Bachman headed to state

By RYAN RICHTER

Staff writer

Six tickets for the Class 3-2-1A state meet at Hays were up for grabs Friday and Saturday at Eureka for the Trojan wrestling team.

Freshman Jordan Bachman was Hillsboro’s lone wrestler that managed to get one, taking third place in the 126-pound class with a 4-1 finish.

“Jordan’s been a part of the Hillsboro wrestling program for many years and has always shown promise,” Trojan coach Scott O’Hare said. “It’s rewarding for us to see his hard work and commitment pay off by earning a trip to state in his freshman season.”

Hillsboro’s 17 points were good for 17th place.

After opening the meet with two wins on a bye and a 15-10 decision over Hesston rival Jason Hecht, Bachman’s hopes for anything better than third place slipped away with Humboldt’s Gunner Elder scoring a fall in 2:43 in the semifinals.

Familiar foe Dylon Morrill from Cherryvale, whom Bachman owned a win over from Halstead, stood in Bachman’s way of securing his ticket.

It took an extra round, but Bachman ran his record to 2-0 over Morrill with a 17-3 major decision to set up a rematch with Hecht.

Hecht’s luck still hadn’t changed in the consolation final with Bachman topping his Hesston foe, 7-1, with both advancing.

The weekend still had its share of shortcomings, though.

It was a heartbreaking ending for the Trojan senior Mackenzie Bartel, who owned wins over half the state qualifiers in the 120-pound class with a pair from earlier in the season.

Battling injuries throughout much of the year, Bartel was unable to compete Saturday, having his career come to an end with an injury default against Hesston’s Riley Slater in the second round of the consolation bracket.

“It was very disappointing having Mackenzie’s season and career end the way it did,” said O’Hare.

The Trojans also bid farewell to senior Dylan Horton, who was 0-2 on the tournament.

Bachman’s state tournament begins at 10 a.m. Friday at Gross Memorial Coliseum at Fort Hays State University against Oberlin’s Kel Graffel.