Sports

Freestyle and Greco seasons kick off

Special to the Leader & Times

The Liberal Wrestling Club traveled to Dodge City April 5 for the first Freestyle and Greco tournament of the season. Liberal took seven wrestlers.

“The two guys that wrestled Greco had it tough,” coach Javon Allen said. “They combined 16U and Juniors, which made the competition even tougher. AC (Gomez) had a great performance, battling through injury and taking out many opponents that were ranked higher. Iovani (Chavez) performed very well for being an eighth grader wrestling high schoolers, placing where he did is a very proud moment for us coaches.”

Redskins drop pair to Goddard Eisenhower, falls to 3-7

EARL WATT

• Leader & Times

Liberal had a rough day in the field and on the mound against Goddard Eisenhower Tuesday and dropped a double header to the Tigers.

Liberal committed nine errors in Game 1, which contributed to a 14-5 loss.

Blayden Betts pitched two innings and allowed two runs, neither of them earned, and Liberal trailed 2-1.

Lady Redskins drop home opener, fall to 3-2

EARL WATT

• Leader & Times

After playing four games on the road to start the 2025 season, the Lady Redskins softball team finally played in front of a home crowd Tuesday, and despite taking an early lead, the Lady Redskins fell short in an 11-2 loss.

Liberal pushed a run across the plate in the first inning and another in the second to take a 2-0 lead.

Great Bend was able to tie the game in the second with a pair of runs, but it was a six-run fourth for the Lady Panthers that made the difference.

Lady Redskins dominate in shutout victory, continue record-setting start

Special to the Leader & Times

The Lady Red delivered another high-scoring performance, earning a commanding 7-0 shutout win on the road against Great Bend. This marks their fifth win of the season, bringing their record to 5-1 for the first time in school history.

With 32 goals scored so far, the Lady Red boasts the highest-scoring offense in the state across all classifications.

Throwdown Showdown reaches 50th event

EARL WATT

• Leader & Times

Fifty fights ago in 2005, Dave Rine hosted the first Throwdown Showdown at his studio on Fourth Street.

Since then, his studio has expanded to the former Elks Lodge on North Western Avenue, and his Throwdown Showdown events have grown as well.

Rine has hosted fights in a multiple of venues in Liberal, from his original studio to the National Guard Armory, the Activity Center, the Liberal Recreation Center, outdoor venues and the Ag Building to name a few. He’s also taken the show on the road to Elkhart, Ulysses, Oberlin, Salina, Garden City and even the Dodge City Wireless Arena. And the crowds follow.