Whether it was relief or the emotion of a new achievement, Circle junior Alexis Wall wore the look of someone who had made a significant investment on Feb. 14 in the Class 4A girls wrestling regional at Augusta.
 
Seconds after her second-period pin of Chapman sophomore Cambree Obermeyer in the 115-pound final, tears welled in Wall’s eyes after she shook hands with Obermeyer. The hard-fought victory improved Wall’s record to 24-0.
 
“That was the first time I’ve ever won regionals, so it was definitely something I wanted,” Wall said. “Now, I just need to let it fly at state.”
 
With a state championship already on her resume, one might not expect Wall to place such significance on the final step before this week’s 4A state tournament in Salina. But Wall is taking nothing for granted as she tries to return to the top of the state podium.
 
After winning 4A’s 100-pound title as a freshman in a victory that surprised Wall, she moved up to 105 pounds last year and took second to Abilene’s Jade Wilson. All three of Wall’s losses in her 33-3 season came to Wall, including an 18-4 major decision in their state final.
 
While Wilson stayed at 105 this season, Wall moved up two weight classes with some lessons learned.
 
“I cried every day leading up to state after regionals last year because I knew it was going to be such a hard match with her,” said Wall, who lost 17-5 to Wilson in the 2025 regional final. “I was in my head so much. Last summer, I worked on mental toughness.”
 
Wall, the top-ranked 115-pound wrestler in 4A and No. 3 in all classes, had to draw on that against Obermeyer. Obermeyer scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds of the match and added three near-fall points after getting Wall on her back.
 
Scored on for just the second time this season, Wall ignited her comeback with a reversal before the end of the opening period.
 
“I just kept replaying my coach’s voice,” Wall said. “‘Keep calm in the storm, keep calm in the storm and drown her in deep water.’”
 
Starting the second period from her preferred down position, Wall got a quick reversal and spent the remainder of the period breaking down Obermeyer, pinning her five seconds before the buzzer.
 
“I knew that Cambree was going to be a tough competitor for me,” Wall said. “When I got on my back, I was like, ‘It’s OK. It’s only the first period.’ That’s how I kept calm.”
 
Wall, who defeated Abilene’s Charlie Elliott for her state title two years ago after losing to Elliott in the McPherson regional final, wrestled at 110 for most of last summer. Her struggle to make weight near the end of the summer season prompted her decision to up two classes this winter.
 
Wall is still working on her mental toughness. But she says the experiences gained as a third-year high school wrestler have helped.
 
“When you wrestle an unranked girl and they take you into the second period, you maybe think, ‘How am I going to do against a ranked opponent?’” said Wall, who is 83-6 in her high school career. “But going into state with an undefeated record definitely warms my heart because I’ve never done that before.”
 
OTHER GIRLS WRESTLING STANDOUTS

• Derby freshman Presley Beard earned Class 6A West regional wrestler of the year honors after winning the 120-pound championship in the tournament at Wichita South. Beard, No. 1 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association’s all-class rankings, pinned all four of her opponents to improve to 28-0.
• Campus junior Elayna Evans remained unbeaten this season, winning the 6A West regional title at 190 pounds to improve to 32-0. Evans emerged from a bracket in which all six wrestlers in the KWCA’s 6A pre-regional rankings at 190 competed.
• Newton junior Brookelyn Treaster was named the Class 5A West regional wrestler of the year after winning the 105-pound title in the regional tournament at Newton. Treaster pinned Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Hailey Estrada in the final and was one of three regional champions for the Railers, joining Avery Hinojos at 115 pounds and Ryah Bristol at 140.
• Reigning 5A champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel produced four individual champions to win the West regional team title at Newton. Last year’s state champion Courtney Nye won at 125 pounds, Brynnley Lerch won at 130, Grace Hare at 135 and Bella Green at 145 as Kapaun scored 209 points. Hays was second with 168.5.

 
BOYS WRESTLING STANDOUTS

• Wichita East junior Donnie Jackson earned Class 6A West regional wrestler of the year honors after winning the 157-pound title Saturday in the tournament at Wichita North. Jackson registered three pins and a technical fall to claim the title and was among eight Blue Aces who qualified for state. Coach Tucker Trevett was named regional coach of the year after East’s fifth-place team finish, its best at regionals in the last 25 years.
• Top-ranked Maize qualified 12 wrestlers for state and produced five individual champions in winning the Class 6A West regional title at Wichita North. The Eagles scored 272.5 points to outduel runner-up and reigning 6A team champion Manhattan, which finished with 251. Zach Siatka (106 pounds), Cooper Smith (113), Antonio Guebara (132), Vincent Rosas (138) and Everett Joyce (190) all won titles with Joyce, the reigning state champion at 190, improving to 35-0 this season.
• Maize South junior Josh Kerr recorded four technical fall victories to win the Class 5A West 144-pound regional title on Saturday in Hays. Kerr, last year’s state champion at 138, capped his tournament run with a 20-2 victory over Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Bennet Lerch to improve to 48-0.
• Newton’s Wade Stubbs and Exavier Torres won individual titles to lead the Railers to the Class 5A West regional title Saturday in Hays. Stubbs took the 120-pound title with an 11-7 victory over Maize South’s Gavin Munoz, while Torres took a medical forfeit from Goddard’s Matthew Martinez to win at 132. Newton scored 178 points to runner-up Goddard’s 172.5.
• Andale’s Judd Eck capped his march to a 132-pound regional title with a 19-11 major decision over two-time state runner-up Sebastian Bentley of Rose Hill on Saturday in Winfield. Eck, last year’s 4A state champion at 120 as a freshman, was named the regional’s wrestler of the year and was one of five regional champs for the Indians, joining Levi Schmidt (106), Luke Martin (113), Tristen Cox (150) and Ethan Eck (175).
• Rose Hill won six of the 14 weight classes to capture the Class 4A regional title Saturday at Winfield. The Rockets scored 229 points to outpace runner-up Andale, which scored 172.5. Title winners for Rose Hill included James Bilby at 120 pounds, Cash McVay (144), Thunder Page (157), Leven Jones (165), Keedrin Jones (190) and Remington Merlau (285).
• Bluestem junior Axton Vice was named the Eureka regional wrestler of the year after winning the 144-pound title in Saturday’s 3-2-1A tournament. Vice won his quarterfinal and semifinal matches by pins before defeating Caney Valley’s Logan Gray by forfeit to take the title.
• Caney Valley produced five regional champions on the way to winning the Class 3-2-1A regional at Eureka. The Bullpups, who scored 229.5 points, dominated the upper weight classes, with Austin Freisberg winning at 190, Raydn Martin at 215 and Boone White at 285. Austin Freisberg also won his weight class at 106, as did Noah Henderson at 150.

 
BOWLING STANDOUTS
 

HESSTON’S MCALLISTER DOUBLES HIS FUN IN THE 300 CLUB
 
Like most bowlers, if Tanner McAllister knew exactly how he rolled a 300 game, he’d do it every time and get his fill of the euphoric feeling that comes with it.
 
But it’s easy to think the Hesston junior has some insider knowledge of the accomplishment after doing it for a second time this season in the Andover Invitational on Feb. 13 at Wichita’s Let’s Roll Seneca.
 
McAllister started his tenpin qualifying series with a perfect game in the 16-team tournament. He followed it with games of 259 and 269 for an 828 series – the best by a Kansas high school bowler this season. It came a month and a day after he opened the season with 300 in the middle game of a dual with Cheney at Newton’s Eastgate Lanes.
 
McAllister’s first-place individual finish in the Andover tournament led Hesston to a fourth-place team finish.
 
“All I can say is I’ve been working hard to do that,” McAllister said. “But I’m still kind of shocked by it.”
 
McAllister’s lofty achievements certainly haven’t come out of nowhere. Bowling with Newton as part of a co-operative before branching off with Hesston for the postseason his first two seasons, McAllister qualified for the Class 4-1A state tournament both years, winning the Buhler regional last winter with a 661 series.
 
After finishing 13^th at state as a freshman, McAllister and another Hesston-Newton co-op participant, junior Mario Murillo, earned top-20 medals in 4-1A a year ago. McAllister followed up his regional victory with a fourth-place state finish, while Murillo took 11^th.
 
McAllister’s 300s this winter have come with Hesston competing as the lead team in a co-op with Moundridge.
 
“Me and Mario are just happy to have a team for regionals,” said McAllister, who will compete in the 4-1A regional Wednesday at The Alley in Hutchinson.
 
McAllister’s 234 average is the best in 4-1A this season and second in all classes to Maize South’s Will Winkelbauer, who has a 235 average after rolling an 818 series to win the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I title on Friday. McAllister has rolled a trio of 700-plus series in addition to his 828.
 
McAllister rolled his first 300 game during last spring at Bowlero Northrock in Wichita. His first perfect game in high school competition came during Hesston’s inaugural competition as a team on the Swathers’ home lanes.
 
The latest 300 came with Hesston bowling on adjacent lanes to Newton, where his former coach, Jamie Brockman, was close by to witness.
 
“People started moving that way,” McAllister said after he took his perfect game into the 10^th frame. “I was just trying my hardest to not see how many people were in back of me and keep my eyes forward.”
 
Like the 300 game earlier this season, McAllister’s 11th roll was the diciest in maintaining perfection. The 10-pin initially stayed upright before the messenger caromed off the right wall and took it down.
 
In his first 300 of the season, he pulled his second shot in the 10^th frame and figured the quest for perfection was over. But the 4 and 9 pins both fell late to keep him on track.
 
“I got lucky a few times,” McAllister said. “After that second 300, I just told myself to relax and stay in control. So I took my time before I started bowling that next game. I said to myself, ‘You’re on your time now. Take a deep breath.’”
 
McAllister was equally proud of the Swathers’ team finish in the Andover tournament. While McAllister and Murillo – who has a 208 average this season – have competed on the state stage, Hesston filled its roster with less experienced bowlers.
 
Junior Levi Flaming rolled a 224 in the final game. Senior Williams Broemmer, one of two Moundridge bowlers on the team, rolled his season-best 544 series.
 
“Those other guys are the reason why I show up to practice,” McAllister said. “When I saw some of them bowl at tryouts, I admit I was like, ‘These kids need some work.’ But they’re doing great and now we’re here.”
 
OTHER BOYS BOWLING STANDOUTS

• Wichita Northwest’s Joseph Parkins rolled games of 276, 244 and 233 for a 753 series that boosted the Grizzlies to the Greater Wichita Athletic League boys title on Tuesday. The Grizzlies had five top-10 finishers in qualifying with Josh Ingram (third, 705), Noah Gibson (fifth, 694), Clayton Sewell (sixth, 678) and Aiden Folds (eighth, 668). Northwest’s pinfall total of 3,714 was 429 clear of runner-up Bishop Carroll.
• Maize South junior Will Winkelbauer rolled games of 289, 264 and 285 for an 818 series to win the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I individual title on Friday at Wichita’s Let’s Roll Seneca. It was the second 800-plus series in the state this season.
• Derby’s boys won the AVCTL I tournament for the sixth consecutive season, posting a 3,602 pinfall total in tenpin qualifying and four Baker games. Michael Stanger led four top-10 individual finishers for the Panthers, taking second with a 715 series. Trenton Johnson (664) was fifth, Coy Teemant (656) was sixth and Cash Carns (627) took ninth.
• Reigning 5A team champion Andover Central held off Eisenhower by 48 pins for the AVCTL II title Thursday at Let’s Roll Seneca. Colin Light, who had a 720 series, and Gunnar Whitney (701) went 1-2 in qualifying to lead the Jaguars, who went on to finish with a 3,513 pinfall. Evan Light (641) added a fifth-place individual finish for Central. Eisenhower, which had a 3,465 pinfall, was led by third-place qualifier Jamie Duty, who rolled a 690.
• Cole Hinton’s 653 series led individual qualifying and helped Circle win the AVCTL III-IV title by 142 pins over runner-up Augusta on Thursday in Wichita. The Thunderbirds also got top-10 finishes from Keaton Bally (639) and Wyatt Soper (588) to post a 3,303 pinfall.

 
GIRLS BOWLING STANDOUTS

• Wichita Northwest’s Audrie Thomas helped the Grizzlies complete a sweep of the Greater Wichita Athletic League boys and girls titles, rolling a 628 series to win the league individual title on Tuesday. Thomas was 46 pins ahead of runner-up Addison Haskins of Bishop Carroll. Thomas, Laciana King, Lynsey Carter and Jacque Marin all finished in the top 10 for the Grizzlies, who had a 2,943 pinfall total after the four-game Baker set. Carroll was second with 2,891.
• Two-time reigning 6A champion Campus had five of the top six individual finishers and won the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I title by 436 pins over runner-up Derby with a 3,191 pinfall total. Riley Emerson posted the high series in qualifying with a 697, followed by teammates Caitlynn Cough (604), Ella Rutter (594) and Dani Slates (551). Paige Mashak was sixth with a 545.
• Eisehower’s Faith Pelz and Jordyn Betschart led the Tigers to the AVCTL II girls title, capturing two of the top three spots in individual qualifying. Pelz rolled a 571 to finish second and Betschart (559) was third behind individual champion Addison Crumley of Andover Central, who rolled a 580. Eisenhower’s 2,841 pinfall after the Baker set gave them a 434-pin victory over Salina Central and Andover, which each finished with 2,407.
• Reigning 4-1A champion Andale fended off Buhler by 20 pins to win the AVCTL III-IV girls title Thursday in Wichita. Corin Walters rolled a 571 series to finish second, Kinsey Neely (553) was fifth, Calee Walter (530) was sixth and Riley Stoll (516) took 10^th. The Indians finished with a 2,857 pinfall. Buhler, which rolled 2,837, had the individual champion in Cheyann Geesling, who qualified with a 596 series.