What the Southeast of Saline boys wrestling team lacks in numbers this weekend at the Class 3-1A state championship, it more than makes up for in quality.

With only four state qualifiers, the Trojans are a longshot at best for a team trophy, but just try to keep them off the podium.

With three regional winners, including a pair of defending state champions, Southeast figures to remain busy for both days of the tournament, which gets underway Friday morning and concludes Saturday at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays.

“They’re very good,” veteran Southeast coach Chuck Schremmer said of the Trojans’ delegation. “There’s a reason we’re ranked No. 5, and it’s because of those three (regional champions).”

Head coach Chuck Schremmer

Southeast returns two champions from a year ago in sophomore 120-pounder Roman Tuttle and senior 285-pounder Brody Chamber, both of whom will defend their titles at the same weight. Throw in senior Killian Vaughn, a fourth-place finisher last year, at 165, and the Trojans have three No. 1 seeds, while junior 190-pounder Elias Williams rounds out the lineup.

Tuttle, who dominated at 120 last year as a freshman with a 42-1 record, has been equally untouchable this season as he takes a 27-0 mark into this weekend. And now that he has experienced the spectacle that is the 3-1A tournament, he is more confident than ever.

“I feel like I’ve been through it once now and can make the adjustments that need to be made,” said Tuttle, who wrestles year-round on a national level. “I feel like I know where I’m at and where everything is.”

Sophomore Roman Tuttle

“I feel very confident and I’m ready. I just have to trust in the process.”

Schremmer says Tuttle may be his most polished wrestler, even as a sophomore.

“Roman is just incredibly talented, and he’s the easiest kid to coach because you don’t have to say a lot,” Schremmer said. “Just his knowledge and mat awareness and situational awareness.

“He’s very calm and he just knows what he’s doing.”

Chambers, the Trojans’ other defending champion, has had a successful follow-up year as well and dominated his regional last week at Southeast.

This has been a slightly different season as he did not wrestle his first tournament until January. After helping Southeast to a state runner-up finish in football, he spent December taking recruiting visits on weekends while practicing with the wrestling team during the week.

“The break was nice, but getting into it after Christmas was definitely weird,” said Chambers, who has signed to play football next year at Grandview University an NAIA school in Des Moines, Iowa. “But once I got back into it, it went smoothly.”

Senior Brody Chambers

“I just needed maybe a day or two to get back into it, and then just conditioning takes a while to get back into shape.”

At state, Chambers could be on a collision course for a rematch of last year’s heavyweight final against Smith Center senior Kharson Montgomery, whom he beat 3-2 in an ultimate tiebreaker after also edging him 1-0 in the regional final that year.

Schremmer believes those tests last year as well as some tight matches this season will serve Chambers well at state.

“He’s pretty a darned strong kid, and he’s had some close matches this year, so when he gets into that position, he has the experience,” Schremmer said.

Chambers, who is competing in his fourth and final state tournament — he just missed placing as a freshman and took sixth as a sophomore — has a 20-4 record but has no losses against 3-1A opponents.

“Having a good regional is a great way to build confidence and make sure you’re going into state with a healthy mindset and just getting ready to wrestle,” Chambers said. “Hopefully we can end it off with another state championship.”

Vaughn, a two-time state placer, has taken a step forward as a senior and was ranked No. 1 in 3-1A at 165 for most of the season.

“He’s wrestling really well,” Schremmer said. “He’s more confident this year, which is what the other two guys (Tuttle and Chambers) had that Killian didn’t have last year, but he has this year.”

Vaughn, who has a 45-7 record, agreed.

“I’m wrestling probably my best right now,” he said. “I won regionals, and I got the one seed, so I’m feeling pretty confident about that.”

Senior Killian Vaughn

A tough break for Salina Central in 5A

Salina Central’s boy also had two returning state champions and figured to contend for at least three this weekend in the 5A tournament at Park City’s Heartland Credit Union Arena.

But senior Cooper Reves, a two-time champion and ranked No. 1 in 5A at 215 pounds all season, had to bow out on the eve of regionals last Friday with a medical emergency that required surgery.

That still left the Mustangs with two strong entries in seniors Julian Glover at 150 pounds and Abram Owings, last year’s 165-pound champion, at 175.

Glover, a runner-up last year at 138, avenged a loss in the 2025 finals to Maxwell Kerr of Maize South for last week’s regional title, while Owings was second in his regional.

Salina South sends four to state

Salina South’s boys had no returning state qualifiers, but that did not stop them from advancing four individuals to this year’s 5A tournament.

Leading the way at regionals was sophomore Heero Franco with a second-place finish at 113 pounds. He is No. 3 in the latest Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association rankings.

The Cougars also got a third-place regional finish from Maddox Girard at 165 pounds, with Diego Londono placing sixth at 106 and Gabe Wheelbarger eighth at 175.

SALINE COUNTY BOYS STATE QUALIFIERS

Class 5A at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Park City

Salina Central (2) — Julian Glover, 150 pounds; Abram Owings, 175.

Salina South (4) — Diego Londono, 106; Heero Franco, 113; Maddox Girard, 165; Gabe Wheelbarger, 175.

Class 321A at Gross Memorial Coliseum, Hays

Southeast of Saline (4) — Roma Tuttle, 120; Killian Vaughn, 160; Elias Williams, 190; Brody Chambers, 285.