Buffalo will be led by familiar names this year in seniors Ethan Smith and Floyd Miller. Smith will be looking to win his second state championship after finishing second last year, while Miller is still seeking his first state championship.
Smith finished as the state runner-up at 132 pounds last year to finish 52-4. Missing his second state championship has provided him even more motivation this year.
“It has driven him even harder. This is some of the best offseason work I have seen him put in. He is a much different wrestler than I remember seeing the previous three years,” Coach Nathan Kenady said.
Smith will bump up into the 145 to 152-pound range.
The expectations for Miller are simple.
“I think anything less than a state championship would be a letdown for him (Miller),” Kenady said. “I would be surprised if he has more than two or three losses on the year.”
Miller took third place at 170 pounds last year on his way to finishing 57-3.
Keaton Rackley will be seeking the state podium after qualifying for state at 138 pounds last year.
“He (Rackley) has continued to develop and we expect him to be a state placer this year,” Kenady said.
Levi Kenady is expected to make a leap this year.
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“He has matured quite a bit and gotten tremendously stronger,” Coach Kenady said. “We expect him to be at least a state qualifier if not a state placer this year.”
Blake Daher is back after missing last year due to an injury. He just missed out on a state qualification two years ago as a freshman. Pete Herrera has state experience while four-year letterman Ashton Vogler is also back.
Buffalo has seen a rebirth of sports on the boys’ side with several sports finding more success than they have in years.
“It has been a culture change everywhere from the top. The wrestling team was the first to show benefits from that. From the administration to the coaches, we have all got the same expectation as far as having a winning culture. I think the kids are starting to embrace that. I think now we are starting to take the turn and show that in our results (in competition),” Kenady said.
One other change for wrestling this year is the addition of a girls only state tournament, which has junior Lizzie Miller very excited. Miller qualified for the boys state tournament two years ago and missed a qualification by one match last year.
She has found success in the summer wrestling against other girls and hopes to emulate that success for her high school team this year.
“We expect her just to dominate at state this year in the girls division,” Kenady said.
Miller won’t be the only girl in the room for the Buffalo wrestling squad.
“We had around 12 girls that were interested in coming out for wrestling, so that is great numbers for a school our size,” Kenady said. “There are a lot of questions in it, but I am excited about having (girls wrestling) this year.”
