Arkansas City Open Dec. 8

6 and under

Bryce Wells, 3-0, 2 pins, first place, 3 takedowns; Tyler Allen, 2-0, 1 pin, first place, 1 takedown; Cooper Ross, 3-0, 3 pins, first place, 3 takedowns; Crew Squires, 2-2, 1 pin, fourth place, 2 takedowns; Cade Lindsey, 3-1, 1 pin, third place, 4 takedowns.

8 and under

Brandon Becker, 1-2, 1 pin, fourth place, 1 takedown; Bret Hull, 5-1, 3 pins, third place, 5 takedowns; Jerry Oller, 0-2; Colby Norris, 1-2, 1 takedown; Nicholas Wells, 0-2, 1 takedown; Jakob Hirschfeld, 1-2, 1 pin, fourth place, 1 takedown.

10 and under

Tanner Smith, 1-1, second place; Alec DuBree, 1-2, 1 pin; Garrett Xanders, 1-2, 1 takedown; Tanner Brown, 1-2, 1 pin, fourth place, 1 takedown; Trenton Allen, 2-0, 1 pin, first place, 1 takedown; Caleb Gash, 3-0, first place, 2 takedowns; Steven Marlatt, 2-0, 2 pins, first place, 2 takedowns; Sam Fasig, 0-2.

12 and under

Parker Smith, 0-2; Gage Wells, 1-2; Aaron Kreutzer, 0-2; Ethan Barr, 0-2; Jake Greider, 1-2, 1 pin; Clint Gordon, 3-1, 3 pins, third place; Jon Schoeppel, 0-2; Dallon Bendorf, 0-2; Blake Bradford, 0-2; Caleb Maine, 0-2; Zacory Landwehr, 0-2; Quentin Cox, 1-2, 1 pin.

14 and under

Brady Heincker, 2-0, 1 pin, first place; Shawn Marlatt, 1-1, 1 pin, second place; Clay Gordon, 2-0, 1 pin, first place.

Team results

43-47; 26 pins; eight champions; two seconds; three thirds; four fourths.

- From the Derby Informer Dec. 12, 2007 edition

Faust Memorial Tournament brings in nearly 1,000 wrestlers

By Linda Stinnett

Derby Junior Wrestling hosted the eighth annual Tom Faust Memorial Tournament on Dec. 29.

The tournament has grown into one of the premier tournaments of the year, according to Jeff Smith, head coach.

“With several clubs representing Oklahoma and Texas, not to mention some of the toughest Kansas kids participating, it has become a true test of where the wrestlers stack up,” Smith said.

One bracket, the 10 and under 67 pounds bracket, had several state champions and state placers competing, he said.

“Dakota Rodd, Derby’s defending state champion, met Sean Deshazer in the finals, a multi-state champion,” he said. “Although Rodd fell to Deshazer this time, he walked off the mat like a champion and with Derby pride.”

Several advanced wrestlers were successful in the United States Junior Open in Oklahoma this weekend.

“This tournament brings in competitors from all over the U.S. and is regarded as a very tough tournament, Smith said.

Caleb Gash took fourth place in the 10 and under competition, including a win over Joe Smith, son of Oklahoma State University’s coach John Smith. Gash had never been able to beat Joe in the past.

Gash went on to lose a close match in the semifinals.

“Another wrestler worth noting is Cade Lindsey, who wrestled the best he has wrestled this year,” Jeff Smith said. “Cade took third and is starting to click.”

Tom Faust Open Placings

6 and Under – 1. Cooper Ross; 2. Tyler Allen, Cade Lindsey; 3. Ethan Hill.

8 and Under – 2. Jakob Hirschfeld, Dayton Driskill; 3. Brandon Becker, Bret Hull.

10 and Under – 1. Kenny Reinhart, Trenton Allen, Steven Marlatt, Caleb Gash; 2. Tanner Smith, Dakota Rodd; 3. Garrett Xanders.

12 and Under – 1. Ben Becker, Dalton Rodd; 3. Quentin Cox.

14 and Under – 1. Brady Heincker, Shawn Marlatt; 2. RJ Hackney; 4. Clay Gordon.

Tom Faust Novice Placings

6 and Under – 1. Robert Llamas, Jacob Ormsby; 2. Elliott Nottingham, Dalton Engelbert, Austin Winton; 3. Trace Parks, Cason Lindsey, Jarod Noel; 4. Emily Engelbert, Aidan Neel, Deven Day.

8 and Under – 2. Colby Norris; 3. Skyler Burke, Josh Hoffneier; 4. Devon DuBree, Jarrid Heatherington, Logan Grove, Adam Kreutzer.

10 and Under – 3. Conner Holt, Lexa Jones.

12 and Under – 2. Dallon Bendorf; 3. Blake Bradford.

USJOC/USJNC Placings

6 and Under – 3. Tyler Allen, Cade Lindsey; 6. Cason Lindsey.

10 and Under – 4. Caleb Gash; 6. Dakota Rodd.

12 and Under – 5. Dalton Rodd.

Jan. 5 Valley Center Open Placings

6 and Under  – 1. Ethan Hill; 2. Cooper Ross, Crew Squires.

8 and Under – 2. Brandon Bekcer, Nicholas Wells; 3. Colby Norris; 4. Devon DuBree, Dayton Driskill.

10 and Under – 3. Alec DuBree; 4. Tanner Smith, Sam Fasig.

12 and Under – 1. Parker Smith, Ethan Bailey; 2. Ethan Barr; 3. Jake Greider.

14 and Under – 1. Kordell Burch; 2. Clay Gordon.

Valley Center Novice Placings

6 and Under – 1. Trace Parks, Robert Llamas; 2. Elliott Nottingham, Jacob Ormsby; 3. Dalton Engelbert, Jarod Noel; 4. Emily Engelbert, Travor Hanson, Shelby Little, Austin Winton; 5. Aidan Neel.

8 and Under – 2. Jared Lathrop, Devon DuBree, Skyler Burke, Kris Wood, Adam Kreutzer; 3. Cole Heinrichs; 4. Keegan Little, Brandon Keil, Jarrid Heatherington, Joshua Waldon.

10 and Under – 2. Lexa Jones; 4. Jacob Peterson.

12 and Under – 3. Aaron Kreutzer, Zacory Landwehr.

- From the Derby Informer Jan. 30, 2008 edition

Junior wrestlers tackle tough tournament

By Linda Stinnett

Derby junior wrestlers traveled to Salina for the toughest tournament of their season, so far.

“This tournament is a great opportunity for us to see the competition from across the state that we won’t see again until state,” said Jeff Smith, head coach. “With over 1,500 kids and no separation of brackets, it is a task to find your way to the awards podium.”

The local kids had battled illness during the week. Several had not fully recovered and were not ready for stiff competition.

“We, however, saw some true character and heart by several wrestlers, including Tanner Smith, who placed second while under the weather, and the Allen boys, both placing first,” Smith said. “I was impressed by both Tyler’s and Trenton’s determination this weekend. It was good to see them wrestler smart and hard.”

This weekend, the wrestlers head to Maize before taking some recuperation time off before the end of the year.

Salina, Jan. 26

6 and under – Tyler Allen, first; Cade Lindsey, second; Cooper Ross, third; and Bryce Wells, fifth.

8 and under – Dayton Driskill, second.

10 and under – Trenton Allen, first; Tanner Smith, second; Dakota Rodd and Steven Marlatt, fifth.

12 and under – Dalton Rodd, third.

14 and under – Shane Bradford, first; Brady Heincker and Shawn Marlatt, third; and Clay Gordon, fifth.

Hutchinson open, Jan. 19

6 and under – Cason Lindsey, Tyler Allen, Robert Llamas, Cooper Ross, first; Crew Squires, second; Bryce Wells, Trace Parks, Cade Lindsey, third; Ethan Hill, Deven Day, fourth.

8 and under – Josh Hoffmeier, Dayton Driskill, first; Jerry Oller, Adam Kreutzer, third; Brandon Becker, Dante Rodd, Cole Heinrichs, Bret Hull, fourth.

10 and under – Tanner Smith, Braden Dipman, Dakota Rodd, first; Trenton Allen, second; Matthew O’Neill, Caleb Gash, fourth.

12 and under – Ben Becker, first; Dalton Rodd, Chandler Ayer, Parker Smith, second; Ethan Barr, Jeffrey Morrow, Ethan Bailey, third; Gage Wells, Jake Greider, Dakota Driskill, Blake Bradford, fourth.

14 and under – Collin Sommers, Shawn Marlatt, first; Kordell Burch, Brady Heincker, RJ Hackney, Shane Bradford, second. 

- From the Derby Informer Jan. 30, 2008 edition

Junior wrestling working toward Novice Championships

By Linda Stinnett

Derby Junior wrestling took many of the top placings this past weekend at Newton and are preparing for the State Novice Championships to be held in Derby on Sunday, Feb. 17.

“Our white team is progressing nicely and should be ready for our State Novice Championship the 17th, held here in Derby,” said Jeff Smith, head coach for Derby Junior Wrestling. “We look forward to a lot of success out of this group.”

The green and black teams will continue fine-tuning skills and preparing for their home stretch which occurs in a few weeks, he said.

This past weekend junior wrestlers traveled to an open tournament in Newton and had a chance to compete against wrestlers they don’t normally see. Results are as follows:

First place – Cason Lindsey, Robert Llamas, Ethan Hill, Cooper Ross, Crew Squires, Jerry Oller, Dayton Driskill, Brady Heincker, Braden Dipman and Dallon Bendorf.

Second place – Trace Parks, Elliott Nottingham, Jacob Ormsby, Cole Heinrichs, Josh Hoffmeier, Kristopher Wood, Conner Ford, Brandon Becker, Ben Becker, Jeffrey Morrow, Jake Greider, Clint Gordon, Collin Sommer, RJ Hackney and Zachory Landwehr.

Third place – Tanner Brown, Lexa Jones, Dakota Driskill, Jon Schoeppel, Aiden Noel, Cade Lindsey and Jarrid Heatherington.

Fourth place – Bryce Wells, Austin Winton, Keegan Little, Skyler Burke, Clay Gordon, Mathew O’Neill, Ethan Barr, Gage Wells, Ethan Bailey and Chandler Aye.

- From the Derby Informer Feb. 13, 2008 edition

Novice wrestlers do well in local tournament

By Linda Stinnett

First-year junior wrestlers from Derby fared well in the local Novice State Championships held on Sunday.

Nearly 300 of the first-year wrestlers from around the region competed in the tournament at Derby High School.  Of those, 13 were from Derby and nearly half placed in the medals brackets, according to Craig Lindsey, novice coach.

“Our kids wrestled really hard,” he said. “I’m proud of the ground they made from the beginning of the year to now.”

The tournament is designed to allow the novice wrestlers a competition against others in their first year of the sport.

“It is a tough sport,” Lindsey said.

Over the years, coaches believed they were losing players due to the regular season competition which many times placed experienced wrestlers against new competitors.

“A lot of kids don’t survive that,” he said. “We feel it is important for those first-year kids to have a chance to wrestle other first-year kids. Hopefully it keeps them in the sport.”

Derby Novice Championships Wrestling Tournament

Derby placings

6 Under - 46 lbs.: 3. Robert Llamas

6 Under -  52 lbs.: 1 Jacob Ormsby

6 Under - 55 lbs.: 4. Shelby Little

8 Under - 67 lbs.: 4. Joshua Waldon

10 Under - 85 lbs.: 2. Lexa Jones

12 Under - 115 lbs.: 3. Blake Bradford

Photo by DeAnn Barr

Elliott Nottingham from the Derby and Mike Sheltons of the Team of Hard Knocks begin their match on Sunday at the Novice Championships. Sheltons went on to place fourth in the age 6 and under weight division.

- From the Derby Informer Feb. 20, 2008 edition

Junior wrestlers fine-tune skills

By Linda Stinnett

The Derby Wrestling Club took 46 wrestlers to subdistricts and 41 ended up placing.

They will compete in districts in Andover this weekend, in hopes of placing in the top four to qualify for state the following weekend, according to Jeff Smith, head coach. That means that while a lot of youngsters are enjoying spring break, 41 wrestlers are working hard in the practice room preparing for the most critical part of their season.

“We are wrestling really well right now and I am looking foward to districts,” Smith said. “We have a great chance to qualify a good number, including several that have never made it to state before.”

At the Rice County Tournament, local wrestlers did well and prepared to head to Wellington. Derby had 49 wrestlers qualify for subdistricts.

At the Winfield tournament on March 1, Gage Wells placed first the first time this year; Jon Schoeppel took second with a strong effort; and Kyle Reinhart had a great first place finish.

“As a team we did very well and are starting to peak just at the right time,” said Jeff Smith, head coach. “I am proud of how we have improved individually and more importantly, how we have conducted ourselves as a team.”

Several of the age 6 and under wrestlers competed in the Ottawa State Tournament over the weekend and performed well.  The tournament is not officially sanctioned, so there is no pre-qualifying and the young wrestlers who did well fought as many as eight matches to make it to placings. Normally, three matches would allow them to place in the top four.

“They all wrestled hard,” said Craig Lindsey, coach. “It’s a big tournament. For them to come through and place is a big deal.”

Cade Lindsey took third place (52 pounds), Jacob Ormsby took second (52 pounds); and Crew Squires (55 pounds) and Tyler Allen (43 pounds) were champions with first places. Other participants were Cason Lindsey (43), Jarod Noel (55), Trace Parks (46), Ethan Hill (46) and Robert Llamas (46).

“All these wrestlers have been wrestling really well this year and it is nice to see their hard work pay off this last weekend,” Smith said.

The Derby Wrestling Club’s sole girl this year, Lexa Jones, competed in the Girls Nationals in Oklahoma City, bringing home third place. She is a first-year wrestler and had aready won the Kansas Girls’ Championship.

“Lexa’s simply an amazing girl, great attitude and unbelieveable talent,” Smith said.

Courtesy photo

From left are coaches and the 6 and under wrestlers who placed in Ottawa. From left are Coach Lee Noel; Crew Squires, Cade Lindsey, Jacob Ormsby, Tyler Allen and Coach Craig Lindsey.

Wellington Sub-district results

March 15

8 and under: Tyler Allen, David Jennings and Dayton Driskill, first place; Brandon Becker, Nicholas Wells, second; Bryce Wells, Dante Rodd, Bret Hull, Kyle Reinhart, third place; Jerry Oller, fourth.

10 and under: Tanner Smith, Braden Dipman, Dakota Rodd, Trenton Allen, Caleb Gash, first; Garrett Xanders, second; Kenny Reinhart, third; Tanner Brown, Sam Fasig, fourth.

12 and under: Ben Becker, Dalton Rodd, first; Jeffery Morrow, Ethan Bailey, second; Gage Wells, Sean Lawson, Dallon Bendorf, third; Ethan Barr, Dakota Driskill, fourth.

14 and under: Kordell Burch, Brady Heincker, Jared Morrow, Matthew Moon, first; Colt Castlebury, Terrance Burns and Travis Anderson, second; RJ Hackney, fourth.

16 and under: Christian Sasher, Gary Schoeppel, Cole Carpenter, first; Mickey Daniel, Gavin Runkle, second.

Rice County Tournament results

March 8

First place: Cason Lindsey, Cade Lindsey, Dayton Driskill, Tanner Smith, Garrett Xanders, Matthew Oneill, Caleb Gash, Dakota Driskill, Ben Becker, RJ Hackney, Jared Morrow, Travis Anderson, Christian Sasher, Gary Schoeppel.

Second place: Bryce Wells, Gage Wells, Clint Gordon, Ethan Bailey, Clay Gordon.

Fourth place: Ethan Barr, Jeffrey Morrow.

Winfield Tournament results

March 1

First place: Tyler Allen, Cooper Ross, Nicholas Wells, Kyle Reinhart, Trenton Allen, Gage Wells, Ben Backer, Brady Heincker, Bradley Little, Travis Anderson.

Second place: Bryce Wells, Ethan Hill, Colby Norris, Garrett Xanders, Jake Greider, Jeffery Morrow, Jon Schoeppel, Blake Bradford, Shane Bradford, Gary Schoeppel.

Third place: Robert Llamas, Cade Lindsey, Jarod Noel, Christian Sasher.

Fourth place: Cason Lindey, Jerry Oller, David Jennings, Caleb Gash, Gavin Runkle. 

- From the Derby Informer March 19, 2008 edition

23 junior wrestlers advance to state tournament

By Linda Stinnett

Over half of the members of the Derby Wrestling Club who competed in the district tournament qualified for state.

“These wrestlers have been working extremely hard this year, some since October, and to see them achieve one of their goals of qualifying makes me extremely proud,” said Jeff Smith, head coach for the Derby Wrestling Club.

Of the 41 wrestlers competing, 23 qualified for state in Topeka this weekend. In order to qualify they had to place in the top four in their respective weight and age group, Smith said.

“The district in which Derby competes is regarded by most as the toughest district in the state and for our wrestlers to make it through says a lot of them and their abilities,” he said. “We are looking forward to ending the season this weekend with another strong performance and hopefully will bring a lot of hardware home.”

He also noted that Cooper Ross competed in the 6 and under state meet in Topeka on Friday and earned a state championship. Ross is the son of Derby High School’s head wrestling coach Billy Ross.

“Cooper is one of the most driven young kids I have seen and it was especially nice to see his hard work pay off,” Smith said. “Knowing his dad, Cooper’s success is just beginning.”

State qualifiers

Andover District • March 22

8 and under

Dayton Driskill, 1st

Tyler Allen, 2nd

Nicholas Wells, 2nd

David Jennings, 2nd

Brandon Becker, 4th

10 and under

Trenton Allen, 1st

Tanner Smith, 2nd

Garrett Xanders, 2nd,

Caleb Gash, 2nd

Kenny Reinhart, 3rd

12 and under

Ben Becker, 1st

Jeffrey Morrow, 4th

14 and under

Kordell Burch, 1st

Brady Heincker, 1st

Jared Morrow, 1st

Colt Castlebury, 2nd

Matthew Moon, 2nd

Travis Anderson, 2nd

Terrance Burns, 4th

16 and under

Cole Carpenter, 2nd

Gary Schoeppel, 3rd

- From the Derby Informer March 26, 2008 edition

Wrestlers take fifth in state as club, 11 place

By Linda Stinnett

The Derby Wrestling Club finished in fifth place from 169 teams at state competition in Topeka on Sunday.

Individually, 11 of the 21 local wrestlers finished as state placers from the nearly 1,500 competitors. Two wrestlers, Brady Heincker and Trenton Allen took championship spots in their divisions.

Heincker has a long history with the Derby Wrestling Club, but his goal of getting a state championship had been elusive before Sunday. He had done well this year, according to Jeff Smith, head coach, but three previous state champions were among the competition he had in Topeka.

In the finals, he faced a multiple state champion, Chase Locke, and wrestled perfectly, Smith said. He seized the opportunity to use his favorite move, the cradle, resulting in three near fall points to win the match 4-2.

“Brady was one of the most focused wrestlers at the tournament. He knew what he had to do and wasn’t going to settle for anything less,” Smith said.

Allen is one of the hardest working wrestlers in the club, Smith said, and shares a passion for the sport with his younger brother, Tyler, who took a championship in the 6 and under state competition several weeks ago and took second place in the 8 and under division Sunday against a defending champion.

“(Trenton’s) work ethic and attitude is unparalleled,” Smith said. “Tyler is simply an amazing kid with unbelievable potential ... We look forward to having both of these guys back next year.”

State placers were: Cole Carpenter, fifth; Travis Anderson, second; Ben Becker, second; Tanner Smith, sixth; Tyler Allen, second; Kenny Reinhart, fourth; Brandon Becker, sixth; Dayton Driskill, second; and Caleb Gash, fourth. Other qualifiers were Nicholas Wells, David Jennings, Garrett Xanders, Jeffrey Morrow, Kordell Burch, Jared Morrow, Colt Castlebury, Mathew Moon, Terrance Burns and Gary Schoeppel.

As finals began on Sunday, six were wrestling for championships, and again local coaches answered others who asked how they have developed the largest club in the state and bring up so many wrestlers through one of the toughest district in the state.

“The answer comes back to good parents and kids,” Smith said. “From there a talented coaching staff teaches them how to become a champion on the mat.”

This year was the same, but the numbers and talent were down at the beginning of the year. However, the boys had a drive and a desire to improve and it was rewarding to their coaches.

“It was great to see how the kids progressed over the year, getting better with each match and tournament,” Smith said. “To witness kids work hard, make good decisions and eventually achieve their goal is so rewarding, you forget about how long the season was or any of the headaches that arose during the year.”

The club is fortunate to be considered one of the best kids’ clubs in the state, Smith said.

“With the conclusion of this year’s season now here, it is safe to say that reputation lives on,” he said.

Courtesy photo

The Derby Wrestling Club members who placed in state competition this weekend are shown above. Front row (from left): Trenton Allen, Tanner Smith, Tyler Allen, Kenny Reinhart, Brandon Becker, Dayton Driskill and Caleb Gash. Back row: Brady Heincker, Cole Carpenter, Travis Anderson and Ben Becker.

- From the Derby Informer April 2, 2008 edition