Don’t look now but the region tournament is just a month away. Although it was just the second time out since the Christmas break for the Barton wrestling team this past weekend, the preparation for regional is definitely underway during the school initial season in the sport.
The Cougars traveled to Hastings, Neb. this past weekend and turned in one of their more productive opens of the season.
“It was another good tournament preparing us for the Regionals,” Barton Coach Mike Bammes said. “We’ve got things to work on individually just like everybody else and each of them know what they need to do to reach their goals of qualifying for the National Tournament.
“We look to compete every time out on the mat and the wrestlers work hard to do that.”
Again headlining the Cougars on the mat was Great Bend freshman Kade Sander.
Sander finally broke through for a third place finish, three Cougars made it to the semifinals and five of eight reached the quarterfinals.
For Sander it was his fifth time reaching the third place match. The previous four he came up short in that match. This time was different.
Sander opened with a bye at 157 then moved into the quarterfinals with a 4-2 decision over Courtney Strauss. Sander made his way to the semifinals with a pin of Colorado School of Mines’ Ethan Ruby in 6:68.
In an effort to reach his first final, Sander was edged by Tabor’s Tanner Ogden 5-3. That set up another 3-2 win over Strauss for a spot in the third place match. He battled Nebraska-Kearney’s Tevin Briscoe to the end, earning a 3-2 win and the third place finish.
Sander was joined in the semifinals by Sean Taborksy at 165 and Christian Strother at 174.
Taborsky, a freshman from Wichita, also started with a bye then won 7-0 over Hastings’ Caleb Holt. In the quarterfinals, Taborsky won a tight 4-3 decision over Lance Lucas of Doane (Neb.) . His run on the championship side of the bracket ended in the semifinals with a 9-1 loss to Concordia College’s (Neb) Walker Fisher. Taborksy lost his consolation semifinal battle with Taylor Hodel of Dickinson State (ND), 11-1.
Strother, a freshman from Douglass, had a pair of byes to open the 174 bracket. In the quarterfinals he pinned Colorado School of Mines wrestler Benjamin Krantz at the 5:58 mark. Strother would be pinned in his next two match – the semifinals and the consolation semifinals to end his day.
Also reaching the quarterfinals were Will Bardezbain at 133 and Jonathan Bowen at 197.
Zach Vesta, another Cougar wrestler who had had good success this year, won his opening match then had to withdraw due to an injury at 149. Caysen Smith at 133 and Justin Scarbro at 275 each lost both matches on the mat.
The Cougars will now get a series of duals over the next couple of weeks. Barton will travel to Chanute Thursday for a dual with Jayhawk Conference foe Neosho. Barton will host a double-dual next Tuesday at the Barton Gym against Pratt and Northwest Kansas Tech.

133 - Caysen Smith
Round 1 - Smith (Barton) received a bye
Round 2 - Caleb Micho (Colorado School of Mines) won by decision over Smith (Barton) (5-3)
Consolation Round 2 - Zane Baugh (Baker) won by decision over Smith (Barton) (9-2)

133 - Will Bardezbain
Round 1 - Bardezbain (Barton) received a bye
Round 2 - Wll Bardezbain (Barton) won by fall over Dakota (dj) Ballard (Unattached) (2:27)
Quarterfinal - Kodie Cole (Concordia) won by decision over Bardezbain (Barton) (4-1)
Consolation Round 4 - Bardezbain (Barton) won by tech fall over Ty Kolterman (Bethany) (17-2)
Consolation Round 5 - Drew Ratkovec (Doane) won by decision over Bardezbain (Barton) (4-0)

149 - Zach Vesta
Round 1 - Vesta (Barton) won by decision over Joshua Redman (Colorado School of Mines) (7-4)
Round 2 - Victor Hughes (Baker) won by injury default over Vesta (Barton) (1:28)
Consolation Round 2 - Vesta (Barton) received a bye
Consolation Round 3 - Ryan Carpenter (Colorado School of Mines) won by injury default over Vesta (Barton) (0:00)

157 - Kade Sander – 3rd place
Round 1 - Sander (Barton) received a bye
Round 2 - Sander (Barton) won by decision over Courtney Strauss (Unattached) (4-2)
Quarterfinal - Sander (Barton) won by fall over Ethan Ruby (Colorado School of Mines) (6:58)
Semifinal - Tanner Ogden (Baker) won by decision over Sander (Barton) (5-3)
Consolation Semifinal - Sander (Barton) won by decision over Courtney Strauss (Unattached) (3-2)
3rd Place Match - Sander (Barton) won by decision over Tevin Briscoe (Unattached-UNK) (3-2)

165 - Sean Taborsky
Round 1 - Taborsky (Barton) received a bye
Round 2 - Taborsky (Barton) won by decision over Caleb Holt (Hastings) (7-0)
Quarterfinal - Taborsky (Barton) won by decision over Lance Lucas (Doane) (4-3)
Semifinal - Walker Fisher (Concordia) won by major decision over Taborsky (Barton) (9-1)
Consolation Semifinal - Taylor Hodel (Dickinson State) won by major decision over Taborsky (Barton) (11-1)

174 - Christian Strother
Round 1 - Strother (Barton) received a bye
Round 2 - Strother (Barton) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Strother (Barton) won by fall over Benjamin Krantz (Colorado School of Mines) (6:26)
Semifinal - Cody Johnson (Dickinson State) won by fall over Strother (Barton) (5:58)
Consolation Semifinal - Andras Lukacs-Farkas (Northwestern College) won by fall over Strother (Barton) (3:28)

197 - Jonathan Bowen
Round 1 - Bowen (Barton) received a bye
Round 2 - Bowen (Barton) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Chandler Knight (Doane) won by fall over Bowen (Barton) (0:59)
Consolation Round 4 - Kyler Atwood (Baker University) won by major decision over Bowen (Barton) (11-0)

285 - Justin Scarbro
Round 1 - Aaron Griffith (Nebraska-Kearney) won by major decision over Scarbro (Barton) (12-3)
Consolation Round 1 - Ray Schroder (Northwestern College) won by decision over Scarbro (Barton) (7-3)