Three months of high school wrestling will culminate Friday at the Class-6A State Championship in the aptly-named Wichita Colosseum. The mats will feature some of the best wrestlers the state has to offer, among these will be a handful of decorated Lawrence High wrestlers on a quest for a title.

   A host of Lawrence High wrestlers will make the three-day trek to Wichita: notably, senior Dustin Walthall and sophomore Reece Wright Conklin.

   Assistant coach Brad Page expects big things from these wrestlers over the weekend.

   “There’s a couple of kids, with Dustin and Reece, who are way up for a Championship, and that’s where we’re going. And even some of the others have taken their lumps this year, but it doesn’t matter as long as you get to the big show.”

   Now that they have reached the final stage, these wrestlers are ready for the challenge that awaits.

   The State extravaganza begins tomorrow, when the team heads down to Wichita. The intensity builds as the tournament draws near, but it is the job of the team captains, Walthall, Conklin, senior Levi Flohrshutz and senior Braxton Vardys, to keep everyone focused.

   “My role as captain is to make sure everybody is ready to go and to help some of the freshmen who are going to go because they’ll probably be as nervous as I was last year,” Conklin said.

   Conklin is as highly-heralded a wrestler as Lawrence High has had in some time. He placed 5th at State as a freshman last year and hopes to draw from the experience.

   “Last year, being my first year, I knew the competition was going to be hard, but now with a year under my belt, I know that I’m going to have to wrestle harder than I did last year. Hopefully some of my nervousness will go away.”

   Despite the nerves, Conklin brings considerable confidence to the competition.

   “It’s intense, but that’s fun for me,” Conklin said. “I’m a lot better wrestler than I was last year. I’m pretty confident of winning. I usually step up for the last big tournament, and I expect to win.”

   Big words coming from the 161-pound sophomore, but his teammates know he has what it takes to back them up.

   Walthall also has high hopes for the weekend. However, as a senior, Walthall understands just how difficult State competition can be, having been ousted prematurely in his previous State experiences.

   “They’re definitely higher,” Walthall said, referring to his expectations for this year’s State competition. “This may well be the last time I ever wrestle on a mat. I got nothing to lose, but at the same time, I got everything to gain.”

   Ever the realist, Walthall hopes merely for a top three placement. After that, he will take his chances.

   “He’s going to have to remain focused throughout the two-day tournament and not get satisfied,” Page said of the 171-pound Walthall. “Dustin is just going to have to stick with what he knows.”

   Sticking with what they know is something both Conklin and Walthall mention as key to their individual success.

   “I make them adapt to me,” Conklin said. “I push them to how I wrestle. I’m going to work my stuff and make them play defense.”

   However, for the team to succeed, Lawrence High will need big performances from everyone it brings.

   “We’re looking to place it top three or top five, but we got a lot of work to do in a short time,” Page said.