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)
Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean wasted no time in taking down Shawnee Mission North’s Cheyenne Paden, pinning her in just under 8 seconds in their match at the girls wrestling KSHSAA regional meet, held Saturday at Seaman High School in Topeka. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
Eleven Wyandotte County wrestlers earned the opportunity to compete at the KSHSAA girls wrestling state tournament by placing in the regional meet in Topeka on Saturday.
Athletes from Bonner Springs, Harmon, Sumner, and Turner high schools finished fourth place or better to qualify for the tournament coming up on Feb. 23 at Hartman Arena in Park City, just outside Wichita.
Bonner Springs High School will send six wrestlers to the state meet, including Jenna Knight, who won the 120-pound weight class, and Olivia Stean, who won the 170-pound class.
Stean blasted through her two preliminary rounds, pinning her opponents in 8 and then 29 seconds. A rematch against Basehor-Linwood’s highly ranked Mandy Wilson for the title was imminent, but Wilson forfeited the match due to an injury sustained in her semi-final bout. Stean’s season record is now 38-0.
Knight won two matches by fall and a third by major decision to take the 120-pound regional title, pinning Lansing’s Kaylin Dunlap in the second round of their championship match. She heads to the state tournament with a 27-8 record.
Bonner Springs finished third in the team competition, edging past rival Basehor-Linwood in the final round.
After the meet, head coach Dale Taylor was upbeat about the team’s performance, even more about its future.
“I thought we could qualify all nine of us,” the coach said, “but we got six through. And the three that didn’t make it wrestled really hard.”
“We get this whole team back, and more,” Taylor said of his young regional squad that had no seniors and only two juniors.
Turner High School qualified two wrestlers for the state tournament. Arianna Ortiz won the 101-pound class, and Daisy Chavez finished second at 155 pounds. Ortiz defeated Mill Valley’s Raina Frantz in the final, and now holds an 18-1 record for the season.
Harmon High School will send freshman Kamahni Jackson and senior Angelica Aleman to state. Jackson won the 132-pound weight class at the regional, winning all three matches by fall and improving her record to 26-8. Aleman finished fourth in the 155-pound class.
Second-year Harmon athletic director Alma Rosas-Hall talked about her role, and the relatively new sport of girls wrestling.
“My main focus has been to improve our student involvement in activities and in sports,” Rosas-Hall said, “reaching out to the community and establishing that connection.”
Rosas-Hall cheered the team loudly from the floor, and was on hand with the coaches to encourage the Harmon wrestlers after each match.
“I’m very proud,” she said. “We’re tiny but mighty, and it’s just the belief that we can do it, no matter how big or how small you are.”
Sumner Academy’s Alissa Harris finished fourth in the 132-pound bracket to earn her spot at the state tournament.
Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson wrestled Seaman’s Koti Best in the 132-pound final. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs Jenna Knight flipped Seaman’s Jenna Best in their 120-pound match. Knight won by major decision (10-2) on her way to winning the class. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior Daisy Chavez wrestled against Highland Park’s Monya Dean. Chavez won the match in a 7-3 decision. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Turner junior Arianna Ortiz rolled over Mill Valley’s Raina Frantz in the 101-pound final. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Harmon senior Angelica Aleman wrestled Basehor-Linwood’s MacKenzie Botka in a 155-pound match, winning by fall in the second period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs sophomore Chloie Knapp applied some pressure to Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Mackenzie Farkes and won the match in the second period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Sumner Academy junior Alissa Harris boosted Basehor’s Aleksandra Stjepanovic in their 132-pound bout. Harris won by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean had the upper hand on Harmon’s Alayna Santos in their 170-pound bout. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Turner coaches M.J. Bland, left, and Paul Hansen encouraged Daisy Chavez during a match. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Turner junior Daisy Chavez wrestled Harmon senior Angelica Aleman in a 155-pound match. Chavez won by fall in the third period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs sophomore Emmalee Foya got a hold on Reece Taylor of Shawnee Heights. Foya won by fall in the third period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs freshman Kylie Enriquez got some leverage on Seaman’s Taylie Heston in their 109-pound match. Enriquez won by fall in the third period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson hauled down Mill Valley’s Rylee Allen-Atchison in their 132-pound match. Jackson won by fall in the second period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Olivia Stean wrestled Olathe Northwest’s Val Galligan in a 170-pound match at the Ladycat Classic tournament at Basehor-Linwood High School. Stean won the match by fall in 1 minute, 4 seconds on her way to winning the tournament. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
Twenty-nine high school girls’ wrestling teams, including Bonner Springs, Turner, and Harmon, competed in the 4th Annual Ladycat Classic tournament, held on Saturday at Basehor-Linwood High School.
Olivia Stean of Bonner Springs won the 170-pound class, going 5-0 including four falls and a forfeit. She defeated Mandy Wilson of Basehor-Linwood in the championship match. Stean is still undefeated this season at 15-0.
Arianna Ortiz of Turner won the 101-pound class, going 4-0. Ortiz won her three preliminary matches by fall. She defeated Washburn Rural’s Kristen Rezac in the final by technical fall, ahead 16-0 when the match was stopped in the third round.
Stean and Ortiz are both ranked number one in Kansas in their weight classes by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association. Stean was ranked 8th in the country in the 180-pound class in USA Wrestling’s pre-season rankings.
Jenna Knight of Bonner Springs went 4-1 and took 5th place of 16 wrestlers in the 120-pound class. Knight is now 12-3 for the season.
Freshman Kamahni Jackson of Harmon placed 9th in the 132-pound class. She went 3-2 in the tournament with three wins by fall, and she has compiled a 7-4 record so far this year.
Arianna Ortiz wrestled Fort Scott’s Ryelee Cagle in a 101-pound match. Ortiz won the match by fall in the third round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Kamahni Jackson wrestled Gardner-Edgerton’s Alyssa Rutherford in a 132-pound match. Jackson won the match by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Jenna Knight wrestled Emporia’s Katina Keosybounheuang in a 120-pound match. Knight won the match by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Emmalee Foya wrestled Baldwin’s Rein Goebel in the 132-pound C bracket. Goya won by fall in the second round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Tyler Wild wrestled Basehor-Linwood’s Meriska Henderson in a 235-pound match. Wild won the match by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Kaylee Killion wrestled Dodge City’s Ayden Ruiz in the 120-pound C bracket. Ruiz won the match on a 3-2 decision. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Turner’s Daisy Chavez wrestled Spring Hill’s Campbell Mermis in a 155-pound match. Mermis won the match by fall in the second round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
