SALINA — A long season of hard work came to a head Thursday when over 220 athletes from 87 different schools across the state descended upon Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina for the KSHSAA Class 4-1A Girls Wrestling State Championships.
Erie
Erie senior Breanna Ross is no stranger to state competitions, having competed at the season-ending event in three different sports across her four years as an Erie athlete. Ross used that experience to stay calm en route to a runner-up finish at 110 pounds on Thursday.
Ross carried an undefeated record into the state tournament last season before finishing fourth at 115 pounds. She entered the tournament Wednesday as the favorite to win the 110-pound bracket this time around, having surrendered just a single loss on the year.
The lone Erie representative headed down the path to a title quickly, recording a first period fall in the opening round.
She followed that up with a 10-8 decision over Ryleigh Page of Rose Hill in the quarterfinals, securing a go-ahead reversal with less than 30 seconds left. Erie head coach Will Weber noted it was probably Ross’ most challenging match of the day.
Ross punched her ticket to the finals with a 7-6 decision over Oakley’s Citori Bosserman. Ross carried a 4-0 lead into the final period, holding onto the margin as Bosserman grabbed three takedowns in the final two minutes.
“I was excited, tired and happy that I was going to place higher than last year,” Ross said on her feelings after day one.
Weber, in his sixth year coaching Erie’s best female wrestler thus far, was proud of Ross’ day one performance.
“You’re on top of the world at that point. Coming into today, she was in good spirits all day long,” Weber said. “I told her to leave it all on the mat, and that’s what she did. She just fell a tad bit short.”
The 110-pound final matched Ross with Alyssa Calovich of Chapman. The second-ranked Calovich recorded a pair of falls and a major decision on her way to the finals.
Calovich grabbed a takedown in the first period, but Ross escaped to trail by just a point after two minutes. The Red Devil nearly turned her opponent twice in the second period, but was stopped both times on a potentially dangerous call.
The rest of the way was a stalemate-fest, as neither wrestler seemed to have the energy to overpower the other.
“I can’t be any more proud of her than I am right now. Winning is a lot of things, but we’re here to have fun too,” Weber said.
Ross finished the season with a record of 32-2, ending her prep career with a mark of 120-19.
“When our team won the league title — just the way the team supported each other, both boys and girls — was one of my favorite memories,” Ross said. “The car rides with the team were also really fun.”
Cherryvale
The Chargers sent a duo of wrestlers to the state meet in juniors Zoey Kessler and Taylor Plumley. Kessler finished third at 135 pounds, while Plumley was the sixth place finisher in the 145-pound bracket.
Cherryvale head coach Casey Lickteig knew the duo would have plenty of nerves, as neither had competed at the event before.
“Going into any tournament, you always have expectations,” Lickteig said. “We just wanted them to do the best they can, and be prepared mentally and physically because this is a rollercoaster.”
The pair kicked the tournament off with a win each. Kessler notched a 5-1 decision, and Plumley recorded a second-period fall. The Chargers both hit a snag in the quarterfinals, surrendering falls to end their Wednesday.
Thursday morning saw both wrestlers pick up back-to-back wins. Even after taking tough losses the day before, Lickteig was proud of how his girls bounced back.
Plumley rounded out the day with back-to-back losses, but the junior had already locked up sixth place with her last win.
“She’s a really great wrestler, she has great potential,” Lickteig said. “She’s done a great job late in the season of overcoming some mental barriers.”
Kessler did the opposite, posting back-to-back wins to close the day out in third place. Kessler defeated Cali Wagoner of Quinter via a 4-0 decision, before taking out Wendy Candia of Pratt by fall in the third place match.
“Coming into the tournament, we knew she was going to have to wrestle hard and be aggressive,” Lickteig said. “She questioned herself a little bit (in the quarterfinals), but she looked back (on day two) and saw she left some wrestling on the mat. I was proud of how she bounced back.”
Labette County
Junior Belinda Thompkins was the lone representative from Labette County in Salina this week. Although she did not end up on the podium, Thompkins did manage to get the Grizzlies on the board with a few team points.
The opening round saw a nervous Thompkins surrender a fall in just over 30 seconds.
“You could tell she had some nerves. She told me she blanked out (in her first match),” Labette County head coach Joe Royer said. “We worked on what to defend, what to be ready for, but that girl was quick. That’s just how wrestling goes sometimes.”
Thompkins then battled back in her next match, posting a fall of her own against Erica Will of Ell-Saline.
“I told her to go back to the basics she knew, and stop trying to do things she’s not comfortable with,” Royer said.
Thursday morning saw the exit of Thompkins from the tournament, as she suffered another quick fall. The junior finished the season with a record of 14-19.
“Our weight room opens Monday for the kids who aren’t playing spring sports. And then come summer time, we’re gonna hit it really hard,” Royer said. “We’re not done, we’ll be back. We’re gonna be somebody to watch for.”
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.