By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
State champions Maranda Bell of Shawnee Heights and Kendra Hurla of Rossville headine TopSports.news' 2022 All-Shawnee County girls wrestling team.
Bell and Hurla were tapped as the Shawnee County co-wrestlers of the year after Bell ended her high school career with the Class 6A-5A 191-pound state title while sophomore Hurla won her second straight Class 4A-1A 120-pound championship.
Shawnee Heights 191-pounder Maranda Bell capped her high school career with a Class 6A-5A state wrestling championship. [Submitted]
Rossville sophomore Kendra Hurla won her second straight Class 4A-1A state championship at 120 pounds. [Submitted]
After finishing third at state as a junior, Bell posted a 27-1 record as a senior, avenging a semifinal loss to Derby's Meya Howell in the 2021 state tournament with a first-period pin in the state final. Bell became Heights' first official girls state champ and the first T-Bird girl to compile 100 career victories.
Hurla won her second state title with a 3-0 decision over Pratt's Jadyn Thompson, capping a 39-0 season for the Bulldawgs.
Washburn Rural junior Addison Broxterman posted a second straight Class 6A-5A runner-up state finish in the 2022 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
The TopSports.news all-county team is based on selections made by the seven Topeka head coaches as well as at large selections for county schools Rossville and Silver Lake.
Washburn Rural, which finished second as a team in 6A-5A after winning back-to-back state titles in 2020 and 2021, put six wrestlers on the first team, led by two-time state runner-up Addison Broxterman, a 120-pound junior..
In addition to Broxterman, Washburn Rural is represented by state placers Kristen Rezac (101-pound sophomore), Alexis Fredrickson (132-pound junior) and Jaliah Johnson (155-pound senior) along with sophomores Laiken Clark (143) and TaAni Rhoten (170).
Broxterman went 42-3 on the season en route to her second state runner-up finish while Fredrickson (43-5) placed third, Rezac (37-8) fourth and Johnson (39-5) fifth in the state meet.
Johnson earned a state medal for the third straight season.
Shawnee Heights put three wresters on the first team, with sophomore Odessa Schmidt (109) and junior Molly Busenitz (115) joining Bell on the all-county squad.
Busenitz posted a fourth-place finish in the state tournament while Schmidt placed fifth.
Shawnee Heights' Chad Parks and Erich Singer were named Shawnee County coaches of the year after leading the T-Birds to a fifth-place team finish at state. Heights was the highest placing 5A school in the 6A-5A state meet.
Seaman is represented on the all-county team by senior 126-pounder Rylee Murray, who placed fifth at state, while Viking freshman Koti Best was named the county newcomer of the year after placing fourth at 132 pounds in her first state meet.
Topeka High junior Marilena Zuniga made the All-Shawnee County first team at 138 pounds while Topeka West sophomore Tristyn Johnson made the first team at 235 pounds.
Johnson placed fifth in 6A-5A while Zuniga finished sixth.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS WRESTLING
First team
Maranda Bell, sr., Shawnee Heights; Addison Broxterman, jr., Washburn Rural; Molly Busenitz, jr., Shawnee Heights; Laiken Clark, so., Washburn Rural; Alexis Fredrickson, jr., Washburn Rural; Kendra Hurla, so., Rossville; Jaliah Johnson, sr., Washburn Rural; Tristyn Johnson, so., Topeka West; Rylee Murray, sr., Seaman; Kristen Rezac, so., Washburn Rural; TaAni Rhoten, so., Washburn Rural; Odessa Schmidt, so., Shawnee Heights; Marilena Zuniga, jr., Topeka High.
Second team
Jenna Best, so., Seaman; Koti Best, fr., Seaman; Ingrid Cabrera, fr., Topeka High; Madison Davison, fr., Washburn Rural; Taryn Dial, sr., Shawnee Heights; Annie Gallegos, fr., Washburn Rural; McKenna Haltom, so., Shawnee Heights; Taylie Heston, fr., Seaman; Hailey Horton, so., Silver Lake; Keera Lacock, so., Rossville; Brantajia Longgins, so., Topeka High; Madison Murray, so., Seaman; Sophia Ross, so., Washburn Rural; Hanna Sixkiller, jr., Shawnee Heights.
Honorable mention
Hayden: Elaina Wolff, so. Highland Park: Monya Dean, so.; Lizbeth Del Real, sr.; Celeste Gonzalez, sr.; Ruby Hernandez, jr.; Victoria Leach, so.; Kimberly Rodriguez, fr. Rossville: Reagan Wonnell, jr. Seaman: Alex Cannon, sr.; Kaidence Heston, jr.; Journey Jones, sr. Silver Lake: Ellen Doty, fr.; Karley Holmes, fr.; Maddie Spreer, jr. Shawnee Heights: Alexandria Buce, sr.; Madison Freeland, fr.; Haley Haltom, sr.; Reece Taylor, fr. Topeka High: Alesia Alvarez, jr.; Nevaiah Martin, so. Topeka West: Dadriona Anderson, so. Washburn Rural: Carmen Alston, jr.; Maddy Blow, fr.; Fatima Escobar, so.; Izzy Estudillo, so.; Emily Funk, so., Kaitlyn Morris, jr.; Kendall Reid, sr.; Alaya Whitehead, sr.
Co-wrestlers of the year -- Maranda Bell, Shawnee Heights, and Kendra Hurla, Rossville.
Newcomer of the year -- Koti Best, Seaman.
Coaches of the year -- Chad Parks and Erich Singer, Shawnee Heights.
