LKWC places three at kids state tourney

Louisburg Kids Wrestling Club state placers (from left) Hunter Bindi and Mason Koechner hold up fellow placer Tyson Blancarte following the kids state tournament Saturday in Topeka. Bindi and Koechner finished third overall and Blancarte medaled fourth. 

TOPEKA – The Louisburg Kids Wrestling Club ventured to the Kansas State Folkstyle Championships at the Kansas Expocentre with high expectations.

The Wildcats brought 10 wrestlers who qualified on the district level and they left Topeka on Saturday with three state medals. Hunter Bindi (14-and-under, 105 pounds) and Mason Koechner (high school, 250) each finished in third place, while Tyson Blancarte (8-U, 49) came in fourth.

Six of the 10 wrestlers won matches over the two-day tournament and the Wildcats finished their kids wrestling season with a strong showing. All three of the state placers were one victory away from wrestling in the finals.

Bindi ended the tournament with a 4-1 record and won his first two matches when competition began Friday. He opened with a pin of Valley Center’s Chase Faimon and then won a 7-3 decision over Marysville’s Joey Bockin.

Those wins put Bindi in the semifinals against Silas Pineda of the Greater Gold Wrestling Club and Bindi lost a tough 4-2 decision. However, he bounced back with a pin of Bonner Springs’ Anthony Ferguson in the consolation semifinals and then battled to win a 2-0 decision over Newton’s Grant Treaster for third place.

Koechner found himself on the same path as Bindi. After he received a bye in the first round, Koechner pinned Salina’s Tristan Harder in the first period, but fell to Hoisington’s Landen Urban in a 7-5 decision in the semifinals.

He responded with a third period pin in the consolation semifinals and then pinned Topeka’s Trent Smeltzer in 1 minute and 42 seconds in the third place match.

Blancarte finished his tournament with a 3-2 record, but started the tournament off strong with a 4-2 decision over Mulvane’s Jonah Yates and then a 3-0 decision over Liberal’s Julian Orrantia. Blancarte then found himself on the wrong side of a tough battle as he lost a 2-0 decision to Rose Hill’s Trenton Richwine.

Blancarte used that experience to defeat Colt Bowers, of the Brawlers Wrestling Club, to get a 2-0 victory to put him in the third-place match. He faced off Beloit’s Brogan Monty, but came up short in a 6-2 loss.

Several other wrestlers tasted victory last weekend. Noah Caudill (8-U, 64), Brayden Yoder (8-U, 80) and Kaden Allen (10-U, 58) each won a match for Louisburg.

Nick Beidelschies (8-U, 40), Jay McCaskill (10-U, 70), Brandon Doles (12-U, 130) and Austin Moore (high school, 160) also wrestled for the Wildcats.