By John Mesh
Hutchinson Trinity Catholic High School junior Isaac Hammersmith placed second overall in the 220-pound weight class (945 pounds) and ratio (4.678) in the Kansas Class 1A State Powerlifting Meet Saturday at Conway Springs High School.
The 2A state powerlifting meet was hosted by Royal Valley High School, the 3A meet by Iola High School and the 6A meet returned to Wichita East High School.
Hammersmith won the clean (285 pounds) and was third in the bench (255) and squat (405).
Trinity sophomores Lucas Griffin and Eli Bigger placed second and third in the overall and ratio divisions in the 181-pound weight class.
Griffith lifted 845 pounds and had a ratio (body weight combined with total lift) of 4.669. Bigger lifted 835 pounds and his ratio was 4.613.
Griffith won the squat lift competition (385 pounds) and placed third in bench (255 pounds). Bigger was second in the clean lift (255 pounds).
Trinity junior Kaid McElgunn took fifth-place overall at 156 pounds and Jake Kerns place sixth overall at 172 pounds.
In Class 1A boys, Inman and Hutchinson Trinity both scored 25 points. Inman placed sixth and Trinity seventh. Trinity had just seven competitors. Sterling placed 23rd with 4 points.
Inman’s Bo O’Neil placed second overall in the 198-pound weight class (905 pounds) and ratio (4.84). He placed second in bench (370 pounds) and clean lift (260).
In Class 1A girls, Sterling High School tied for 14th place with 4 points.
Sterling’s Cora Svatý placed third in the 105-pound girls clean lift (95 pounds), third in bench (85 pounds) and third in ratio (3.155).
The Haven High School boys placed fourth in Class 2A with 28 points and the Haven girls placed seventh with 18 points.
In the boys 114-pound weight class, Haven’s Andrew Avena placed third in the bench (150 pounds).
Haven’s Andrew Hoopes placed third overall in the 123-pound weight class (630 pounds) and was third in clean lift (195 pounds).
Haven’s Jacob Moore was third overall in the 140-pound weight class (725 pounds). He was first in bench (195 pounds) and third in squat (315).
Haven’s Derek Wells placed third in the 165-pound weight class bench event (230 pounds).
In the 173-pound weight class bench, Haven’s Maddix Finecy placed third (255 pounds).
Haven’s Van Loop placed second in the 181-pound weight class clean competition (280 pounds).
Haven’s Jacob Myers won the 198-pound class clean lift (285 pounds).
In the 2A girls 156-pound weight class Haven’s Jaina Smith placed second overall (502 pounds), second in squat (230), third in bench (120) and third in clean (152).
In the girls 140-pound weight class, Haven’s Brookelyn Bartholomew placed third in bench (125 pounds).
In the girls 180-pound weight class, Haven’s Sorrel DeFrain placed second overall (555 pounds), first in clean (175) and second in bench (150).
In the Class 4A state meet March 8 in Wellington, the Buhler boys and girls teams both placed 10th. The Crusader boys scored 48 points and the girls 37.
In the 4A boys, Buhler senior Bodey Redenbaugh, who will play football at Hutchinson Community College next fall, placed third in the Powerweight division with a combined lift of 1,140 pounds.
Redenbaugh placed third in bench (365 pounds) and clean lift (275 pounds).
In the 4A boys 242-pound weight class, Buhler’s John Aldrich place third in the squat (485 pounds).
Buhler’s Owen Begley placed third in squat (410 pounds) in the 165-pound weight class.
In the Class 4A girls 132-pound division, Buhler’s Sofia Spies brought home first place in the overall (540 pounds), ratio (4.232), clean lift (165) and bench (150 pounds).
Buhler’s Alexa Adame was third in the 140-pound squat lift (190 pounds).
Halstead’s Joey Millspaugh wins 3A state powerlifting title at 172 pounds
Halstead High School senior Joey Millspaugh won the 3A State Powerlifting Championship for his respective weight class.
Millspaugh won the 172-pound weight class by lifting a combined 985 pounds. He placed first in clean lift (305 pounds) and squat lift (242 pounds). He placed third in the bench press (255 pounds).
Millspaugh also placed first in ratio (5.794).
The Halstead boys placed 11th in Class 4A boys with 43 points.
Halstead’s Jaerson Mumford placed third in the squat in the 242-pound weight class (455 pounds).
In other Halstead sports news from the weekend:
• The Halstead Dragons baseball team went 1-3 at the Kingman Tournament.
Halstead lost to Southeast of Saline 9-8 and 6-1 and Sedgwick 6-1.
• The Halstead softball team defeated Kingman 7-1 and Liberal 4-3 in the Kingman Varsity Softball South Central Shootout Saturday.
• Halstead senior Connor Herman was named to The Wichita Eagle’s All-Metro Boys Wrestling Third Team.
• Halstead junior Ava Armstrong was named to The Wichita Eagle’s All-Metro Girls Wrestling Second Team.
Haven softball team 1-1 at Sabetha tournament
In non-league tests Saturday at the Sabetha Early Bird Tournament, the Haven Wildcat softball squad defeated the host Sabetha Bluejays 11-6 and lost to Burlington 5-0.
In the win over Sabetha, Haven pounded out 16 hits, including three each by senior Trista Rogers (including a double) and junior Avery Brawner (who hit two home runs) and two hits apiece from Mayzie Warden (including a double), Caeli Hunninghake and Morgan O’Neal.
Warden and Brawner each drove in two runs. Brawner scored three runs, Rogers two and Karlee Cooprider two.
The Wildcats (2-1) play a home doubleheader Tuesday against the Smoky Valley Vikings and play a doubleheader at Hillsboro on Friday.
Haven opened the season at home last Tuesday with a 16-1 win over Conway Springs.
Area basketball players make SIK, KSHSAA All-State teams
Hutchinson High School senior Kaia Smith was named to the Class 5A girls Second Team by Sports inKansas. Teammates Kohlbie Craft and Grace Posch were honorable mention selections.
Buhler High School senior Natalya Krafels was named to the 2025 Sports in Kansas 4A Girls All-State Team.
Teammates Gracie Oard and Charley Baxter were honorable mention selections.
Halstead junior Addisen Wills was named to the Kansas 3A Girls All-State Team First Team and sophomore teammate Piper Schroeder was named the Second Team.
Haven senior Sienna DeFrain also was named the Second Team.
Honorable mention 3A players were Haven’s Avery Brawner and Halstead’s Bailey Bernal, Jordy Schroeder, Dalaina Schutte and Kaci Young.
Pretty Prairie’s Kayle Robinson and Kayleigh Vogl were honorable mention Class 1A girls honorable mention picks.
KSHSAA Covered also released its All-State Basketball Teams Saturday.
Sterling junior Boston Ekart was named Kansas Class 2A First Team, junior teammate Blake Smith was ned to the Second Team and junior Zane Farney was named honorable mention.
Hutchinson senior Terrell King was named to the Class 5A Boys Third Team.
Haven senior Dalton Bontrager was named Class 3A Boys Third Team. His senior teammate Nash Wray was named honorable mention.
Halstead seniors Kohen Corona and Braxton Creed were also named honorable mention.
Pretty Prairie senior Evan Young was named Class 1A Division I honorable mention.
Hutchinson Central Christian seniors Brady Froese and Jayden Linscheid were honorable mention picks in Kansas Class 1A Division II.
In Kansas Class 5A girls, Hutchinson seniors Grace Posch and Kaia Smith were honorable mention selections.
In 4A girls, Buhler senior Natalya Krafels was named to the Second Team and her senior teammate Gracie Oard was an honorable mention selection.
In 3A girls, Halstead’s Derek Schutte was named Coach of the Year and Dragons’ junior Addisen Wills was named to the Second Team.
Haven senior Sienna DeFrain was named to the Second Team. Haven junior Avery Brawner was named honorable mention.
Halstead honorable mention selections were senior Dalaina Schutte and sophomores Bailey Bernal, Jordy Schroeder and Piper Schroeder.
In Class 2A girls, Inman junior Suttyn Harris was a First Team pick. Her junior teammate Morgan Froese is an honorable mention pick.
Hutchinson Trinity sophomore Alex Suter-Tan also is a Class 2A honorable mention pick.
Pretty Prairie sophomore Kayleigh Vogl is an honorable mention pick in Class 1A Division I.
Hutchinson Central Christian senior Belle Barnett and junior Jessa Losew are Class 1A Division II honorable mention picks.
West wrestling team wins Kansas Shrine Duals
The West team defeated the East team 113-36 in the 2nd Annual KWCA Shrine Duals Saturday at Newman University in Wichita.
Halstead’s Kahlyn Davis and Clayton Considine won their matches in the Kansas Shrine Duals.
Davis, who named to the Second Team on The Wichita Eagle All-Metro Girls Wrestling Team, placed second at 2nd at the Kansas Class 4A state tournament in her weight class and posted 28-6 record.
Considine was a 4A state qualifier. He posted a 31-8 record this season.
The East team defeated the West team 72-62 in the inaugural Kansas Shrine Duals in 2024.
Vype magazine spotlights Hutchinson’s Landon Parks
South Central Vype
Hutchinson High School senior Landon Parks understands how special it is to play with teammates year in and year out.
He recognizes that there is a unique connection that is established when players band together for a common goal.
That is because Parks is one of several seniors who are taking the diamond for their final season with the Salthawks.
“We are very close and have such a tight bond. We’re more than just teammates — we’re brothers.”
Parks, who plays outfield, first base and pitcher for the Salthawks, hit over .300 last season and was awarded Second-Team All-AVCTL (Division I).
It is his versatility that really makes him valuable to his team, “I’m one of those guys who is able to play more than one position, which really benefits my pitchers.”
Even though he hit for a great average last spring, Landon, like most driven athletes, spent a lot of time in the cages during the off-season retooling and refining his swing, “I worked hard on fixing my swing path and keeping my head inside the baseball.”
If Landon and his teammates can improve in any way on last year’s performances, they should have a solid chance to make a deep run in the postseason.
They finished last year 18-10, losing to Salina Central in the regional championship. They started this season by splitting a doubleheader with Pratt. Parks personally welcomes the challenges ahead of them, “We play a lot of good competition, and we just need to worry about staying focused. I want to play the best so we can be the best.”
Ultimately, Parks wants to be sure that his focus is on the journey ahead and not necessarily the destination, “I really fell in love with sports because both my parents introduced me to sports. My primary goal for myself is just to try to succeed when I get my opportunities. In the end, I’m really looking forward to playing with my favorite team one last time and trying to go win a state championship.”
Landon is still contemplating his plans for after graduation, but he would like to continue his education collegiately.