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For Dodge City High School wrestling coach Lars Lueders, it's not the top of the mountain, but it's a good start.
The Demon wrestling squad kicked off their 2011-12 campaign Saturday in Pratt as they competed against some of Kansas' finest in the Pratt Invitational.
Overall, the Demons finished third with 112 points, with defending 4A State champion Andale in second (156 points) and Wichita Northwest running away with the tournament crown, finishing with 201 team points.
Individually, DCHS was led by returning state place winner Dane Edwards who finished first in the 126 pound division, earning falls against his first two opponents and a championship match major decision over Reggie Cooper of Northwest, 15-4.
Another returning place winner, Jacob Eggers, finished second in his 160-pound weight class, dropping the title match to Colton Duhr of Andale 7-3.
Five Demons finished third in their respective weight class, including Alex Garcia (113, 2-1), Jaquan Graves (120, 3-1), Freddy Hernandez (195, 3-1),
Francisco Serna (220, 3-1) and Tommy Andrews (285, 5-1).
The third place finish is a good sign for Lueders, who says that his team can now gauge where they need to be and what they need to work on for the upcoming matches.
"All of our kids went out and competed hard and that's all you can ask for," Lueders said. "We can now see where we're at because for some of these kids, it was their first varsity tournament and they have a ways to go, but they wrestled hard and they have the rest of the season to get where they want to be. Our kids that wrestled on varsity last year, they competed well and we're excited about that."
Last season, the Demons went into this tournament and walked away with a middle of the pack finish. With an improved team standing this time around, Lueders is happy about how the season has kicked off for his team.
"After the first round, I wasn't quite sure, I think we were close to ninth, but our kids battled back and earned that third place finish for sure," Lueders said. "We definitely don't want our kids to settle for third place, we don't want them to be content with that, but we improved from last year and that's encouraging. Hopefully for future tournaments they realize they are tops with these other teams and start aiming for first."
One returning starter who has his hopes set on a spectacular season is Dane Edwards, who went out and proved why he is one of the best wrestlers in 6A at 126 pounds.
During the Pratt Invite, it seemed as though he had something to prove to himself and his teammates as he breezed through his bracket.
"Dane went out there with somewhat of an attitude, and that's a good thing," Lueders said. "He had confidence within himself and he knew that he was going to win every match and that's what we're looking for. He dominated in every way this past week and hopefully he can carry it forward."
The Demons carry on with their season Thursday as they travel to Great Bend to take part in their first dual of the season. They will follow that up with a tournament on Dec. 10 in the Shawnee Mission Northwest Invitational, before coming home for their first home dual of the year on Dec. 13 against Garden City.
For Dodge City High School wrestling coach Lars Lueders, it's not the top of the mountain, but it's a good start.
The Demon wrestling squad kicked off their 2011-12 campaign Saturday in Pratt as they competed against some of Kansas' finest in the Pratt Invitational.
Overall, the Demons finished third with 112 points, with defending 4A State champion Andale in second (156 points) and Wichita Northwest running away with the tournament crown, finishing with 201 team points.
Individually, DCHS was led by returning state place winner Dane Edwards who finished first in the 126 pound division, earning falls against his first two opponents and a championship match major decision over Reggie Cooper of Northwest, 15-4.
Another returning place winner, Jacob Eggers, finished second in his 160-pound weight class, dropping the title match to Colton Duhr of Andale 7-3.
Five Demons finished third in their respective weight class, including Alex Garcia (113, 2-1), Jaquan Graves (120, 3-1), Freddy Hernandez (195, 3-1),
Francisco Serna (220, 3-1) and Tommy Andrews (285, 5-1).
The third place finish is a good sign for Lueders, who says that his team can now gauge where they need to be and what they need to work on for the upcoming matches.
"All of our kids went out and competed hard and that's all you can ask for," Lueders said. "We can now see where we're at because for some of these kids, it was their first varsity tournament and they have a ways to go, but they wrestled hard and they have the rest of the season to get where they want to be. Our kids that wrestled on varsity last year, they competed well and we're excited about that."
Last season, the Demons went into this tournament and walked away with a middle of the pack finish. With an improved team standing this time around, Lueders is happy about how the season has kicked off for his team.
"After the first round, I wasn't quite sure, I think we were close to ninth, but our kids battled back and earned that third place finish for sure," Lueders said. "We definitely don't want our kids to settle for third place, we don't want them to be content with that, but we improved from last year and that's encouraging. Hopefully for future tournaments they realize they are tops with these other teams and start aiming for first."
One returning starter who has his hopes set on a spectacular season is Dane Edwards, who went out and proved why he is one of the best wrestlers in 6A at 126 pounds.
During the Pratt Invite, it seemed as though he had something to prove to himself and his teammates as he breezed through his bracket.
"Dane went out there with somewhat of an attitude, and that's a good thing," Lueders said. "He had confidence within himself and he knew that he was going to win every match and that's what we're looking for. He dominated in every way this past week and hopefully he can carry it forward."
The Demons carry on with their season Thursday as they travel to Great Bend to take part in their first dual of the season. They will follow that up with a tournament on Dec. 10 in the Shawnee Mission Northwest Invitational, before coming home for their first home dual of the year on Dec. 13 against Garden City.
