Must-see title win: Olathe wrestler escapes defeat for improbable, last-second pin
In the first Kansas high school state wrestling event of the week, Makayla Rivera might have already wrapped up the most improbable victory in a state championship match on Thursday.
The Olathe West sophomore was being thoroughly handled by Wichita West’s Dru Johnson, trailing 4-0 on the scoreboard as the seconds ticked away in the second period of the 235-pound Division I championship bout at Hartman Arena in Park City.
That’s when the incredible happened: Rivera was stuck in bottom position, but rocked backward to land on top of Johnson and reversed roles. With less than 15 seconds remaining, Rivera maneuvered around the edge of the ring to gain control and pinned Johnson with one second remaining on the clock.
“I honestly thought I was going to lose for a fat second,” said Rivera, who kept a perfect 27-0 season in tact in a battle between undefeated wrestlers in the final. “But I guess instincts came into play and I just did what I do.”
Rivera was still trying to sort through her emotions nearly an hour after the match.
She had been dominated for almost all of the three minutes and 59 seconds of the match. Johnson had controlled all of the first period and scored a reversal early in the second period to build what surely felt like an insurmountable 4-0 lead.
But 20 seconds of a little good fortune, quick thinking and technical skill erased all of that.
“I felt her lean back and I knew I just had to lean back with her, then I’ll end up on top,” Rivera said. “Once I got on top, I knew she couldn’t get out of it.
“It feels great to win, but I still kind of feel sick. I kind of feel like I lost, even though I won. But it’s a great feeling knowing I went undefeated all the way.”
While Rivera may have had the most improbable state title run, Piper senior Sara Lake may have had the most dominant championship run. Lake won her second straight girls wrestling state title, once again in undefeated fashion and once again with pins all the way through the state bracket.
Lake capped a 25-0 season off in the 138-pound finals with a pin in the second period over Andover Central’s Xara Bacci.
“This is very special to come back as an undefeated state champion and do it all over again,” Lake said. “I really wanted to get pins through the whole day like I did last year. I wanted all pins. I knew I had it (in the finals). I just thought to myself, ‘I worked so hard for this’ and I ended up getting the pin. I’m just really proud of myself and my team.”
Olathe South freshman Nicole Redmond also won a state title in dominant fashion, courtesy of an 11-0 major decision over Washburn Rural’s Addison Broxterman in the 120 finals. Other state champions included Lawrence Free State’s Madyson Gray, who completed an undefeated 17-0 season to win the 132 title by fall over Garden City’s Anjelina Serrano, and Bonner Springs freshman Olivia Stean, who won the 170 title by fall over Leavenworth’s Hannah Jackson.
Other notable state placers were Olathe East’s Erin Wetterstrom (second in 101), Basehor-Linwood’s Olivia O’Donnell (third in 109), SM West’s Alaina Johnston (third in 115), Gardner-Edgerton’s Lily Kepler (third in 120), Sumner’s Jadyn Bond (third in 132), Gardner-Edgerton’s Shelby Davis (third in 138), Basehor-Linwood’s Cadence Christenson (third in 143), Turner’s Arianna Ortiz (fourth in 101), BV Southwest’s Hannah Glynn (fourth in 126), Gardner-Edgerton’s Dakota Konzem (fourth in 143), Olathe West’s Laney Finazzo (fourth in 155), Olathe North’s Elizabeth Ruggles (fourth in 191) and Olathe East’s Akaiya Tinsley (fourth in 235).
GIRLS DIVISION I RESULTS
at Hartman Arena in Park City (Thursday)
Team scores: 1. Washburn Rural, 100; 2. Wichita North, 74; 3. Garden City, 71; 4. Dodge City, 69; 5. Emporia, 51; 6. Olathe West, 50; T7. Gardner Edgerton, 44; T7. Goddard, 44; 9. Wichita West, 42; 10. Olathe East, 30; T11. Great Bend, 29; T11. Salina Central, 29; T11. Shawnee Heights, 29; 14. Basehor-Linwood, 27; T15. Piper, 26; T15. Lawrence Free State, 26; 17. Wichita South, 25; 18. Olathe South, 24.5; 19. Bonner Springs, 24; 20. Olathe North, 21; T21. Hays, 20; T21. Leavenworth, 20; 23. Andover Central, 19; T24. Sumner Academy, 18; T24. Valley Center, 18; T26. Shawnee Mission West, 16; T26. Junction City, 16; 28. Blue Valley Southwest, 14; 29. Eisenhower, 12.5; 30. Turner, 11; 31. Derby, 10; T32. Campus, 6; T32. Pittsburg, 6; T34. Newton, 4; T34. Spring Hill, 4; T36. Liberal, 0; T36. Olathe Northwest, 0; T36. Wichita Heights, 0; T36. Wichita Southeast, 0.
101—1. Garcia, Wichita North, d. Wetterstrom, Olathe East, SV-1 8-3; 3. Sullivan, Garden City, d. Ortiz, Turner, 5-4; 5. Ehsa, Derby, d. Elliott, Great Bend, forf. 109—1. French, Wichita North, d. Zimmerman, Hays, 8-5; 3. O’Donnell, Basehor-Linwood, d. Burkhart, Eisenhower, 4-0; 5. Lesher, Junction City, p. Yoder, Spring Hill, 5:00. 115—1. McDougle, Wichita West, d. Felkins, Goddard, 7-6; 3. Johnston, SM West, d. Bengi, Wichita North, 7-1. 5; Jackson, Campus, d. Miles, Washburn Rural, 7-4. 120—1. Redmond, Olathe South, m.d. Broxterman, Washburn Rural, 11-0; 3. Kepler, Gardner Edgerton, p. DeLaRosa, Dodge City, 4:13; 5. Thompson, Shawnee Heights, d. Jennings, Salina Central, forf. 126—1. Ridgeway, Great Bend, d. Hernandez, Garden City, 6-0; 3. Griffin, Emporia, p. Glynn, BV Southwest, 3:39; 5. Fredrickson, Washburn Rural, p. Dong, Salina Central, 2:54. 132—1. Gray, Lawrence Free State, p. Serrano, Garden City, 2:37; 3. Bond, Sumner Academy, p. Fishburn, Olathe West, 0:58; 5. LaForge, Wichita South, p. Garcia, Dodge City, 1:28. 138—1. Lake, Piper, p, Bacci, Andover Central, 3:17; 3. Davis, Gardner Edgerton, p. Munoz, Emporia, 3:17; 5. Cruz, Garden City, m.d. Swango, Junction City, 12-2. 143—1. Goodwin, Goddard, d. Perez, Dodge City, 7-3; 3. Christenson, Basehor-Linwood, d. Konzem, Gardner Edgerton, 12-8; 5. Boa, Emporia, p. Sherbin, Wichita South, 3:29. 155—1. Smith, Washburn Rural, p. Arroyo, Dodge City, 1:48; 3. Timmons, Valley Center, p. Finazzo, Olathe West, 3:22; 5. Guzman, Garden City, p. Murry, Newton, 4:29. 170—1. Stean, Bonner Springs, p. Jackson, Leavenworth, 2:22; 3. Johnson, Washburn Rural, d. Almaraz, Dodge City, 4-2; 5. Williams, Wichita South, p. Angeles, Pittsburg, 2:34. 191—1. Anderson, Washburn Rural, p. Howell, Wichita North, 2:44; 3. Bell, Shawnee Heights, p. Ruggles, Olathe North, 1:36; 5. Ervin, Emporia, d. Martinez, Dodge City, 5-4. 235—1. Rivera, Olathe West, p. Johnson, Wichita West, 4:00; 3. Franklin, Salina Central, p. Tinsley, Olathe East, 4:31; 5. Conley, Olathe North, d. Olson, Emporia, 2-0.
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 5:55 AM.
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