The boys wrestling team placed seventh at the 6A state tournament at the Advent Health Sports Park Saturday, March 1. The team had four finishes in the top six, including senior Colton Bendure who was crowned champion of the 150-pound weight class.
Although it wasn’t easy, Bendure feels that all of his sacrifice throughout the last year has been ultimately worth it.
“I feel really happy about winning [the state championship],” Bendure said. “It took a lot and many sacrifices were made for this to happen so it all paying off is definitely a relief. I was just thinking back to last year and how hard it was and about how I was just about to quit the sport then now I’m at the top again. I just looked around and saw all of the support and it felt surreal.”
Along with Bendure, junior Jeredy Nilges, junior MJ Wash and junior Lamarcus Barber placed in the top six of their respective weight classes. Nilges placed fifth in the 113-pound weight class, Wash placed third in the 215-pound weight class and Barber placed second in the 285-pound weight class.
According to head coach Joey Lazor, the team faced a flurry of different emotions during the tournament which included Wash competing with a fractured arm that he sustained during the first day of the tournament.
“It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions for the team as some achieved a goal they set out from a young age and others fell short,” Lazor said. “Wild circumstances happened and MJ wrestled four matches with one arm, losing to the eventual state champ in sudden victory overtime in the semifinals.”
For Bendure, this is not the first time he has won a state championship. In 2023, he won the state championship in Virginia. The support Bendure received has made this state championship even more special than his last.
“It was definitely a lot better winning it in Kansas and Virginia,” Bendure said. “When I won I was by myself and didn’t have a lot of support compared to in Kansas. My friend group and family got to see it and was there supporting which made me feel at ease. Definitely just a full circle moment that I’ll never forget.”
Lazor praised his team’s grit and their ability to push forward in tough moments.
“[I’m proud of] how gritty they were when things weren’t going their way and they kept moving forward and finding a way to win,” Lazor said. “The guys bought into the process of just going out and competing, not worrying about winning or losing which makes you wrestle free. When one person suffers we all suffer together but when one person wins we all win.”
