Blancarte wins 6-U state wrestling title
Tyson Blancarte poses with his belt and bracket after winning the state championship at 47 pounds Sunday at the 6-and-under kids state wrestling tournament in Salina.
SALINA – With each step, little Tyson Blancarte worked his way to the top of the medal stand.
He eventually reached the top and looked down at everyone. All of sudden, Blancarte wasn’t so little anymore.
Blancarte, a Louisburg resident, won the 6-and-under kids state championship Sunday at the Salina Bicentennial Center. Blancarte won the title at 47 pounds.
Two other members of the Louisburg Kids Wrestling Club also found success. Lukas Britt, who wrestled at 45 pounds, and Jovani Caudill who competed at 58 pounds, each finished third overall.
Blancarte won five matches on his way to a state title. He opened with a 56-second pin of Chaparral’s Lestat Marse and then won a 7-5 decision over Trevor Christenson of the Bobcat Wrestling Club.
His next match ended up being the toughest. Blancarte faced Great Bend’s Triston Tomlinson in the quarterfinal and edged him out in a 6-5 decision.
The semifinal and championship matches ended up being his easiest of the day. Blancarte won a 10-1 major decision over Eli Sedlacek of the NEK Elite and then pinned Winfield’s Peyton Tabor in just 49 seconds in the championship match.
As for Britt, he had a busy day himself as he wrestled eight matches on his way to a third-place medal. Britt lost an overtime match to Beliot’s Brogan Monty to open the day, but followed that up with seven consecutive victories.
Lukas Britt captured third place at 45 pounds at the 6-and-under state wrestling tournament Sunday in Salina.
Britt recorded back-to-back pins to start the consolation round and followed those up with a 9-0 major decision. He then won 5-1 and 5-2 decisions to reach the consolation semfinals.
It was there where Britt defeated Tanner Sleichter of the Trailhands by a 4-0 decision and then defeated Hutchinson’s Christopher Evans by a 7-2 decision in the third-place match.
Caudill also had to wrestle several matches to earn his medal. He opened the tournament with a pin and a 7-2 decision to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost a 10-7 decision to Brennen Westervelt.
Jovani Caudill stands on the medal stand after finishing third place at 58 pounds at the 6-and-under kids state wrestling tournament Sunday in Salina.
Caudill then responded with a 12-1 major decision over Ogden’s Wyatt Harmon and then pinned Southeast of Saline’s Uriah Lester in just 27 seconds. He had to battle in the consolation semifinals as he outlasted Wellsville’s Wyatt Brungardt for an 11-9 decision in overtime.
In the third-place match, Caudill avenged his loss to Westervelt as he pinned him in 54 seconds to get the medal.
Also wrestling for Louisburg was Keegan Cooley (41 pounds), Tanner LaBrie (43), Braxton Koechner (51) and Brody Campbell (53).
Kaden Allen competed in Elementary State for Louisburg in the 50-pound division. Allen went 2-2 on the day.