Junior Phoebe Fletcher pins her opponent earlier this season and is now among the girls wrestlers headed to state.
For the first time in school history, the girls wrestling team is off to the state tournament in Salina and their emotions are running high.
A program that once started with only one girl has now reached 14, and on Wednesday four of them are set to compete against Kansas’ best competition: freshman Maddy Arnold, sophomore Madison Karten, sophomore Kyleigh Musick and junior Phoebe Fletcher.
Head coach Jotham Andrews said the program is what it is because of the girls’ passion to recruit more teammates.
“I don’t know if I can really explain the emotions,” Andrews said of the team’s first trip to state. “They’ve already made me cry … I am super excited. They’ve far exceeded my expectations this year. They’re just a great group of girls who all stick together.”
Although Eudora is in the early phases of developing a well-established girls program, they have proven to hold their own. The Cardinals won their first ever dual meet in the early days of December and boasted several other top 5 team finishes alongside individual feats.
Andrews said the success has spread to the next generation.
“I don’t think they realize what they’re doing for the community,” Andrews said. “They’re inspiring other little girls that, you know, don’t know about wrestling as a sport for girls.”
As for state, nerves seem to be the general consensus from the girls – a new venue with bright lights and a lot more fans. However, for each girl, their expectations vary. A place on the podium would be nice, but just the chance to be in this position means the most for others.
Last year, Musick was just one match away from being a sub-state champion, but a loss sent her home in sorrow. Now, the sophomore is calm and poised and has a mindset that welcomes small successes along the way.
“I don’t want to make a big goal like, ‘I’m going to get first at state, or I’m going to place in state’ right now,” Musick said. “I’m just making small goals, and working up to that. So I want to get the first take down, win my first match, then keep going from there.”
For Karten, she always wanted to wrestle, but as a cheerleader, too, she didn’t think she would be allowed to compete in both. After getting approval, the sophomore is state bound with less than two months of practice in her entire lifetime.
Despite the practice of the experience, inspiring the younger ones is what’s most important for Karten. She wants to let little girls know that they can do whatever they want despite the stereotypes in what’s a male-dominated sport.
“If they see us out here wrestling, it’ll maybe push them to join the wrestling team and just go out there and do what they want,” Karten said.
What started as a job for Fletcher then turned into a sport she played and now the risk she took has placed her on the biggest stage. As a freshman, Fletcher was a manager for the Cardinals wrestling team, but didn’t think of it as anything more than that.
“My brothers started wrestling and they’re younger than me, and I was like, this is pretty cool,” Fletcher said. “And I was also managing at the time. So sophomore year, I was like, ‘I’m just gonna do it, because it seems fun.’”
Joining the four girls is senior Dayton Fraser, who has made it to state all four years. There are hopes the podium is in his near future.
“He’s beaten some of the top-level kids,” Andrews said.
The state tournament begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Salina-Tony’s Pizza Event Center.
Reach reporter Andrew Lind at [email protected].