By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
As fate would have it, Tuesday's wrestling dual between Western Athletic Conference rivals Great Bend and Hays came down to the final two contested matches. But some late roster changes made it interesting. The No. 7 Lady Panthers eventually got the 45-36 win over the third-ranked Indians.
"It was awesome because we're not very good against Hays," said senior Danica Cline. "We have broken our dual streak of losing this year so I'm really happy about that. The girls' program has just grown so much."
Cline moved down to 170 pounds where she trailed 3-0 after one period. She was able to ride out the top and get a pin in the second period to give the Panthers a 39-30 edge. But the Indians were guaranteed six points in the final match of the dual - an open weight for Great Bend.
"I was just trying not to get pinned, trying to get out and get us some points," said Cline. "It's just feeling something, try to get an arm or a leg and just keep her down a second."
That meant the dual hinged on the 190-pound match. Senior Kirra Stevens entered the day ranked No. 3 at 170 pounds and found out just after weigh-ins that she would be wrestling up a weight against second-ranked Hays sophomore Eleanor Stoffel, who entered the night with a 17-4 record.
"Not look at her record and, honestly, do what I do and do my absolute best just because I know my team relies on me for these kinds of things," Stevens said.
Despite being undersized, Stevens was able to throw Stoffel a pair of times. One of those throws resulted in a pin 31 seconds into the second period. Those six points secured the dual.
"Usually, taller girls are a lot harder for me," Stevens said. "Coach (Lars Lueders) has been training me a lot to handle the taller girls better so that's helped a lot."
Great Bend largely dominated the lightweight matches. Second-ranked Camdyn Post needed just 30 seconds to pin freshman Alondra Garcia, a varsity fill-in, at 105 pounds. Sophomore Keira Leyva pinned her 110-pound opponent late in the first period for a 12-6 Panther lead. Freshman Micah Ellegood moved up to No. 2 in the latest 125-pound rankings. She needed just 90 seconds to pin her opponent, and freshman Brooklyn Kelly followed with a 94-second pin at 130 pounds. Great Bend opened up a 27-12 lead.
Hays picked up 18 points over the next three classes with a pair of pins and an open weight. Riata Stryker was pinned at 140 pounds, and Tara Newton was pinned at 145 pounds. Lea Nokes picked up open points at 155 pounds to give the Panthers a 33-30 advantage heading into the final two contested matches.
Sophomore Kayle Baldwin picked up crucial points at 120 pounds in perhaps the best match of the dual. She trailed 10-1 before turning things around for a 15-12 decision against sophomore Kenlee Vehige. Freshman Sophia Bauer led 6-3 after one period at 100 pounds but was pinned in the second period. Madison Ketch lost by fall at 115 pounds.