BY JIM MISUNAS
BY JIM MISUNAS
PARK CITY – Returning Great Bend 6-5A state wrestling champion Breanna Ridgeway never imagined she'd celebrate a third state championship when Great Bend coach George Weber introduced her to the sport.
"It feels amazing being my senior year. I never thought anything like this would happen. I figured it'd be a lot harder," Ridgeway said. "I give credit to coach George Weber, when I first started wrestling."
Four years later, No. 1 ranked Ridgeway (37-1, 138) capped her third state title with her fifth pin over Dodge City's No. 3 ranked Hailey Ramos (3:06). Ridgeway earned 115 pins and 124 career victories, the most wins in Kansas girls wrestling history.
"I knew Hailey was strong. But I was confident in the finals," Ridgeway said. "I had to work through my moves and pin her."
Ridgeway pinned KC Sumner’s Alissa Harris (2:26), Andover’s Olivia Randle (0:44) and KC Sumner’s No. 5 ranked Kamahni Jackson (1:35) to reach the finals. No. 1 ranked Ridgeway earned three pins and pinned Ramos (1:19) at regionals.
"Seeing Bre accomplish her goals and being in her corner is a great feeling as a coach," said Great Bend coach Nathan Broeckelman, a state champion at Norton. "Our confidence was good. Bre synched it up tight and did something good. Bre kept her composure and broke Ramos down again."
Mission Valley’s 4-1A state champion Hope Blake handed Ridgeway her only loss this season. Last year, Ridgeway (36-0, 126) completed a historic perfect season with a 6-0 victory over Garden City’s Belle Hernandez. Ridgeway also pinned Hernandez (1:12) at substate and regionals (5:05). Ridgeway also won a non-sanctioned state wrestling championship in 2020 at McPherson with four pins.
No. 5 ranked Daizy Gomez (36-11, 126) placed fourth with a 4-1 loss to Dodge City's No. 4 ranked Ariana De La Rosa. Gomez pinned Olathe West's Gianna Garcia-Campos (0:56), Bonner Springs' Emmalee Foya (1:47), Shawnee Heights' Reece Taylor (0:45) and Washburn Rural's Annie Gallegos (2:50) and lost to Emporia's state runner-up Madelynn Griffin, 8-1. Gomez lost 8-7 to De La Rosa in the regional final.
Great Bend's Haylee Holinde (20-13, 191) lost two matches.
4A SALINA – Hoisington’s No. 2 ranked Tally Wikum (23-2, 138) earned a rematch against Hoxie’s No. 1 ranked Marissa Posch. Posch (37-1) defeated Wikum 10-1 for the state championship after beating Wikum 9-4 in the recent regional finals. Wikum defeated Coffeyville’s Delilah Wright (1:19); Marysville’s Ella Johnson (1:47); and Wellington’s Kaitlyn Hain (1:43) to reach the finals.
Hoisington scored 67 points to capture the 4-1A state runner-up trophy behind Pratt (111).
Burlington’s Maliya Lopez defeated No. 3 ranked Sheena Gocela 11-8 for third place at 101. Gocela defeated Hayden’s Eliana Wolf (1:09) and El Dorado’s Elle Vinson (0:36) before losing to Oskaloosa’s Holly Thatcher 6-2 in the semifinals. Gocela downed Tonganoxie’s Madison Daniels (0:27) to qualify for the third-place match.
Daijah Jones (20-13, 132) placed fourth with a loss against Russell’s Jaden Ney (3:45) for the second consecutive time. Ney pinned Jones (1:48) for the recent regional title. Jones defeated Chase County’s Reese Kohr (2:18) and Fort Scott’s Gabby Rusk (5:36) before losing to Mission Valley’s No. 1 ranked Hope Blake, (0:36). Jones defeated Holton’s Gracie Gallagher (2:40) to qualify for the third-place match.
5-6A STATE, PARK CITY
TEAM TOTALS—1—Dodge City 118.5; 2—Washburn Rural 111; 3—Wichita North 90.5; 4—Olathe NW 79.5; 5—Shawnee Heights 75; 11—Great Bend 50
126—No. 4 Daizy Gomez, GB def. Garcia-Campos, Olathe West, 0:56; No. 2 Griffin, Emporia def. Gomez, 8-1; Gomez def. Foya, Bonner Springs, 1:47; Gomez def. Taylor, Shawnee Heights, 0:45; Gomez def. Gallegos, WR, 2:50; 3RD—No. 3 De La Rosa, DC def. Gomez (36-11), 4-1
132—No. 1 Breanna Ridgeway, GB def. Alissa Harris, KC Sumner, 2:26; Ridgeway def. Olivia Randle, Andover, 0:44; Ridgeway def. No. 5 Kamahni Jackson, KC Sumner, 1:35; 1ST—Ridgeway (37-1) def. No. 3 ailey Ramos, DC, 3:06
191—Alex Cannon, Topeka Seaman def. No. 6 Haylee Holinde, GB, 2:59; Gabby Cheney, DeSoto def. Holinde (20-13), 3:45
4-1A STATE SALINA
TEAM TOTALS—1—Pratt 111; 2—Hoisington 67; 3—Columbus 60; 4—Prairie View 59; 5—Lakin 52
101—No. 3 Sheena Gocela, Hoisington def. Wolf, Hayden, 1:09; Gocela def. Vinson, El Dorado, 0:36; Thatcher, Oskaloosa def. Gocela, 6-2; Gocela def. Daniels, Tonganoxie, 0:27; 3RD— Lopez, Burlington def. Gocela (24-6), 11-8
120—No. 2 Thompson, Pratt def. Kiana Grandclair, Hoisington, 3:27; Grandclair def. Darnell, Baldwin, 3:30; Smyth, Plainville def. Grandclair (19-14), 12-7
126—No. 5 Emily Lovett, Hoisington def. No. 6 Lacock, Rossville, 10-4; Konrade, Winfield def. Lovett, 12-1; Lovett def. Bailey, Girard, 1:33; Jaeger, Colby def. Lovett (29-9), 7-5
132—Daijah Jones, Hoisington def. Kohr, Chase Co. 2:18; Jones def. Rusk, Fort Scott, 5:36; No. 1 Blake, Mission Valley def. Jones, 0:36; Jones def. Gallagher, Holton, 2:40; 3RD—Ney, Russell def. Jones (20-13), 3:45
138—Wikum, Hoisington def Wright, Coffeyville, 1:19; Wikum def. Johnson, Marysville, 1:47; Wikum def. Cain, Wellington, 1:43; 1ST—No. 1 Marissa Posch, Hoxie def. No. 2 Tally Wikum, Hoisington (23-2), 10-1
143—No. 2 Escareno, Eureka def. Morgan Gunter, St. John, 1:37; Witt, Wellington def. Gunter (8-14), 4:19
143—No. 5 Walker, Holton def. Gracyn Dombroski, Ellinwood, 16-0; Rogers, Haven def. Dombroski (14-18), 17-1
155—No. 1 King, Oskaloosa def. Lyrica Orosco, Hoisington, 6-0; Peterson, SV def. Orosco (16-10), 2:27
