by Derek White
Three Northwest Kansas teams participated in the 4A Kansas State High School Activities Association’s west regional tournament. This year with the separation of divisions, 4A was on its own. The tournament started on Friday Feb. 14, but there was no love on the mat featuring 28 teams and 227 high school wrestlers. The Colby Eagles, Goodland Cowgirls, and the Scott City Beavers came and represented NWKS well.
Colby
The Eagles finished as runner-up in the tournament ending the day with146.5 points, behind Pratt as champions with 162 points.
Colby brought eleven girls to the tournament, and turned out with seven state qualifiers, Champions Morgan Hills and Alana Fabrizius took first, while Adrian Salcido, Aspen Sharpe, Joslyn Bartlett, Dallis Stieben took fourth, and Faith Hoover placed eight to punch their tickets to state.
Hills took fourth at state last year and has been on a rampage this season claiming gold at three previous tournaments. At McPherson she received a first round bye, then defeated Rose Hill’s Navia Garcia-Bebek by fall before beating Abilene’s Kaylee Weibert by technical fall 16-0. In the semifinal Hills defeated Larned’s Cara Herbert by major decision 11-3, and then pinned Rock Creek’s Megan Ryan by fall to claim gold at 135 pounds.
At 170 pounds, Fabrizius took home her bracket as the second tournament champion or the Eagles. She defeated Goodland’s Ashlyn Franz and Wellington’s Kaylee Horinek by fall. She then earned her way to the finals after defeating Rock Creek’s Kaylee Freeman by decision1-0. In the final, she pinned Chapman’s Faith Enger to qualify for her first trip to the state tournament.
Adrian Salcido took fourth place going 2-2 on the day after losing to Larned’s Teagan Walker by fall for third place. Aspen Sharpe is a returning state qualifier and finished in fourth place going 3-2 for the day, she lost to El Dorado’s Zoey Owens by fall in the consolation semifinal.
Also finishing in fourth place was Joslyn Bartlett, she went 4-2 in her bracket losing to Clay Center’s Azri Catlin in the for third place. Faith Hoover took eighth place after going 3-2 losing to Clearwater’s Remi Cain for the seventh place match. Dallis Stieben also finished in fourth place finishing the list of state qualifiers after going 4-2 on the day. She ended up losing the consolation final against Circle’s Lily Hamel by fall.
Gala White, Heidi Gray, Cheyanne Hill, and Makenzi Rhymer also participated in the tournament, but were unable to secure a spot on the podium ending their season early.
Goodland
Goodland brought seven wrestlers to the tournament and finished in thirteenth place, with 74.5 points and three qualifying for state at the end of the month. Lola Burk, Danica Dautel, and Destiny Gonzalez will be representing the Cowgirls in Salina for the state tournament.
As the team’s lightest wrestler, Burk finished the day in fifth place after winning her first-round match against Mahina Nesmith from El Dorado by fall. Then she lost a tough battle against Jenic Hubbard from Marysville by decision 7-3.
On the backside of the bracket, she beat Rachel Barber from Wamego by decision 7-0, then obliterated Tylee Wilson from McPherson by decision 10-0. Burk ended up losing to Taylor Creadick from Pratt by fall in the consolation semi-finals, but then defeated Chloe Rott from Clay Center to finish fifth at 115 pounds. This will be Burke’s first trip to state after missing out the last two seasons.
At 130 pounds, Dautel had a first-round bye, then defeated McPherson’s Molly Owen by fall before battling Rose Hill’s Phoenix Probasco ending in a loss by fall. She then defeated Buhler’s Kennedee Applegate by fall, and then Clay Center’s Evellyn Farley by decision 3-1 before meeting Wellington’s Maddie Fullerton in the Consolation semi-finals. Duatel lost to Fullerton by major decision 13-3, but then pinned Karleigh Throm from Marysville to take fifth as well for the Cowgirls. This will be Dautel’s first trip to state after failing to make the cut last year.
Gonzalez finished the day in second place after receiving a first-round bye, then defeating Ulysses’ Aaliyah Espino by fall and Larned’s Mia Munden by technical fall 19-4. Her finals match was a dramatic battle as she fell behind early, but continued to grind through the match coming up short losing by decision 21-15. Gonzalez is a two-time placer and the returning state champion at 140 pounds.
The Cowgirls remaining wrestlers were unable to find the podium and now must watch the remainder of the season. Allison Sotello ended the day 2-2 at 120 pounds, Dani Fisher went 2-2 at 145 pounds, Danika Corke went 2-2 at 155 pounds, and Ashlyn Franz finished 1-2 at 170 pounds.
Scott City
With six girls wrestling in the tournament for Scott City, they finished the day with three state qualifiers and fourteenth place with 72 points. Ashlyn Rose, Haylie McDaniel, and Audrey Escalona will all be representing the Beaver community at Salina.
Rose ended the day as Scott City’s only champion, winning the 155-pound division after a first-round bye then defeating Rock Creek’s Madi Engel and Mayrsville’s Karliegh Throm by fall. In the semifinals she beat Circle’s Lily Hame by fall, then pinned El Dorado’s Aryana Vance to claim gold
Escalona finished the day in seventh place at 10f5 pounds after losing to McPherson’s Mercedes Ladwig by fall in the opening round. She then received a bye in the next round on the backside then beat Ulysses’ Bria Havel by fall. She then lost to Larned’s Miranda Nolde by fall sending her to the seventh-place match. Defeating Clay Center’s Brooklyn Gordon, Escalona won seventh place by decision 8-4.
McDaniel took second place after losing by fall in the finals to Chapman’s Cambree Obermeyer at 110 pounds. On her way to the final match, she received a first-round bye and then defeated Circle’s Layla Atha by fall. She then defeated Marysville’s Leila Schoonmaker by decision 3-2, then in the semifinal she defeated El Dorado’s Kegan Motter by decision 9-2.
Scott City’s remaining wrestlers Maci Lara finished the day 0-2 at 115 pounds, Addison Noll ended 1-2 at 125 pounds, and Amya Parker went 2-2 at 130 pounds.
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