BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
PARK CITY — Great Bend Panthers Camdyn Post and Brooklynn Kelly learned battling for an elusive state wrestling championship is a constant challenge.
Panther finalists No. 1 ranked Post (110) and No. 5 ranked Kelly (125) both earned runner-up silver medals in Saturday's 5A state wrestling championship matches.
Post was tied 8-8 with KC Sumner's No. 2 ranked Angie Mensa. But Mensa earned eight points in the third period for a 16-8 victory. It marked the second consecutive year Post lost in the finals.
"Camdyn surprised her at the start and put her on her back. We didn't get the count she wanted for back points," said Great Bend girls coach Jeremy Foster. "Camdyn give it her best, but wore out at the end. You get desperate and you've got to go for something big and she tried for it. She'll come back strong next year and do it again."
The championship was similar to Post's semifinal where she outlasted Basehor's No. 5 ranked Miley Locke 17-15. Post earned a takedown and near fall in the final seconds to earn the victory.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel's No. 1 Courtney Nye (39-2) faced a much tougher challenge from Kelly after beating her 15-0 in last week's 5A regional. Nye led 2-0 in the third period when she overpowered Kelly for a winning pin (5:11).
Kelly reached the finals after winning 5-0 over Salina Central's No. 2 Abbie Slothower along with a semifinal win over Spring Hill's Sadie Dickie (4:27).
"Brooklynn wrestled really well. She gave Nye a good match after regionals," Foster said. "Brooklynn did a good job staying light on her feet and be ready to defend. Brooklynn got in on some shots, but didn't finish them. Being on her feet was her best chance."
Panther Micah Ellegood (130) pinned Hays High's Reese Vehige (2:50) for third place. Ellegood was pinned by KC Washington's state champion Reddi Johnson (1:28) in the semifinals.
"Johnson is a stout wrestler who is really strong," Foster said. "Micah is tall and lean. She overpowered Micah. Had Micah been on the other side of the bracket, she may have been in the finals. Micah bounced back to earn third. Her goal was to go through injury-free and she accomplished that goal after breaking her collarbone last year."
No. 5 ranked Keira Leyva lost to St. Thomas Aquinas; Keila Cisper 6-4 to place sixth. Kapaun Mt. Carmel's state champion Hailey Estrada pinned Leyva (1:43).
Fifth-place medalist Kayle Baldwin (115) edged Lansing's Baylee Baragay 3-2.
The Panthers scored 101 points to finish sixth with Hays (96) placing seventh. Basehor-Linwood (2001/2) won the 5A team title with Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel (157) runner-up.
5A GIRLS, PARK CITY
100—No. 4 Sophia Bauer, GB def. Martin, KC Washington, 1:01; No. 2 Audrey Yarmer, Hays def. Bauer; 13-2; Bauer def. Ladd, KC Harmon, 0:46; Gomez, New def. Bauer, 5-1
105—No. 5 Keira Leyva GB def. Chavez, KC Sumner, 2:31; No. 4 Estrada, KMC def. Leyva, 1:43; Leyva def. Vaillancourt, DeSoto, 1;43; Leyva def. Belote, Hutchinson, 2:06; Galvan, BL def. Leyva, 0:53; 5TH—Cisper STA def. Leyva, 6-4
110—No. 1 Camdyn Post, GB def. Bruce, KC Piper, 0:41; Post def. No. 6 Giles, New, 0:21; Post def. No. 5 Locke, Basehor, 17-15; 1ST—No. 2 Angie Mensa, KC Sumner def. Post, 16-8
115—Kayle Baldwin, GB def. Vega, KC Sumner, 15-4; No. 3 Hinojos, New def. Baldwin, 7-1; Baldwin def. Gallo Macedo, Andover, 4-2; Baldwin def. Locke, Basehor, 7-6; Saylor, SH def. Baldwin, 1:32; 5TH—Baldwin def. Baragay, Lansing, 3-2
125—No. 5 Brooklynn Kelly, GB def. Harris, Lansing, 1:58; Kelly def. No. 2 Slothower, SC, 5-0; Kelly def. Dickie, SH, 4:27; 1ST—No. 1 Nye, KMC def. Kelly, 5:11
130—No. 4 Micah Ellegood, GB def. Nyland, Basehor, 1;37; Ellegood def. No. 5 James, New, 0:38; No. 1 Johnson, KC Washington def. Ellegood, 1:28; Ellegood def. Lerch, KMC, 11-8; 3RD—Ellegood def. Vehige, Hays, 2:50
170—Rydlie Swanson, GB def. Sullivan KC Piper, 5:09; Lara, VC def. Swanson, 1:44; Watson, SH def. Swanson, 2:47; Frazier, DeSoto def. Swanson, 6-2
