Michael Smith
Park Hill junior Angelina Vargas’ didn’t have the ending of her 2023-24 season she wanted.
She had two state championships in 2022 and 2023, but she was upset in the championship match of this year’s state tournament by Fort Zumwalt South’s Jena Gumahin, who pinned Vargas in the third period.
Wrestler Interviews:
- Sovereign Aumua, Grain Valley (140)
- Alana Thelin, Pleasant Hill (170)
- Jayden Moehle, Grain Valley (235)
- Aroma Marrufo, Fort Osage (110)
- Sandy Breeden, Liberty (100)
- Angelina Vargas, Park Hill (120)
The junior had a chance at redemption in Friday’s Rouge Dual at the Mabee Fieldhouse on the Campus of Avila University.
The event features some of the best girls wrestlers in the Kansas City metro area from Missouri and Kansas. Each team has 14 competitors representing their state. Vargas faced off against Olathe South senior Nicole Redmond, a four-time Kansas state champion.
Even with a tough task ahead, Vargas shined in the final match of the evening in a 120-pound bout. She had three takedowns in her 8-2 win over Redmond, putting an exclamation point on Team Missouri’s 57-27 victory.
“I want to be one of the top wrestlers in the Midwest and nationally,” Vargas said. “This was a good win and hopefully I can work my way up to winning a national title.
“It was fun to team with girls you normally don’t get to team with. The is a fun dual to be a part of.”
Fort Osage senior Aroma Marrufo (110) noted Vargas was one of the wrestlers she was looking forward to teaming with on Friday. Like Vargas, she had an impressive showing. She had two takedowns before hooking in a butcher for a pin in 1 minute and 7 seconds in her match with state champion Kenna Miles of Fort Scott. Marufo, who won her first state title this year, helped her team by getting six points.
“I was trying to work on my movement and my stance and trying to stay low,” Marrufo said. “I know she’s a pretty decent girl and I have a lot of respect for her. I went in there to control the match and to see what I could do.
“This means a lot to me. I remember coming to this during my freshman and sophomore years and thinking, ‘It would be so cool to be a part of one.’ Now it’s my senior year and I get to. I feel really blessed and lucky. I was looking forward to teaming with Angelina. We are really good friends and we live far away from each other. It means a lot that we could be on the team together.”
It also meant a lot for Grain Valley senior Sevi Aumua (140) and sophomore Jayden Moehle to team together for one last time. The Eagles duo represented their town well, both getting pins.
Aumua, a three-time state champion, used her signature chicken wing to turn Goodland senior Destiny Gonzalez for a pin in the second period after being up 8-1. The Grain Valley senior will move on and wrestle for Missouri Valley College after this school year….
