By NATHAN SWAFFAR
Topsports.news
PARK CITY -- Saturday had the chance to be special for the Shawnee Heights girls wrestling program.
With three chances at state titles, multiple prospects for medal finishes and a possible top-three team finish, the only question was if the T-Birds could capitalize on the opportunity.
In the end, not only was the day nearly perfect, it was historical.
Shawnee Heights senior star Cianna Graves reacts while having her hand raised as the Class 5A 155-pound state champion Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves accepts the Class 5A third-place team trophy Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
The T-Birds saw senior Cianna Graves, sophomore Olive Jones and freshman Brinnley Morris all capture individual titles en route to a third-place team finish for Shawnee Heights (141.5 points) for the second straight year as Basehor-Linwood (200.5) and Kapaun Mt. Carmel (157) finished first and second, respectively.
“Three state champions is a record for us,” Shawnee Heights coach Chad Parks said. “We’ve had two in the past, we’ve never had three at once, so that was really awesome. Even the girls that didn’t get on the podium, they wrestled really, really well.”
The three champs in one day was a program-wide record as well, and Graves got the party started.
A senior, Graves (35-2) finally captured the 155-pound state title that eluded her for three years when she pinned Basehor-Linwood’s Falasteen Shalabi in the second period.
After two state medals as an freshman and sophomore and a third-place finish last year, the triumph brought Graves to tears immediately after the whistle blew.
“I feel like I put in a lot of hard work and the people who have helped me get there, just getting to see their faces, I hope they know they played a part in it,” Graves said.
The four-time state medalist led 1-0 after an escape point. However, Graves saw her opportunity when Shalabi chose to be on bottom in the second period.
“I’ve wrestled her before in neutral, I knew we were going to be moving around and there was going to be a lot of pushing back and forth,” Graves said. “When she chose bottom, that’s my place to be.”
But the T-Birds’ fun was just getting started.
Shawnee Heights freshman Brinnley Morris celebrates her 120-pound state title Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Freshman Brinnley Morris (21-3) captured Shawnee Heights’ second title of the day a little while later at 120 pounds.
She physically dominated Salina Central’s Natalia Garcia wire-to-wire, leading 15-4 in the second period before she ended things early with a pin.
“[Physicality] that’s kind of what we did all year at practice, summer conditioning, just making sure we could keep up the strength and endurance to dominate the whole time,” Morris said.
And finally, a little bit later with a chance to go three for three in title matches, sophomore Olive Jones (39-1) capped off the day for Shawnee Heights as she captured the 135-pound title with a second-period victory by fall over Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Grace Hare.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones gains the upper hand en route to the 135-pound Class 5A state championship Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Jones qualified for state last year, but failed to find the podium. Parks said that lit a fire for her that burned for a year.
“She said, ‘I’m never going to feel that again. I’m never going to let that happen again,’ ” Parks said. “And she has absolutely worked her tail off. She’s calm, collected all the time and she comes out and attacks.”
Along with their three state champions, Olivia Stevens finished third at 145 pounds and Audrey Hinkly was fifth at 125, all culminating in a third-place team finish for the T-Birs.
On the boys side, Evan Johnson found the podium with a sixth-place finish at 175 pounds.
Highland Park senior Makayla Cadet advanced to the Class 5A 190-pound championship match for the second straight season, finishing second Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Cadet’s repeat bid falls short in title match
Unfortunately for Highland Park’s Makayla Cadet, the end of her high school career did not conclude with her holding her second straight championship bracket.
Cadet (23-3) fell via a second-period pin to Basehor-Linwood’s Izzy Renfroe, denying her of a second straight state title at 190 pounds.
The two were even in the first period before Renfroe picked up a takedown and the pin with 15 seconds left in the second period.
“She’s beyond the wrestler anyone could ask for,” said Highland Park girls wrestling coach Elaina Cutshall. “She's the most coachable wrestler. She comes to practice every single day, even with a knee injury, and pushes through. I couldn't be more proud of her, regardless of where we placed today.”
Cadet finishes her career with the two state medals, highlighted by last year’s state title. But her influence on the Scots’ girls wrestling program may be more important than anything.
“She was our only female wrestler this year,” Cutshall said. “Without her, we wouldn’t have a program. She is our program.”
Seaman’s Frazier, Reichart capture third-place finishes
Despite failing to place a qualifier in a title match, Seaman still saw two boys wrestlers hit the podium as juniors Deegan Fraizer and Henry Reichart each took home the bronze for the Vikings.
At 150 pounds, Frazier took down Goddard’s Thomas Walter via a 12-5 decision. In the 285-pound division, Reichart also took home a victory via an 8-2 decision over Emporia’s Jose Vargas.
On the girls side for the Vikings, Avery Villines (125) and Isabelle McClintock (170) each took sixth in their respective divisions. Topeka West’s Monica Stewart (235) captured fifth.
