COLBY and GREAT BEND, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School varsity wrestling programs turned in solid performances over the weekend, with the boys placing fourth at the Colby Eagle Invitational Dual Tournament and the girls gaining valuable experience at the Great Bend Christmas Clash.
The Salthawk boys finished 6-2 overall at the 40th Colby Eagle Invitational, advancing out of Pool B with a 6-1 record. Hutchinson’s lone pool loss came against No. 5 Pine Creek of Colorado Class 5A, while the Salthawks earned an impressive victory over the No. 2-ranked team in Kansas Class 3-2-1A.
Hutchinson fell to No. 9 Hays in the third-place dual, a Kansas Class 5A opponent the Salthawks had narrowly defeated one week earlier at the Junction City Blue Jay Duals.
Junior Cruz Cannon and sophomore James Hill led the Salthawks individually, each going 8-0 on the weekend. Junior Max Harris and sophomore Dion Brown finished 7-1, while senior Jackson Anderson and juniors Jayden Tuchardt, Cooper Harris, and Karson Etienne all posted 6-2 records.
The fourth-place finish improved Hutchinson to 11-3 in duals this season and marked the program’s fourth top-five showing at the Eagle Invitational since first attending the event in 2008. Head coach Dane Edwards and former longtime coach Mike Garcia have each guided the Salthawks to two of those top-five finishes.
The Hutchinson girls competed at the Great Bend Christmas Clash, sending 13 wrestlers to the tournament as the young roster continued to gain experience against a strong field.
Senior Sophia Zwickl and junior Baleigh Cousins paced the Salthawks with top-10 finishes, highlighting continued progress as the season moves forward.
Both varsity teams return to action Thursday at home when Hutchinson hosts Dodge City at the Hutchinson High School North Gym.