By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team competed at the Super Region IV Tournament on Saturday (Feb. 23), hosted by Lindenwood University. Junior Brandon Ball (141 pounds) secured his third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships. Sophomore Marty Verhaeghe (165 pounds) and Aryus Jones (174 pounds) each captured a fourth-place finishes. Seniors Ryne Cokeley (149 pounds) and Micquille Robinson (184) both earned fifth-place finishes.
No. 1 ranked Brandon Ball made easy work of his regional title as he began his day with a fall (2:50) over James Loi of Kentucky Wesleyan. Ball then earned another fall after pinning Caleb Osborn (Truman) in 3:58. In the semifinals, Ball defeated Danny Swan of Lindenwood with a commanding 12-3 major decision, punching his ticket to nationals with one match to spare. The Great Bend, Kan. native went on to defeat Nate Keim (Central Oklahoma) with a narrow 3-2 decision and improved his undefeated season to 24-0 on the year.
Marty Verhaeghe started his first regionals appearance with a bye in the first round. Verhaeghe was then defeated by Dan Fillipek of McKendree in a 5-3 decision. He then rattled off three straight victories on the back side of the bracket with a 17-2 technical fall over Charley Genisio of Drury, a fall (1:43) over Zach Taylor (Truman) and a nifty 7-5 sudden victory over Wyatt Jordan of Central Oklahoma to earn a spot in the consolation championship. Verhaeghe suffered a narrow 7-6 decision defeat as the hands of No. 5 ranked Tyler Harrington of Maryville, missing a trip to nationals by one place.
Aryus Jones defeated Vin Kriegshauser (Truman) in the first round with a 16-0 technical fall in the first period. Jones was then defeated by Matt Pratt of Maryville by fall (4:52) before defeating Angelo Talabert (Kansas Wesleyan) with a 19-0 technical fall in the second round of the consolation side of the bracket. He then picked up two more wins after defeating Dylan Komperda (Drury) with a 6-1 decision and then defeated Nate Panagakis of Newman in an 8-5 decision to earn a spot in the consolation championship. The Junction City, Kan. native was then defeated by Matt Pratt again in a 14-6 decision in the third-place match.
Ryne Cokeley began his day with a commanding pin in the first round (1:47) over Robert Otero of Ouachita Baptist. Cokeley then fell victim to a 2-0 decision at the hands of No. 10 ranked Gavin Londoff (Lindenwood) in the quarterfinals. On the back side, Cokeley received a bye in the second round before defeating Daide Agnew of Central Missouri with a strong 21-6 technical fall. The Eudora, Kan. native was then defeated by Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma) in a 10-5 decision before earning fifth-place on a medical forfeiture by Gavin DeWitt of Maryville.
Micquille Robinson received a bye in the first round of the 184-pound weight class before being defeated by Bailey Kelly of Maryville in a 7-5 decision. Robinson began the back side of the bracket with another bye. He then defeated Shane Gallagher (Truman) with a dominating 16-2 major decision. In the consolation semifinals, Robinson was defeated by No. 10 ranked Colton Clingenpeel (Lindenwood) by decision (8-1). The Wichita, Kan. native earned his fifth-place finish by medical forfeit of Dominique Hampton (Central Missouri).
Brandon Ball will now have about two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Division II National Championships (March 8-9) in Cleveland, Ohio.