The Bulldogs wrestled their absolute best tournament of the season, winning the program’s first District Championship by a 23.5-point margin over 2nd-place Odessa.
The top four wrestlers from each weight class advance to the state tournament on Feb. 26-27 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. The KHS girls did not disappoint. A program-record eight Bulldogs punched their ticket to state.
The Bulldog excellence extended off the wrestling mats, according to Head Coach Nick Ward. He was grateful for the community effort to successfully host the tournament.
“Thank you to everyone who came out and cheered us on this weekend,” Coach Ward said. “A big thanks to the Kearney School District Activities Department and all the volunteers, custodians, and behind-the-scenes folks who helped us pull off hosting a large, first-class wrestling event. We received tons of praise for how well everything operated.”
Individual Highlights:
Myla Woolridge – The freshman sensation entered the tournament as the second seed and pinned her way to the championship round. She lost a close decision to a returning state medalist to finish in second place. This will be Myla’s first trip to Columbia, but the freshman is no stranger to winning big matches.
Ella Herndon – The team’s senior leader cruised to the championship round and lost a hard-fought battle to a returning three-time state qualifier to finish with the silver medal. This is Ella’s second trip to the state tournament in only her third year of wrestling.
Bailey Martin – The senior returning three-time state medalist and defending state champion cruised to the finals, where she found a familiar foe in Mid-Buchanan’s Delanie Smith. Delanie is also a multiple-time medalist with a state title of her own. Bailey has lost to Smith the last two times they have met. On this day, the Kearney senior would not be denied. She took an early lead and kept piling up points. She fought off her back for 1:34 in the third period to win 12-10. This is Bailey’s third district championship and fourth trip to the state tournament.
Riley Walker – The two-time state medalist was rolling towards the finals. She led by 14 in the semi-final and got caught and pinned in the third period. She battled back through the consolation bracket in true champion fashion, pinning her way to 3rd place and earning her third trip to Columbia.
Aida Appenfeller – In one of the most exciting moments of an action-packed “blood round” that she had to win in order to advance in the tournament, Aida pinned the second seed, returning state qualifier Danica Ballard of Smithville, avenging a prior loss and punching through to state. Aida didn’t stop there; she pinned the fourth seed in the 3rd-place match to close out a fantastic tournament. The sophomore will be making her first trip to Mizzou Arena.
Bella Wenzel – Bella is another freshman talent with homerun potential. Bella went 3-2 and defeated a returning state qualifier in a gutsy quarterfinal round that set her up to be in a great place to advance on Saturday, where she got it done. Bella finished 4th place and will make her first trip to the state tournament.
Carli Vargas – The #14 nationally ranked, #1 state-ranked sophomore made short work of the field, pinning her way through the tournament in dominant fashion. Carli pinned all four opponents in a combined time of 1:40.
Ella Chavez -The first-year freshman has steadily improved, from starting 0-5 at a rookie tournament in early December to qualifying for the state tournament in mid-February. This is nothing short of incredible. Ella pulled off some recent big victories that helped her secure the fourth seed, and she carried that momentum into the district tournament to finish in 4th place.
KPGZ News – Ray Weikal contributed to this story.
