No need to make any specific goal. Why limit yourself that way?

So when Lawrence High wrestling coach Mark Dulgarian was asked if his team was striving for a certain number of state qualifiers, he simply answered, well of course.

“As many as we can get,” he said.

Postseason wrestling is officially here, with both Lawrence High and Free State competing in the same Class 6A regional in Leavenworth, starting at 9 a.m. today.

Joining the two city teams at the regional will be Leavenworth, Shawnee Mission North, SM Northwest, SM West, SM East and Topeka High.

To date, it’s the most important meet of the season for everyone participating. If they don’t treat it as such, it’ll be the last meet of the season.

“This is what everybody tries to play for,” Dulgarian said. “To have the opportunity to go to the show.”

The show, of course, meaning the big stage in Kansas wrestling — the state meet at the Kansas Coliseum in Wichita.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class at each regional will advance to the state tournament starting Friday and continuing through Saturday.

Both city squads have the opportunity to be well-represented. A young LHS squad, led by three middleweight wrestlers — junior Pharouk Hussein and sophomores Brendan Halpin and Nolan Kellerman — should fare well at the regional, which consists of mostly Sunflower League teams. Hussein was the league champion at 130 pounds last weekend, though all three of his victories were against wrestlers now in different regions.

Hussein, Halpin and Kellerman are all ranked in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Assn. state rankings, and all three qualified for state last year. Chris Cates, a 112-pound sophomore, also qualified last year.

Dulgarian is hoping some of his younger wrestlers step up to boost the total number of qualifiers — as well as give LHS a shot at winning the regional crown.

“I think they’re ready,” Dulgarian said. “Nobody ever really knows for sure until you step out that day, but if you’re ready that day, that’s really all that counts.”

Free State will bring some punch of its own, most notably in sophomore Jesse Hardy. Compared physically to “a young Mike Tyson” by coach Darrell Andrew, Hardy claimed the 189-pound Sunflower League title with three straight pins last weekend, and hopes to carry the momentum on into today.

“I’d like to be at the top of my game,” Hardy said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Hardy, who’s 27-8 this season, dropped to 189 midseason after starting out at 215. He’s still adjusting, which could mean trouble for opponents if he completely figures things out this postseason.

“I kind of go off of what they do,” Hardy said of his strategy. “I had to change my style a little bit. From 215 going down to 189, they’re quicker and they shoot a lot more.”

Other Firebirds looking to make noise include Marc Sommers at 112, Mike Goble at 119, and K.J. Siebert at 152.

Last year, FSHS took third at regionals. LHS was fourth.