Top 5 upsets I have witnessed

An upset occurred Wednesday at the Country Music Association Awards when Taylor Swift beat four men for the highest honor of the night, entertainer of the year. She is only the seventh female act to receive the award, and she is the youngest winner in history. Kenny Chesney had won the category for the past three years.

That made me think about the greatest upsets I have witnessed in high school sports since CatchItKansas.com launched more than two years ago. Here are my top five, in no particular order:

Maize boys upset four-time state champ Salina Central at league tennis (2008)

In the league tournament for AVCTL Division I, unranked Maize took on Salina Central, the four-time defending state champ in Class 5A and the top-ranked team in its class; Goddard, ranked No. 5 in Class 6A; Hutchinson and Salina South, listed among “others” in 5A; and Derby. Near the end of the day, Maize had compiled 11 team points and Salina Central had 12. In the final match of the tournament, Maize’s Rod Cuestas defeated Salina Central’s Chris Lund at No. 2 singles, securing a one-point win for the Eagles, who topped Salina Central 17-16.

Valley Center’s Cade Blair upsets Kapaun’s Joe Hagan for state wrestling title (2008)

Blair entered the 135-pound championship match as a sophomore who had lost to Hagan both times they wrestled during the season. Hagan was a senior who had placed fifth at state the previous year. Blair had been seeded fifth at regionals, indicating he was not expected to qualify for state. However, he upended four ranked wrestlers at the Class 5A tournament, including a 1-0 victory over Hagan.

Lawrence boys and girls complete unlikely march to state-championship basketball games (2008)

I was fortunate to cover the Class 6A state basketball tournament in Emporia, which was anything but predictable. The Lawrence boys, seeded last of eight teams with an 11-11 record, beat top-seed Manhattan in the first round and then upset Wichita Heights before falling to Wichita Southeast in the title game. The Lawrence girls, a No. 7 seed, beat No. 2-seed Blue Valley Stilwell in the first round and then No. 3-seed Olathe South. They edged a 22-2 Goddard team by only two points in the championship game.

Top-seeded Wichita Trinity girls fall to No. 13-seed Hutchinson in regional soccer (2009)

Hutchinson entered the game on Trinity’s field with a 5-10-2 record. Trinity was 13-1-2. The No. 1 seed battled the No. 13 seed, but the score was tied at the end of regulation. The teams remained deadlocked after four overtime periods, and Hutchinson pulled off the upset in a shootout.

Sterling’s Michael Gellerman beats Collegiate boys for individual title on their home course (2009)

Although Gellerman was the Class 2A state champ his freshman year, he moved up to 3A as a sophomore and took on a group of experienced Collegiate golfers seeking their fourth consecutive team title. The tournament took place at Tallgrass Country Club, Collegiate’s home course. Four of the Spartans’ top six golfers were members, and a couple even lived in homes on the course. Gellerman played on the course for the first time, but he won the individual championship by four strokes. Collegiate seniors claimed second and third place.