photo by: Jennifer Moseley

Tonganoxie coach Brett Delich (right) high fives assistant Scott Underwood during the Class 4A state wrestling tournament Saturday afternoon on Feb. 29, 2020.

Fresh off a 4A state championship with Tonganoxie, Brett Delich is off to Owasso, Oklahoma, to take over Owasso High School’s boys wrestling program.

Delich is a longtime member of the wrestling community in northeast Kansas, having graduated from Mill Valley before wrestling for Labette Community College and Baker University.

After coaching stints at Mill Valley and Effingham Atchison County High School, Delich became the head coach of Tonganoxie in 2019, where he led the program to two 4A state championships, the first in 2022 and the second this year. The lowest the Chieftains finished in the 4A state tournament was seventh during Delich’s time.

Owasso is coming off a season in which the Rams finished seventh in the Oklahoma boys state wrestling tournament that featured three underclassmen wrestlers placed in the top four.

The Tonganoxie wrestling team will return a number of contributors into next year. Of Tonganoxie’s eight state placers, three will be returning. Freshman Casen McAlister, sophomore Rowdey Starcher and sophomore Hunter Pankey all placed in the top four of their weight classes.

Free State hosts Lawrence, 19 other schools in Leitel Legacy track invitational

Free State and Lawrence competed against 19 other high schools at Free State for the Leitel Legacy Invitational last week.

The Free State girls did best in the field events. Sadie Reynolds won the discus at 151 feet, 1.0 inches. Chloe Voss was the runner-up in the pole vault at 10 feet, 6.0 inches, and Jane Cast finished third with a 10 foot, 6.0-inch jump. Vivenne Pro placed 10th at 8 feet, 6.0 inches.

In the long jump, Parker Jones was the runner-up at 17 feet, 5.5 inches, and Cast placed fifth at 16 feet, 2.5 inches. Voss finished sixth in the triple jump at 34 feet, 0.0 inches. Marygrace Bradford took 12th at 32 feet, 2.5 inches.

For Free State runners, Sydney Brozik finished 15th in the 100-meter dash at 13.19 seconds. Jones took 10th in the 200-meter dash at 27.11 seconds, and Aiyanna Moss placed 11th at 27.15 seconds.

Beatrice Essman was the runner-up in the 400-meter dash at 58.18 seconds, with Moss taking fourth at 59.64 seconds. Taylor Hulcher finished seventh in the 800-meter dash at 2 minutes, 22.37 seconds, and Nadia Karapuda placed ninth in the 3200-meter dash at 12:01.85. Peyton Moore finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.86 seconds, and Harper Graham took sixth in the 300-meter hurdles at 49.09 seconds.

For the Free State boys, Jasper Hansen Terry took seventh in the 1600-meter run at 4:29.12, and Nicholas Johnson finished seventh in the 3200-meter run at 9:59.91. Van Catloth took 11th in the 110-meter hurdles and seventh in the 300-meter hurdles.

Toby Kwan finished fifth in the triple jump at 40 feet, 8.0 inches. Nathan Huerter took seventh in the high jump at 6 feet, 0.0 inches and 12th in the long jump at 19 feet, 9.0 inches.

Hudson Andrew took sixth in the javelin throw at 174 feet, 4.0 inches, and James Kahungura placed seventh at 48 feet, 4.0 inches. Jonah Beecham finished seventh in the pole vault at 11 feet, 0.0 inches.

For the Lawrence runners, La’Keyshia Woods finished fifth in the 100-meter dash at 12.73 seconds, and she finished sixth in the 400-meter dash at one minute flat. Lucy Juelsgaard finished 13th at the 200-meter dash at 27.26 seconds.

Andie Garrett finished the 3200-meter run in 11:38.38, which was fourth. She ran the 800-meter run in 2:24.28, which was ninth. The Lions’ 4×100-meter relay team took eighth at 50.84 seconds.

In the high jump, Hadley Ornes finished sixth at 4 feet, 10.0 inches. Chloe Griffith placed eighth in the pole vault at 9 feet, 6.0 inches. Janiyah McCray took 11th in the shot put at 32 feet, 3.0 inches.

For Lawrence’s boys field events, Joseph Lucas was the runner-up in the triple jump at 44 feet, 6.0 inches. He also took third in the long jump at 21 feet, 1.5 inches. Aaden Chee also finished as a runner-up in the pole vault with a vault of 13 feet, 0.0 inches.

Kenyon Doleman placed fifth in the high jump at 6 feet, 2.0 inches, while Adrick Webb finished 12th at 5 feet, 10.0 inches and Khyree McGee took 14th with a 5 foot, 10.0-inch jump.

Tyler Dye took third in the javelin throw at 203 feet, 8.0 inches. Murphy Nowak took 11th in the event with a 154 foot, 11.0-inch throw, and Donovin Georgie placed 15th at 146 feet, 3.0 inches. Joey Dooley placed fourth in the shot put at 51 feet, 3.0 inches.

In the boys races, Truth Pope finished eighth in the 400-meter dash at 51.84 seconds, while Nick Palmer took 11th at 52.32 seconds. Nowak finished sixth in the 300-meter hurdles at 43.47 seconds and ninth in the 110-meter hurdles at 16.69 seconds. The Lions’ 4×400-meter relay team finished fifth, while the 4×800-meter relay team placed eighth.

Firebirds, Lions boys golf teams compete in Topeka Country Club Invitational

Lawrence and Free State boys golf teams competed at the Topeka Country Club Invitational on Monday, with the Firebirds finishing seventh and the Lions 15th on the team leaderboard.

Twenty-two teams were full participants, while eight other schools had golfers at the invitational but didn’t have the required four golfers to earn a team score. In total, there were 119 golfers at the invite.

Free State finished with a 315 team score, which was between Blue Valley at sixth and Blue Valley Northwest at eighth. The Firebirds were led by two top-10 finishers, including Henry Thompson, who tied for the invitational’s best score at 69, which was two strokes ahead of par.

Cas Nelson was Free State’s other top finisher, as he took 10th individually with a 75 score. Raleigh Jeter placed 53rd individually by finishing 12 strokes over par. Bob Leatherman finished 83rd with an 88 score, and Oliver Coles took 105th with a 97 score.

Lawrence finished 15th with a 340 score that put the Lions between Santa Fe Trail and 14th and Emporia at 16th. Corbin May-Bryant led the Lions by finishing 38th individually with an 80 score that was nine strokes above par.

Jackson Lind finished 69th at 14 strokes above par for an 85 score, and Andrew Kirkwood scored an 86, which put him 72nd. Jonah Roman and Lou Elsten both scored an 89 in the invitational.