BY JIM MISUNAS
MCPHERSON — Great Bend's No. 1 ranked and returning state champion Bre Ridgeway was ahead 8-3 and a minute away from the Panthers' first regional wrestling champion.
Lightning struck when Garden City's Anjelina Serrano flipped Ridgeway and pinned her in 5:31 to put the Buffaloes in the driver's seat for the regional team championship.
A few minutes later, Great Bend coach Nathan Broeckelman and Kyeal Mogbo celebrated a team championship when Mogbo (235) pinned her opponent a a few minutes after Briana Perez shocked McPherson's Holli Giddings 7-6 with a last-second victory.
"That's a tough loss, but it happens to everybody," Broeckelman said. "At least it happened this week and not next week at state. We still had a chance to win the team championship when Kyeal wins. We feel great with five girls going to the state meet. We've got a chance to compete next week at state. The girls made big-time improvements. It's a little bittersweet because we had girls who left our team who would've qualified for the state meet."
Mogbo (15-11, 235) placed third and pinned three consecutive foes to help the Panthers gain valuable team points. The Panthers scored 123 points to edge rival Garden City (122) by one point. McPherson (100) finished third. Great Bend is ranked third in the girls team state rankings.
Great Bend teammates Lexi Deines (27-9, 136); and No. 7 seeded Briana Perez (27-11, 155) lost in Friday's semifinals, but clinched spots in the state girls championship next week in Salina. Third-place finisher Perez upset Giddings 7-6 after beating Hoisington's No. 2 ranked Bailey Sanders in the quarterfinals.
Concordia's Kassidy Leiszler downed No. 3 ranked Breckyn Elliott (33-5, 106) 6-2 in the 101-pound championship match.
"When we reached the final rounds, the level of wrestling is a lot better than last year because there's one bracket per weight," Broeckelman said.
Great Bend’s other entries were Caitlyn White (8-28, 109); Abby White (9-20, 116); Katie Kuhlman (15-19, 123); Marissa Hanrahan (26-12, 143) and Dakotah Baldwin (4-18, 191).
The top six qualifiers advance to the first KSHSAA state championship Feb. 27 at Salina’s Tony’s Pizza Event Center. McPherson’s girls captured the non-sanctioned state championship three years in a row.
Great Bend's wild team championship was the second craziest finish of the day.
That came when Larned's No. 1 ranked and returning state champion Ava Mull (23-1) was disqualified in her championship match and forced to forfeit team points and her opportunity to compete in next week's state championship meet.
Larned coach Matt Sleder said Mull was disqualified in a 2-2 tie when officials determined that Mull's opponent Council Grove's Jolie Ziegler had an apparent bite mark on her hand.
"She was disqualified," said Larned coach Matt Sleder. "It was inadvertent due to her (Ziegler) cross-facing Ava."
Hoisington's Tally Wikum (22-6, 136) placed sixth after losing to Great Bend's Deines 14-2. No. 2 Bailey Sanders (21-3, 155) finished fifth with a pin over Garden City's Alondra Guzman (0:32).
MCPHERSON REGIONAL
TEAM TOTALS—1—Great Bend 123; 2—Garden City 122; 3—McPherson 100; 4—Emporia 99; 5—Wichita North 79; 6—Valley Center 63; 7—Pratt 62; 8—Nickeson 60.5; 9—Wichita South 53; 10—Andover Central 51; Salina Central 51; 12—Wellington 50; 13—Mulvane 48; 14—Lakin 47; 15—Campus 44; 16—Abilene 43; Hutchinson 43; 18—Dodge City 42; 19—Wichita Southeast 41; 20—Hoisington 39; Council Grove 39, Wichita Heights; 23—Liberal 37.5; 24—WaKeeneey-Trego 37
GREAT BEND RESULTS
101—No. 3 Breckyn Elliott, GB (33-5), second; Elliott pinned Hedlund, McPherson, 2:43; Elliott pinned Breen, WSE, 1:33; Elliott def. Ortiz, Lakin, 8-4; 1ST—Kassidy Leiszler, Concordia def. Elliott 6-2
109—Caitlyn White, GB (8-28); Wald, Hesston pinned White, 0:53; Rhea, Campus pinned White, 4:18
116—Abby White, GB (9-20); Moore, Nickerson pinned White, 2:42; Todd, Norton def. White, 5-2
123—Katie Kuhlman, GB (15-19); Island-Jones, Manhattan pinned Kuhlman, 1:43; Kuhlman pinned Summer, SC, 2:53; Cacavio, Goodland pinned Kuhlman, 2:50
130—No. 1 Bre Ridgeway, GB (32-1), second; Ridgeway pinned Cox, Eureka, 0:24; Ridgeway pinned Gomez, Nickerson, 0:48; Ridgeway pinned Jennings, SC, 1:38; Ridgeway pinned McNeal, Campus, 2:36; 1ST—Anjelina Serrano, GC pinned Ridgeway, 5:31
136—Lexi Deines, GB (27-9, fifth); Deines pinned Ely, Canton-Galva, 1:03; Deines pinned Wilsin, WSE, 0:55; Deines pinned Sherbin, WSouth, 1:28; Blackwood, VC def. Deines, 10-3; Dunbar, WHeights def. Deines, 13-6; 5TH—Deines def. Wikum, Hoisington, 14-2 .
143—Marissa Hanrahan, GB (26-12); Hanrahan pinned Sierra, WNorth, 0:52; Hanrahan pinned Schmidt, Circle, 1::15; Perez, DC pinned Hanrahan, 3:54; Hanrahan pinned Edwards, Newton, 0:19; Peroza, Emporia def. Hanrahan, 6-4
155—Briana Perez, GB (27-11), third; Perez pinned Thornton, WSE, 3:28; Perez pinned Sanders, Hoisington, 3:42; Murray, WSouth pinned Perez, 4:55; Perez def. Guzman, GC, 12-8; 3RD—Perez def. Giddings, McPherson, 7-6
191—Dakotah Baldwin, GB (4-18); Thomas, WEast pinned Baldwin, 0:14; Orr def. Baldwin
235—Kyeal Mogbo, GB (15-11); Amrbruster, Chapman pinned Mogbo, 0:49; Mogbo pinned Glanville, Chase County, 2:20; Mogbo pinned Vazquez, WSouth, 1:47; 3RD—Mogbo pinned Armbruster, Chapman, 3:00
HOISINGTON RESULTS
116—Kiana Grandclair, H (13-10); Grandclair pinned Mulsow, WEast, 2:46; Khamvobgsa, WNorth def. Grandclair, 13-6; Grandclair def. Jackson, Campus, 8-6; Todd, Norton def. Grandclair, 2-1
123—Emily Lovett, H (11-5); Avila, GC def. Lovett, 6-0; Lovett pinned Phanthavon, Campus, 4:11; Lovett pinned Kirschner, Mulvane; 1;22; Benji, WNorth pinned Lovett, 1:41
136—Tally Wikum, H (22-6), sixth; Wikum pinned Hess, Augusta 0:38; Wikum def. Hernandez, GC, 11;6; Wikum def. Tucker-Dunbar, WHeights, 4-2; Bacci, Andover Central def. Wikum, 4-2; Hernandez, GC def. Wikum, 9-7; 5TH—Deines, GB def. Wikum, 14-2
155—No. 2 Bailey Sanders, H (21-3), fifth; Sanders pinned Monarrez, Liberal, 0:56; Perez pinned Sanders, 3:42; Sanders pinned Jones, Derby, 1:10; Sanders def. Arroyo, DC, 6-2; Giddings, McPherson pinned Sanders, 1:57; 5TH—Sanders pinned Guzman, GC, 0:32
LARNED RESULTS
116—Nastasia Robinson, L (10-16); Hale, Mc pinned Robinson, 2:54; Jackson, Campus pinned Jackson, 2:51
143—Cacia Sanders (6-17); Moore, Phillipsburg pinned Sandman, 4:44; Sandman pinned McCann, WHeights, 2:53; Sandman vs.
170—No. 1 Ava Mull (23-1), second; Mull pinned Phillips, SV, 0:13; Mull pinned McLeod, WSE, 1:44; Mull pinned Timmons, VC, 0:21; Jolie Ziegler, Council Grove def. Mull, DQ
NICKERSON RESULTS
116—Nichole Moore (35-7), first; Moore pinned White, GB, 2:42; Moore pinned Rogers, 1:22; Moore pinned Rozell, Douglass, 2:48; Moore def. Corado, GC, 18-1; 1ST—Moore def. Anayka Besco, Rose Hill
123—Allison Carder, N (4-12); Shephard, Rock Creek pinned Carder, 1:33; Presley, Liberal pinnned Carder, 0:22
136—Cheyenne Carder, N (1-21); Murphy pinned Carder, 1:03; Kelling, Mc pinned Carder, 0:25
155—Lauren Kinsey, N (11-18); Kinsey pinned Allen, WHeights, 2:38; Murray, WSouth def. Kinsey, 7-1; Kinsey pinned Mury, Newton,0:54; Kinsey vs.
235—Maddi Miller, N (16-1), second; Miller pinned Glanville, Chase County, 0:52; Miller pinned Armbruster, Chapman, 3:32; 1ST—Rebekah Franklin, Salina Central pinned Miller, 3:25
