Full KWCA Preseason Wrestling Rankings – click here

The high school wrestling 2016-17 season is less than a month away from starting and the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association has released their preseason rankings which feature one area team school as a team and 12 area individual wrestlers between Class 3-2-1A and 4A.

The Marysville Bulldogs led the way for the area entering the season coming off a third place finish as a State at the 3-2-1A State tournament last year and enter the season ranked seventh as a team in the 3-2-1A Top 10 team rankings. Senior, Jacob Mintzmyer leads the way for the Bulldogs who enter the season with four ranked grapplers and Mintzmyer is set to start the season ranked #1 at 170lbs as he returns as the 3-2-1A State champion. Both Nick Ackerman and Jacob Stryker (seniors) will start the year ranked #5 in the weight classes of 182lbs and 160lbs, respectively, while senior, Caleb Vogelsberg will hit the mats this year preseason ranked #6 at 195lbs. All three guys are coming off appearances at State last year for the Bulldogs and both Ackerman and Stryker won two matches each at State last year.

There is only one area wrestler to start the season in Class 4A KWCA rankings and that is Holton Wildcat senior, Tyler Price who enters the year ranked #1 at 170lbs after taking second place at State at 152lbs last year.

ACCHS Tiger senior, Hunter Ostertag has enjoyed a great wrestling career and looks to finish it out with a strong senior season and enters the year ranked #2 at 132lbs in Class 3-2-1A after finishing fifth at State last year.

Junior, Zeb Speer of Doniphan West will start the season ranked #3 at 152lbs in the 3-2-1A rankings coming off a State appearance last year where he won a pair of matches.

Sabetha Bluejay sophomore, Cauy Rokey earned a trip to State as a freshman last year on the mats for Sabetha and comes into this season ranked #4 at 170lbs to start the year in 3-2-1A, after winning pair of matches at State at the same weight class last year.

Royal Valley Panthers are the only other area school outside of Marysville to have multiple wrestlers start the season in the preseason rankings as both Dalton Ware and Jacob Box are ranked in the Class 3-2-1A polls. Ware enters his junior year and will start the season ranked #5 at 106lbs after a fifth place finish at State in 3-2-1A last year, while Box made State last year at 182lbs and starts this season ranked #6 at the same weight.

Onaga Buffalo senior, Quentin Lara earned a fifth place finish at the 3-2-1A State competition at 220lbs last year and comes into his senior season ranked #5 at the same weight.

Pleasant Ridge senior, Nic Stiver earned a trip to State last year and is back this season to start the year ranked #6 in the heavyweight division at 285lbs in Class 3-2-1A.