Lions remember teammate; Firebirds claim dual

Lawrence High's Cade Burghart and Free State's Sid Miller knock heads in the 138-pound class during a dual Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 at Lawrence High School.

When Lawrence High senior wrestler Alan Clothier was approaching senior night on Wednesday, he knew he wanted to share it with somebody special.

Before Free State High won the City Showdown dual at LHS, 48-18, there was a moment of silence for former LHS wrestler Reece Wright-Conklin, who died in a motorcycle crash in September. The Lions retired his shoes on the mat prior to the dual.

Clothier said he encouraged his coaches and Wright-Conklin’s family to put the team’s memorial to Wright-Conklin, a three-time state champion at LHS, on senior night. Clothier, the team’s only senior, was close to Wright-Conklin, jumping into his arms when he won a state championship during his sophomore season.

“It was very emotional knowing that my season is coming to an end, that my career at Lawrence High is coming to an end,” said Clothier, who has a 132-8 record in his career, with three regional titles and three top-three finishes at state. “Then the whole Reece thing. That was very emotional.

“I was really close to Reece and really wanted to be on the same night as Reece,” Clothier added. “I thought it was just awesome how they retired his shoes on the mat. It was great.”

Clothier capped his senior night — team manager Nicolasa Kenney was also honored — with a win by pinfall. The Lions added wins from freshman Stanley Holder III at 145 pounds, junior Tucker Wilson at 160 and junior Santino Gee at 170. Holder, who was wrestling on junior varsity a few weeks ago, won by a 7-2 decision.

“I know the scoreboard doesn’t really show it, but we kind of knew going in that we were going to be on the downside of it,” LHS coach Pat Naughton said. “The only thing we can ask from our guys is to go out and compete, and I’ll tell you what, they competed their butts off tonight.”

With the City Showdown victory, the Firebirds improved their record to 12-0 in duals this season, a mark that the entire team has rallied behind.

“It’s definitely pulling the team together and making it more of a team sport than usual,” Free State senior Cameron Shanks said. “It’s definitely the first time Free State’s done this, and it’s really cool to have it under our belt this year.”

After the Lions left the first two weight classes open, the Firebirds picked up back-to-back pins by Shanks and sophomore Isaiah Jacobs. Sophomore Tate Steele fought through a bloody nose and won by a 9-3 decision over LHS sophomore Melle Dye, and senior Sid Miller won, 8-6, in sudden victory over Lawrence’s Cade Burghart.

“This is his last time at the Lawrence High-Free State dual. That’s cool for him,” FSHS coach Mike Gillman said of Miller. “But he’s cutting a lot of weight, too. I’m asking a lot of him to do it, and he’s working hard and actually putting in the time and commitment. It paid off tonight.”

The lower weights are a strength for the Firebirds, who jump to quick leads at most of their duals.

“We’ve all gotten really competitive during practice and are pushing each other real hard,” Shanks said of the lower weight wrestlers. “It’s definitely showed here, getting ahead real early in the duals in points. It’s definitely made us all better.”

Free State senior James Wensel (152 pounds), junior Sky Carey (220) and junior Reese Todd (285) all added wins by pinfall.

The Firebirds will compete in the Olathe Northwest double duals at 4:30 p.m. today, their chance to complete a perfect season in the dual format.

“I always preach the team aspect,” FSHS coach Mike Gillman said. “Wrestling can be a lot of who is ranked here and who is ranked here. It gets real individual. I try to bring our team as a unit and see what we can do together. We help each other that way.”

Free State 48, Lawrence High 18

106 pounds: Garrett Bradley, FS, won by forfeit.

113: Bennett King, FS, won by forfeit.

120: Cameron Shanks, FS, pinned Marcus Cassella, LHS, 0:51.

126: Isaiah Jacobs, FS, pinned Carson Jumping Eagle, LHS, 3:30.

132: Tate Steele, FS, def. Melle Dye, LHS, 9-3.

138: Sid Miller, FS, def. Cade Burghart, LHS, 8-6 SV.

145: Stanley Holder, LHS, def. Ben Hill, 7-2.

152: James Wensel, FS, pinned Pierce Saturday, LHS, 2:29.

160: Tucker Wilson, LHS, def. Gage Foster, FS, 5-1.

170: Santino Gee, LHS, pinned Devin Beers, FS, 5:48.

182: Alan Clothier, LHS, pinned Manuel Solis, FS, 2:52.

220: Sky Carey, FS, pinned John Racy, LHS, 2:16.

285: Reese Todd, FS, pinned Darrien Yates-Lockett, LHS, 1:48.