Four Tigers make All-Time SEK wrestling team

Former Fort Scott High wrestler and current Chanute head wrestling coach Andy Albright got together with several other coaches in the area and has compiled an All-Time All-Southeast Kansas League wrestling team. Four former Fort Scott wrestlers received spots on the team.

The rankings of each wrestler in each weight range -- as weight classes have changed over the years -- was determined on a points system with those collecting the fewest points ranked the best, similar to how a cross-country meet is scored. A State champion at his weight received one point with an additional point for each place higher. So a sixth-place finisher received six points toward his total. A State qualifier who did not place received 10 points. Those who did not qualify received 20 points.

Josh Lattimer, who wrestled from 1997 to 2001 was named a First Team wrestler in the 215-200 pound range. He qualified for State each season, finishing fifth in 1998, second in 1999 and as State champion in 2000 and 2001.

Nathan Allison, a Tiger between 1999 and 2003 is a First Team wrestler in the 134-135 pound range. He finished second in State as a freshman, third in 2001, won State in 2002 and finished third in 2003.

Lattimer's younger brother Joseph is on the Honorable Mention list in the 167-171 pound range. He was a State qualifier in 2000, finished fifth in 2001 and was third in 2002 and 2003.

Alvin Metcalf was named to the Honorable Mention team in the 152-pound area. He finished fifth at State in 2001, third in 2003 and first in 2004. He did not qualify as a sophomore in 2002, which saddled him with 20 points on his score.

Allison and Lattimer are two of just SEK 18 wrestlers who won four State medals. Every school except Iola has at least one wrestler who did so. Independence's Todd Layton, who wrestled from 1983 to 1987, is the only SEK wrestler to win four State championships.

The All-Time coach is Ken Jones, who coached at Columbus from 1976-96. His record in dual meets was 237-71-2. He coached 72 State medalists, including 25 State champions. He was named Kansas Coach of the Year twice. His Titan teams won 10 league championships, 15 Regional/Sub-State crowns, finished third at State twice, second five times and as State champions five times (Class 4A 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1996). Columbus is the only SEK school to win a State team title.

Although the league was founded in the late 1920s, wrestling is a relatively young sport in the SEK with the first championship decided in 1971. Columbus, which moved to the Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League in 2012, has won the most team titles with 19. Chanute follows with 14, including the last three. Coffeyville has won nine SEK titles, the last coming in 1983. Fort Scott, Labette County and Pittsburg have each won two titles and Parsons has won one, which was a shared title in 1994. Independence has never won a league championship and Iola did not win one from the time it started its program in 2010 until the time it left the SEK in 2012.

Ottawa was a member of the SEK from the fall of 1987 until the spring of 1992. None of its wrestlers qualified for the lists and the Cyclones did not win any league titles during their time in the SEK.

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The All-Timers

The members of the All-Time All-SEK Wrestling Team as compiled by Chanute head coach Andy Albright.

FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM

HONORABLE MENTION

SQ -- 10 points added to total.

NQ -- Did not qualify for State that season; 20 points added to total.

* -- Columbus was still a league member dueing Watkins' freshman season.

# -- Nave did not wrestle his first two years of high school.

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LEAGUE TEAM CHAMPIONS

1971-74, 1979-82 and 2014-15: Post-season tournament determined champion.

1971 -- Chanute

1972 -- Coffeyville

1973 -- Columbus

1974 -- Fort Scott

1975 -- Coffeyville

1976 -- Coffeyville

1977 -- Labette County

1978 -- Coffeyville

1979 -- Coffeyville

1980 -- Coffeyville

1981 -- Coffeyville

1982 -- Coffeyville

1983 -- Coffeyville

1984 -- Columbus

1985 -- Columbus

1986 -- Columbus

Ottawa enters league

1987 -- Columbus

1988 -- Columbus

1989 -- Columbus

1990 -- Columbus

1991 -- Columbus

1992 -- Chanute

Ottawa leagues league

1993 -- Chanute

1994 (tie) -- Chanute, Columbus, Parsons

1995 -- Columbus

1996 -- Columbus

1997 -- Chanute

1998 -- Chanute

1999 -- Columbus

2000 -- Columbus

2001 -- Chanute

2002 -- Columbus

2003 -- Columbus

2004 -- Columbus

2005 -- Columbus

2006 -- Columbus

2007 (tie) --Chanute, Fort Scott, Labette County

2008 -- Chanute

2009 -- Chanute

Iola enters competition

2010 -- Chanute

2011 -- Pittsburg

2012 -- Pittsburg

2013 -- Chanute

Columbus and Iola leave league

2014 -- Chanute

2015 -- Chanute