Oskaloosa coach Chris King pumps his fist in celebration after watching his daughter, Allison, capture the Class 4-1A 155-pound state championship with a pin.
SALINA – Chris King isn't going to lie.
The Oskaloosa coach spent most of this girls' wrestling season stressed out by his duo of Allison King, his daughter, and Holly Thacher. But make no mistake, it was the best kind of stress a coach could possibly have or want.
"They were so good and just kept on winning and winning and it was like, 'All right, the bar is this and now the bar is this,'" he said. "They just kept raising it all year."
Thursday at the Class 4-1A championships at Salina's Tony's Pizza Events Center, the Bears tandem set that bar about as high as it could possibly go, becoming the first state wrestling champions in Oskaloosa school history.
Allison King got the finals round started with a pin of Prairie View's Alyssa Page in the 155-pound championship match, capping a 29-1 season. The celebration was still going strong in the Bears' camp when four matches later, Thacher joined King as a champion with a 7-0 victory over Burlington's MJ Huff in the 101-pound title match, completing a 28-1 season.
"I'll tell ya, it hasn't set in," Chris King said moments after Thacher's title victory of getting two state champions and sharing the moment with his daughter. "You worry about it so much that when it finally happens, you feel like you're dreaming. You're just caught off guard by it. It's the best you can hope for and very seldom does that happen in your life."
Oskaloosa's Allison King (top) turns Prairie View's Alyssa Page to her back in their Class 4-1A 155-pound title match. King got the pin to secure her first state title.
The Kings had come close to savoring such a moment before. Last year as a sophomore, Allison got hot at the state tournament and advanced to the 155-pound finals before suffering a 13-5 loss to Ottawa standout Darby Weidl.
But she got the taste of what it took to be a champion and applied it when she returned this year as a junior.
"I knew that match with Darby was going to be tough and I knew there was good chance I was going to lose it," King said of last year's finals. "This year, I knew there was a good chance I would win it and I really wanted to win it this year. I really wanted to be the state champion this year."
King got a big-time scare from Goodland freshman Destiny Gonzalez in Wednesday's semifinals. King looked fatigued and out of sorts for much of the match and was tied 5-5 late in the third period, seemingly headed toward an overtime thriller. But with 10 seconds left in the match, King caught Gonzalez and took her to her back for a four-point move that propelled her into the title match.
"She was a little stronger than what I expected, but it ended up working out," King said. "Before that match I was really nervous, but once it starts that all goes away. There were a couple times in the match where I was like, 'I've got to get some points. I've got to score.'"
In the finals, King squared off with Page, whom she not only had faced during the summer but lost to. That defeat turned out to be a blessing in disguise, giving the Kings a game-plan for the rematch in the finals.
"We knew she had a really good defense so shooting was going to be difficult," King said. "I knew she could shoot to and to watch out for that."
After a scoreless first period, King got an escape to start the second period and then came up with a big takedown about 20 seconds later to go up 3-0. Leading 3-1 in the third period, King then caught Page's arm while she tried to sit out from bottom position and maneuvered the Buffalo senior to her back, getting the pin with 24 seconds left in the match.
"I was like hurry up and call this," King said of the pin. "Just make the call."
With King going out in the first match of finals based on the random draw for the order, Thacher got to watch King wrap up her title first instead of the usual tournament order where she's the first one on the mat in the 101 weight class. And seeing King finally get the title she's worked for only stoked the fires for Thacher.
Oskaloosa freshman Holly Thacher gets a hug from coach Chris King after winning the Class 4-1A 101-pound state title.
"I really wanted it more for Alli," Thacher said. "Once she got it, I knew I had to get it because we're the team. Just us two."
As the only two girls in the Oskaloosa program, King and Thacher often work out with each other. And though Thacher gives up plenty in size and strength, she said King's presence helped mold her into a title contender.
"She pushes me so much," Thacher said. "We just battle over and over because we're trying to win. She's fast, too. And I just have to be faster on bigger and stronger people than me."
A freshman this season, Thacher gained plenty of momentum for her first year of high school competition, winning her first Kids State title last spring. In the finals against Huff, a senior who is joining the Marines, Thacher couldn't get any offense early – scoreless in the first period – before finally taking control
She got a second-period takedown and then added another in the third period, tacking on back points at the end of the match for a convincing 7-0 victory.
"I just had to win every position because if I don't then I'm going to lose," Thacher said. "She was strong, but I was faster. This was my goal, being a state champion and I just had to push myself to get it. You just have to be tougher and faster, six minutes, give it your all."
The state championship was the second of the year for Thacher, who also was a member of Oskaloosa's Class 2A state championship team at the GameDay Cheer Showcase. And now she's a part of history with King, bringing home Oskaloosa's first state wrestling titles.
The bar has been raised.
All that's left to top it is for each to go undefeated next year. King's only loss came to a Missouri opponent, while Thacher's lone loss came to Liberal's Mana Chanthasone, who took third in Class 6-5A.
"It's really cool," King said. "Last year, I was the first female wrestler to make it to state for Oskaloosa and the first person from Oskaloosa to take second and that was pretty good and pretty high. Now me and Holly have both won state, so that's really high. It will make us work harder to do as good if not better next year."
-- Brent Maycock
Lakin's Isabell Ortiz reacts after watching her sister, Josiah Ortiz, win the 109-pound title.
'DOUBLE THE HAPPINESS': ORTIZ SISTERS CLAIM TITLES
Isabell Ortiz was fighting back tears as she stepped onto the mat.
The Lakin senior was trying to get her game face on for the 115-pound title match, but it was tough for the proud big sister to keep her emotions bottled up after what had just transpired.
Isabell had just watched younger sister, Josiah Ortiz, finish off a perfect season and claim the 109 championship with a 5-2 decision over Mulvane freshman Leiannah Landreth,
"I was really emotional," Isabell said. "Just happy for my sister and wanted to cherish that moment with her.
"But it was also kind of complicated, how to feel, because then I was right up, and it's game time once it's my turn. I just had to make my sister and my family proud after she just had a big win."
Soon, the Ortiz sisters were in each other's embrace and celebrating two state championships that occurred over a span of just a few minutes.
Isabell immediately followed Josiah's win with another triumph of her own, taking a 4-0 decision over Colby's Kathie Chavez in the 115-pound final to cap her high school career with a second straight championship.
Josiah, a junior for Lakin, didn't have much time to celebrate her title before turning her focus to her older sister.
"It was kind of like, 'Ok, now I need to cheer on my sister. Now we need a win together, '" Josiah said. "And she ended up winning, so it was complete happiness.
"It was double the happiness. Glory to God because it's all because of him."
Lakin's Josiah Ortiz won the 109-pound state championship.
Though both Josiah and Isabell entered the tournament as title favorites, Isabell said they did their best to avoid feeling pressure.
"Right before the match, I was telling (Josiah), 'It doesn't matter what other people think about us, all the storylines they're going to write about us,' " Isabell said. "People know who we are, but all that matters is that God knows who we are. It matters what he thinks about us and about what we think of him. It's not for these people who come out to see us, it's for Him."
Josiah Ortiz gave up a quick takedown against No. 2-ranked Landreth (34-3) but quickly answered back.
"I'm not going to lie, I went out there a little nervous," Josiah said. "And then after she got that takedown I woke up and I was like, 'Ok, I'm ready to win this.'"
Josiah finished 32-0 on the season. She took fifth at state last year as a sophomore.
"I'm super proud of my sister," Isabell said, choking back tears. "She's super amazing and I knew she could do it. I knew she could go undefeated, and she's an amazing wrestler. We look up to each other."
Isabell wrapped up her senior season with a 34-1 record, the lone loss coming against Class 6-5A champion Rodah Bengi. She beat Chavez (34-9) by decision for the second time in two weeks after the two meet in the regional final.
"Once the match started all those nerves cleared up those feelings about my sister," she said. "I was still happy, but it was just time for me to go out there and do what I got to do."
Lakin's Isabell Ortiz points up after winning the 115-pound state title.
Next year, Isabell will be wrestling at Baker University, while Josiah will look to become a two-time state champion of her own.
"I know the competition is going to be way different but I'm just ready to see what is out there and what God has for me," Isabell said.
"(This season) gives me a lot of confidence," Josiah said. "I went out there, gave it my all and just put it all on the mat. Next year I just need to do the same."
-- Rick Peterson Jr.
Mission Valley's Hope Blake was taken to the second period for the first time all season by Pratt's Keimarla Thompson in their Class 4-1A 132-pound title match. Blake won her second straight title by pinning Thompson to complete a 24-0 season.
BLAKE'S DOMINANCE LEAVES NO HOPE FOR OPPONENTS
One streak came to an end in Thursday's 132-pound final for Mission Valley's Hope Blake.
But it wasn't the important one.
Going into her championship match with Pratt's Keimarla Thompson, Blake hadn't had a single match this season make it to the second round. Each of her 23 matches leading up to the title clash resulted in first-period pins for the Mission Valley standout, including pins in 31, 19 and 36 seconds at state.
"My mindset is I'm either going to go out there and wrestle to win or go out there and do everything in my power to make sure they don't win," Blake said of her aggressive mentality. "Something my amazing coach, Josh Parker, once said is, 'If you go out there wrestling not to lose, you'll beat yourself every time.' So I'm always aggressive."
Pratt's Thompson figured to put that motto to the test, entering the state finals with an undefeated 20-0 mark that included three state pins as well. The test was one Blake aced with relative ease.
Mission Valley's Hope Blake was emotional after winning her second state title in as many years.
The Viking sophomore stayed on the attack from the opening whistle until she recorded her 24
th pin in as many matches this season. The timing of the pin was the only thing a bit out of the ordinary as it didn't come until the second period -- Blake finally stuck Thompson with 20 seconds left that period.
But even at that point, it seemed academic it would happen. Blake scored her first takedown less than 15 seconds into the match and finished the first period with four overall with back points mixed in.
It didn't come without a few hiccups and Thompson twice reversed the ultra-aggressive Blake. But each time Blake quickly got out of trouble and never let Thompson muster any offense of her own.
"She was definitely the best match I had this season by far," Blake said. "She has a great top defense. I was kind of trying to rush things a little bit and I needed to take my time and slow down because she kept catching me on the small mistakes I was making. She's a very good offensive defensive wrestler in the sense that she can play off those small mistakes and work them to her advantage. I greatly applaud her for that."
After getting the pin to cap her 24-0 season, Blake crumpled to the mat in tears of joy and perhaps a bit of relief. The title was her second straight, winning at 132 last year as a freshman.
That celebration was euphoric as Blake upset Marysville's Elise Rose, who had beaten her twice in the two weeks leading up to the state tournament.
"Last year, I had nothing to lose – just go out there and try to beat her at her own game," Blake said. "It was just such an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. With this one, it feels like there was the weight of the world on my shoulders. Almost everyone I met was like, 'Oh you're going to get the two-peat this year. You're going to be a back-to-back state champion.'
"I really hate that stigma just because I feel it puts so much stress and butterflies in the stomach. At the same time, I just feel like all these people are counting on me and I have to go out there and do what I do. It's right there and all I have to do is take it."
Blake, an accomplished youth wrestler prior to embarking on her high school career, is now halfway to becoming a four-time state champion. Not that she's looking that far ahead by any means.
"For me, it's taking it one day at a time and thinking about step after step after step," she said. "it can be a snowball effect where if you think about it too much it piles up into one big ball of stress. If you take it one day at a time, it's a lot less stress and you're doing it because you truly love it and truly are having fun on the mat and that's all it is for me."
-- Brent Maycock
Rossville's Kendra Hurla works to try and turn Pratt's Jadyn Thompson in their Class 4-1A 120-pound final. Hurla won her second straight title with a 3-0 win.
A SECOND NOTCH FOR HURLA'S TITLE BELT
Like her fellow state champions, Rossville's Kendra Hurla was proudly sporting her gold medal as she got ready to leave the floor at Tony's Pizza Events Center, a second straight state championship under her belt.
Literally, under her belt.
Unlike her fellow champions, Hurla had an extra piece of hardware around her neck and shoulder to go along with her gold medal. It's a modified championship belt the Rossville wrestling team came up with a couple years ago.
"They usually give it out after each meet to whoever deserves it," Hurla said. "You get to hold on to it until the next one."
Rossville's Kendra Hurla finished the season 39-0 with 36 pins and a second straight state championship at 120 pounds.
Quite frankly, it might be Hurla's for quite some time. And quite frankly it's hard to fathom why it hasn't been in her possession for two straight years.
Last year as a freshman, Hurla stunned Paola's Kailyn Younger in the 120-pound state championship match to claim her first state title, avenging a sub-state loss to the Panther the week before. This year, Hurla made sure she wasn't on the receiving end of a stunning outcome after going into the state tournament undefeated.
Pinning her way back to the finals on Wednesday, Hurla locked up the undefeated season with a 3-0 decision over Pratt's Jadyn Thompson in Thursday's finals. The Bulldawg sophomore got a takedown midway through the first period for all the points she needed and kept Thompson from mounting any offense at all the remainder of the match, finishing the season with a spotless 39-0 mark.
"As soon as you can get them gassed, it's over," Hurla said. "When you go out there, you don't give them a chance to be able to shoot and score points on you. … I knew if I stayed offensive and wrestled how I could, I would win that match. If I put all my physical strength and my heart into it, no one could beat me."
The match was only the second time this year in 39 matches that Hurla went the distance with an opponent, the other coming against teammate Keera Lacock when Hurla wrestled up a weight class at a meet in order to see better competition. She finished the year with 36 pins and one injury default win.
But even as the match drew out, Hurla stayed confident she could handle the somewhat uncharted territory.
"Our team works our butt off in the room just for that," she said. "We work for the six minutes. That's all that it's about, wrestling hard for six minutes. It doesn't matter who the opponent is or what their record is."
Hurla said this year's title did feel a bit different than a year ago when she pulled the finals upset against Younger.
"I definitely felt like I had a target on my back," she said. "But I knew that it was there for a reason and I just had to come show it."
Rossville has had only one four-time state champion in program history, Tagen Lambotte, who won four straight boys titles from 2011-2014. Hurla is now halfway to perhaps joining him.
"It was never a hard-core dream of mine, I just wanted to wrestle and have fun," she said. "When that first one came, it was the talk. I've got a chance at four and I'm going to go for it."
-- Brent Maycock
Hoxie's Marissa Porsch hugs her father and coach Mike Porsch after winning the 138-pound title.
ANOTHER STATE CHAMPION FOR PORSCH FAMILY
Hoxie senior Marissa Porsch was curious if her father, longtime Indian wrestling coach Mike Porsch, was feeling any nervousness ahead of his daughter's 138-pound state championship match.
"I looked at him before the match and said, 'Are you nervous?' she asked. "He said, 'Nope. Are you?'
"I was like, 'Nope.'
Indeed, Porsch looked like a poised wrestler on a mission to add another chapter to her family's storied wrestling legacy.
In a rematch of the regional final, Porsch picked up a 10-1 major decision against Hoisington's Tally Wikum to close out her school career on top.
She joined her older brothers as state champion wrestlers. Tristan Porsch was a two-time champ while Dayton Porsch captured four state titles. They were also coached by Mike Porsch.
"That's so cool to get to share that with my dad. It's super cool for me to be able to do it after watching my brothers do it," Marissa said.
Porsch got a takedown late in the first period to strike first. She opened up a big lead in the third period with near-fall points.
She said her father's calm coaching demeanor helps keep her confident.
"It's so nice, because I've seen some of the other (coaches) and they look so nervous," she said. "He might be nervous, but you can never tell.
"He's not a nervous person, but he also has faith in me. He knows I'm going to go out there and do well."
Porsch finished 37-1 on the season, the only loss coming to Free State's Madyson Gray, who claimed her third state title at the Class 6-5A level on Thursday.
Wikum ended her junior year 23-2 with both losses to Porsch, who won a 9-4 decision against Wikum in the regional final.
"It was definitely nice having wrestled her before," Porsch said. "I knew what to expect."
Porsch didn't start wrestling until girls wrestling was sanctioned as a high school sport in Kansas three years ago.
"I just feel like all the work I've put in, not only this season, but in the summer and past seasons, has paid off now," she said.
She also reflected on the rapid growth of girls wrestling in the state.
"It feels like I've been doing this sport forever, but I remember three years ago everyone saying, 'Hey, you're making history here. This is the first ever girls' state,'" she said. "It's super cool to be able to go from that to such a big event."
-- Rick Peterson Jr.
Clay Center freshman Gabi Koppes (top) finished an undefeated season with a pin of Paola's Kailyn Younger in their Class 4-1A 126-pound championship match.
THANKS, BRO: CLAY CENTER'S KOPPES INSPIRED BY EARLY SIBLING SHOWDOWNS
Prior to the start of her 126-pound championship match, Clay Center freshman Gabi Koppes got a pep talk from older brother, Rhett.
He'd been there before, wrestling for a Class 4A state title at 106 pounds his senior season in 2020.
"He told me, 'You've done the hard work, go out and get your title,'" Gabi said.
Rhett should know. After all, he was a big reason Gabi got into wrestling in the first place close to a decade ago.
"My brothers used to practice their moves on me when I was really little," she said. "I didn't like that I didn't know what to do so I got into wrestling and quickly learned."
Koppes was quite the student. While Rhett came up just short in his title bid in 2020, Gabi delivered in her first title match on Thursday. Facing three-time finalist senior Kailyn Younger of Paola in the finals, Koppes denied the Panther her first state title with a first-period pin.
With plenty of action but no scoring early, Koppes caught Younger late and worked the fall with four seconds left in the period to capture the first girls' title in Clay Center history.
"I just kept moving to a better position," Koppes said of fighting off several early charges by Younger. "It was kind of like a snake I got her with. I held her there an extra second because I wasn't sure they had really called (the pin)."
The title capped a perfect 30-0 season for the freshman.
"I just expected to go out and win and work hard, and the goal was just to get to state, not go undefeated," she said. But every time I won one, it just boosted me a little bit more."
-- Brent Maycock
Prairie View's Kylee Eastwood (top) pinned Chapman's Grace Johns in the Class 4-1A 170-pound title match to complete a comeback from three knee surgeries.
PRAIRIE VIEW'S EASTWOOD COMPLETES AMAZING COMEBACK
A year ago, Kylee Eastwood wasn't even thinking about the possibility of winning a state championship in her senior year at Prairie View.
Instead, her thoughts were consumed with wondering if she'd ever wrestle again.
In July 2020, Eastwood underwent surgery to have a ligament in her right knee replaced to hold her kneecap into place. If that wasn't enough to come back from, she developed a staph infection from that surgery and had to go back under the knife to clean the infection out in October 2020.
She then had a third surgery in February 2021, leaving Eastwood's future in the sport very much in doubt.
"I didn't think I'd be able to wrestle again," she said. "It was awful. It was not good for my mental health at all."
Prairie View's Kylee Eastwood hugs her coach after winning the Class 4-1A 170-pound state championship.
But after intensive rehabilitation that included nine months of physical therapy, Eastwood got back on the mat. Putting in extra sessions in the gym following practice to fully "get back into shape," she assured herself of a senior season.
And then she went and made the most of it. After beating Rose Hill's Brooklyne Page 4-2 in Wednesday's 170-pound semifinals, Eastwood knocked off No. 1 Grace Johns of Chapman in Thursday's championship match.
The extra cardio paid off as the match went to overtime tied 1-1 before Eastwood caught Johns off balance and took her to her back, pinning her with one second left in the extra period.
"I had high expectations for myself, so I expect to get first," said Eastwood, who entered state ranked No. 5 in Class 4-1A. "But it's still kind of surreal that I did it. I had a lot of adrenaline and it was just hard work and determination. I had to want it more than anyone else did."
Eastwood finished the season 33-5 and as the first girls' state champion for Prairie View. Teammate Alyssa Page took second at 155 pounds this year, getting pinned by Oskaloosa's Allison King in her title match.
-- Brent Maycock
Scott City's MacKayla Miller earned a pin to win the heavyweight title.
SCOTT CITY'S MILLER NABS TITLE IN FIRST SEASON WRESTLING
MacKayla Miller started the season as a wrestling novice and ended it as a state champ.
The junior gave Scott City a state champion in the debut season of the girls wrestling program, pinning Wellington's Averie Burns in the 235-pound title match.
When the program launched Miller was persuaded to give a shot.
"Most of the girls there wanted me to go out," Miller said, "and our AD (Aaron Dirks), he said, 'You know what, you just need to go out. You're strong with the power lifting and stuff.'
"So here I am."
Miller (23-1) found the pin at the 2:37 mark of the match against Burns (27-7).
"Heavyweight's all about tying up and stuff, so I knew she was going to tie up," Miller said. "I just had to let her get a feel for what she was doing so I knew what I was doing. I just ducked under, turned her leg and there it was."
It didn't take long to fall in love with the sport.
"I got hooked on it immediately," Miller said. "My brother's wrestling in college. I knew what it was like, so I went in and already loved it."
She took a hard-earned 6-4 win in overtime over McPherson's Ciara Rawson in Wednesday's semifinal.
"The nerves were really high (entering the tournament), but once I got my first match out yesterday, it was a lot easier," Miller said. "Especially today, I had to wait all day just to wrestle one match. But it paid off in the end."
Miller said she takes a lot of pride in being the first girls state champion for the Scott City community.
"It's a good feeling," Miller said. "I started bawling on the mat and I knew the coaches were going to be happy for me."
She's looking forward to seeing what she can accomplish next year in her second year of wrestling.
"The standards are going to be a lot higher for next year," she said. "We're definitely going to reach for the bar."
CLASS 4-1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESULTS
101 -- Holly Thacher, Oskaloosa (28-1) dec. MJ Huff, Burlington (40-2), 7-0
109 -- Josiah Ortiz, Lakin (32-0) dec. Leiannah Landreth, Mulvane (34-3), 5-2
115 -- Isabell Ortiz, Lakin (34-1) dec. Kathie Chavez, Colby (34-9), 4-0
120 -- Kendra Hurla, Rossville (39-0) dec. Jadyn Thompson, Pratt (37-2), 3-0
126 -- Gabi Koppes, Clay Center (30-0) pinned Kailyn Younger, Paola (35-4), 1:57
132 -- Hope Blake, Mission Valley (24-0) pinned Keimarla Thompson (20-1), 3:40
138 -- Marissa Porsch, Hoxie (37-1) maj. dec. Tally Wikum, Hoisington (23-2), 10-1
143 -- Livia Swift, Pratt (36-2) dec. Katelyn Schmidt, Circle (31-7), 6-1
155 -- Allison King, Oskaloosa (29-1) pinned Alyssa Page, Prairie View (32-4), 5:36
170 -- Kylee Eastwood, Prairie View (33-5) pinned Grace Johns, Chapman (20-2), 6:59
191 -- Ava Thompson, Pratt (36-0) dec. Lyndsey Buechman, Abilene (26-1), 6-3
235 -- MacKayla Miller, Scott City (23-1) pinned Averie Burns, Wellington (27-7), 2:42