Shawnee Mission Northwest, Piper, Sumner, Turner win matches at Golden Bears tourney

Turner junior midfielder Aleyda Salazar made a quick reversal on Raytown sophomore Vanessa Porter in the third-round match at the Golden Bears Invitational Tournament at Turner. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Five Wyandotte County girls’ high school soccer teams wrapped up play Friday at the second annual Golden Bears Invitational Tournament in Turner.

In the third place match, Piper defeated Bishop Ward 7-0. Freshman Jessica Hale opened the scoring just four minutes in with a run straight up the middle into the box. Seven different players scored for the Lady Pirates in the match. 

Kyndell Letcher completed the first half with a successful penalty kick with less than a minute remaining before the break for a 5-0 advantage.

Sumner Academy defeated Bonner Springs in the fifth place match, outscoring the Lady Braves 7-0 in the second half for a 9-1 win. Joselyn Clark continued to ignite the Sumner offense, turning midfield steals into runs on goal.

Jordan Tran scored two opportunistic goals late in the second half, and Valery Chacon capped the match by scoring with just nine seconds left on the clock.

Junior Mariana Perea-Sandoval scored the Lady Braves’ lone goal in her first ever varsity match. Bonner Springs missed the scoring touch from Jenna Knight, away for a track meet, and the Lady Sabres’ tight midfield defense prevented the long runs Bonner showed in its previous match.

In the seventh place match, the host Lady Bears defeated Raytown 3-0 to earn their first win of the young season.

Turner kept offensive pressure on the Blue Jays throughout the match, but couldn’t break through until just before halftime. One Turner player exclaimed 20 minutes in, “I thought we’d have a goal by now!”

Midfielder Aleyda Salazar earned that first goal with less than a minute remaining in the first half, banging a shot from range up the middle. Salazar’s elusive ball-handling had the Raytown midfield on its heels whenever she pressed forward, and she scored again on a similar shot in the second half.

Xochitl Gomez Corral scored Turner’s other goal, crossing a ball into the box from the left side that curled inside the far post.

After the match, head coach Sara Jackson remarked on the growth her team showed.

“We were slow to start,” the head coach explained, “probably due to the previous four heavy losses with hardly any goal-scoring opportunities. As the game went on, our girls’ confidence grew and they finally managed to put the ball in the back of the net. It was awesome to see our girls’ passes connect and work their way up the field for our first offensive match of the season.”

6A standout Shawnee Mission Northwest defeated Shawnee Mission North 2-0 in the title battle between two longtime Sunflower League rivals.

Final tournament standings:
Shawnee Mission Northwest
Shawnee Mission North
Piper
Bishop Ward
Sumner
Bonner Springs
Turner
Raytown

An attempted shot from Turner sophomore forward Brittney Wilson was covered just in time by Raytown’s goalkeeper. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Xochitl Gomez Corral’s blast from the left side slipped inside the far post to put Turner ahead 2-0. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Turner junior midfielder Aleyda Salazar scored on a shot up the middle. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Piper freshman Kaylynn Jamison slid in with a clearance. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bishop Ward sophomore Nieves Vazquez tipped the ball away from Piper junior Sierra Montez. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Piper sophomore Madison Jones moved to block a kick by Bishop Ward junior Valery Santos. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Piper junior Kyndell Letcher and Bishop Ward junior Valery Santos contested the ball on an offensive push by the Lady Cyclones. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bonner Springs senior Mercedes Madlock and Sumner junior Joselyn Clark matched up near the Bonner Springs goal. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Sumner senior Brenda Guevara-Alatorre launched a shot from just outside the 18-yard box. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Sumner sophomore Ashley Terrazas pushed the ball into the Bonner Springs penalty area. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bonner Springs sophomore Chloie Knapp and Sumner sophomore Kimberly Ortiz pursued a loose ball. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Bonner, Sumner win at Turner tourney

Freshman Gineveve Sopher scored two goals in Bonner Springs’ 10-0 win over Raytown in the second round of the Golden Bears girls’ soccer tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The second round of the Golden Bears girls’ soccer tournament was held Wednesday at the Turner District Activities Center.

A fierce north wind swept the early games, dropping the wind chill into the 30s. As the late matches started, a chill rain arrived to soak the few hardy members of the light crowd.

The Bonner Springs Lady Braves defeated the Raytown Blue Jays 10-0, triggering the mercy rule with five minutes remaining in the match. Bonner’s center midfielder Mercedes Madlock owned the pitch when she chose to press forward, and her connection with forward Jenna Knight powered the offense.

Knight scored four goals and earned three assists. Madlock bent two second-half corner kicks on goal for her two scores. Gineveve Sopher scored twice, and Luci Smith and Laura Fisher scored one goal each.

Piper played Shawnee Mission North to a tight 1-0 decision in North’s favor. Goalkeeper Raegyn Combs saved 15 shots in a stand-out defensive performance for the Lady Pirates.

Bishop Ward’s first-round victory over Raymore put it in the line of fire for Shawnee Mission Northwest in the second round. The Lady Cougars won the match decisively, ringing up 10 goals in the first half to force an early stoppage.

Sumner Academy took on the host team, earning a 8-0 victory over the Golden Bears. Captain Joselyn Clark provided much of the offensive firepower. Ashley Terrazas scored on a brilliant free kick that arced into the net from 30 yards just over the outstretched fingers of Turner’s goalkeeper.

The tournament’s final round will take place on Friday. Piper and Bishop Ward will vie for third place starting at 4:30 p.m. on the lower field, while Sumner and Bonner Springs contest fifth place on the upper field. At 6:00 p.m. Turner and Raytown meet in the seventh place match on the upper field, while Shawnee Mission North and Shawnee Mission Northwest duel for the tournament title on the lower field.

Bonner Springs junior Jenna Knight collected a pass near the left sideline. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bonner Springs senior Mercedes Madlock blasted a corner kick that curled in for a goal. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bonner Springs freshman Laura Fisher scored a goal and recorded two assists. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bonner Springs senior Janiah Bond-Clough centered the ball from the left corner. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bonner Springs sophomore Chloie Knapp played the ball in to the front line. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Piper junior Kyndell Letcher dribbled the ball against Shawnee Mission North sophomore Carmen Duarte. (Photo courtesy of Lexi Miles)

 

Piper junior Sierra Montez contested the ball with Shawnee Mission North sophomore Jadyn Swob. (Photo courtesy Lexi Miles)

 

Piper junior Payton Zimmerman found a clear spot to push the ball up field. (Photo courtesy Lexi Miles)

 

Sumner junior Joselyn Clark launched a shot on goal, pursued by Turner junior Adriana Loya-Loredo. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Turner junior Aleyda Salazar cleared the ball past the attempted block of Sumner sophomore Valery Chacon. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Sumner junior Emily Baltazar was challenged as she dribbled up the right sideline. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Sumner senior Brenda Guevara-Alatorre dribbled up field. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Bonner’s Olivia Stean wins second consecutive state wrestling title

Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean showed off her growing collection of state championship medals after winning the 170-pound championship at the KSHSAA 5A-6A girls’ wrestling tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean took the top spot on the podium at the KSHSAA 5A-6A girls’ wrestling tournament Thursday, repeating her championship performance from a year ago.

She capped a group of four Wyandotte County medal winners from Bonner Springs, Harmon and Turner high schools.

The tournament took place Wednesday and Thursday at Hartman Arena in Park City.

Stean defeated Basehor-Linwood senior Mandy Wilson in the championship round of the 170-pound weight class. Familiar adversaries, they had already faced each other twice this season. Stean pinned Wilson just 49 seconds into the match to earn the win.

Forty-nine seconds was Stean’s longest match of the tournament. She blew through Wednesday’s preliminary rounds by pinning opponents in 15, 30 and 22 seconds.

Speaking after the tournament, she dedicated the performance to her friend, Hayleigh Wempe, a wrestler from Baldwin who took her own life last year.

“I’ve been thinking about her a lot,” Stean said. “I want to wrestle in her name. I want to win these titles for her because our goal was to win state together and now sadly that’s not going to happen.”

Stean finished the season undefeated with a 42-0 record, and she has her sights set beyond the Kansas state championship to becoming a finalist at the 16U national championships in Fargo, North Dakota, this summer.

Turner junior Arianna Ortiz earned state finalist honors in the 101-pound weight class, winning her way through the bracket with two falls and a major decision on Wednesday.

Ortiz faced Derby sophomore Amara Ehsa in Thursday’s final. Though Ortiz took control of the match early, Ehsa recovered and caught her momentarily off balance to make a pin and win the match.

Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson earned sixth place in the 132-pound class. She won her first two matches Wednesday, pinning both opponents, but she lost in the semi-final to eventual champion Breanna Ridgeway of Great Bend.

Bonner Springs junior Jenna Knight won sixth place in the 120-pound class. She defeated Kaylynn Ottenschnieder of Spring Hill and Addison Otte of Hays in her first two rounds, but class winner Hannah Glynn of Blue Valley Southwest pinned her in the semi-final round.

The performances from Stean and Knight helped Bonner Springs place 15th in the team competition out of 58 schools at the tournament.

Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean pointed skyward after her win over Kapaun Mount Carmel’s Gianna Redcorn in their quarterfinal match. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior Arianna Ortiz subdued Salina Central’s Haylie James in the quarterfinal round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson wrestled Kapaun Mount Carmel’s Aalyra Arguelles, winning by fall in the second period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs junior Jenna Knight wrestled Hays’s Addison Otte in a quarterfinal match in the 120-pound weight class. Knight won by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior Arianna Ortiz overpowered Garden City’s Anahi Cervantes and won by fall in the second round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs sophomore Chloie Knapp wrestled Garden City’s Angel Serrano in the opening round of the tournament. Serrano won by fall in the third period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs junior Olivia Stean rushed Spring Hill’s Lexi Suter for a quick win in the opening round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Harmon junior Kamahni Jackson received her medal at the end of the two-day tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior Arianna Ortiz wrestled Derby sophomore Amara Ehsa in the finals of the 101-pound weight class. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Sumner junior Alissa Harris wrestled Washburn Rural’s Alexis Fredrickson in the third round of the tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson was all smiles after a win. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs junior Jenna Knight wrestled Spring Hill’s Kaylynn Ottenschnieder in the opening round of the tournament, getting a pin in the first period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)