Prairie View to send five to girls state wrestling tournament

Prairie View wrestlers, from left, Shawna Case, Kinley Stone, Michaela Miller, Lauren Steenbergen, and Lexi Freeman are headed to the state championship tournament on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28 in Salina (Submitted photo)

By Roger Sims, Journal staff

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

Five Prairie View girls will be headed to the Kansas state wrestling championships in Salina on Friday, Feb. 27, after qualifying in the regional meet at Tonganoxie on Feb. 13 – 14.

It will be a return trip to the state meet for the senior wrestler, for three of the girls it will be their first trip to state after getting knocked out of contention in last year's regionals.

The overall performance of the team at the Class 4A meet put it in sixth place. However, the Buffalos' combined score of 120 was edged out by the next two teams with 120.5 and 122.5 points. Wellsville won the regional with a total score of 184.5 points and Paola was third with 135.5 points.

Head girls coach Joe Cullor was pleased with the performance of his team. He said that in addition to the state qualifiers two girls, Gabby Cullor and Grace Johnson, got knocked out of contention in the blood round.

Cullor said the strength of the Pioneer League wrestlers' performance at regionals should put to rest any notion that the league isn't strong in the girls event. Santa Fe Trail, Iola and Burlington also placed in the top 20.

For Prairie View senior Shawna Case, in the 155-pound bracket, it will be her third trip to state. In 2025, she placed second after winning on a decision and two pins only to be pinned in the final round. At the regionals this month, she worked her way through the bracket with three straight falls, only to be pinned in the championship round for a second-place finish.

Lexi Freeman, a junior wrestling in the 130-pound class, fell short of a state trip last year but placed second at regionals this month. She worked her way to the championship round with a quick pin and two lopsided decisions before losing a 3-2 decison in the final round.

In the 235-pound class, junior Michaela Miller will also take her first trip to state after not qualifying last year. She placed third in the regional event after starting with a bye followed by pinning her first opponent. But she ran into trouble in her third round when a fall at 6:00 sent her into the consolation bracket. However, she quickly pinned her next two opponents to take third.

Kinley Stone, 145-pounds, took a similar route to her third-place win at regionals. After pinning her first two opponents, she lost on a 2-1 decision in the third match, moving her into the consolation bracket. She pinned her next opponent and went on to take third place on a 2-1 decision in her final match.

Sophomore Lauren Steenbergen, 140 pounds, won her first match on a fall after a bye in the first round. But she was pinned in her second round. She rebounded by pinning her next two opponents. A loss by an 11-2 major decision in the next round knocked her out of contention for third place, but a 6-4 decision in the final round punched her ticket to state.

Other wrestlers competing at Tonganoxie included Alessa Crowder, Brilee Shrum, Demi Isenhower, Grace Cullor, and Kinleigh Stiles.