Four Kearney Bulldogs traveled to Platte County on Saturday looking for a chance to punch their ticket to the State Championships on March 9 .

*Lexi Cole will be competing for her third state title - Photo courtesy Kearney High School*

Laney Cecil went 0-2 in a stacked bracket. Cecil led the entire match against the District 7 Champion before getting caught and pinned in round 1. In her first wrestleback match, she wrestled an opponent who won at district two weeks earlier. Cecil wrestled a great tactical match and led until late in the third.

Hailey Romero placed 4th in a deep bracket loaded with stellar records. Romero upset a very talented senior from Smithville in her consolation semifinal match to earn a shot at qualifying. She was pinned in the 3rd place match. Due to COVID restrictions, only the top 3 finishers get to go to state this year which left Romero out of the final competition.

Jaden Craig wrestled up a weight class for the team all season. She battled her way into the consolation semi-final where she was defeated.

Senior wrestler Lexi Cole dominated her first two matches and found herself in a rematch of last year’s state championship. She came up short for this match, but will be competing for the State Tournament rematch in two weeks. Cole will be competing for her third state title in as many years on March 9.

Kearney High School and Brian Watts contributed to this story