Gardner Edgerton continues to show that it was ready and eager for the move to the Kansas 6A ranks.</p><p>The Trailblazers&#x2019; wrestling team provided the latest evidence Saturday, dominating the regional it hosted and pushing nine wrestlers through to next weekend&#x2019;s state meet.</p><p>&#x201C;We put eight in the (regional) finals,&#x201D; Gardner Edgerton coach Matt Yeamans said. &#x201C;We were excited about that. </p><p>&#x201C;Of course, you&#x2019;re always trying to qualify all 14, but the nine guys we have going are going to battle and work hard to get on the medal stand at the state tournament as well.&#x201D;</p><p>Four Blazers, who totaled 184 team points and beat runner-up Olathe North by 56 points, battled their way to first place at the regional meet.</p><p>Senior TJ Stokes, 25-4, provided one of the day&#x2019;s most memorable moments when he finished off Blue Valley North&#x2019;s Danny Widrig with a first-period pin using a leg cradle in the 126-pound title bout, leaving the gym awestruck.</p><p>&#x201C;Yes, you did see me leg cradle a guy for the regional championship,&#x201D; Stokes said. &#x201C;I knew the kid I was wrestling wasn&#x2019;t going to be a scrub.&#x201D;</p><p>Another Gardner Edgerton senior, Brent Berends, 29-14, followed with a title at 132.</p><p>Kicking off the finals at 145, sophomore Dustin Williams, 37-3, pinned Olathe North senior Mike Wurts. Williams, who was second at 5A state last year, won all three matches by fall.</p><p>So did Blazers senior Alex Stockton, 39-3, who has 35 pins this season and is tied for eight all-time in Kansas history.</p><p>Of course, he&#x2019;s not finished yet.</p><p>&#x201C;Being a regional champ sets me up nicely to go for a state championship,&#x201D; Stockton said.</p><p> &#x201C;I expected to win today, but this will be a big confidence booster heading to state, for sure.&#x201D;</p><p>Despite the dominance, it wasn&#x2019;t a Gardner Edgerton wrestler who earned regional wrestler of the year. That distinction went to senior Rory Haug of the second-place Eagles, who won the title at 152 pounds.</p><p>&#x201C;It caught me off guard,&#x201D; said Haug, 23-3,. </p><p>&#x201C;I wasn&#x2019;t really thinking I would win the award. But I thought I wrestled pretty good and I am happy with it. It&#x2019;s my first best wrestler award ever at a tournament.&#x201D;</p><p>Haug&#x2019;s younger brother, freshman Nick Haug, 34-7, also captured a regional championship at 113.</p><p>&#x201C;I was really nervous and I was worried how I was going to do actually,&#x201D; Nick said. &#x201C;Turned out, I exceeded my expectations.&#x201D;</p><p>BV West, Olathe East and Olathe Northwest also secured two regional titles apiece.</p><p>Sophomore Logan Mueller, 22-6, won at 106 and senior Jacob Parise, 25-5, claimed the crown at 120 for the third-place Jaguars.</p><p>Perhaps the day&#x2019;s most jubilant winner was Hawks junior Grant Sparks, 22-16, who placed first at 170, while senior teammate Myron Tipton, 35-3, continued his season-long dominance en route to the first regional title of his career.</p><p>Reigning state champion Conner Middleton, 37-1, squeaked out the championship at 160 with an escape in the final 3 seconds and fellow Ravens senior Taylor Brashear, 24-15, claimed first at 182.</p><p>The other regional champions were Olathe South&#x2019;s Nick Bauerly, 21-6, at 138 and BV Northwest&#x2019;s Don Fowler, 28-9, at 285.