The Free State and Lawrence High wrestling teams hit the mat at Olathe South for the Sunflower League tournament over the weekend and the Firebirds took fourth while the Lions finished seventh at the 14-school meet.

Free State senior Matthew Marcum rolled to the 215-pound title and moved within seven pins of setting the state’s all-time record. Marcum defeated Mill Valley’s Christopher Wash Jr. in the championship round. Fellow-senior and FSHS captain Nolan Bradley also brought home a league title at 113 pounds, winning 5-0, in the title bout over Olathe North’s Blake Samuelson.

Free State sophomore Grayson Hagen (126 pounds) placed third, falling to LHS’s Andrew Honas in the semifinal round and defeating Olathe North’s Taggart Murphy in the third-place match. Honas, a junior, placed second in the 126-pound weight class, winning three consecutive matches before falling to Mill Valley’s Dillon Cooper in the title round.

Lawrence High senior Trevon Swearinger (138 pounds) also made it to the championship round with three decisive victories but fell to Olathe North’s Cael Alderman for the gold. Lions senior Tucker Corbin (215 pounds) ground out a third-place finish, defeating Shawnee Mission North’s Ke’Juan Blake in the third-place match after falling to Mill Valley’s Wash in the quarterfinal.

Other LHS wrestlers who placed included freshman Lou Elsten (fourth at 106 pounds), Harrison Kirkwood (fourth at 157 pounds), Logan Sheldon (sixth at 113), Anthony Phommaseng (eighth at 190) and 10th-place finishers Remy Frentrop (132) and Brandt Wollesen (165).

Other Free State wrestlers who placed at the Sunflower meet included Talyn Nichols (fourth at 175 pounds), Gavin Blanchard (fifth at 285), Drew Streeter (fifth at 106), Cole Wright (fifth at 144), Zane Shaw (sixth at 165), Blaine Larkin (sixth at 190) and Gabe Swoyer (seventh at 157).

Free State’s JV squad also competed in its final meet of the season, taking home a Sunflower League title with 375 team points, 105.5 better than runner-up Gardner Edgerton.

Six of Free State’s JV wrestlers came home with titles — Quinton Hice (106), Brayden Wilcox (113), Preston White (126), Otto Reese (138), Clason Rupp (157) and Tristan Tran (215).

Next up, Free State and LHS will travel to regionals Feb. 17-18 at Washburn Rural in Topeka.

Free State, LHS swimming open postseason in top half

The Free State and Lawrence High swim and dive teams participated in the Sunflower League Championships in Lenexa this past weekend. The Firebirds placed fourth overall and the Lions grabbed sixth place at the 13-team meet.

LHS senior Giuliano Lule-Paredes won the 200-yard individual relay and set a new school record in the preliminary round for the 100-yard backstroke, placing second. The Lions’ 400-yard relay team – made up of seniors Maximilian Whittaker, Christian Ryan, Christopher Oral and Lule-Paredes – won the preliminary round and placed third in the finals.

Free State senior Elliot Ahlvers showed well in the 1-meter dive, placing first in the preliminaries and semifinals rounds before placing second in the final round. Junior Dawson Bonnell also found his way on the block with the Firebirds, placing third in the 100-yard butterfly.

Free State hosts LHS at its annual Last Chance Meet on Wednesday. Both teams travel to state from Feb. 17-19 at the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center.

Texas men’s hoops makes pit stop at LHS

Lawrence High hosted the Texas men’s basketball team for a closed practice inside its main gym on Sunday afternoon.

LHS boys hoops coach Mike Lewis, fresh off a 74-63 win over SM West on Friday, said the Longhorns reached out in need of a practice space ahead of Monday night’s Big 12 showdown with Kansas.

The opportunity is “rarely heard of” according to Lewis, who recalled only one other time a Division I program has reached out to LHS about hosting practice – Harvard in 2020 ahead of what ended up being a canceled matchup against Kansas due to COVID-19 protocols.