BonnerSprings.com

Quality is more important the quantity to the Bonner Springs Wrestling Club.

It recently placed ninth out of 163 clubs at the Kansas Wrestling Club Championships with only 15 members.

Bonner Springs put 11 wrestlers in the top six in their individual weight classes, and six of the 11 advanced to the championship match.

Many of the clubs had 30 or more wrestlers, but it was not a surprise that Bonner did so well.

Bonner Springs was bolstered by a pair of wrestlers who medaled in February at the Kansas State High School Activities Association state tournament. Bonner Springs High School freshman 135-pounder Jonathan Blackwell and 145-pound freshman Aaron Puckett both became club champions.

The title was Puckett’s third straight.

“A lot of times the high school kids get the idea that they don’t need to come back (to club), but these guys did, and I am happy for them,” said Cheryle Seaton, BSWC president.

Cheryle’s son, 75-pounder Josiah Seaton, won his weight class. It was his fourth time in the finals, but this was his first championship. The eighthgrader will join his two brothers, Caleb and Justus, on the high school team next year.

Cheryle Seaton said most of the kids involved in the club have been members since the early age of 6, and this year they all hit their peak at the same time.

Former BSHS coach Jacob Beck and current coach Brandon Jobe have been a big part of the club in the last few years.

“It is kind of a feeder system for the high school,” Seaton said.

The club practices three nights a week starting in December and running through March, including open mat practice sessions on Wednesday nights. Practices are hard and designed to get the kids to give their all on the mat.

“Wrestling is so intense,” Cheryle Seaton said. “When it is one of your kids out there, it is so exciting to watch. I think it is the most exciting sport out there.”

For more information on the Bonner Springs Wrestling Club, contact Seaton at momov9@yahoo.com. Practices are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Friday at the Bonner Springs High School wrestling room.

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