MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Manhattan girls wrestling is eyeing it all this season.
The Indians placed second in the Kansas 6A Regionals with 13 girls punching their tickets to the 6A State Tournament on Feb. 27-28.
“I think a lot of our success is that our boys and girls’ teams practice side by side,” Manhattan boys and girls’ wrestling head coach Shawn Bammes said. “Same expectations, same technique, I think it’s helped both of them grow, especially on the girls’ side.”
This year will mark the seventh Kansas Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament, and Manhattan High is looking for its first girls’ team state title.
In 2020, the first Kansas Girls State Wrestling Tournament was held.
The squad is led by two upperclassmen leaders, senior Alayna Slifer and junior Sophia Hoeme, both eying their own respective weight class state championships.
For Slifer, she is looking to go back-to-back this season to round out the wrestling career that she started at eight years old.
“I just want to have fun with it. I know what I’m capable of,” Slifer told 27 Sports. “Winning one state championship did not change my mindset: it’s still back to the lab. It’s hard to stay on top once you get there. So, I’m just eager to show people that I can still grow, especially with the practice partners I have.”
“She’s been a team mom in a way, helping them through it, being a team leader on the girls’ side,” Bammes said. “She’s just like the rest of them, comes in here and works hard.”
This season, Slifer recorded the 100th win of her career, making her the first Manhattan girl wrestler to reach that triple-digit victory.
“It was pretty exciting,” Slifer said. “But I personally don’t chase numbers, I chase experiences.”
Joining her in the 100th win column this season was Evelyn Thornburg, the two etched their name in the school history books.
For the undefeated junior, Hoeme has held a championship mindset all season long, reminding herself every single day what her main goal is this season.
“I’ll be a state champion this year. I’m going to bring home that individual title this year,” Hoeme told 27 Sports. “That’s my main one. It’s what I’ve been working on all season. Being undefeated is just a special thing, but that’s not the end goal; my goal for this season is to be a state champion.”
Hoeme is undefeated in the 6A 140 weight division this season and is hitting her stride at the right time.
“Soph is putting in the work,” Bammes said. “She’s got confidence in herself; she’s getting better every single time she steps out on that mat. Comes in, asks the questions after the weekend is over, on what she can do to get better, and then right back to work that next week.”
Written on the whiteboard that looks out to Manhattan’s wrestling mat is, “let it fly.” Something that Hoeme reminds herself of before every match.
“Just going into every match and letting it fly and giving it everything I’ve got and reminding myself that these competitions leading up to state aren’t state. I’m not winning a state championship that day. But whenever I do get to state, just laying it all out on the line.”
The Kansas 6A State Tournament will be in Overland Park, KS, and run from Feb. 27-28.
For more sports news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
