By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

Dylan Schumacher isn't the only Monarch with a chance to make state -- just the most obvious one.

Schumacher, a senior 126-pounder for the Thomas More Prep-Marian wrestling team, will enter this weekend's Class 3-2-1A Regional Championships at Lakin favored to advance to next week's season finale at Gross Memorial Coliseum, where he would be going for his fourth straight state championship. The regional starts Friday at 2 p.m., then continues Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.

Ranked No. 1 entering postseason, Schumacher is 20-3 on the season and 124-6 for his career. He is 12-0 at state, with 11 pins and one technical fall.

"Each year, I just want to get that state championship," said Schumacher, who has signed to wrestle at University of Wyoming. "Each year you win it, gets more and more pressure on you.

"It's pretty tough, but you just got to go out there and wrestle hard," he added.

TMP coach Mike Howell said a handful of other Monarchs also have a shot at making state this weekend.

Freshman 106-pounder Liam Stults (15-14) was somewhat of an unknown quantity entering the season, but Howell said his young wrestler has continued to improve. So much so, he has a chance to advance.

"I heard some good things about him before the season, but I really didn't know what to expect," Howell said. "When we first got started, he kind of wanted to be a big move guy; now, he's turned into a wrestler."

Howell said junior Lucas Walker (11-12) at 120 also could make some noise this weekend.

"Lucas Walker has a shot," Howell said. "He's got the top three kids in the state in his bracket, but then after that it's wide open."

Howell added he had a pair of "wild cards" this weekend in junior Austin J. Werth (10-14) at 145 pounds and sophomore Jared Gabel (3-16) at 152.

"They kind of had tough years, but the last couple weeks they've been wrestling great," Howell said.

Then there is tough-luck senior Scott Heimann at 182 pounds. Heimann is 19-11 on the season, and has wrestled ranked opponents tough.

"Scott's lost to the 2 seed, 3 seed, 4 seed by one point or been ahead, every one of them," Howell said. "It's how Scott wrestles.

"He's a senior, he's got everything riding on it," Howell added. "He's been just wrestling amazing."

Also wrestling this weekend for TMP are sophomore Grant Romme (7-14) at 113 pounds; sophomore Skyler Urban (4-12) at 132; junior Garrett Stoecklein (4-17) at 138; senior Dylan Lang (2-11) at 160; and freshman Parker Cox (8-19) at 195.

Schumacher, meanwhile, just keeps rolling along, pinning people along the way. But Schumacher could have some stiff competition at the regional, including facing a wrestler he hasn't been on the mat with before. Oberlin sophomore Dayton Dreher -- who finished third at state at 112 pounds last season -- is ranked second and could face Schumacher for the first time.

"Just really working really hard this last week and this week for regionals," Schumacher said. "Going to have the No. 2-ranked kid from Oberlin there, see how that goes."

When he faces an opponent for the first time, Schumacher studies him in action before taking the mat.

"You can watch him during that whole tournament," Schumacher said. "You can see how he really is."

Schumacher has missed time this season with a knee injury, but he's good to go this weekend. At first, Schumacher and the coaches thought it might have been a major injury. No worries. Nothing that a little rest couldn't take care of for the Monarch standout.

"I was concerned about it," Howell said."I wasn't exactly for sure what it was. It turned out not to be as big a deal as we thought."

But a four-peat at state would be a big deal. Howell said the pressure has seemed to ease off on his star wrestler.

"I think he was feeling the pressure early," Howell said. "And now, I don't know if it's the injury or what, but I think the pressure has kind of dissolved a little bit. Maybe it was just the preseason hype.

"It just seems like it's no big deal; it would be for me," Howell added with a laugh. "I never had to experience that -- I wasn't that good."