Michael Smith
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The battle for the Class 2 girls team state championship came down to the wire.
It was a three-horse race with Francis Howell Central, Nixa and Lebanon all jockeying for position and a first-place trophy.
The difference between first and second place was one by a fraction of a point as Central edged Nixa 125.5-125 to take first place Saturday at Mizzou Arena. The Eagles took second, while Lebanon was close behind in third with 124.5. Liberty was fourth with 95.
Central only had one individual champion in Kailey Benson (120) and six others for the team finished with a state medal.
Below is a summary of the championship match of each weight class and a list of all the medal winners:
100: Troy Buchanan junior Zoey Haney faced a familiar opponent in the finals – Timberland senior Taylor Reiter. Haney already had defeated Reiter three times earlier in the season and that trend continued Saturday as she got a pin in the second period to take first place.
“I felt a lot more confident going into this,” Haney said. “Since I have wrestled her three times before, I knew I could beat her.”
State medalists:
- 1st Place – Zoey Haney of Troy Buchanan
- 2nd Place – Taylor Reiter of Timberland
- 3rd Place – Lilly Breeden of Liberty
- 4th Place – Kinley Harker of Lee`s Summit West
- 5th Place – Killian Evans of Blue Springs South
- 6th Place – Mikayla Stickler of Fort Osage
105: Liberty sophomore Sandy Breeden earned her first state championship as she got a takedown and near fall in overtime to top Nixa senior Kelsey Watts 9-4 to earn her spot atop the podium.
State medalists:
- 1st Place – Sandy Breeden of Liberty
- 2nd Place – Kelsey Watts of Nixa
- 3rd Place – Lillian Cottongim of Lebanon
- 4th Place – Paige Tihen of Ft. Zumwalt South
- 5th Place – Mialee Copeland of Francis Howell
- 6th Place – Madison Haney of Troy Buchanan
110: Fort Osage senior Aroma Marrufo got emotional in the tunnel and cried and said, “I did it!” to her offseason coach Lynn Hart. She did do it as she won her first state title by getting a takedown with 10 seconds left in regulation to beat Francis Howell North junior Isabelle Apple 3-1 in the finals.
“It’s insane,” Marrufo said. “I worked so hard for this moment. “Just to know that I accomplished one of the biggest goals that I have had my entire wrestling career, it feels great.”
