By CONOR NICHOLL
The last week of December competition was highlighted by several large meets, including Basehor-Linwood, Wichita North, Johnson County and Goodland
Fifth Annual Ladycat Classic at Basehor-Linwood; Olathe North’s Hitchcock as Most Outstanding Wrestler; Dodge City wins title
Basehor-Linwood’s Ladycat Classic has been a stalwart on the girls’ wrestling scene since even before KSHSAA sanctioned the sport. Dodge City, which narrowly edged Washburn Rural for the 5-6A state title last winter, won the Ladycat last weekend. DC earned 371 points in the 32-team field. Washburn Rural was second at 294.5.
Shawnee Heights finished third at 228, Baldwin fourth at 201.5 and Chanute fifth at 196.
In the 5-6A team rankings, Washburn Rural is first, Dodge City second and Shawnee Heights fifth.
The competition had multiple defending state champions, including Olathe South’s Nicole Redmond, Leavenworth’s Hannah Jackson, Bonner Springs’ Olivia Stean and Olathe West’s Makayla Rivera. In 5-6A, Redmond is ranked first at 130, Jackson first at 235, Stean first at 170 and Rivera tops at 195.
SIK has noted Dodge City’s depth multiple times in the last two years. Dodge City has seven ranked wrestlers. That occurred again in Basehor-Linwood. At 100, Jasmin Beltran (11-3) was fourth, and Elizabeth Ramirez (6-5) took seventh.
For 105, Jessica Rivera (13-1) was first, and Ashley Alonso (11-3) captured the 110 title. Rivera earned a 5-3 decision against Baldwin’s Brianna Mitchell is the 105 championship. Alonso handed Fort Scott’s Kenna Miles her first loss in a 11-2 major decision.
Rivera is ranked third at 105, and Alonso second at 110.
Ariana De La Rosa (14-1) was third at 125. Hailey Ramos (14-3) took third at 135. Yareli Garcia (15-3) earned the 140 title. At 140, Garcia defeated Shawnee Heights’ Madison Freeland by an 8-4 decision.
De La Rosa is ranked second at 125. Ramos is ranked fifth at 135. Garcia, a freshman, is fourth at 140.
Defending state runner-up Ashley Arroyo (8-0) stayed perfect with the 145-pound championship.
The 145 championship matched two undefeated wrestlers. Arroyo won by fall over Leavenworth’s Avari Johnson in 3:31. Johnson is ranked first at 145.
Dayanara Garcia (12-3) took third at 155. Garcia is ranked fourth at 145.
Jolette Almaraz (10-2) finished third at 190. Almaraz is ranked fourth at 190.
Olathe North’s Hitchcock wins loaded weight class
The top-3 at 125 were loaded with Olathe North’s Kaylan Hitchcock, Washburn Rural’s Addison Broxterman and Dodge City’s De La Rosa. Hitchcock earned Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament.
Per SIK research, Hitchcock entered this season with a 38-4 record, the most wins for any girls’ freshman last winter.
Hitchcock wrestled up a weight class and is currently ranked first at 120. Broxterman and De La Rosa are 1-2 at 125, respectively. Broxterman has exceeded 100 wins and 100 pins in her career.
In the semifinals, Hitchcock met De La Rosa in a bout of undefeated wrestlers. Hitchcock won by fall in 2:55 and stands at 18-0. In the third place match, De La Rosa defeated Broxterman by fall in 3:01.
Hitchcock delivered five wins, all by fall. She beat Chanute’s Reese Clements by fall in 5:18 in the championship.
Four wrestlers led with five pins: Hitchcock, Bonner Springs’ Olivia Stean, Dodge City’s Arroyo, and KC Harmon’s Kamahni Jackson – a big surprise this season. Jackson is not currently ranked.
Stean had easily the least collective pin time at 6 minutes, 11 seconds. Thirty wrestlers recorded four pins, including Washburn Rural’s Kristen Rezac, who collectively pinned all four in 2:35.
Five wrestlers led the field with 46 points: Harmon’s Jackson, Olathe South’s Nicole Redmond, Arroyo, Stein and Hitchcock.
At state last season, Hitchcock took second at 115, and Broxterman was second at 120.
Redmond, Stein and Jackson roll to titles
At 130, Redmond improved to 17-0. She had a forfeit for her second match, and then won her other four bouts in 2:20 or less. Redmond was 36-1 and collected a 126-pound championship as a sophomore last winter. Overall, Redmond currently stands at 80-3 in her career.
Stein, a two-time defending state champion, is 14-0 at 155. She again completely dominated with victories in 20 seconds, 1:46, 54 seconds, 2:27 and 44 seconds. Stein is now 80-3 in her career.
At 135, Jackson (14-1) delivered wins by 29 seconds, 1:44, 1:11, 5:53 and 40 seconds. She bested previously undefeated Gianna De Cicco in the championship.
Pratt girls defeat multiple 5/6A teams, win Wichita North tournament
Pratt, the defending 4-1A state champion, delivered another resume-boosting tournament victory with 150 points at the Wichita North competition. Junction City was second at 130, and Wichita Southeast took third with 124. Kapaun Mt. Carmel took fourth at 118, and Wichita North was fifth at 116.5.
Last year, Wichita North was first at 147, Pratt took second with 108 points. Junction City was fourth, while Wichita Southeast was not in this tournament last season.
Pratt, ranked first in 4-1A, has five ranked wrestlers. Jadyn Thompson is ranked first at 130. A sophomore, Wendy Candia is ranked fourth at 135. Keimarla Thompson is first at 140. Emmaline Primrose is fifth at 155. Lilly Herrman is fourth at 105.
Seven wrestlers had four pins: Campus’ Alexia Wright, Wichita Northwest’s Eeva Martinez, Junction City’s Brandi Brown, Pratt’s Miranda Webb, Valley Center’s Alacea Cokeley, Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Taylor Barringer, and Wichita North’s Lainey Carrera.
Eight wrestlers delivered 26 points to pace the field: Valley Center’s Grace Timmons, Winfield’s Sheena Gocela, Rose Hill’s Ryleigh Page, Pratt’s Jadyn Thompson, Wendy Candia and Emmaline Primrose; Mulvane’s Kammie Schanz and Wichita West’s Dru Johnson. Timmons is ranked second in 5-6A at 170. Johnson is second at 190 in 5-6A.
Schanz won state two years ago, while Johnson was 24-1 and took second at 235 in 5-6A last year.
In the 100 final, Gocela faced Wichita West’s Jacqueline Salas in a matchup of undefeated wrestlers. Gocela won by fall in 40 seconds. Earlier this month, Gocela also won a title at the 20-team KanOkla tournament.
At 125, Pratt’s Gracelyn Hembree (9-4) finished first with four wins. She picked up a win by first period fall, then earned a major decision victory, followed by a fall in 2:50 and a 6-2 victory.
Jadyn Thompson remained perfect at 130 with three wins by fall, all in the first period. Candia (11-1) took first at 135. In the championship, she faced KC Sumner’s Alissa Harris, who entered 15-0. Candia won in 3:35.
At 140, Pratt’s Keimarla Thompson finished second in a high-profile championship match. She moved to 10-2 after a 7-4 loss against Wichita North’s Jaycee Tyler. Both Thompsons are defending state runner-ups. Tyler did not place at state last year and was unranked entering the match.
For 155, Primrose collected a championship with three wins in 42 seconds or less and a 3-2 semifinal victory.
Jaycee Tyler highlights Wichita North’s performance
For Junction City, Jaidyn Alvardo (12-2) finished third at 100. Bre Villanueva (11-1) was second at 115. That included an upset 6-3 semifinal victory versus Wichita North’s Larissa Garcia. A sophomore, Alvardo is ranked fourth at 100. Garcia is second at 115.
Charly Goodwin (11-2) was third at 120. Naomi Tanaka, Taylor Gossman and Brandi Brown all finished fourth at 140, 145 and 155, respectively.
For Wichita Southeast, Aveiyeah Wilson (10-3) was second at 105. TanNayih Hunt (11-5) was third at 110. Kyra Cole (8-3) finished third at 170. Meya Howell (6-2) took third at 190. Brooklyn Orange (2-1) was second at 235.
For Wichita North, Anny Aranago (5-5) took second at 110. In the final, Rose Hill’s Ryleigh Page earned a victory via 1 minute, 2 second pin. At 115, Larissa Garcia (11-3) took third. Lainey Carrera (5-4) was third at 130. Garcia is a defending state champion.
Jaycee Tyler (8-2) picked up the 140-pound title. In addition to the win against Thompson, Tyler won her first two matches by fall. Tyler earned the team’s wrestler of the week honor Monday. She carries a 3.8 GPA and is a National Honor Society member.
Mulvane duo stays perfect
Mulvane’s duo of Leinnah Landreth and Schanz remained undefeated. Landreth is 13-0 and won at 115. She had a bye, a fall in 1:11, a technical fall and a 6-2 decision. At 145, Schanz collected three first period falls. Mulvane is currently ranked fourth in the 4-1A team rankings. A sophomore, Landreth is ranked first at 115. A senior, Schanz is ranked second at 145.
Entering this season, Landreth was second to Hitchcock among victories by a freshman after a 34-3 mark last season. She now stands 47-3 in his career. Johnson is 52-2.
Wichita West’s Johnson improved to 8-0 after three falls in 28 seconds, 4:32 and 3:26.
Lawrence Free State wins Johnson County Classic
Free State collected the title in the 25-team Johnson County Classic. The Firebirds won with 455.5 points. Gardner-Edgerton was second with 407. Drew Streeter (17-1) collected the title with seven victories at 106. That included a 3-2 win versus St. Thomas Aquinas’ Caden Gallat.
FS is currently eighth in 6A.
At 113, Noah Bradley (14-2) took first. In the championship, Bradley beat previously undefeated Noah Phillips of Omaha North with a 10-7 win.
Streeter is fifth at 113, and Bradley is third at 120.
At 126, Grayson Hagen (14-3) captured the championship. He won the title in sudden victory against St. James Academy’s Will Burchard with a 1-0 victory. D’onte Goodman (16-2) took third at 132. Eric Streeter (17-1) was second at 138. In the finals, he lost 6-4 to Andover’s Adam Maki, who is 14-0.
At 215, Matthew Marcum (18-0) remained perfect with eight victories. Marcum picked up a bye and won seven matches by fall. That included a fall in 5:48 against Omaha North (Neb.)’s Tyler Stewart. Entering the match, Stewart was 18-0.
Marcum is ranked first at 215.
For Gardner-Edgerton, Alonzo Borjas (18-4) collected a title at 144. Borjas went 8-0, including six wins by fall and decisions by 1-0 and 4-1 margins. Therron Meade (10-3) was first at 150. Meade collected six victories, including a 7-0 in the final.
Zaine Mayfield (10-3) won the 157-pound championship. Mayfield had all of his wins by fall. He dominated with victories by 51 seconds, 23 seconds, 66 seconds, 31 seconds, 26 and 54 seconds. Broque Moore (11-11) took second at 165.
Two wrestlers finished with eight pins: Bishop Miege’s Baker North and Shawnee Heights’ Allen Baughman. Six Kansas wrestlers had seven pins: Olathe West’s Cooper Novacek, Blue Valley West’s Henry White, Olathe East’s Brett Carroll, Free State’s Matthew Marcum and Streeter, and Shawnee Mission East’s Ethan Jenkinson.
Baughman paced the tournament with 57 points. Marcum, Novacek, White, SM East’s Ethan Jenkinson were Kansas wrestlers who had 55 points.
Hoxie wins 20-team Goodland tournament
Two-time defending 3-2-1A champion Hoxie won the Goodland boys’ tournament. Hoxie won with 182 points, while Norton was second with 116, and Colby third with 111.5.
Hoxie and Norton are currently 1-2 respectively in the 3-2-1A rankings. Hoxie has 10 ranked wrestlers.
At 113, Hoxie’s Ian Giancola (13-1) captured the championship with four wins by fall and a 5-0 victory. Tate Weimer (13-0) won the 120 title. Weimer had a bye, tech fall win, fall, tech fall and an 8-7 decision. At 144, Dayton Bell (17-0) delivered the championship including a win by fall in 3:42 against Wichita County’s Wyatt Gardner. Entering the match, Gardner was 13-0.
Dayton Bell is currently ranked first at 138, while Gardner is first at 144.
Duncan Bell (16-1) rolled to the title at 150. Bell had five wins by first period fall. Three-time state champion Derek Johnson (15-0) dominated with four wins by fall. At 165, Drew Bretz (14-0) had three quick falls and a 23-9 win in the championship.
Duncan Bell is currently fourth at 144. Johnson is first at 157, and Bretz first at 165.
With 175, Sam Watkins (14-0) had three fall wins and a key 9-1 decision against Hill City junior Aiden Amrein in the championship. Amrein is third and second the last two years at state.
Amrein is ranked first, Watkins second at 175.
Ellis’ Younger stays perfect
For Ellis, Mason Younger, a defending state runner-up, improved to 13-0 at 126. He is No. 1 ranked at 126. Younger had three wins by fall, a 12-1 decision in the semifinals and an 11-3 major decision in the title against Colby’s Kaeden McCarty. Entering the match, McCarty stood at 15-0. He is currently ranked fifth at 126.
Norton performed well with the titles at 190, 215 and 285. Defending state champion Garrett Urban (11-0) won at 190. That included four wins by fall. Jefferson Otter (10-3) captured the 215-pound championship. Otter captured wins by fall, decision, fall and decision. Corbin Puga (13-0) won at 285 with three quick wins by fall, a 9-0 major decision and a 2-1 championship.
Urban is ranked first at 190. Otter is ranked second at 215, and Puga is second at 285.
Garden City girls win at Goodland
On the girls’ side, Garden City was easily the biggest school and rolled with 163.5 points. Colby was second at 84.5 points in the 20-team competition.
On the girls’ side, GC 100-pounder Kaira Acosta (6-4) collected the championship with three wins by fall. Anahi Cervantes (11-2) won at 105 with five victories by fall. Raygen Meza-McDermott (11-4) captured the 110 title with five wins by fall.
Belle Hernandez (13-2) won at the 135-pound championship. Hernandez had three wins by fall and a major decision. She is currently ranked fifth at 140. Bethanie Cruz (10-2) took second at 140. She lost by fall in 3:02 to Ellis’ Kaydawn Haag (13-1) in the 140-pound final. Cruz is currently ranked first at 135 in 5-6A, while Haag is ranked fourth at 140 in 4-1A.
Angel Serrano (11-3) was second at 145. Karime Guzman (11-2) was second at 155.
