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Williamsburg totals 4 State qualifiers at home regional
Owens qualifies as No. 4 seed at 140
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WILLIAMSBURG — Determination can go a long way.
Williamsburg’s Kimora Owens showed her determination in Friday night’s Class 1A girls wrestling regional at Williamsburg. The fourth seed at 140 pounds, Owens became a first-time state qualifier for the Raiders.
Owens’ drive was on full display in the semifinals when she took on 12th ranked Hayden Edwards of Pleasantville.
In the first period, Owens was the only one to connect on an attack, getting a takedown in the final 20 seconds.
The third period was when Owens did her damage. Starting on bottom, Owens got the two-point reversal and three nearfall points just over a minute later, holding on for a 9-4 win by decision.
“I just wanted it,” Owens said. “I just wanted to go to State, so it was easy to fight her off my back in that moment.”
After Owens won, the home crowd screamed as Owens had a moment with head coach Nathan Shank.
“It was a very special moment, especially since normally I do bad at these tournaments due to pressure,” Owens said.
Owens lost in the 140 final, but automatically qualified since there was no second place wrestle-back at the weight.
“She’s put in a lot of work in the off season and has improved a lot since her freshman year,” Shank said. “She made a big jump this year, and that is just a testament to the work she has put in.”
Joining Owens at the State Tournament will be three familiar faces for Williamsburg. Cecelia Gryp (130) and Lilly Ness (155) both became two-time qualifiers, while Keston Spratt (125) became a three-time qualifier.
All three had moments similar to Owens’ following their wins.
“It was so uplifting and encouraging seeing the home crowd,” Ness said. “It means so much when the crowd is into it.”
All three won all of their matches by fall.
Ness, the No. 2 seed, pinned top-seed Taya Hollingsworth of BCLUW-SH in the second period of the final after trailing 3-0 at the end of the first period.
“My high half was really good. It’s my go to, and I like to stack it,” Ness said. “That’s what worked against her.”
Ness went 1-2 at the State Tournament last season, and is determined to make it past the blood round this time.
“I’ve become a lot more confident in my shooting this year, and I want it more than ever after last season,” Ness said. “That sucked losing in the blood round, and I don’t want to do that again.”
After two falls in under a minute at 125, Spratt’s final pin came in much more dramatic fashion in the final against Alburnett’s Juliana Burds.
Burds nearly got a fall in the first period and added a reversal in the second. Spratt trailed 7-0, but responded right away with a reversal of her own, sealing the pin seconds later.
At 130, Gryp won all three of her matches in the second period.
The Raiders, with 10 wrestlers, took home the regional team title with 188 points.
“You always like to win at home,” Shank said. “It’s a testament to our girls, even the one that didn’t make it to State. They came back and wrestled hard (in the consolations).”
Three Williamsburg wrestlers finished third — Ryleigh Jones (105), Valerie Altenhofen (145) and Bristol VanZuiden (170).
State Qualifiers
100 pounds — 1st: Kielly Kasal (West Marshall), 2nd: Josie McGraw (Alburnett)
105 — 1st: Scarlett Reiter (Don Bosco), 2nd: Kirra Whisler (Centerville)
110 — 1st: Lexa Nelson (Pekin), 2nd: Allie Minteer (PCM)
115 — 1st: Taryn Moore (Alburnett), 2nd: Khloe Neal (BCLUW-SH)
120 — 1st: Erica Irvine (Don Bosco), 2nd: Lila Miller (Pekin)
125 — 1st: Keston Spratt (Williamsburg), 2nd: Juliana Burds (Alburnett)
130 — 1st: Cecelia Gryp (Williamsburg), 2nd: Berkley Lynch (West Delaware)
135 — 1st: Anna O’Rear (West Delaware), 2nd: Lyni Gusick (Alburnett)
140 — 1st: Ceanna White (BCLUW-SH), 2nd: Kimora Owens (Williamsburg)
145 — 1st: Hailey Pedrick (Pekin), 2nd: Addien Koenig (Pleasantville)
155 — 1st: Lilly Ness (Williamsburg), 2nd: Taya Hollingsworth (BCLUW-SH)
170 — 1st: Izzy Taylor (Anamosa), 2nd: Megyn Hollingsworth (BCLUW-SH)
190 — 1st: Reese Buschbom (West Marshall), 2nd: Gracie Heim (West Delaware)
235 — 1st: Lainee Waggender (CPU), 2nd: Madison Fisher (IFA)
