After the MHS boys wrestling team won their second consecutive 6A State Championship last year, they are craving for a three-peat this coming season.
“The main thing that me and my team got our sights set on is to win state,” senior Brecken Crist-Funk said. “Two years ago, I didn’t even place for state, so when I placed second at State, which was a big accomplishment for me. It’s all about stepping up and getting some points for the team.”
This season’s roster is showing a lot of promise, with returning athletes like the aforementioned state runner-up Brecken Crist-Funk, senior Flint Hills Male Athlete of the Year Caeleb Hutchinson, among others.
“We lost some good quality kids, but we got kids who are stepping up to the occasion.” MHS wrestling head coach Shawn Bammes said. “We feel really good about our senior leadership. They take care of business on the mat, and we’re looking for them to kind of lead the team. There’s three-time state champ Caeleb Hutchinson, there’s senior Cameron Coonrood, senior Garrison Vikander…Crist-Funk got second at State, he’s pretty good. All of them are really going to help us this year. We’ve got around nine or 10 starters on the team.”
Despite the success the team has seen from the past two seasons, they still stay on the lookout for the competition this upcoming season.
“There’s several teams,” Bammes said. “Maize is our main competition this season. Every once in a while we get to this Kansas City schools that will pop in, but Maize and Washburn are going to be our main ones.”
As for the girls wrestling, they expect another strong performance this season after the success at the last State Championship.
“We have really great coaches, so going from one season to the next, it’s no issue with continuing that momentum for the season,” senior Alayna Slifer said. “Placing top three team wise for girls is very possible. This season, we’re looking to have fun and to improve wherever we see fit.”
The girls wrestling team is a relatively new program, having been unanimously approved by the USD 383 Board of Education in 2021. Despite existing for such a short time, they proved to be formidable competition for the other girls. They earned six medalists and an individual title from senior Alayna Slifer, gaining the team an eighth place spot at State.
“The girls team is growing very rapidly, not only in numbers, but in their success they’re having as well, so it’s been exciting to watch the growth of the program,” Bammes said. “Five years ago, we had four girls out. Now we’re pushing 30. Growth is a good thing, and it’s not just numbers, it’s also the success we’ve seen in the team. We had multiple state placers last year, and all of them are back.”
Expect to see MHS’s best returning to this season’s roster, with all six medallists coming back for another chance at state.
“We got a lot of people coming back,” Bammes said. “Alayna Slifer was a state champ, she’s coming back. You got junior Sophia Hoeme, junior Tierra Young, senior Evelyn Thornburg, senior Eva Lucios and junior Eleanor Radi as placers that are returning. Junior Kayla Kramer was out for injury last year, but she’s going to be back in the lineup hopefully this year.”
At the end of day, wrestling has taught these athletes the merits of hardwork, discipline and teamwork.
“Got to have a lot of dedication to do this sport,” Crist-Funk said. “It’s the grind that we put in every day at practice. The long nights, cutting weight… it’s all worth it in the end.”
