KEARNEY, Mo. — Maddie Kubicki is making quite an impact in her first season at Park Hill South.
The freshman became the school’s second state qualifier by buzzing through the field at the Class 1 District 4 meet on Saturday, Feb. 8 in Kearney.
Kubicki posted a 4-0 mark and didn’t have any of those matches reach the second period as she dominated the 135-pound class.
“Everything I have done this year has paid off,” Kubicki said. “I just go out there and do my best. If I win, I win, if I lose, I lose.”
Kubicki opened with a match that lasted 10 seconds, getting a win over North Kansas City’s Michelle Ortiz. Kubicki pinned Benton’s Tatum Levendahl in 37 seconds in the quartefinals.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
Park Hill South’s Maddie Kubicki, top, gets ready to pin Lawson’s Savannah McCuthen during the 135-pound title at the Class 1 District 4 meet on Saturday, Feb. 8 in Kearney, Mo.
Kubicki then pinned Staley’s Madison Schmude in the semifinals and that was her longest match of the tournament, going 1 minute, 15 seconds.
Kubicki got a quick takedown against Lawson’s Savannah McCutchen to take a 2-0 lead and that turned into a pin in 39 seconds.
“I feel a lot of people that will give me competition, it will be a very big experience to go through it at state,” said Kubicki, who has wrestled for 11 years.
Park Hill South’s first state qualifier, Finley Bickford, came one win away from a return to Columbia.
Bickford posted a 4-2 mark. She lost in the quarterfinals to Lathrop’s Josie Wright, a district champion, but then won her next two matches.
In her bubble match, she lost by a pin against William Chrisman’s Meraid Jorgensen by a pin in 18 seconds.
Park Hill South finished 17th in the 48-team field.
PARK HILL
Cierra Miller etched her spot in the history books at Park Hill.
The freshman went 3-2 and took fourth place in the 142-pound class and in the process became the first-ever state qualifier for the girls team.
Miller (19-6) won all three of her matches by pins, including a key win over Marceline’s Ciarrah Bell in the consolation semifinal. That guaranteed her spot in the state meet. In the third-place match, she lost by a pin against William Chrisman’s Meraid Jorgensen.
Miller’s only other loss came to eventual district champion Josie Wright of Lathrop. Miller lost that match in sudden death overtime, 8-6, against Wright, who is 15-1.
“It’s an amazing accomplishment for her,” Park Hill coach Jacob Beck said. “She has been a great teammate and works tremendously hard. She was out of school early this week because of an illness but made no excuses and battled her way through a tough bracket to punch her ticket to state. I know she was not happy with where she did finish and is ready to work hard and get better in the next two weeks to earn a spot on the state podium.”
One other wrestler had a chance to move on to state but came up short in the consolation semifinal.
Eve Herlyn faced off against Marceline’s Baylee Jobson in the ‘bubble’ match but lost by a 3-1 decision and ended her season with a 15-7 mark.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
Park Hill’s Cierra Miller celebrates a win in the Class 1 District 4 tournament on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Kearney, Mo.
Herlyn went 2-2 in the tournament.
The Trojans finished in 19th place in the 48-team district field.
Staley won the district title, followed by Cameron, Smithville and Kearney, Plattsburg and William Chrisman — the latter two tying for fifth — in the team standings.