By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights and Seaman dominated Saturday's Class 6A-5A regional girls wrestling tournament at Seaman, finishing one-two in the team standings while combining for four individual championships and a whopping 15 state qualifiers.
Shawnee Heights captured the team title by a 141-127 margin over Seaman while qualifying eight wrestlers for the 6A-5A state tournament Feb. 23-24 at Park City's Hartman Arena, led by individual champions Molly Busenitz and Maranda Bell.
Shawnee Heights junior Molly Busenitz has her hand raised as the 115-pound Class 6A-5A regional wrestling champion Saturday at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Maranda Bell gets the upper hand on Highland Park senior Celeste Gonzalez in Saturday's Class 6A-5A regional 191-pound championship match. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Busenitz, a junior, improved to 23-1 with a 2 minute, 33-second pin in the championship match over Seaman sophomore Madison Murray while Bell, a senior returning state medalist, improved to 22-1, pinning Highland Park senior Celeste Gonzalez in 59 seconds.
The T-Birds also got second-place finishes from sophomore 109-pounder Odessa Schmidt (18-8) and sophomore 143-pounder McKenna Haltom (22-7), third-place finishes from 126-pound freshman Reece Taylor (14-12) and 132-pound senior Haley Haltom (20-8) and fourths from senior Alexandria Buce (2-1) and freshman Madison Freeland (17-8).
"The girls came out and wrestled super hard,'' Shawnee Heights coach Chad Parks said. "The wins, losses or whatever, that's what we ask of them and they literally left it on the mat.''
Next up is the state meet and Parks' T-Birds, who sent three to state last season, will be looking for Heights to make some noise.
"We've got two weeks and we're getting better every day and that's going to be the focus, getting in (the room) and training hard,'' Parks said. "When we get to the state tournament, it's show up and wrestle hard.''
Seaman freshman 109-pounder Taylie Heston battles with Shawnee Heights sophomore Odessa Schmidt in Saturday's 109-pound regional final. Heston took the title with a 10-8 decision. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman senior Riley Murray (right) won the 126-pound regional championship with a win by pin in 3 minutes, 27 seconds Saturday at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Runner-up Seaman got individual championships from freshman 109-pounder Taylie Heston (20-10) and 126-pound senior Rylee Murray (18-5).
Heston took a 10-8 decision over Schmidt in the finals while Murray pinned Bonner Springs sophomore Emmalee Foya in 3:27.
The Vikings qualified seven wrestlers for state overall after not getting a competitor past sub-state a year ago.
Seaman got runner-up finishes from sophomore Madison Murray (24-4) and freshman 132-pounder Koti Best (25-5) and thirds from sophomore Jenna Best (19-8), junior Kaidence Heston (21-10) and senior 191-pounder Alex Cannon (15-9).
"It's been a redemption year,'' Seaman coach Jordan Best said. "Rylee, Madison and Jenna were the three last year that didn't make it to state from sub-state and all of them got in this year, so they'll have high expectations to put themselves on the podium from here.''
In addition to the second-place finish from Gonzalez, a senior with a 15-4 record, Highland Park also qualified freshman 109-pounder Kimberly Rodriguez (11-10) for state, with Rodriguez placing fourth.
CLASS 6A-5A REGIONAL GIRLS WRESTLING
Team scores
Shawnee Heights 141, Seaman 127, Bonner Springs 94, Basehor-Linwood 92, Leavenworth 63.5, Lansing 46, Shawnee Mission Northwest 46, Harmon 40, Turner 38, Free State 27, Highland Park 26, Mill Valley 16, Sumner 11.
Individual results
101 -- Championship: Ortiz, Turner, pinned Frantz, Mill Valley, 2:27. Third: Hampton, Basehor-Linwood, pinned Rodriguez, Highland Park, 0:57.
109 -- Championship: T. Heston, Seaman, dec. Schmidt, Shawnee Heights, 10-8. Third: Enriquez, Bonner Springs, pinned Duewel, Bonner Springs, 2:19.
115 -- Championship: Busenitz, Shawnee Heights, pinned M. Murray, Seaman, 2:33. Third: Kitson, Shawnee Mission Northwest, pinned Townsend, Lansing, 4:16.
120 -- Championship: Knight, Bonner Springs, pinned Dunlap, Lansing, 2:36. Third: J. Best, Seaman, pinned Buce, Shawnee Heights, 4:05.
126 -- Championship: R. Murray, Seaman, pinned Foya, Bonner Springs 3:27. Third: Taylor, Shawnee Heights, pinned Jones, Basehor-Linwood, 1:37.
132 -- Championship: Jackson, Harmon, pinned K. Best, Seaman, 1:28. Third: H. Haltom, Shawnee Heights, pinned Harris, Sumner, 3:58.
138 -- Championship: Gray, Free State, pinned Wallace, Basehor-Linwood, 1:13. Third: K. Heston, Seaman, pinned Freeland, Shawnee Heights, 2:29.
143 -- Championship: Jackson, Leavenworth, maj. dec. M. Haltom, Shawnee Heights, 11-2. Third: Busch, Lansing, dec. Vanderweide, Basehor-Linwood, 9-2.
155 -- Championship: Johnson, Leavenworth, maj. dec. Chavez, Turner, 11-2. Third: Knapp, Bonner Springs, pinned Aleman, Harmon, 0:41.
170 -- Championship: Stean, Bonner Springs, winner by inj. def. over Wilson, Basehor-Linwood. Third: Goodman, Leavenworth, pinned Rovels, Shawnee Mission Northwest, 2:09.
191 -- Championship: Bell, Shawnee Heights, pinned Gonzalez, Highland Park, 0:59. Third: Cannon, Seaman, pinned Bonner, Basehor-Linwood, 2:05.
235 -- 1. Christenson, Basehor-Linwood; 2. Wild, Bonner Springs.
