Two of the six Hillsboro Wrestling Club qualifiers finished among the top six in their respective divisions at the USA Wrestling Kansas Kids State Tournament March 28-30 in Topeka.
It marked the first time HWC has had two top-six wrestlers.
Leading the way was Devin Gomez, who won the 10-and-under (82 pound) division with a 4-0 record, including two pins.
?In the finals, Devin concluding a phenomenal season by earning a takedown in sudden victory overtime to win 4-2 and become the first state champion in Hillsboro Wrestling Club history,? head coach Scott O?Hare said.
Meanwhile, Cyle Gautschi placed third with a 5-1 record in the 12-and-under (165 pounds) division.
?Cyle had a great day on Saturday, winning four straight matches to finish in third place after a second-round loss on Friday,? O?Hare said. ?Both Devin and Cyle really benefitted from previous trips to state and that experience showed.?
Garrett Helmer, Camden Padgett, Connor Padgett and Levi Mendoza competed at the state tournament for the first time.
?They all seemed a little overwhelmed by the experience at first,? O?Hare said. ?However, once the tournament got under way, they settled in a little and wrestled hard. I was very proud of how they competed.?
Helmer went 1-2 with a forfeit victory at 8-and-under (61 pounds), Camden Padgett went 0-2 at 8-and-under (67), Connor Padgett finished went 1-2 at 8-and-under (88), and Levi Mendoza went 2-2 at 14-and-under (175), missing the top-six by one win.
?Although the three younger ones were eliminated early, I believe this experience in getting to this level will serve all of them very well in the future,? O?Hare said.
Assisting O?Hare with coaching this season were assistants Sergio Gomez, Todd Helmer, Brandon Cummings and Brian Rogers with help from Bill Simhiser, Ryan Hefley, Jim Cross and Jamey Luna.
