By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The competition was again tough at the third annual Christmas Clash at Great Bend High School Friday and Saturday. One of the largest girls' regular-season wrestling tournaments in the nation features competitors from 33 schools. Dodge City won with 200.5 points, followed by Garden City with 192 points and Manhattan with 172 points. Great Bend scored 128 points for seventh place, beating Larned by 12 points.
Great Bend senior Kirra Stevens made the finals at 170 pounds. Ranked No. 3 in Class 5A, Stevens advanced to the finals with four wins by fall, including wins against fourth-ranked Kodi Waite of Salina Central (5A) and second-ranked Grace Stean of Tonxanoxie (4A). Stevens was pinned by Oakley's top-ranked senior Atavia Cain, the reigning 3-2-1A runner-up, in the championship. Hoisington's Nevaeh Graves placed foufth in the bracket after a loss to Dodge City junior Naomi Orozco, ranked No. 3 at 190 pounds in Class 6A. Ellinwood's Gracyn Dombroski finished seventh after a tech-fall loss to Cain put her on the back side.
While most of the brackets featured multiple ranked wrestlers from all of the classifications, the 145-pound bracket featured one of the area's top wrestlers. Russell senior Jaden Ney, ranked No. 1 all-class at the weight after winning the 3-2-1A title in February, advanced to the finals with three quick wins by fall and a tech fall. In the finals, she met Bishop Carroll senior Alexis Means, ranked No. 1 at 140 pounds and a fourth-place finisher in the 5A 135-pounds bracket last year at state. Means was able to defeat Ney 11-5 for the championship.
Ellinwood senior Emma Hahn made it to the finals at 235 pounds. Ranked No. 2 in 3-2-1A, Hahn pinned her first two opponents before winning a 4-2 decision against Nickerson's (4A) third-ranked junior Elizabeth Dick. Second-ranked Alexa Castillo, a junior from Emporia, pinned Hahn in the finals. Junior Amerie Hinz placed sixth in the bracket for Hoisington, and sophomore A'Tejia Thomas finished 10th for Larned.
Great Bend sophomore Camdyn Post, ranked No. 2 at 105 pounds, finished third in that tough bracket. Post pinned her first two opponents before getting pinned by Dodge City's Elizabeth Ramirez, ranked No. 4 at 100 pounds. Post pinned Ellinwood's Alexandria Gonzalez in the consolation finals.
Larned's Teagan Walker, ranked No. 2, placed fourth in a loaded 100-pound bracket that featured a pair of top-ranked wrestlers. The senior Walker was pinned twice by Manhattan's Eva Lucios who has just one loss on the season. Great Bend freshman Sophia Bauer, ranked No. 5, was pinned by top-ranked Carolina Northup of Stockton (3-2-1A), then pinned by Plainville's Kaeleigh Klein in the fifth-place match.
Lady Panther freshman Micah Ellegood nearly had the upset of the day at 125 pounds. Ranked No. 6 at her new weight, Ellegood led reigning 6A champion Maya Tarbet of Garden City 7-0 before getting pinned in the third period. Tarbet otherwise dominated the bracket for the win. Ellegood was pinned by Russell sophomore Chaysie Bachman, ranked No. 6, in the seventh-place match.
Great Bend sophomore Keira Leyva dropped out of the latest rankings at 110 pounds but pulled out a sixth-place finish Saturday. After a pair of quick pins, she was pinned by the eventual champion from Salina Central. Leyva was pinned by Scott City in the fifth-place match. Ellinwood freshman McKena Parker placed seventh in the bracket.
Russell freshman Averie Counts, ranked No. 2 at 130 pounds, made the consolation finals in that tough bracket. She pinned her first three opponents before losing a 14-13 thriller to Garden City's Alyxia Serrano, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A. Counts lost by tech fall to Garden City in the third-place match.
Three area wrestlers made the top seven at 135 pounds. Russell sophomore Kinsey Zorn, ranked No. 3 in 3-2-1A, placed fourth. Her first loss came against fifth-ranked Margarita Guzman of Garden City. Second-ranked Cara Herbert of Larned was upset by Holcomb. She later pinned her Tonganoxie opponent to secure seventh. Ellinwood freshman Kaylynn Crawford gave top-ranked Hailey Ramos of Dodge City her best match of the tournament until Ramos was pinned in the finals. Crawford finished sixth. Brooklyn Kelly placed ninth for Great Bend.
Larned freshman Paisley Weizbrod, ranked No. 6 at 190 pounds in 3-2-1A, placed fifth in that bracket. Hays freshman Eleanor Stoffel (7-1) won a 3-1 decision against Tonganoxie junior Katy Duncan (8-3) in the finals.
Russell freshman Ashlynn Henley placed fifth at 155 pounds, followed by Great Bend senior Lea Nokes in eighth. Henley lost her first match to fourth-ranked Lexi Barnett of Hays (5A). Nokes fell victim to a quick pin from second-ranked Yareli Garcia of Dodge City. Panther senior Marissa Esparza placed 12th in the bracket.
Great Bend's Madison Ketch placed 12th at 115 pounds, followed by sophomore Kayle Baldwin in 13th. Russell junior Mya Trevino finished eighth. Top-ranked Juliana Villanueva of Junction City won the bracket. Ellinwood's Jenna Borror led area wrestlers at 120 pounds with a 13th-place finish.
Hoisington senior Lilian Gradig placed 10th at 140 pounds in a bracket that featured the top-ranked wrestlers in 3-2-1A and 4A.