Michael Smith
When anyone talks about the Fort Osage girls wrestling program, Hailey Ward is the name that likely sticks out.
Afterall, she is a two-time defending state champion.
As a junior, she’s the leader of a young Indians squad, and while she is the most accomplished wrestler on the team, the Indians have plenty of other wrestlers who have talent.
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That talent was on display at a tri dual against North Kansas City and Park Hill South Tuesday at home. Fort Osage dominated both teams, winning 66-18 against the Hornets and 66-12 against the Panthers.
“We knew when Hailey got here that we were going to try and build the best team we possibly could,” Barker said. “We’re still super young. We’re mostly made up of sophomores. We only had one senior, but she unfortunately got hurt at the beginning of the season.
“We have been wrestling really well at the beginning of the season. We started slow, but we are coming on strong late. We don’t want to peak in December or January, we want to peak in February.”
Park Hill South topped Northtown 51-12 in the other dual.
Emily Floray is an emerging star for Fort Osage. The 235-pounder took second place in one of the biggest tournaments in the state, the Kansas City Stampede, last month. On Tuesday, she overcame a 4-2 deficit to pin Tristyn McCoy in the third period. She also pinned Northtown’s Olivia Turney in 23 seconds.
Floray noted that it was a change in mindset that has helped her have more success for her junior year. As a freshman, she didn’t win a match.
