Red Demons knock off top-seeded Buffs

By John Zetmeir

Dodge City Daily Globe

Before taking the mats for their matches, Dodge City High School senior Clay Weil and junior Devon Plaza said to each other that both wrestlers needed to pin their opponents. They did.

The two standout upperclassmen secured Dodge City’s first dual win over the three-time defending 6A state champion Garden City Buffaloes since head coach Lars Lueders took over the program eight years ago, 34-29. The Buffaloes are currently the top-ranked team in 6A.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Weil said. “We’ve had quite awhile to get our team together so that we can beat (Garden City.) It means a ton to me, it means a ton to my family and I know it means a heck of a lot to this town.”

With the Red Demons trailing 24-22, Plaza pinned Garden City’s Sammy Guevara at 126 pounds. Weil followed that up with a pin of his own against Malachi Salas at 132.

Lueders said going into the dual that the decision would likely be decided by bonus points. He credited not only his wrestlers who earned bonus points, but also those who did not surrender any. Junior Devon Griego fell to Garden City’s Kaj Perez at 120 but did not give up any bonus points in the match. Perez is the top-ranked wrestler at 120 in 6A.

“Devon Griego not giving up a bonus point, staying tough, was huge,” Lueders said. “That kid is a tough kid.”

After the Red Demons loss to Great Bend, Lueders called it a wake up call to his team. Looking back at it, that wake up call might have been just what Dodge City needed.

“We needed to see that we have a lot to work on and we’re not at the level that we want to be at right now,” Lueders said. “I don’t think that without that loss, this would have been possible.”

Garden City jumped out to an 18-3 lead but a pin by Dodge City’s Ansony Quezada and an extra time win for Zerek Rodriguez brought the Red Demons back within striking distance.

The Red Demons will look to build off of their big win as they travel to Wichita on Saturday for the Maize Invitational.

“I think more than anything, they have to know that they are a really tough team and they have the potential to win state,” Lueder said about his team. “But they have to continue working hard. This win for us is going to fuel Garden City like Great Bend fueled us.”

Servis takes on new role following season ending injury

By John Zetmeir
Dodge City Daily Globe

In his first two years as a wrestler at Dodge City High School, Dylan Servis placed at the 6A state tournament twice, including a third place finish last season.

A strong summer season on the national circuit earned Servis USA All-American honors for his age group.

Three games into football season, Servis, who was a defensive-linemen for the Red Demons, sustained a knee injury against Wichita Heights.

There was a lot going through the junior’s mind when he was injured.

“I tried to shake it off and tell myself that it wasn’t (seriously hurt) because I knew if it was that I wasn’t going to get to wrestle,” Servis said. “I told myself that I’m still going to try to go out, it’s still good. I wrapped it up but it didn’t work.”

The injury turned out to be an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear in his knee. Dodge City head wrestling coach Lars Lueders was able to sympathize with Servis, having sustained a season ending injury when he was in college.

“I gave myself a day to grieve and I gave him a day to grieve but the next day I was over at his house and we talked about a plan of action going forward,” head coach Lars Lueders said.

That plan was for Servis to assume a new role on the team as a peer coach while going through physical therapy.

It has been a new challenge but in the long run, it could help the talented junior become an better wrestler.

“I think coaching definitely makes you think of the little details because you have to show somebody,” Servis said. “The little things that maybe are normal for you, not everyone thinks about. So you have to teach yourself the little details and teach them the little details as well.”

Servis is expected to be cleared in April in time to wrestle in national tournaments this summer.

Dodge City High School falls in western conference, 32-30

By John Zetmeir
Dodge City Daily Globe

In their first Western Athletic Conference competition of the season, the Dodge City High School wrestling team fell to Great Bend 32-30 on Thursday night.

The Panthers overcame a 30-17 deficit by winning the final four matches of the night to hand the Red Demons their first loss of the year to start WAC competition.

“I think this is a big time wake up call for us coaches and our athletes as well,” head coach Lars Lueders said. “We got what we deserved. (Great Bend) wrestled spectacular.”

Dodge City trailed Great Bend 17-6 before wins from Zerek Rodriguez, Evan Darville and Joel Ostrom gave the Red Demons the lead. Senior Howard Johnson won the first match of the night with a pin. Johnson and Ostrom were the two Red Demons to win by pin.

Dodge City will travel to Hoisington on Friday for the Cardinal Corner Classic. Friday’s tournament will be the Red Demons’ final competition before winter break. Dodge City’s next WAC dual will be their first meet in January when they host Garden City.

“We’re bummed but I think if the kids respond in the correct way this can make us better in the end,” Lueders said.

The Cardinal Corner Classic is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. on Friday.

The Dodge City Red Demon wrestling team took sixth place at the Gardner Edgerton Invitational on Saturday with a team score of 126. It was the highest finish that the Red Demons have had at the Gardner Edgerton Invitational.

Among the competition on Saturday were highly ranked schools from Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska. The only Kansas team to finish higher than the Red Demons was Manhattan, who just edged out Dodge City for fifth place. Manhattan finished with a team score of 132.5 Eight Dodge City wrestlers earned medals on Saturday. Junior Devon Plaza, at 126-pounds, took first place in the with a 5-0 decision win over Nate Lendt from Southeast Polk High School in Iowa. Lendt is the top-rated 126-pound wrestler in Iowa. Plaza was the lone Red Demon to take first place.

Senior Clay Weil took second place at 132 and junior Tylor Garcia took third place at 138. Weil made it to the championship round by beating Zach Barnes from Southeast Polk. Garcia beat Stephen Tujague in the third place match. Tujague, from Saint James Academy, is the toprated wrestler at 138 in the 5A class.

Dodge City’s “Blue Team” took third place at the Dan Schmiedler Invitational in Lincoln, KS. The Red Demons will head to Colby on Friday for the Colby Dual Invitational this weekend.

Gardner Edgerton Invitational Results 106 – Joel Ostrom, 5th place 113 – Couy Weil, 6th place 120 – Devon Griego, 6th place 126 – Devon Plaza, 1st place 132 – Clay Weil, 2nd place 138 – Tylor Garcia, 3rd place 145 – Howard Johnson, 5th place 152 – Carlos Rojas, 8th place 195 – Ansony Quezada, 9th place 220 – Zerek Rodriguez, 5th place 285 – Osbaldo Mendez, 8th place.

By John Zetmeir
Dodge City Daily Globe