PARK CITY – If there's one thing Washburn Rural's girls wrestling team has gotten used to in the brief history of the Kansas State High School Activities Association's state championships, it's celebrating.
 
So even though the Junior Blues' run atop Kansas high school wrestling – first for all classes in the inaugural tournament two years ago and last year in Class 6-5A – ended Thursday, they didn't miss an opportunity to enthusiastically chant "We're No. 2!" after receiving the runner-up trophy at Hartman Arena.
 
No less excited but a little more reserved a few feet away were the Dodge City Red Demons, who stopped Rural's reign with a solid second-day performance to claim their first state team title. Dodge City protected a miniscule lead at the tournament's midpoint and even extended it, winning the championship with 118.5 points to Rural's 111.
 
"Hats off to Washburn Rural," Dodge City coach Tate Lowe said after his group of 10 state qualifiers produced two individual runners-up, two third-place finishers, two fourths and a sixth. "They're tougher than nails and their girls never quit.
 
"Whether we won this or not, it was good for women's wrestling. They're the reason that we work so hard, honestly."

 
Dodge City held off Rural and its record-setting 11 state qualifiers with a mix of finalists Ashley Arroyo and Hailey Ramos, and a solid performance in consolation matches. Arroyo, a junior competing in the 155-pound final for the second straight year, was again a runner-up after Manhattan freshman Sage Rosario pinned her late in the first period.
 
Arroyo's loss followed Ramos' second-period pin at the hands of Great Bend senior Bre Ridgeway at 132. Ridgeway, a fellow Western Athletic Conference competitor, finished her career as a two-time state champion with a 124-4 record.
 
"I'm proud of them just like all the other girls," Lowe said. "They did what they had to do to get there.
 
"In Hailey's case, we've been preparing for Bre and with her chicken wing (move), and that's actually how we won the semifinal. So thanks to Bre for chicken wings."
 
By then, Dodge City had the team title secured. The Red Demons entered the medal rounds with seven competitors left in the tournament, while Rural had five and third-place finisher Wichita North had four.
 
Freshman Ashley Alonso (109 pounds) and sophomore Ariana De La Rose (126) led Dodge's backside bracket effort by finishing third in their weight classes. Sophomore Dayanara Garcia (138) and junior Jolette Almaraz (170) were fourth, and freshman Jessica Rivera (101) took sixth.
 
"Our consolation semifinal round was kind of what sealed the deal," Lowe said. "That was where we needed to shine and we did that, so that was a difference-maker."
 
Rural, which started the tournament's final day one-half point behind Dodge City, was led by junior Addison Broxterman's second-place finish at 120 pounds. Broxterman, the Junior Blues' lone finalist, lost 11-1 to Blue Valley Southwest senior Hannah Glynn.
 
Junior Alexis Frederickson added a third-place finish at 132 for Rural.
 
Rural coach Damon Parker didn't lament the second-place team finish. Instead, he pointed to seven matches over the two-day tournament in which Junior Blues wrestlers trailed but came back to win.
 
"We're blessed and we're not going anywhere because we lose two seniors off this team," Parker said. "We've got some really good ones coming up. We're excited for the future, but we're going to enjoy this."
 
The top three teams were expected to be the prime candidates to take the championship. Wichita North, which entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in 6-5A, entered the second day with five remaining competitors. North dropped to fourth behind Olathe Northwest after the third- and fifth-place matches, but rallied back into third with titles from juniors Larisa Garcia (109) and Rodah Bengi (115).
 
Dodge City was second behind North in the final Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association's rankings even after winning the North regional title by 37.5 points.
 
"If we're ranked fourth, third, first, whatever week it was, it didn't matter," Lowe said. "We were just going to be the same team. Rankings don't change that for them."
 
 
CLASS 6-5A TEAM RESULTS
 
Dodge City 118.5, Washburn Rural 111, Wichita North 90.5, Olathe Northwest 79.5, Shawnee Heights 75, Emporia 69.5, Olathe North 65, Derby 61, Gardner-Edgerton 61, Leavenworth 52, Great Bend 50, Seaman 48, Spring Hill 46, Hays 45, Bonner Springs 44, Basehor-Linwood 39, Garden City 38, Liberal 35, Blue Valley Southwest 33, Olathe West 32, Free State 30, Manhattan 30, Olathe South 28, Valley Center 28, Goddard 24, Salina Central 24, Wichita West 24, KC Turner 23, Topeka High 23, Eisenhower 21.5, Kapaun Mount Carmel 20.5, Junction City 16, Newton 16, Topeka West 15, Salina South 11.5, KC Harmon 11, Shawnee Mission South 11, Highland Park 9, Bishop Carroll 9, Blue Valley North 6, Wichita Southeast 5, Lansing 4, Shawnee Mission Northwest 4, Wichita Heights 4, De Soto 3, KC Sumner 3, Olathe East 3, Blue Valley 3, Shawnee Mission West 3, Wichita Northwest 3, Andover 2, Pittsburg 1, Mill Valley 1, Wichita East 1, Arkansas City 0, Hutchinson 0, Maize 0, Wichita South 0.