By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Girls' state wrestling got underway Tuesday at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, with first-round matches starting at 9:30 a.m.
Action resumed at 2:45 p.m. with third-round wrestlebacks and semifinals.
Third and fifth place matches start at 4:45, with championship matches starting at 6:30.
Here's a look at how the 11 wrestlers from the KFEQ/St. Joseph Post coverage area fared on the day.
112 lbs.
Benton's Lexi Petersen guaranteed herself a medal after punching her ticket to semifinals. Petersen beat Josey Crisp of Diamond with a second-period pin, and won quarterfinals with a 6-2 decision over Sarah Bergtholdt of Troy.
Petersen faced Chloe Scheckells (17-5) of Staley in her semifinal match, and trailed only 1-0 after the second period, but was pinned early in the third.
Petersen battled back and took a 6-3 decision against Aiva Mayer of Carrollton in the 3rd place medal match. Petersen becomes just the second female wrestler in program and city history to medal since Brooke-Lynn Rush won state for Benton in 2019.
"The fact that I have medaled at state and following in her footsteps, it just feels really good," Petersen smiled.
Petersen ends her senior year with a 24-11 record.
143
Mid-Buchanan's Layson Hafley (pictured above) lost her first match of the day via pin against Brynn Elkins of Raymore-Peculiar, but bounced back with a pin in the third period her second-round wrestleback.
Hafley became the first female state medalist in Mid-Buchanan history, pinning Elexis Wohlgemuth (31-3) of St. Clair in third-round wrestlebacks early in the second period.
Hafley moved onto the 5th place match, where she pinned Julianna Rivera of Dexter late in the second period.
"We've had such a small team for awhile," she said. "But, getting here and putting in the good work is really phenomenal. And then seeing like all of the posts about it (on social media) really makes me happy."
Hafley ends her junior season with a 27-8 record.
Staying in 143, Lathrop senior Josie Wright guaranteed herself a medal early in the day, getting a couple of pins to advance to semifinals. She pinned Marcie James of Marshfield (27-15) in the second period and Elexis Wohlgemuth (31-3) of St. Clair in the third period.
Wright (16-3), who placed second last year at 142, faced the wrestler she lost to in the championship - Esther Han of Holt (31-1).
Wright led 2-0 early, but Han stormed back and pinned Wright with two seconds remaining in the second period.
Wright wrestle Taylor Johnson (43-3) of Lebanon for third place, but lost in a 3-2 decision. Wright ends her senior season with a 16-4 record.
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Plattsburg junior Payge Fuller won her first match Tuesday with a pin in 33 seconds over Kayla McGennis of Timberland. After getting pinned in her quarterfinal match, Fuller bounced back with a 9-3 decision over Marisa Gonzalas of Waynesville in second-round wrestlebacks.
Fuller, who placed third at 125 last year, faced Olivia Chapman of Eldon in third-round wrestlebacks, and won a 5-3 decision after getting behind 2-0 early on.
Fuller ended her day by pinning Audrey McDonnell (19-2) of Francis in the 5th place match.
"I had to really work really hard to get to the 5th place match," Fuller said. "Then, when I was winning, I was like, 'I'm not on the ground. I'm on the podium.' So, it feels even bigger."
**Remainder of the KFEQ/St. Joseph Post area wrestlers who competed**
102
Cameron's Ashley Yamat lost her first match via fall against Lilly McCollum of Eureka in the first round, and then fell in second-round wrestlebacks 8-4 against Jacklyn Fast of North Kansas City.
Yamat ends her junior season at 28-8.
107
Lafayette's Isa'Bella Mendoza was pinned in the second period of her first-round match, and then lost a 14-2 major decision against Makayla Mallatt of Butler in second-round wrestlebacks.
Making her second appearance at state, Mendoza ends her junior season at 22-10.
117
Mid-Buchanan's Haley Sampson started her day with a second-period pin over Emma Lewis of Odessa, but was pinned in quarterfinals by senior and 43-0 wrestler Allison Meyer of Washington.
Sampson lost her wrestleback match against Rylee Baker (42-2) of Fulton. Sampson ends an impressive junior campaign at 29-9, making her third career appearance at state.
122
Cameron junior Christina Filley opened the day with a first-period pin over Lauren Mills of Festus, but lost a 6-0 decision in quarterfinals to Brenya Crahan of Nixon.
Filley came back with a 3-0 victory over Natalie Schaljo of McCluer North. Filley is guaranteed a medal if she wins her third-round wrestleback match against Marissa Sanabria (31-3) of Holt.
Filley lost her match against Sanabria in a 6-1 decision, and ends her season at 26-7.
132
Lathrop freshman Jordan Diercks was pinned in the first round of both her opening match and her second-round wrestleback, facing opponents who were 25-2 and 41-4 respectively. Diercks ends her season at 19-14.
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Benton sophomore Tatum Levendahl lost her first match via pin in the first round against Faith James of Casville. She battled back, winning her second-round wrestleback over Tasia Lee of Holden, 1-0. She faced Finley Bickford (32-7) of Park Hill South in the third-round of wrestlebacks, and was pinned early in the second period.
Levendahl ends the season at 21-13.
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Cameron sophomore Hollie Hedgpath lost her first-round match against Parkway West senior Emma Carter after being pinned late in the third round.
In wrestlebacks, Hedgpath hung in, but lost a 3-1 stalemate against Lily Burns of Tipton.
Hedgpath ends a terrific sophomore season with a 30-5 record.
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost for more up-to-the-minute updates and results throughout the week at state wrestling.