Kansas high school girls wrestling state tournament: Read about all Wichita-area champions

Druzzla Johnson had just become a state champion for the first time, defeating the wrestler who has given her the only two losses — coming in the state finals each time — of her high school career.

But if you were expecting some kind of emotional celebration on Thursday afternoon at Hartman Arena in Park City, then look elsewhere. To the Wichita West junior, becoming a Kansas girls wrestling state champion was expected.

“You don’t celebrate putting your pants on in the morning, do you?” Johnson said when asked about her business-like reaction. “It was a good match against a great competitor, but at the end of the day, that’s what I needed to do. I’m not going to celebrate something that I should have done a long time ago.”

Johnson has long been one of the state’s best wrestlers, but it just so happened she has been in the same weight class as Olathe West’s Makayla Rivera, who is regarded by some as the best pound-for-pound wrestler in Kansas. The two have met in the state finals the past two years with Rivera winning both times.

When the trilogy was finalized on Wednesday, Johnson said she didn’t treat the third showdown any differently.

“I don’t really watch much film on other people, I think more about what I did wrong (in matches),” Johnson said. “What can I fix with me? I can’t control what other people do.”

Rivera was a buzzsaw on the first day of the state tournament, pinning three straight opponents in a total of 80 seconds to reach the finals. She had been dominant by taking opponent’s heads and quickly maneuvering around them for the pin.

But in the finals, Johnson successfully stonewalled Rivera’s attempts. She scored an early takedown in the first period for a 2-0 lead, then all but sealed the match near the end of the second period when Johnson scored a reversal and a nearfall in the final 11 seconds to open up a 7-0 lead.

“Dru wrestled very smartly. She kept it tight, but loose at the same time,” West coach Jason Gamble said. “(Rivera) left her a couple of openings and she took advantage. That girl is a tremendous wrestler. Hats off to her because she beat us twice. Two state championships in a row, but this time we finally got her.”

Johnson finished off an eye-opening 9-1 major decision over Rivera, who was the No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in Kansas. She said she allowed the winning moves to develop naturally.

“Of course I have the moves I like to do, my bread and butter, but I don’t like to look for moves, I look for opportunities,” Johnson said. “I just took advantage of the opportunities that I had to get on top.”

After unbeaten seasons came to an end in devastating fashion in the final match of the season the last two years, Johnson was finally able to complete a perfect season with a 24-0 record as a junior.

Johnson said she was proud of the way she battled through injuries this season, which included separating both of her shoulders and a nagging knee injury.

“I wouldn’t call it overcoming because to me, wrestling is like a job,” Johnson said. “I enjoy it, but this is just what I have to do. There was never a point where I thought this was maybe the end. I just had to push through.”

Derby’s Amara Esha wins second state title

It took less than seven minutes of mat time for Derby junior Amara Esha to win her second straight Class 6-5A state championship.

Esha registered four straight pins to win the 105-pound division, culminating with a first-period pin of Dodge City’s Jessica Rivera in the finals.

After winning the title at 101 last season, Esha moved up a weight class to win her second title with a 30-2 record.

Derby also had another state medalist in junior Trinity Williams, who placed fourth in the 190 division to conclude a 24-5 season.

North had four individual medalists in junior Jaycee Tyler (third at 140), senior Diana Urista (fourth at 130), sophomore Xitlaly Meraz (fourth at 115) and senior Larissa Garcia (fifth at 110), while Southeast placed junior Alivia Wilson (sixth at 110). Kapaun placed junior Jayla Johnson (second at 140) and freshman Taylor Barringer (fifth at 105) and Bishop Carroll had two medalists in junior Karla Martinez (third at 190) and sophomore Alexis Means (sixth at 130).

Other Wichita-area state medalists included Valley Center senior Grace Timmons (second at 170) and Gracie Orr (sixth at 235), Newton senior Jaymie Murry (second at 155) and senior Emily Torres (fifth at 120), Hutchinson senior Anna Cullens (second at 110), Goddard Eisenhower senior Lainie Burkhart (third at 115) and Andover sophomore Olivia Randle (fourth at 140).

Three Wichita-area wrestlers notch undefeated state championship in 4-1A

In her final high school match, Mulvane senior Kammie Schanz had the pressure of a perfect season and second state championship on the line when her match in the 145-pound finals with Goodland’s Destiny Gonzalez went to sudden-death overtime.

Schanz was up for the challenge, scoring the winning takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first overtime period to claim the second Class 4-1A state title of her career at Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina.

In a dramatic championship match, Gonzalez took a 2-1 lead into the third period when she scored a late reversal. But Schanz pulled back in front with a reversal of her own early in the third period, only for Gonzalez to finally wiggle free with 10 seconds remaining to force overtime.

In overtime, Gonzalez tried to step through to gain the advantage, but Schanz rebuffed her attack and was able to drag her opponent to the mat and fall on top of her to score the winning takedown in dramatic fashion.

Schanz, which was ranked No. 2 in the all-class rankings in her division, finished her senior season with an unblemished 41-0 record. She finished her career as a 4-time state medalist, including three appearances in the state finals with the 2021 state title in the 138 division.

Buhler senior Emilie Schweizer was also an undefeated state champion, wrapping up a perfect 32-0 season with a dominant performance in the 190 finals to win the second state championship of her career.

After losing in the semifinals last year at state, Schweizer delivered a dominant performance in her senior send-off, pinning four straight opponents, including a third-period pin over Wellington junior Aubrey Hunt in the finals. She won the 235 title as a sophomore in 2021, as well.

Another unbeaten state champion was Winfield junior Sheena Gocela, who needed just over six minutes of mat time to pin three straight opponents to complete a perfect 33-0 season and win the state championship at 100. Gocela nearly registered a pin in the first period of the finals against Columbus junior Grace Noel, but finished the match less than 35 seconds into the second period.

Other Wichita-area state medalists from the 4-1A tournament were Wellington junior Aubrey Hunt (second at 190), Augusta junior Jill High (second at 125), Buhler freshman Kimber Crabbs (second at 105), Mulvane sophomore Leiannah Landreth (third at 115), El Dorado junior Trinity Motter (third at 100), Bluestem sophomore Payton Burton (third at 105), McPherson sophomore Ciara Rawson (fifth at 235), Douglass senior Tye Rozell (fifth at 115), Winfield senior Hannah Selle (fifth at 105), Rose Hill senior Payton Sholander (sixth at 190) and junior Ryleigh Page (sixth at 110) and Circle senior Katelyn Schmidt (sixth at 140).