On Saturday, Bonner Springs High School hosted the KSHSAA 5A East regional girls’ wrestling tournament. Forty-one girls from seven Wyandotte County high schools qualified for the state tournament by finishing in the top eight in their weight classes.
Wyandotte High School also earned two qualifiers from the 6A East regional at Shawnee Mission South, and Bishop Ward had one qualifier from the 4A East regional at Tonganoxie.
The record number of qualifiers, up from 31 last year, is a testament to the explosive growth of girls’ wrestling and to the number of strong programs in local high schools.
For a full list of qualifiers and lots of photos from the tournament, go to Dotte Sports.
Piper finished third in the team standings with 153.5 points, led by three regional champions. Senior Maia Dolinar claimed the 140-pound title and for the second year in a row was named the regional’s Wrestler of the Year by a vote of the coaches.
The highlight of her championship match came when she launched Pittsburg’s Kiana Berryman with a devastating overhead throw that drew gasps from the crowd. Piper junior Rylee Burke won the 120-pound class, and freshman Penny Dolinar claimed the 105-pound.
Penny had dropped the title match of the United Kansas Conference meet to Basehor-Linwood’s Lainie Galvan the week before, but she came back with a vengeance in the regional final. The victory came at a cost: Dolinar arm was injured midway through the match. She was briefly attended by a trainer, and appeared in a sling at the medal ceremony.
Despite the win, Penny said the day was about more than just gold. “I get to spend the year with my sister,” she said, describing what she’s looking forward to at state. “Our sisterhood — it’s gotten a lot better.”
Washington had the biggest day of any Wyandotte County school, qualifying ten girls for state and claiming two regional championships. Senior Reddi Johnson won the 130-pound title, and sophomore Jaida Hawkins claimed the 170-pound crown.
Johnson’s championship match was a study in patience. The early going was a stalemate, but she stayed composed, sizing up her opponent. “She’s super duper strong,” Johnson said. “So just a lot of strategizing — figuring out what she’s good and not so good at.” Once she got her on the ground, there was no coming back. Johnson said the win left her feeling “amazing… great… empowered.”
Heading into state, Johnson is going back not just as a contender but as a favorite, and she knows it. “I’m looking forward to finishing off my senior season the best I can,” she said. “I want to be a state champion with my name on my school.”
She added that she plans to wrestle in college, but said what excites her most beyond her own goals is watching her teammates grow. “I love watching Jaida wrestle, because it’s only her second year,” Johnson said of Hawkins. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that girl’s crazy!’”
Coach Mario Rodriguez, in his first year heading the Wildcats’ squad, said the incredible result reflected what his team has been building all season. “These girls just come out and work every day,” Rodriguez said.
He especially called out his two regional champions “We got some real solid leadership from our two seniors. They worked their butts off all summer. They recruited all year.”
Sumner Academy junior Angie Mensah won the 110-pound title and heads to state as a favorite in her weight class. Mensah said she entered the championship match nervous, but leaned on her coaches. “They give me advice and I take it,” she said. “They know what they’re doing.” Her coach added that the team is riding Mensah’s work ethic and spirit that run through Sumner’s program. “We just have lots of kids that have a lot of grit and want to work hard — and they’re smart too,” he said. Mensah will be joined at state by three teammates.
Bonner Springs’ Brooklynn McCormick won the 125-pound title among six Lady Braves punching their tickets to state. Addison Vogel finished as the regional runner-up at 155, falling to Shawnee Heights’ Cianna Graves by a 5-1 decision, the latest chapter in a rivalry that has found the two fighting for a medal at the end of every regional tournament from their freshman year.
They first faced off in the 2023 6A-5A Regional, where Graves took the third-place match by fall. Vogel got her revenge the following year, edging Graves 4-1 in tiebreaker in the 2024 6A-5A Regional final, the one time she has come out on top between them. Graves won their 2024 state match by fall, then claimed last year’s 5A East Regional final by a 4-2 decision, only to see Vogel win the state title. Saturday’s result pushes the all-time series further in Graves’ favor, but with both likely to advance at state, the rivalry may not be finished just yet.
Turner had a strong day, qualifying seven of eight entered wrestlers. Coach Juleain Winters said the season had its share of obstacles, including the loss of 2025 state medalist Izzy Brown to injury late in the season.
“A lot of ups and downs — a lot of people quitting, not wanting to stick it out,” Winters said. “But the ones that [saw] it through and believed in everything that we told them, they found success today.” Mia Toraya led Turner with a third-place finish at 100 pounds.
Harmon qualified three wrestlers, led by Jolina Ladd with a fifth place finish at 100 pounds, and Schlagle will send two to state, with Sa’Vaiya Lyons the top Stallions’ finisher at 6th place in the 140-pound bracket.
At the 6A East regional at Shawnee Mission South, Wyandotte’s Kamyla Chacon finished third at 140 pounds and Angela Ceniseros took fifth at 235 to punch their tickets to state. At the 4A East regional in Tonganoxie, Bishop Ward’s Adalize Arevalo qualified with a sixth-place finish at 155 pounds.
The state tournaments will be held on Feb. 27 and 28. The 6A tournament is in Overland Park; the 5A tournament is in Park City; and the 4A tournament is in Salina.