If not for Manhattan last year, Emporia High would be heading north this weekend seeking to win its third straight Centennial League wrestling title.
The disappointment of last year’s defeat to the Indians, though, hasn’t been a primary source of motivation for the Spartans as they prepare to go for two out of three Centennial titles on Saturday at Washburn Rural.
“You know, last year was last year, and this year is this year,” Buckbee said. “There’s a lot of differences. I think we got a lot stronger, I think Manhattan graduated a lot of individuals, and they’re not near as strong. So we haven’t used that quite as much for motivation.”
The prospect of again being crowned the Centennial League’s best should be motivation enough. And the spotlight will be especially bright on two Spartan seniors, Justin Rose and Sal Tovar, who will have the added goals of trying to finish their careers as four-time individual league champions. On top of that, Tovar is still chasing the school career wins record of 131 set by Dusty Spaulding.
The EHS coaches have calculated that Tovar, the Spartans’ 135-pound wrestler, needs to win out from here — at league, regionals and state — to finish at 132 victories and be the winningest Spartan of all time.
“It’d mean a lot to me,” Tovar said. “That’s what I’ve wanted to do since the first day I came in, is beat the high school career record. And to have that, to see all these names on the wall, and get to the top of the wins list for the school, for history, that’s a pretty big accomplishment.”
Rose is slated to make his return this weekend after missing three straight tournaments with illness and a cracked rib. Buckbee said he and his staff haven’t pushed Rose very hard in practice recently, but he thinks Rose will be ready for Saturday.
“I’m a little bit rusty as of now, but I’m at about 95 percent,” Rose said.
Along with Tovar and Rose, Mark Kolmer, Jared Dakin and Chase Sanchez enter Saturday’s tourney as defending league champions. Tavo Dikin, who’s missed two tourneys in a row with illness, will attempt to take the final step at 140 pounds in his senior year after losing in last year’s 135-pound championship match.
Manhattan, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A in the latest Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association rankings, is still on the short list of teams that Buckbee figures will challenge the Spartans this weekend. Junction City, ranked No. 4 in 6A, and Shawnee Heights are the others.
Emporia has been ranked No. 1 in Class 5A all season, and trying to live up to that ranking when it really counts — the final weeks of the season — has meant increased emphasis on indvidual work and plenty of film study on past tournaments.
“I don’t think we’ve hit a plateau, I don’t think we’ve hit a wall,” Buckbee said. “I think we are continuing to get better, and I think they’re focused on getting better.”
And that loss to Manhattan last year — the Spartans fell way behind early before a furious comeback left them just five-and-a-half points short of the Indians — is, if not a major motivator, still at least something on the Spartans’ minds.
“We think about it every day,” Rose said. “Our coach reminds us, and tells us to work harder. And if we wrestle the way we should, we shouldn’t have any problem with taking home the title.”