The daughter of Maur Hill wrestling coach Rick Vice and younger sister of Raven senior standout Jaxson Vice made for some pretty lofty expectations heaped upon Emma Vice when she hit high school a year ago.
 
But nothing more than she put on herself.
 
“I just felt I had to be perfect,” Vice said. “A lot of people know me from my older brother and since I’ve been wrestling for a lot of years, everyone expects the most out of me. And I expect that too. I have very high expectations.”
 
Vice admitted at times a year ago, she let those expectations become a bit of a burden. Though she had a solid freshman season, going 42-4, it didn’t quite end how she wanted it to at state.
 
Going in as a regional champion, Vice was knocked off in the semifinals by Norton’s Isabella Garrity with a 12-2 major decision. She then was pinned in the consolation semifinals before bouncing back to place fifth.
 
Call it a lesson learned. This season, Vice has taken a different mental approach to her season, focusing more on performance instead of results.
 
And the result has been, well, great results.
 
After capturing the 125-pound title at last week’s Class 3-2-1A super regional at Silver Lake, Vice takes a 35-1 record into next week’s state tournament in Hays. Vice was dominating at the tourney, recording three first-period pins and winning her semifinal match via an injury default.
 
The last of those pins was a 56-second fall over Caney Valley’s Bryleigh Rigdon, whom she had just beaten a week earlier at the Silver Lake Invitational with Vice also getting a pin scoring action from both wrestlers early had the match tied 3-3 midway through the second period.
 
When Vice won the first meeting with Rigdon, the Bullpup was ranked No. 2 in Class 3-2-1A. And Vice knew her rival was going to be hungry for the regional rematch.
 
“I knew she was going to be out for revenge,” Vice said. “I just knew I had to keep my head up, even if she scored on me, and give it everything I had. I had to be faster on my feet and control the ties and hand work. I knew she was going to be quick on her feet and a lot of stuff about her, so I knew what I needed to do. I just had my head right since I beat her last time and was very focused in the match and knew what I needed to do.”
 

 
Vice’s performance at regional earned her the regional wrestler of the year honor, much to her surprise.
 
“Very surprised,” she said. “I’m just a sophomore and there were a lot of seniors here who were just as deserving of getting it.”
 
Vice’s only loss this season has come to Chapman’s Alyssa Calovich, a former state champion who is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A at 125, in a 4-0 decision at the Holton Invitational. Beyond that match, Vice has been nothing short of dominating with 30 pins among her 35 wins.
 
“I’m very confident in everything,” she said. “Last year, I felt like I had to win it all and that’s not how I feel this year. I just have to wrestle my best and have fun. I put too much pressure on myself and every state tournament I’ve been to, even kids club, I’ve done that. This year, I’m just very different and having fun with the things I can have fun with.”
 
Vice will go to state this year ranked No. 2 in Class-3-2-1A, sitting behind Norton sophomore Kaison Miller, who was the state champion at 115 pounds last year and is 40-0 this season.
 
“I think I’ve got a good shot of making it to finals,” Vice said. “If I keep my head held high and stay focused, I know what I can do. I believe I can be in the finals and give whoever I’ll be facing a run for it.”
 
Vice was one of two Ravens to win a regional title at Silver Lake. Freshman teammate Hollie Finneran pinned Silver Lake’s Ally Burgos in the finals to claim the 140 title and improve to 31-7 in her debut season.
 
 
OTHER GIRLS WRESTLING STANDOUTS

• For the first time in program history, Shawnee Heights qualified its entire team for the state tournament finishing runner-up to Basehor-Linwood at their Class 5A regional after having beaten the top-ranked Bobcats a week earlier at the United Kansas Conference meet. Heights was led by a pair of regional champions with Olive Jones winning at 135 pounds and Cianna Graves taking the 155 title. Brinnley Morris (120), Audrey Hinkly (125), Olivia Stevens (145) and Brooklyn Binkley (190) each were regional runners-up.
• Washburn Rural tied a school record and set a Class 6A record by qualifying 13 of its 14 wrestlers for the state meet. The Junior Blues got regional titles from Elia Smith at 170 and Emme Blanco at 145 with Blanco getting a reversal with 30 seconds left to pull out her win in the title match.
• Manhattan shared Washburn Rural’s record-setting performance with 13 state qualifiers and finished runner-up to No. 1 Garden City by a mere 8.5 points at the Class 6A regional at Wichita South, scoring 239 points to the Buffaloes’ 247.5. The Indians’ Sophia Hoeme stayed undefeated at 140 pounds, pulling out a 5-2 overtime win over Maize’s Scarlett Yeager in the finals. She was joined as a regional champion by Alayna Slifer, who pinned her way to the 135 title, while Eva Lucios (100), Evelyn Thornburg (125), Kayla Cramer (130) and Tasia Miller (155) all finished second.
• Doniphan West’s Layla Kuhnert, Onaga’s Emmarsyn Fordham and Rossville’s Madelyn Wonnell each won their second straight Class 3-2-1A regional titles at Silver Lake with Kuhnert winning at 190, Fordham at 235 and Wonnell at 145. Wonnell also picked up her 100th career win at the regional.
• Other regional champions at Silver Lake included Rossville’s Nora Mitchell (105), Chase County’s Lahna Passmore (115), McLouth’s Makinley Daniels (130), West Franklin’s Mya Crabtree (135) and Northern Heights’ Brenah Cannon (170).
• Chapman finished one point behind Colby for the team title at the Class 4A regional at Augusta, scoring 144 points and getting seven state qualifiers. Alyssa Calovich (125) and Joy Rhines (170) were regional champions for the Irish and Cambree Obermeyer (115) took second.
• Abilene took third as a team at the regional, led by regional champions Josie and Jade Wilson. The twin sisters both stayed undefeated on the season with Josie improving to 30-0 with her title at 100 and Jade moving to 37-0 with her crown at 105.
• Wellsville cruised to the team title at the Class 4A regional at Bonner Springs, scoring 184.5 points to beat runner-up Frontenac by 27.5 points. The Eagles picked up eight qualifiers, led by regional champions Jazz Kirk (115) and Olive Dubois (125) with Dubois improving to 43-1 on the season.
• Wamego freshman Leolyn Karnowski stayed undefeated at 155 pounds at the Bonner Springs regional, dominating with four first-period pins including a 1:22 fall of Prairie View’s Shawna Case in the finals. Karnowski is now 35-0 and was one of five state qualifiers for the Red Raiders.
• Nemaha Central’s Renae Keim (105) and Autumn Feldkamp (135) also were champs at the Bonner Springs regional, as was Santa Fe Trail’s Kennedy Portlock (100) and Iola’s Addilyn Wacker (130) and Zoie Hesse (190). Rock Creek’s Megan Ryan won the 140 title at the Augusta regional.
• Emporia 120-pounder Kensley Medrano won her second straight Class 5A regional title and got her 100th career win at the 5A regional at Newton.

 
BOYS WRESTLING STANDOUTS

• Silver Lake claimed the Big East League title, scoring 207.5 points to beat runner-up Sabetha by 48 points. The Eagles had six individual league champions – Bryce Cormier (120), Kai Colcher (144), Chase Cormier (150), Jayden Waterer (157), Kayden Clelland (175) and Paxton Willett (190).
• Sabetha got league titles from Jackson Jacobs (126), Isaac Wikle (132), Lincoln Menold (138) and Curtis Fitzgerald (165) in taking second to Silver Lake at the Big East meet. Other league champions included Rossville’s Brody Price (106), Riley County’s Tanner Rhoton (113), Hiawatha’s Gabe Johnson (215) and Jefferson West’s Osiris Unruh (235).
• Atchison County more than doubled runner-up Pleasant Ridge to win the Northeast Kansas League team title, scoring 210 points to the Rams’ 101.5. Grant Swendson (106), Mason Bottorff (113), Luke Smith (132), Cody Falk (138), Evan Falk (144), Colton Lowe (150), Rance Vessar (157), Kain Koontz (165), Max Bottorff (175), Elijah Webb (190) and Houston Schletzbaum (215) gave the Tigers a perfect 11-for-11 league champions.
• Other NEKL champions included Oskaloosa’s Charles Thacher (120) and Pleasant Ridge’s Marshall Waters (126) and DJ Hund (285).

 
BOWLING STANDOUTS

• Emporia’s Michael Wendling turned in the sixth 300 game in the state this year, getting his perfect game Feb. 10 on his home lanes in Emporia.
• Hayden’s Kelton Meier and Reece Renyer flip-flopped 1-2 finishes in the past week. Meier took the title at the Archbishop Cup with a 671 series and then came back to win a dual meet with Junction City with a 670 series, in between taking second to Renyer at the Wildcats’ home meet with a 690. Renyer won the Hayden meet with a 694 and was runner-up at Junction City with a 646. Hayden won the team title at all three meets.
• Solomon’s boys broke the school record for team game and series at the Solomon Quad, held Feb. 10 at The Alley in Salina. The Gorillas had a 688 game and 1,944 series, headlined by a 635 series by Isaac Hammersmith, which tied a school record.
• Highland Park’s Alan McCracken earned Meadowlark Conference bowler of the year honors after taking the title at the league meet on Feb. 9. McCracken bowled a 646 series to win by 20 pins and the Scots took second as a team to Atchison. Angela McCracken was runner-up in the girls’ league meet with a 413 series.