By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights, top-ranked in the most recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, posted a strong runnerup team finish in Saturday's 5A East Regional at Bonner Springs, qualifying 12 wrestlers for state.
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 35-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound title for Shawnee Heights in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Madison Freeland (left) won the 140-pound Class 5A regional title Saturday at Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
Heights finished the regional tournament with 215.5 points, while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Basehor Linwood, took first with 234.5 points.
Shawnee Heights got individual regional championships from 125-pound senior Reece Taylor, 140-pound senior Madison Freeland and 135-pound junior Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100) and senior Isabel Reyes (130) advanced to the regional finals, finishing second.
Taylor, No. 1 ranked in 5A at 125, improved to 33-3 with her regional title, posting a 1 minute, 18 second pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe in the final.
Freeland, No. 5-ranked at 140, is 28-6 on the season after recording a 3:25 pin over Bonner Springs junior Nevaeh Brown in her final while Graves, 35-2 and top-ranked at 155, took a 4-2 win over Bonner Springs junior Addison Voges in the regional championship match.
Sophomore Audry Hinkly (120) and junior Olivia Stevens (145) posted third-place finishes while freshman Olive Jones (135) and sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) placed fourth, junior Mara Grau-Jones (235) fifth, freshman Halle Hill (110) sixth and junior Shelby Watson (190) seventh.
Highland Park finished 10th as a team while qualifying five wrestlers for state.
Senior 190-pounder Makayla Cadet paced the Scots with a runnerup regional finish. Now 19-4 on the season, Cadet is ranked No. 4 in 5A by the KWCA.
The Scots also got fifth-place finishes from senior Kimberly Rodriguez (105) and junior Connie Burns (115), a sixth-place finish from Kylisha James (155) and a seventh-place showing from freshman Leighton Compton (100).
The 5A state tournament will be held Feb. 28-March 1 at Park City's Hartman Arena.
Junior Emme Blanco won the 140-pound regional title on Saturday at Wichita West, leading Washburn Rural to a third-place team finish. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Defending 6A champion Rural sending 12 to state
Regional champion Emme Blanco led Washburn Rural to a third-place team finish in Saturday's Class 6A regional at Wichita West.
Blanco, a junior 140-pounder, improved to 31-9 on the season with a 44-second win by pin over Garden City junior Margarita Guzman. Blanco is ranked No. 5 in 6A by the KWCA.
Rural sophomore Justin McBurney finished second at 235 pounds while the Junior Blues got third-place finishes from senior Molly Spader (105), senior Maddy Blow (115), senior Ashley Schwarz (155) and junior Elia Smith (170).
Junior Lacey Middleton (120) and senior Annie Gallegos (125) posted fourth-place regional finishes while junior Madison Blanco (135) and freshman Janiah Matthie-Johnson (190) placed fifth, Reese Garrett (145) was seventh and senior Heidi Fraser (110) eighth.
Garden City won the team title with 274.5 points while Dodge City placed second with 263.5 points and Rural was third with 218.5 points.
Topeka High, which finished 16th as a team, will be represented at state by senior 140-pounder Jenea Bratton, who finished seventh at regionals.
The 6A state meet will be held Feb. 28-March 1 at the The AdventHealth Sports Park in Overland Park.
Five Eagles qualify for 4A state
Silver Lake tied for 10th on Saturday in the 30-school Class 4A regional at Paola, qualifying five wrestlers for the 4A state meet February 28-March 1.
Junior 155-pounder MaKayla Connor paced the Eagles with a runnerup regional finish, improving to 31-8 on the season.
Sophomore Kamiryn Clark (100) posted a fourth-place regional finish while senior Karley Holmes (110) was fifth and sophomore Riley Mohler (125) and junior McKenna Harris (130) sixth.
The 4A state meet will be held at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina.
Bulldawgs sending four to state
Rossville sophomore 145-pounder Madelyn Wonnell posted a runnerup finish on Saturday in the Class 3A-1A regional hosted by Rossville, leading four state qualifiers for the Bulldawgs.
Freshman Nora Mitchell (100) finished fourth while senior Brinley Pottorf (105) and senior Shayla Rezac (120) qualified for state with fifth-place finishes.
The 3A-1A state tournament will be held February 28-March 1 at Hays.
