Topeka-area wrestlers have 1 team state champion and 4 individual state champions at state
Girls and boys from across Kansas competed at the high school state tournament in recent days.
Girls wrestling took place on Wednesday and Thursday with teams from the Topeka-area schools including Hayden (4-1A), Highland Park (6-5A), Rossville (4-1A), Seaman (6-5A), Shawnee Heights (6-5A), Silver Lake (4-1A), Topeka High (6-5A), Topeka West (6-5A) and Washburn Rural (6-5A).
The boys wrestled on Friday and Saturday, represented by Hayden (4A), Highland Park (5A), Rossville (3-1A), Seaman (5A), Shawnee Heights (5A), Silver Lake (3-1A), Topeka High (6A) and Washburn Rural (6A).
Here's how they did.
Topeka-area girls wrestlers at state
Hayden
Junior Elaina Wolff (100) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Santa Fe Trail freshman Audry Johnson in a tiebreaker.
Highland Park
Sophomore Kimberly Rodriguez (105) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping a 3-0 decision to Topeka West junior Nephtali Lenth in her second consolation match.
Sophomore Kylisha James (170) went 0-2 at the state tournament, falling to Wichita Southeast sophomore Kyra Cole via a second-period fall in her second consolation match.
Rossville
The Rossville girls had its best finish in program history this week. After tying for fifth in 2020 and not placing last year, the girls took second (73 points) this year behind Chanute (88).
Junior Keera Lacock (115) went 3-1 at the state tournament, losing a 7-3 decision on to Lakin senior Josiah Oritz in the state title match. Lacock finished second.
Junior Kendra Hurla (120) went 4-0 at the state tournament, defeating Columbus senior Addison Saporito in a 9-5 decision to win the state championship. Hurla won her third state title in three years.
Senior Reagan Wonnell (145) went 1-2 at the state tournament, falling in her consolation match to Columbus junior Graci Major in a 6-0 decision.
Junior Hailey Horton (155) went 4-1 at the state tournament, defeating Scott Community senior Johanna Sowers via a third-period fall in her final match. Horton finished third.
Silver Lake
Sophomore Karley Holmes (110) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Chase County junior Kinzie Rogers in a 6-5 decision.
Topeka High
Senior Marilena Zuniga (140) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Wichita North junior Jaycee Taylor via a second-period fall.
Topeka West
Junior Nephtali Lenth (105) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match via second-period fall to Liberal sophomore Isabela Gutierrez.
Junior Tristyn Johnson (235) went 5-1 at the state tournament, defeating Gardner Edgerton junior Karen Rodriguez via first-period fall in her final match. Johnson finished third.
Seaman
The Seaman girls finished 11th out of 60 teams, with only two 5A teams ahead of them. The team broke its own record for state qualifiers (8) and brought just one senior to state.
"To get all eight into regionals and then all eight qualifying," said coach Jordan Best. "I'm proud of the whole team.
"Koti (Best) may be disappointed, but you'll never know it. Last year she took fourth, and our goal was to make it in and place higher than fourth. Mission accomplished.
"Kaidence is graduating and made it to the medal stand this year. Madison made it to the medal stand. Going from two to three (state placers), we're getting there."
Junior Ellie Ayres (100) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Garden City freshman Kaira Acosta via third-period fall.
Sophomore Taylie Heston (110) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Dodge City sophomore Ashley Alonso in a 4-3 decision.
Sophomore Natalie Smith (115) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Garden City sophomore Alyxia Serrano via first period fall.
Freshman Makenna Stuke (120) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Mill Valley sophomore Piper Wendler in a 10-5 decision.
Junior Madison Murray (125) went 2-3 at the state tournament, dropping her final match to Shawnee Heights sophomore Reece Taylor in a 2-1 decision. Murray placed sixth.
Sophomore Koti Best (130) went 3-1 at the state tournament, falling to Olathe South junior Nicole Redmond in a 4-0 decision in the state championship match. Best placed second.
Senior Kaidence Heston (140) went 2-3 at the state tournament, falling to Dodge City freshman Yareli Garcia in her final match via second-period fall. Heston placed sixth.
Sophomore Abagail Soppe (190) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Catie Burr.
Shawnee Heights
Shawnee Heights (73 points) finished fourth overall behind Washburn Rural (153), Garden City (141) and Dodge City (109), its second year of being the top 5A team in the state.
"We ended up going 2-8 in the first rounds," said coach Chad Parks. "We pulled everybody over and had a discussion about what we need to do. The backside round was phenomenal. Every girl came out on fire and got everyone except for one person to do the second day. We're super proud of our girls.
"We have a lot of girls that buy in, put in work and they listen to us."
Freshman Connie Burns (100) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Olathe West junior Marissa Brown in a 15-6 major decision.
Junior Emberlynn Phillips (105) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Topeka West sophomore Kristin Rezac via first-period fall.
Junior Odessa Schmidt (110) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Seaman sophomore Taylie Heston via second-period fall.
Sophomore Reece Taylor (125) went 4-2 at the state tournament, defeating Seaman junior Madison Murray in a 2-1 decision in her final match. Taylor placed fifth.
Sophomore Isabel Reyes (130) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Washburn Rural junior Laiken Clark via second-period fall.
Sophomore Madison Freeland (135) went 3-1 at the state tournament, falling to Gardner Edgerton senior Shelby Davis via second-period fall in the state title match. Freeland placed second.
Senior Hannah Sixkiller (140) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Garden City senior Paige Chappel.
Junior McKenna Haltom (145) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Garden City freshman Angel Serrano via second-period fall.
Freshman Cianna Graves (155) went 3-3 at the state tournament, dropping her final match to Olathe West senior Laney Finazzo via first-period fall. Graves placed sixth.
Senior Lilly Blair (190) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Blue Valley Southwest junior Morgan Miller via first-period fall.
Washburn Rural
Washburn Rural (153 points) climbed the mountain once again, winning its third state title by beating out Garden City (141) and Dodge City (109) in the fourth year of girls wrestling in Kansas.
Washburn Rural broke Dodge City's record of eight medalists with nine and won the state title with no wrestlers in the winners bracket.
"There were quotes in a Dodge City newspaper about how Garden City was the most physical team that they would see all year," said coach Damon Parker. "We wanted to make sure that whether we won, whether we lost, there was no question when people left this gym, who the most physical team in the state of Kansas was. Our girls sent a message."
Sophomore Molly Spader (100) went 4-2 at the state tournament, defeating Olathe West junior Marissa Brown via a second-period fall in her final match. Spader placed fifth.
Sophomore Kristin Rezac (105) went 5-1 at the state tournament, defeating Garden City senior Anahi Cervantes in a 9-3 decision in her final match. Rezac placed third.
Sophomore Maddy Blow (115) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Olathe Northwest sophomore Emmy Keller in a 7-3 decision.
Sophomore Annie Gallegos (120) went 3-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second match to Shawnee Mission West junior Ella Weber in a 7-2 decision in her final match. Gallegos placed fourth.
Senior Addison Broxterman (125) went 5-1 at the state tournament, defeating Great Bend junior Daizy Gomez via a third-period fall in her final match. Broxterman placed third.
Junior Laiken Clark (130) went 4-2 at the state tournament, defeating Bishop Carroll sophomore Alexis Means with a second-period fall in her final match. Clark placed fifth.
Senior Alexis Fredrickson went 3-3 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Hays junior Lexi Burton via a 3-2 decision in her final match. Fredrickson placed sixth.
Sophomore Madison Davison (145) went 3-2 at the state tournament, dropping her second consolation match to Dodge City senior Ashley Arroryo in a 9-3 decision in her final match. Davison finished fourth.
Sophomore Ashley Schwarz (155) went 5-2 at the state tournament, falling to Olathe Northwest junior Chloe Harris via a second-period fall in her final match. Schwarz placed fourth.
Senior Sophia Ross (235) went 3-2 at the state tournament, defeating Valley Center senior Gracie Orr in an 8-5 decision in her final match. Ross placed fifth.
Topeka-area boys wrestlers at state
Hayden
Freshman Jude Krentz (157) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Wamego junior Brody Oviatt in a 10-5 decision.
Sophomore Hunter Diederich (285) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Pratt senior Drak Van Scoyoc via third-period fall.
Highland Park
Senior Angel Vargas (126) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Seaman senior Draven Bennett in an 8-2 decision.
Rossville
The Rossville boys (44 points) finished 12th out of 60 teams in 3-1A.
Senior Aryon Klesath (138) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Norton sophomore Brennen Pfannenstiel via first-period fall.
Freshman Paxton Willet (157) went 4-1 at the state tournament, defeating Philipsburg sophomore Seth Keeten in his final match via second-period fall. Willet placed third.
Junior Barrett Lietz (215) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Lakin senior Dravin Chavira in a 7-0 decision.
Senior Jacob Carber (285) went 4-2 at the state tournament, dropping his final match to Norton sophomore Corbin Puga via second-period fall. Carver placed fourth.
Seaman
"The older guys taught the young guys what it is to be a family," said first-year coach Tony Pena. "This year was a lot of fun and it exceeded my expectations."
Freshman Brayden Rice (106) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Bishop Carroll freshman JP Morgan in a 4-0 decision.
Freshman Cole Rosenberger (113) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Ark City sophomore Carlos Leyva via second-period fall.
Sophomore Jayden Foster (120) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Bishop Carroll freshman Owen Newell.
Senior Draven Bennett (126) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Valley Center junior Jett Schwartz via first-period fall.
Junior Colin Little (132) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to SC freshman Abram Owings in a 7-5 decision.
Senior Lain Anderson (138) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Emporia senior Lukas Hainline via second-period fall.
Senior Zach Jowers (144) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Bishop Carroll sophomore Elijah Means in a 6-4 decision.
Sophomore Samson Tootle (165) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Spring Hill junior Noah Anderton in a 4-2 decision.
Senior Zackery Adams (175) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Piper senior Sawyer Vas.
Senior Jaxon Thomas (285) went 4-0 at the state tournament, defeating Blue Valley Southwest senior Torin Forsyth via second period fall in the state title match. Thomas becomes the first state title winner for Seaman since Bailey Kelley (2016) and the first heavyweight wrestler from Seaman to win a state title since 1995 (Justin Glasgow).
Thomas had seen Forsyth at regionals just last week, falling to him 9-4, but Saturday was different outcome. Thomas on the difference this time around: "I knew that he's very defensive and if I pushed the pace, I was just gonna wear myself out. I worked all week on just slipping and sliding through and getting those jabs."
Thomas on becoming the schools first state champion since 2016 and first heavyweight winner since 1995: "In the room, I would do my shots just on the wall, getting in there, climbing up. I did it right underneath the plaque of Justin Glasgow and right underneath Bailey Kelly's singlet and everything. I just kept it in my mind that I should be up there and that I should be next."
Thomas on his future with wrestling: "It's really a hard decision to go play football, but I think I've achieved a lot in wrestling, and I think I have some stuff to do in football. I might go play four years of football, but I know if I ever come back to Topeka, I'm going to talk to Tony, I'm gonna get a job. I want to be a part of the wrestling team because I love Tony and Josh."
Shawnee Heights
After graduating nine seniors from last year's team, Shawnee Heights finished 11th in 5A at the 6-5A state tournament.
"We were thinking like: 'Oh, man, this is sort of gonna be a rebuild. We got a lot of young guys coming in,'" said coach Chad Parks. "Everybody put in the work that's required to do well, and just kept growing and growing all year long. We're very grateful we came here and everybody was able to wrestle hard the entire time and good things happened."
Freshman Tristan Buce (106) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Blue Valley Southwest freshman Wyatt McCulley via second-period fall.
Junior Andrew Bonebrake (132) went 3-3 at the state tournament, dropping his final match to Newton junior Bailey Steinmetz in a 12-4 major decision. Bonebrake placed sixth.
Freshman Gavin Hartman (138) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Pittsburg senior Corbin McIntier via second-period fall.
Senior Nick Freeland (150) went 3-3 at the state tournament, dropping his final match to Great Bend junior Cooper Liles via first-period fall. Freeland placed sixth.
Freshman Evan Johnson (157) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Emporia sophomore Christian Trujillo in a 10-2 major decision.
Junior Allen Baughman (175) went 3-3 at the state tournament, dropping his final match to Andover sophomore Tate Hutchinson in a 3-0 decision. Baughman placed sixth.
Senior Sean Wunder (215) went 4-1 at the state tournament, defeating Spring Hill senior Draven Pipkin in his final match in a 5-3 decision. Wunder placed third.
Junior Rykan Carver (285) went 2-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Hutchinson junior Camden Jensen in a 10-3 decision.
Silver Lake
Freshman Garret Holmes (120) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Minneapolis freshman Brayton Peters in a 9-1 major decision.
Jayden Waterer (126) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Caney Valley sophomore Logan Burnett via first-period fall.
Senior Brady Cook (138) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Lakin senior Bly Gosch via first-period fall.
Sophomore Trenten Harris (150) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Philipsburg junior Carsen Meitl in an 8-2 decision.
Sophomore Trenton Rollenhagen (175) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Hillsboro senior Lane Rogers via third-period fall.
Topeka High
Senior Tyree English (120) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Olathe West freshman Sam West via third-period fall.
Sophomore Nick Davis (157) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Dodge City sophomore Jayden Amaro in a 12-5 decision.
Senior Jaxon Johnson (165) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Wichita West senior Rashad West via second-period fall.
Washburn Rural
Washburn Rural (119 points) finished ninth overall at the 6-5A state tournament behind Maize (214), Derby (193.5), Newton (175.5), Garden City (168.5), Mill Valley (145.5), Manhattan (142.5), Olathe North (127) and St. Thomas Aquinas (122).
With six state placers out of eight entrants and no seniors wrestling at state this weekend, the future is bright for Washburn Rural wrestling.
"I had 24 freshmen to start the year, which was 74% of our roster," said coach Josh Hogan. "I knew we had a lot of work to do. We have a lot of good wrestlers on the team, but maturity and a lot of other things come with them growing up.
"I'm awfully fired up for the future. We get everybody back that was here wrestling today for next year. And then we've got three or four absolute studs coming up from eighth grade."
Sophomore Easton Broxterman (113) went 4-0 at the state tournament, defeating Junction City junior Ezekiel Witt in the state title match in a 12-4 major decision. Broxterman placed first.
Broxterman lost to Witt in the 106 pound state finals last year and got revenge against Witt at regionals last week and again on Saturday: "It was nice to get that back. I was wanting to be a four-timer in high school. Last year, I obviously didn't succeed in that. So it's nice now that I can say that I got that one back."
Broxterman on the motivation from last year's loss to Witt: "I thought about a lot. In the long run, I am thankful for that loss last year because I thought about it everyday. Everyday I didn't want to run or something, I thought about that. I know that I'm a lot better because of that (loss)."
Freshman Landen Kocher-Munoz (120) went 4-0 at the state tournament, defeating Olathe East sophomore Aiden Stuart in the state title match in an 11-4 decision. Kocher-Munox placed first.
"Every tournament us a building block to this master plan, being a four-timer said Kocher-Munoz after the match. "Every tournament, every practice, everything is just in line for this."
Kocher-Munoz on his emotions hearing the final whistle blow: "Relief and all the hard work paid off and all the hours of sweating, crying, tears, everything. It all paid off."
Sophomore Walker Doyal (126) went 0-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Gardner Edgerton junior Caden Smith via second-period fall.
Freshman Cooper Stivers (132) went 2-3 at the state tournament, dropping his final match to Junction City junior Jamie Villanueva via first-period fall. Stivers placed sixth.
Junior Blaine Baird (138) went 4-2 at the state tournament, dropping his final match to Mill Valley junior Maddox Cassella in a 7-1 decision. Baird placed fourth.
Sophomore Kristjan Marshall (150) went 4-2 the state tournament, dropping his final match to Olathe North junior Trevor Vasquez in a 4-0 decision. Marshall placed fourth.
Junior Brody Byrne (157) went 4-2 at the state tournament, dropping his final match to Shawnee Mission Northwest sophomore Adam Hageman in a 3-2 decision. Byrne placed fourth.
Junior Chase Calhoon (215) went 1-2 at the state tournament, dropping his second consolation match to Manhattan senior Jaxon Vikander in a 12-3 major decision.
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This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Results from the Topeka-area wrestling teams at state
