones, Sauder and Taylor.

The second round they went against Smith Center and won 58-18. Sauder, junior Adrian Kaus (126), Bammes, Island-Jones, Saddler and Soberano all won with pins. Round three they beat Shawnee Heights 42-39 and round four they beat Abilene 49-21.

They went into their final round against Mustang as both teams were undefeated on the day prior to going against each other, but Manhattan ended up losing 34-48.

“I knew I’d have a tough match against the Oklahoma kid since he’s a state champion,” Mitchell said.

Although the day didn’t end how they wanted, there was still an upside to the tournament. Wilson, Sauder, Taylor and Llalio fought hard and ended with pins bringing in points for the team. The boys went 4-1 as a team.

The team will travel to Grand Island, Nebraska this Friday.