The North Kansas City girls wrestling team may be one of the most underrated programs in Missouri.
The Hornets finished eighth in the Class 2 Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships in 2024-25 and had four wrestlers earn medals.
Even after losing two key seniors to graduation from last season’s team, Northtown still has plenty of firepower coming into the 2025-26 campaign. It showed why in its season-opening tournament Saturday at the Tussle for the Tiara event at North Kansas City High School.
The host team had three wrestlers win their respective brackets and two others who placed in the top three as the Hornets won the team title with 180 points. Oak Park took second with 162 and Lebanon was third with 138.5.
The Hornets got a big addition in the offseason as Park Hill South transfer Temperance Lowe is now wrestling at Northtown. She wrestled in her first tournament with her new team and she was dominant.
She pinned all three of her opponents and won by fall in 1:31 over Alyssa Dawson to take first place in the 125-pound weight class.
“I got second place in this tournament last year, so getting that redemption is really good,” Lowe said. “My sweep singles and two on one trip worked well in my matches. And I have been working on my shin picks off the bell.”
The junior admitted the transfer was rocky at first, but now Lowe said she feels like she’s settled in.
“I have had to adjust a lot because I am at school with new people and had new coaches,” Lowe said. “The adjustment was a little rocky, but I feel like with my team support and coaches, everything is amazing. My new teammates have been pushing me to get better.”
Northtown also returns key wrestlers in seniors Anh Ngo and Juliana Tice. Ngo finished fourth last year at 110 and will be gunning for a state championship in her final season. She got off to a good start Saturday as she pinned Truman’s KeNiayah Coleman in 48 seconds in the title bout to take first at 115 pounds.
“I have been working on my mindset a lot,” Ngo said. “Going in I was trying to build my confidence for the match. In past years, I get in my head a lot. I have been working on what I am going to do instead of worrying about what my opponent is going to do.”
Tice is a returning state medalist and she also has aspirations to become a state champion. She made quick work of Carthage’s Hadley White in the championship match of the 105-pound weight class and got a throw and a headlock pin in 18 seconds.
“As soon as the match started, she didn’t pressure into me, so I knew I had the throw no matter what,” Tice said. “I just found it.”
Other Northtown wrestlers to finish in the top three are Lylah Irizarry, who took second in the 140-pound weight class; Alissa Chanda, who was second in the 110-pound weight division; and Arika Miller, who was third at 235.
100: Returning state medalist, Kinley Harker of Lee’s Summit West, went 4-0 in her rebound-robin bracket and earned her spot at the top of the podium.
110: Three-time state medalist Killian Evans of Blue Springs South trailed for much of her championship match with Chanda. But an escape, takedown and near fall late in the third period led to a 14-10 victory and a first-place finish.
120: Raytown’s Ulalia Butler was in the battle in the championship match with Excelsior Springs’ Lilly Goetz and she had a takedown and two reversals to sneak by with a 7-5 victory.
130: Kaylee Herd of Lebanon trailed 7-0 going into the second period against Cathage’s Emely Hernandez Guzman, but rebounded nicely and got a takedown and a pin in 2:13 to take the bracket.
135: Lee’s Summit West’s Dailyn George dominated all three of her matches, getting pins in all of them, including one in the championship match against Oak Park’s Farrabelle Butler to net first place in her weight class.
140: Carthage’s Kaylee James wasted little time clinching the individual title in her division as she pinned Irizarry in just 1:17.
145: Lebanon’s Natalee Joiner had two wins by pin and one by tech fall going into her championship match with Excelsior Springs’ Haylee Ray. It was a close one, but Joiner got an escape and takedown in the third period as she captured first place.
155: Oak Park’s Bailee Wardlow went into the second period in her championship match against Blue Springs South’s Halle Goodrich. She ended up getting a pin from the top position in 2:20 and took first place.
170: Raytown’s Leuia Vai Iatala controlled her match from start to finish in the championship against Neosho’s Aryah Moore and she got three takedowns, a reversal and a near fall in a 14-2 major decision win.
190: Defending state champion Kendall Angelo of Oak Park showed why she is one of the best wrestlers in the state as she pinned all three of her opponents, with the final one coming against Neosho’s Reagan Willhoit in the championship in just 1:38.
235: Clinton’s Gwen Phillips pinned Oak Park’s Cerina Woods in four minutes in the championship match to take first.
