<span class="subhead">Five things to watch at Kansas wrestling regionals</p><p></span>(KC area teams competing today at seven sites)</p><p> <span class="bold">1. League title rematches on tap?</span></p><p>There is the potential for 10 rematches from championship battles waged only a week ago at the Sunflower and East Kansas League meets. Six of those matches at the Lawrence regional would feature a pair of ranked wrestlers, highlighted by a potential Kansas 6A state championship preview in the 182-pound class between Lawrence&#x2019;s Reece Wright-Conklin and Lawrence Free State&#x2019;s Spencer Wilson. Wright-Conklin, 31-2, is the top-ranked wrestler by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association and a reigning state champ. Wilson, 25-2, is second in the latest rankings. Lawrence&#x2019;s Tristan Star, 33-6 and ranked second, and Leavenworth&#x2019;s Daniel Wilson, 22-8 and ranked fourth, also could be on a collision course again at 106. Also, watch out for matchups between Lawrence&#x2019;s Caden Lynch and Shawnee Mission East&#x2019;s Ben Randolph at 132 as well as Leavenworth&#x2019;s Jacob Roberson and SM North&#x2019;s Armando Contreras at 195.</p><p> <span class="bold">2. Regional brackets affect state fortunes</span></p><p>The difference between a No. 1 seed and the No. 4 seed coming out of the regional meet can dramatically impact a wrestler&#x2019;s state fortunes, which means a stacked regional bracket has the chance to hamstring even a top-flight talent. Three such brackets exist in the 6A ranks, including Gardner Edgerton regional&#x2019;s 152-pound weight class. It features top-ranked Rory Haug of Olathe North, second-ranked Austin Keehn of Gardner Edgerton and fourth-ranked Eric Haynes of Olathe Northwest. The same problem plagues two brackets in Lawrence. The 170 bracket includes second-ranked Blaine Hill of SM East, third-ranked Nick Pursel of Lawrence and fifth-ranked Jordan Dillard of SM West. The 220 bracket features top-ranked reigning state champ Nathan Butler of Leavenworth, third-ranked Brad Wilson of Lawrence and sixth-ranked Ramiro Garcia of Shawnee Mission West.</p><p> <span class="bold">3. How many Saints will march on?</span></p><p>St. Thomas Aquinas is ranked second in Kansas 5A as a team. The Saints boast five ranked wrestlers, including reigning heavyweight state champion Eric Mason, 32-1, but it will take more than five wrestlers to wage a legitimate battle for the team title. Like Mason, sophomore 106-pounder Luke Henes, 36-1, and freshman 120-pounder Isaac Dulgarian, 35-1, are ranked No. 1. Senior 138-pounder Tommy Williams, 38-3, is ranked No. 2 and should threaten for the state crown. But Aquinas, which hosts its regional, needs a strong showing from the rest of its lineup to set itself up well heading to Wichita next weekend.</p><p> <span class="bold">4. Braves, Thunder to flex 4A muscle</span></p><p>Bonner Springs and St. James Academy check in fifth and sixth, respectively, in the latest Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 4A poll, but the Braves and Thunder are going to get a clear picture of how close they really are during the Spring Hill regional. Four of the two teams&#x2019; eight ranked wrestlers are favored to square off for titles. Second-ranked Reese Cokeley of St. James and fifth-ranked Josiah Seaton of Bonner Springs are in the 106-pound bracket, while Braves junior and reigning state champion Jonathan Blackwell, who is ranked second, and sixth-ranked Thunder freshman Matt Pratt could meet for the crown at 145.</p><p> <span class="bold">5. Champions seek return to state</span></p><p>Besides Wright-Conklin, Butler, Mason and Blackwell, there are four other defending state champions hoping to avoid the unthinkable at the regional meet. Expect strong showings at Gardner Edgerton from Olathe Northwest&#x2019;s Conner Middleton (160) and from Gardner Edgerton&#x2019;s TJ Stokes (126) along with Lansing&#x2019;s Bo Pursel (132) in the 5A ranks and Louisburg&#x2019;s Austin Hood (126) in the 4A ranks.