EUREKA — Humboldt sophomore Willow LaCrone may soon find her name in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association rankings after taking first at the Eureka Women’s Invitational last Friday.
LaCrone joined Iola junior Zoie Hesse and Iola freshman Kailyn Rodriguez as the area’s top three finishers in a tournament loaded with talent.
LaCrone (17-5) spent less time on the mat than it takes to microwave a bag of popcorn after winning gold on a trio of first-period pins. She opened by pinning McPherson freshman Ailyn Ortiz (6-10) just before the first-period whistle but shaved a minute off her time in the semifinals after pinning Cherryvale junior Katie Hester (14-10) at the 1:26 mark. Remington sophomore Zoey Yager held up until 39 seconds were left in the first period, but LaCrone was just too strong in the end.
Hesse (19-3), who came into the contest ranked second in the 190 lb. weight class by the KWCA, took second place while Humboldt senior Savannah Koch (12-12) took fifth in a six-woman round robin. Hesse opened with a first-period pin of fifth-ranked Columbus sophomore Adalynn Hutto (16-6), then Douglas junior Layton Roberts (13-12) in similar fashion, then Clearwater junior Livia Miller by second-period pin and Koch by first period pin.
In her final match, she fell by third-period pin to top-ranked Winfield senior Abby Brenn (11-0). Koch, meanwhile, fell to Brenn by first-period pin in her opener, then Hutto by second-period pin, but rebounded in her final match with a second-period pin of Miller.
Other results: At 100 lbs., Humboldt senior Tori Melendez fell by third-period pin to tournament runner-up Joanie Pottorf (13-8), a Rossville freshman. Melendez rebounded with a 13-8 victory over Garden Plains junior Kayla Coleman, then defeated Bluestem freshman Delanie Scott (9-10) 4-2 for fifth place.
Humboldt sophomore Jordan Jency, 135 lbs., fell to Remington senior Sheyenne Pinkston by first-period pin, then fell to Columbus junior Cara Altis (14-7) by second-period pin.
Iola freshman Bayleigh Scheibmeir, 135 lbs., made her varsity debut with a pair of losses. She opened with a first-period pin to eventual champion, Amalee Sigg, a 19-4 Winfield junior, then fell to Clearwater freshman Kylee Wulf 8-2.
One weight class higher, Humboldt freshman Brylee Napier, 140 lbs., (2-8) fell to Erie senior Addi Martin (15-7) by first-period pin, then McPherson sophomore Nahla Sechler (7-12) by 5-0 decision.
