By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline wrestling team will be well represented at this year’s state meet, with three state-ranked Trojans preparing to hit the mat on Friday and Saturday.
Despite having one of the younger rosters in Class 3A, Southeast’s program took another step in the right direction this season, thanks in large part to a very talented freshman class, which accounts for two of the three Trojans wrestling at state.
“As a team, we brought home a trophy at a tournament for the first time in a long time,” SES head coach Chuck Schremmer said. “We had 11 kids out and it was impressive to see them work all the things we showed them throughout the season.”
At this year’s regional meet, Mac Chambers, Brody Chambers, and Killian Vaughan all finished runner-up, punching their tickets to state and earning an opportunity to bring home some hardware for Southeast.
While the possibility of a regional win was very much on the table for all three wrestlers, the trio has shifted their focus to larger goals ahead, with the biggest event of their careers coming up this weekend.
“I don’t know about unfinished business but I think these guys gained a lot of confidence from their regional experience,” Schremmer said. “They’ll treat it like that if they come up against the same kid but I don’t want them thinking too far ahead. It’s more important that they know that they can wrestle with anybody.”
With Friday’s action set to begin at 10:00, let’s take a look at all three Trojans who will be representing Southeast this weekend.
Wrestler: Mac Chambers
Class: Senior
Division: 175
State Rank: #4
A word from Coach Schremmer: “Mac had a very good football season as an all-state linebacker and I think that changed him mentally as well as physically. He has a mental toughness that he never had before and he’s a lot stronger too. He’s been great in the practice room helping the younger guys, and his ability to shoot takedowns has improved a ton from his first three years.”
Wrestler: Brody Chambers
Class: Freshman
Division: Heavyweight (285)
State Rank: #6
A word from Coach Schremmer: “Brody is a hard-headed kid. He gets on the bottom and he just doesn’t get turned. He’s undersized for his weight class but he’s only been pinned one time and that was at regionals by the #1 kid in the state. He normally doesn’t take things too seriously but when he gets on the mat he flips a switch, he knows he has to in his division.”
Wrestler: Killian Vaughan
Class: Freshman
Division: 138
State Rank: #4
A word from Coach Schremmer: “Killian now has the mentality that he can go out and beat a top-three kid. He’s known Matthew Rodriguez and Mac for a long time and he has the same mentality as those two even as a freshman. He’s always willing to help someone out and I love that, especially with such a young and inexperienced team.”
Despite finishing runner-up at regionals, all three of these Trojans will be gunning for the gold this weekend, and expectations will be high in Hays.
“We have to win our first matches but if we get that taken care of I believe that all three of these guys will be on the podium by the end of the tournament,” Schremmer said.
This year’s state meet will be held on the campus of Fort Hays State University with Friday’s action beginning at 10:00 and Saturday’s finals beginning at 9:00.