HAYS – Belonging to one of the most prominent wrestling communities in the state, the Norton girls have been working diligently to establish their own culture and winning tradition on the mats. 

But up until this season, the Bluejays just hadn't found the results to show for it. 

“In years past, we just weren’t quite there yet,” Norton coach Bill Broeckelman said. “This year they really bought in and turned the corner."

Led by a trio of individual champions – Kaison Miller, Halle Pfannenstiel and Cadence Greeson – Norton capped its breakthrough season with a 3-2-1A team championship, fending off Mid-Continent League rival Oakley for the crown. 

Norton, which has captured 17 boys' team state championships, hadn't produced a state placer on the girls' side before this year. The Bluejays finished the weekend with six girls' medalists at Gross Memorial Coliseum. 

“The girls wrestled great,” Broeckelman said. “They rose to the challenge and they were ready. We helped them set their mindset, just knowing that there were going to be some tough matches. It was going to be huge if we could get some falls, and they stepped up to the challenge and just did it.”

Norton started Day 2 with a nine-point lead over Oakley but still had plenty of work left on Saturday.

The Bluejays still had a six-point advantage heading into the finals, with both Norton and Oakley each having four in the title matches. 

Star freshmen Miller and Pfannenstiel helped the Bluejays lock up the championship with dominant performances and key bonus points in the 115 and 140 finals before Greeson put an exclamation mark on Norton’s huge weekend with a pin at 190. 

Norton finished with 151.5 points to top Oakley by 11.5 points. 

Miller (37-2) became the Bluejays’ first state champion, pinning Bennington’s Lennah Monts late in the first period.

“I was ready for it. I wanted a pin because I like to pin and I knew we needed the team points to win,” Miller said. “We knew it was close so we told each other that we needed pins.”

Pfannenstiel (39-2) dominated the 140 final against West Franklin’s Mya Crabtree, applying constant pressure on the way to earning a 19-2 technical fall. 

“I was pretty nervous,” Pfannenstiel said. “I had a brother wrestle a few matches before (Brennen Pfannenstiel, runner-up at 144). I knew if I just kept my mind right, I would be OK.”

Broeckelman lauded the performances of his freshmen phenoms. 

“They just dominated,” Broeckelman said. “They showed up and went to work. Stayed in good position and worked for bonus points, because they knew that’s what the team needed.”

The arrival of Pfannenstiel and Miller immediately help take Norton’s girls program to a new level this season. 

“I knew I was decent, but I didn’t know how good I was,” Pfannenstiel said of her expectations heading into the season. “I was excited to figure out how it was going to go.”

“At the beginning, I was nervous,” Miller said. “But after getting through the first weeks, I knew I was good.”
 

Greeson, a junior, found the pin of Plainville’s Caydance Carter in the second period of the 190-pound final. 

“She wrestled phenomenally,” Broeckelman said. “We knew that Carter wanted to have a throw in the first period so we just had to stay in good position. We almost got a takedown and then we did what we had to when we got on top and got the fall.”

Greeson’s passion was on full display in her celebration, accidentally catching Broeckelman in the nose after an exuberant embrace.

“She kind of beats me up a little bit when she celebrates,” Broeckelman said with a laugh. “But that’s OK. It was worth the pain. I was super excited for her.”

Norton senior Isabella Garrity (21-8) made the 125 finals before losing a tight match to Hoxie’s Josie Bell, who earned an escape in the closing seconds to pull out a 5-4 decision. 

Lorelei Granberry (fifth at 130) and Adriana Winters (sixth at 235) also earned spots on the podium for the Bluejays. 

Oakley’s strong tournament yielded a second-place team finish for the second straight season. The Plainsmen produced two state champions in junior Cali Wagoner (155) and senior Atavia Cain (170). Both earned pins in the title matches

Oakley sophomore Kylee Hodges saw her bid for an undefeated season come up short in a showdown with Oskaloosa’s Holly Thacher in the 120 finals. Thacher became a four-time state champ with a 10-2 major decision over Hodges in a rematch of last year’s 115 final. 

Oakley senior Cadence Koch looked well on her way to securing a spot in the 110 finals before suffering a severe arm injury in Friday's semifinal, bringing a premature end to her first season of wrestling. Koch still wound up with a sixth-place medal.

The Plainsmen also got a runner-up showing from Abbygayl Jackson at 135 and a fourth-place medal from Brooke Smith at 145. 

Russell took third as a team with 114.5 points, followed by Plainville (100) and Hosington (96).