Kretzer pleased with MHS' effort at Colby

COLBY — McPherson High’s wrestling team completed an exhaustive three days of duals on Saturday by taking second place in the Colby Invitational.

MHS finished 5-0 in pool matches, then defeated Monarch, Colo., in the semifinals. In the title match, the Bullpups had state-ranked Colby down 32-18, but the tourney hosts roared back by winning the final four weights for a 41-32 win.

Rhett Edmonson at 138, Scott Radke at 160 and Jonah Clarke at 170 all went 7-0 in the tourney. Edmonson was named the lower class outstanding wrestler in the Bullpups' pool and Radke was named the outstanding wrestler in the upper class.

"We really wrestled well as a team out in Colby," MHS coach Doug Kretzer said. "The kids were aggressive every match we wrestled this weekend. It was a total team effort. I can’t express enough how proud I am of these kids. We’ve got a great group and this is going to be fun team to coach all year."

The Bullpups had a titanic struggle with Colby, which is ranked No. 2 in Class 3A after many years of being a 4A school.

"The championship was a back-and-forth match with Colby High, there are a few matches we’d like to have back with a couple scrambles going the wrong way," Kretzer said. "We were on the brink of winning the tournament, but Colby just kept coming. Their home crowd was loud and the crazy environment seemed to energize their kids. It was a tough loss and everyone was disappointed, but that’s why we take this long road trip, to find out where we need to get better.  Nine matches in three days will show us were we need to improve." 

The Bullpups' 46-30 win over Monarch in the semifinals came against Colorado's No. 7-ranked Class 5A team, according to Kretzer. 

What a week it was for the Bullpups as adding in two dual wins on Thursday at Lindsborg, they finished with an 8-1 week to move to 9-1 on the season.

The Bullpups return home on Thursday to host Augusta in an AVCTL Division III match.

• Saturday's Results •

• Vs. Topeka Seaman •

106 — Landon Vogts lost by a fall

113 – Lorenzo Cruzen lost by a fall

120 — Jaedon Bratcher lost by a fall

126 — EJ Kretzer lost by a fall.

132 — Landon Crews won by forfeit

138 – Rhett Edmonson won by a fall

145 — Devin Frantz won by a fall

152 — Neill Raymond won by a fall

160 — Scott Radke won by forfeit

170 — Jonah Clarke won by a fall

182 — Landon Frantz won by a fall

195 — Mason Thrash won by forfeit

220 — Kourtney Craig won by forfeit

Heavyweight — Both teams were open

• Vs. Bear Creek •

106 — Landon Vogts won by a fall

113 — Lorenzo Cruzen won by forfeit

120 — Jaedon Bratcher won by forfeit

126 — EJ Kretzer lost by a fall

132 — Landon Crews won by forfeit

138 — Rhett Edmonson won by a fall

145 — Devin Frantz won by forfeit

152 — Neill Raymond won by forfeit

160 — Scott Radke won by a fall

170 — Jonah Clarke won by a fall

182 — Landon Frantz won by forfeit

195 — Mason Thrash won by a fall

220 — Kourtney Craig won by a fall

285 — Jonah Scott won by forfeit

• Vs. Monarch •

106 — Landon Vogts lost by a fall

113 — Lorenzo Cruzen won by forfeit

120 — Jaedon Bratcher lost by a fall

126 — EJ Kretzer lost 5-4

132 — Landon Crews won by a fall

138 — Rhett Edmonson won by a fall

145 — Devin Fratnz lost by a fall

152 — Neill Raymond won 8-0

160 — Scott Radke won by forfeit

170 — Jonah Clarke won by forfeit

182 — Landon Frantz lost by a fall

195 — Mason Thrash won by a fall

220 — Kourtney Craig won by a fall

Heavyweight — Jonah Scott lost 3-1

• Vs. Colby •

106 — Landon Vogts lost by a fall

113 — Lorenzo Cruzen won by a fall

120 — Mya Kretzer lost 7-2

126 — EJ Kretzer lost by a fall

132 — Landon Crews won 8-2

138 — Rhett Edmonson won by a fall

145 — Devin Frantz lost 5-0

152 — Neill Raymond won by a fall

160 — Scott Radke won by a fall

170 — Jonah Clarke won by a fall

182 — Landon Frantz lost by a fall

195 — Mason Thrash lost by a fall

220 — Kourtney Craig lost by a fall

Heavyweight — Jonah Scott lost by a fall

• Colby Overall Records •

106 — Landon Vogts, 0-7

113 — Lorenzo Cruzen, 5-2

120 — Mya Kretzer, 0-2

120 — Jaedon Bratcher, 1-4

126 — EJ Kretzer, 2-5

132 — Landon Crews, 6-1

138 — Rhett Edmonson, 7-0

145 — Devin Frantz, 3-4

152 — Neill Raymond, 5-2

160 — Scott Radke, 7-0

170 — Jonah Clarke, 7-0

182 — Landon Frantz, 5-2

195 — Mason Thrash, 6-1

220 — Kourtney Craig, 6-1

Heavyweight — Jonah Scott, 4-2

JV, girl wrestlers shine at Great Bend

GREAT BEND — McPherson High’s JV boys and the girls’ varsity wrestling teams competed on Saturday in Great Bend and nearly all of the Bullpups wrestled five matches, at the least four.

Four Bullpup girls won their divisions — Catalina Palacios at 113, Haley Schafer at 138, Morgan Jones at 145 and Madison Skytte at 182.

Jace Anderson took second at 120 pounds for the top boys’ finish.

Here are the records and place, where applicable:

• JV BOYS •

120 — Jace Anderson, 3-2, 2nd

138 — Javon Mattox, 3-2, 5th

138 — Michael Santillian, 1-4

152 — Jason Schowengerdt, 1-4

195 — Jace Minier, 1-4

220 — Lane Thompson, 3-2, 4th

• GIRLS •

106 — Aubree Martins, 3-2, 5th

106 — Riley Baker, 2-3

113 — Annah Turner Simon, 4-1, 2nd

113 — Catalina Palacios, 4-0, 1st

120 — Kaleigh Marburt, 3-1, 5th

120 — Arriana Gross, 2-3

138 — Haley Schafer, 5-0, 1st

138 — Jaycee Rausch, 3-1, 3rd

145 — Morgan Jones, 5-0, 1st

145 — Brittani Burgess, 2-3, 4th

152 — Sierra Nigh, 2-2, 5th

152 — Sailor Peterson, 2-3, 4th

160-170 — Taylor Engel, 3-2, 3rd

160-170 — Emilee Fincher, 0-4

182 — Madison Skytte, 4-0, 1st

Mac's Braimbridge breaks school 400 record

McPherson College Sports Information

PITTSBURG – The McPherson College men's and women's track and field teams got their indoor season started on Saturday at the Crimson and Gold Invitational hosted by Pittsburg State University. The Bulldogs kicked off their season with a strong showing that included 13 personal records, a national qualifier, and a new school record.

There were a multitude of strong performances turned in by the Bulldog runners, jumpers and throwers. The top individual performance on the women's side was turned by Amy Braimbridge, who landed on the podium, in third place in the women's 400 with a time of 55.79, which was a personal best and a new school record. Her time also qualified her for NAIA Indoor Nationals in the "A" standard, and puts at No. 1 in the NAIA this season.

On the men's side, the Bulldogs had several individuals finish just outside the Top 10, and a few land inside the Top 10. The top finisher turned out to be Anthony Galvan, who finished just off the podium in 4th place in the men's shot put. His best throw went 12.04m.

Three of the Bulldogs' personal bests came in the field events portion of the invitational. Dylan Templeman set a new PR in the men's shot put, recording a throw of 14.66m. On the women's side, Tameria Macon had a new personal best in two events, the women's shot put and the women's weight throw. In the shot, she had a throw of 10m, and in the weight throw, she recorded a throw of 11.57m.

The rest of the Bulldog PRs came in the running events. 

In the men's 3,000, there were two new PRs set, one by Jesse Freeman and the other by Jerod Fuller. In the meet's shortest event, the 60, the Bulldog men ran three new personal bests, while the women had a pair of runners set a new mark. Xavier Taylor ran a 7.04, Jack Stalcup , ran 7.22, and Brent Masters set his new mark at 7.31. For the women, Diamond Blaylock-Norris  set a new PR with a time of 8.16, and Destiny Johnson ran 8.22 to set her new mark. The final PR for the Bulldogs was recorded by LeaAnn Myers, who ran a 12.49.74 in the women's 3000.

"Today was a strong start for our men and women," Mac coach Robert Spies said. "It was great to see so many kids set new personal bests and for Amy to break her school record and qualify for nationals. This is just the beginning but hopefully we can build on what we accomplished today, in our next competition, after the New Year."

MHS wrestlers take 2nd at Colby

McPherson High’s wrestling team took second place in the high-powered, two-day Colby Invitational on Saturday.

MHS went 6-1 in duals over the two days, giving them an 8-1 dual record for the week. The Bullpups lost to Colby 41-32 in the finals after leading 32-18.

A complete summary will be posted on Monday.

MHS weekly sports schedule

• MONDAY •

5:00 — Swimming at Campus

• TUESDAY •

4:15 — 9th girls basketball at Buhler

4:15 — 9th boys basketball at Buhler

5:45 — JV boys basketball at Buhler

6:00 — Girls varsity basketball at Buhler

7:30 — Varsity boys basketball at Buhler

7:30 — JV girls basketball at Buhler

• THURSDAY •

6:00 — MHS boys wrestling vs. Augusta (Auxiliary Gym)

• FRIDAY •

4:00 — 9th boys basketball vs. Winfield

4:00 — 9th girls basketball vs. Winfield

5:00 — JV wrestling at Abilene

5:45 — JV boys basketball vs. Winfield

6:00 — Varsity girls basketball vs. Winfield

7:30 — Varsity boys basketball vs. Winfield

7:30 — JV girls basketball vs. Winfield

• SATURDAY •

10:00 — Varsity wrestling at Abilene

Little River teams lose in Goessel finals

Central Christian put an end to the undefeated basketball seasons for Little River in the finals of the Goessel Preseason Tournament on Saturday.

The Little River boys and Central Christian waged a spirited battle, with the Cougars prevailing at the the end, 65-61.

Little River was down 18-11 after a quarter, but drew within a point by the half at 31-30. 

Jayden Garrison led Little River with 22 points, while Trey Rolfs scored 12 and Jace Garrison added 10. Jayden Garrison and Graham Stephens pulled down 6 rebounds apiece. Jayden Garrison also led in assists with 4.

• Central Christian girls 43, Little River 35 — Central Christian pulled away late, outscoring Little River 14-9 in the fourth quarter.

After trailing 22-16 at the half, Little River went on a 10-7 charge in the third quarter.

“Tonight was a tough game for us. We played hard all game, just got down early in the first,” Little River coach Trey Look said. “I was proud of the fight we showed to get back into the game, but just couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively. We had some foul trouble in the first half, but fought hard keep it close. We did a much better job in the second half defending and being more aggressive attacking the basket, just couldn’t get much to fall.”

Mackinzie Barta and Emma McBride topped Little River with 7 points apiece. 

• Elyria Christian School boys 47, Burrton 29 — After starting the year 0-2, the Eagles, have evened their record after their second straight win.

“I was proud of the boys tonight. We came out and had one of our better first quarters in the early season,” ECS coach Zach Goodrich said. “ We are starting to figure out how to create scoring opportunities for each other and doing a better job of sharing the basketball. That is one area we hope to improve on throughout the season.”

Burrton had been scoring a lot of points, but were held in check by the tough ECS defense.

“Our defense was much better after a couple days of practice,” Goodrich said. “We were getting to our rotations and contesting shots more effectively in the half court. Hopefully we can continue to put it all together and have a good week against two solid opponents.”

Elyria, which jumped out to a 16-9 first-quarter lead and put the game away with a 15-3 third quarter, was led by Caleb Froese with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Tyler Huxman added 10 points.

“Caleb Froese was huge for us again on both ends of the floor, Jackson Stone provided great defense for us in the interior and was able to find some offense by attacking the basket,” Goodrich said.  It was a great team effort tonight and we will try to keep getting better each game.”

• Burrton girls 35, Elyria Christian School 28— The Eagles are still looking for that first win of the year, but they played their best game of the season.

Kylie Penner led ECS with 8 points. The Eagles were up 6-5 after a quarter, but were held to 2 points in the second period. Tili Burton added 7 points.

“We are definitely making progress,” ECS coach Greg Fields said. “We were aggressive defensively and we paid for it on the free throw line, but the girls are beginning to understand how hard we need to play on that side of the ball. I believe that as we continue to gain experience, we will make fewer turnovers and get more opportunities to score. Our shooting percentage was still not good, but it is improving.  

Fields thought his team put it all on the line.

“I was pleased with the effort from every girl that played tonight,” he said. “Kylie Penner led the team with 8 points, and even the shots she missed were right on and smart shots to take. Olivia Clark came off the bench and played extremely hard. She looked confident the few times she shot the ball, and made a couple of big shots for us. Tili Burton was in foul trouble early, so she played limited minutes, but she was huge on the offensive boards. I have no doubt that this team will continue to improve if they keep showing the fight and determination that they showed tonight.”

• Goessel boys 41, Canton-Galva 32 — The Eagles struggled at the free throw line, leading to the defeat.

“Played hard enough to win, but when you go 6 of 21 from the line your chances of winning are slim to none,” C-G coach Shane Duncan said. “We will get better and it will be nice once we're full strength.”

The Eagles are playing without mainstay Nick Pearson, out with an injury. He has yet to play this season.

Kinser Colgin led the Eagles with 12 points. Landon Everett was next with 7 and he also had 8 rebounds. Connor Koehn added 6 boards.

• Canton-Galva gils 52, Goessel 28 — It was a no-stress wins for the Eagles, who led this one all the way.

It was relatively close for a quarter, 14-9, but the Eagles pushed it to 26-12 at the half, then scored 19 in the third quarter.

“Our defensive effort was great tonight,” C-G coach Shelby Hoppes said. “We were able to force 23 turnovers with our press and for the first time this year we won the rebounding battle. The girls played hard and gave great energy. Alexa (Bell) has been really good for us scoring the ball, but to have consistent success we need to have more balanced scoring.  We were able to do that tonight and that needs to continue.  Now we need to build off this win and continue to work at practice next week.”

Bell scored 17 points, had 6 steals and 5 rebounds to stuff the stat sheet. Kaysha Unruh chipped in with 13 points, and Tia Moddelmog had a nice line with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

KCAC basketball standings

• MEN •

Oklahoma Wesleyan, 7-0 (12-0)

Southwestern, 7-1 (11-1)

York, 5-2 (7-5)

Friends, 5-3 (7-4)

Kansas Wesleyan, 4-3 (6-4)

Ottawa, 4-3 (7-6)

Bethel, 3-4 (6-5)

Bethany, 3-4 (6-6)

Saint Mary, 3-4 (3-7)

McPherson College, 3-5 (6-6)

Tabor, 2-6 (4-9)

Avila, 1-6 (1-8)

Sterling, 1-7 (1-8)

• WOMEN •

Sterling, 8-0 (12-0)

Kansas Wesleyan, 6-1 (8-4)

Tabor, 6-2 (9-3)

Friends, 6-2 (6-6)

Bethel, 5-2 (10-2)

Avila, 4-3 (4-3)

Oklahoma Wesleyan, 3-4 (7-5)

Bethany, 3-4 (7-6)

Ottawa, 2-5 (2-9)

Southwestern, 2-6 (2-10)

McPherson College, 2-6 (7-6)

Saint Mary, 1-6 (2-8)

York, 0-7 (3-9)

Bulldog cagers swept on the road by Friends

WICHITA — If you would have told McPherson College men’s basketball coach Tim Swartzendruber that his team would hold Friends’ All-American Jordan Murdock to 16 points on Saturday — after he lit the Bulldogs up for 45 last year — he would have thought the Bulldogs would be a winner.

But Derby grad and Oral Roberts transfer Papi Conley stepped up with 33 points as Friends won a shootout from the Bulldogs, 104-85.

Friends shot 52 percent from the field and made a staggering 27 of 33 from the free throw line to key the win. The Bulldogs also shot it well, making 52 percent, but were just 14 of 26 from the line.

The Bulldogs actually came out strong, up 24-19, but the Falcons dominated the rest of the half as they went on a 36-12 run.

“The first 10 minutes of the game we were great," Swartzendruber said. "Then we were awful the next 10 and dug a hole. Our turnovers and fouls in the first half hurt."

Buhler grad Grant Owens went to work as the freshman came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs with 25 points, making 9 of 16 floor shots and 7 of 9 at the line.

Chamaje Barideaux added 20. The Bulldogs again played without emotional leader Dorian Paige, out with a knee injury. Mac wound up turning it over 21 times.

Mac is now 3-5 in the KCAC and 6-6 overall heading into Wednesday’s road game at Bethany in Lindsborg.

Mac (85) — Watts 8, Gurley 6, Barideaux 20, Rivers 4, Oxford 9, Owens 25, Owen 8, Magot 4, Munsen 1.

Friends (104) — Conley 33, Murdock 16, Fralin 4, Cherne 14, Vaughn 8, Murphy 11, Collins 9, Vang 7, Evans 2.

• FRIENDS WOMEN 74, MAC 63 —  McPherson College’s women always seem to give Friends a hard time.

The Bulldogs played the defending KCAC champions to a first-half standstill, but they fell asleep in the third quarter, being outscored 18-7, and that was the difference.

The loss spoiled a monster game by Brittany Roberts, who attacked the Friends interior for 19 points and a school-record 19 rebounds as she just missed the rare 20-20.

 Elle Gillen came off the bench to knock down some long-range shots and scored 11.

The difference in the game was the Bulldogs’ turnovers, as Friends’ pressure forced them into 33 errors.

“Turnovers killed us," Mac coach Josh Nichols said. "It was a game of runs and Friends made the last run. Their runs usually coincided with our turnovers. We did a lot really good things and I thought we played well enough to get the win, but you can't give the ball away 33 times. A big positive was Elle, she had a solid game along with Brittany.”

The Bulldogs, who are trying to stay afloat without injured leading scorer Sonerka White, are now 2-6 in the KCAC and 7-6 overall. 

Friends, which had 23 turnovers of its own, was led by Aryanna Brown, who scored 23 points, and the backcourt of Lexi Evans and Laramie Edens scored 15 apiece.

Mac stays on the road Wednesday to take on Bethany in Lindsborg.

Mac (63) — Holt 6, Roberts 19, Tims 7, DeLuca 7, Osborn 3, Mikulski 6, Potter 2, Gillen 11, Branscum 2.

Friends (74) — Kelly 6, Brown 23, Styles 6, Edens 15, Evans 15, Hall 4, Roland 2, Easter 2, Hodge 1.

Swedes suffer road sweep against Tabor

HILLSBORO — The start said it all.

Tabor College started its game with Bethany College’s women with an 11-0 run on Saturday and the Swedes could never recover in a 56-47 loss to the 16th-ranked Bluejays.

The offense struggled all night, with Canton-Galva grad Cassidy Enns the only Swede in double figures with 10 points. Bethany shot just 34 percent from the field, 26 from 3-point.

The bright spot of the night was that All-KCAC preseason selection Marissa Pope returned to the lineup after missing a month with an injury.

Tabor won despite the Swedes holding the Bluejays to just 18 of 62 from the field. Taylor Deniston led Tabor with 19 points and Morgan Ediger added 10.

The Swedes are back in Hahn Gym Wednesday against McPherson College.

• TABOR MEN 87, BETHANY 68 — The Bluejays made quite a turnaround as they had lost by 43 points on Thursday to Oklahoma Wesleyan.

Tabor sped to a 10-point halftime lead and continued to apply the pressure in the second half for the comfortable victory.

Isiah Saenz led the Swedes with 17 points and Tyler Larkin furnished 15. Mookie Duncan came up with 8 rebounds.

Tabor was led by Darnell Jones-Bowie with 24 points and Patrick Roulette added 20. The  Tabor starters accounted for 78 of the Bluejays’ points. Tabor shot 56 percent for the game to just 35 percent for the Swedes.

The Swedes are now 3-4 in the KCAC and 6-6 overall. They return home on Wednesday to take on McPherson College.

Bulldogs in 5th in Commissioner's Cup

WICHITA — Kansas Wesleyan is on top in the KCAC Commissioner’s Cup standings after the fall season, the conference announced this week.

The Coyotes scored 64 points after finishing first in football, men's and women's soccer, and third in men's cross country and volleyball to take the early lead. 

Ottawa is second with 59.

McPherson College, keyed by the volleyball team’s championship, is in fifth in the 13-school race. Bethany College is 12th.

Points are assigned based on regular season finishes for football, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball, men's and women's golf, softball, and men's and women's tennis. In cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field the conference championship meet results will determine point values. To be a conference sport there must be six member institutions competing in that sport at the varsity level.

Teams who finish in first place will be awarded a maximum number of points equivalent to the total number of teams competing in that respective sport. Point tallies will continue in reverse order until the last-place team has been awarded its corresponding point value (i.e. if a sport only has seven teams, point values will be given from the maximum 7 to 1).  When two or more teams tie for final placing in the conference standings, each team will be awarded the average of the respective placing. 

For example, if three teams tied for second place in a sport with 11 teams, those three teams will be given the score of nine points because those three teams are occupying the second (10 points), third (9 points) and fourth (8 points) positions in the standings. The sum of those three positions (27 points) divided by the three teams yields an average score of nine points for each of the teams.

Here are the standings:

1. Kansas Wesleyan, 64

2. Ottawa, 59

3. Friends, 53

4. Saint Mary, 48 1/2

5. McPherson College, 39 1/2

6. Tabor, 39

7. Avila, 37

8. Southwestern, 35

9. York, 33

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan, 31

11. Sterling, 29

12. Bethany, 26

13. Bethel, 14