TONGANOXIE — Junior Zoie Hesse, 190 lbs., sophomore Addilyn Wacker, 130 lbs., and freshman heavyweight Kaelin Rodriguez will compete for state titles Feb. 27-28 after qualifying at Saturday’s KSHSAA 4A Eastern Regional.
Hesse (32-3) and Wacker (19-1) return to the state tournament after becoming Iola High School’s first two female qualifiers in 2025, while Rodriguez (20-18) shows promise after qualifying in her first year of high school competition.
“This is where I expected us to be. Addie has been regional champ, but she’s been sick and she’s been hurt,” Iola coach John Taylor said. “I know what she’s capable of, so I expected that. Kaelin finally figured out what I’ve been telling her. She did really well today placing fifth, but I think she could have placed higher. I told Zoie before the tournament, regional champion is what I expected, and she did exactly what I asked.”
Wacker will likely be the first seed at the tournament in Salina.
She opened with a 21-5 technical fall of Anderson County freshman Hailey Gregory (15-23), then made it to the semifinals where she edged Independence senior Danee Anderson (28-15) 3-0 in overtime.
Wacker broke into the finals with a 5-1 win over No. 4 ranked Wellsville senior Kynlie Stevenson (30-10). A third-period escape allowed Wacker to secure her second regional title with a 3-2 win over Prairie View junior Lexi Freeman (30-7).
“I just had to keep a good mindset, even though my body was physically weak,” said Wacker, who missed the past few weeks due to injury and battled illness throughout the regional tournament. “When you have a good mindset, then you can do anything. My coaches are amazing and they’ve always believed me. Having the support of my team mat-side, my coaches, it pushed me harder to make them proud.”
In 2025, Wacker secured the bronze medal in her weight division.
Hesse will also likely be a No. 1 seed heading into state after defeating the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked wrestlers to win her first regional title. She opened with a first-period pin of Fort Scott senior Ali Simhiser (21-7), who defeated Hesse at state last year and was also previously ranked by the KWCA before falling to Hesse.
In the semifinals, Hesse defeated No. 3 ranked Holton junior Marley Gilliland (30-3) after stuffing an attempted Granby roll in the third period. In the second period against No. 2 ranked Bishop Miege sophomore Brooklyn Davis, Hesse ducked an attempted head-and-arm throw to put an off-balance Davis on her back to secure the regional title.
“She went to throw me, but I sat back. When she fell, I caught her,” Hesse said. “I was scared coming in. All of the girls I wrestled before had either beat me or it was a close match. I’m excited and confident. The only girl I haven’t beat yet is the No.1 ranked girl, Abby Brenn of Winfield. But I’m close to her.”
Rodriguez (20-18) had one of the toughest journeys to securing a spot at the state meet. After battling her way through the consolation bracket, she opened with a first-period pin of Nemaha Central freshman Ayn Voracek (1-14), then fell to Coffeyville junior Mayela Franco (11-13) by second-period pin.
Rodriguez then secured a first-period pin of Perry-Lecompton junior Taylee Williams (6-16). In the consolation semifinals, she fell to Prairie View junior Michaela Miller (19-11). In the fifth-place match, she avenged her first loss with a first-period pin of Franco after running a butcher.
“I feel great. I feel like I’ve improved,” Rodriguez said. “It was more of a slide-bye. She fell and I just kept driving. I just thought, Yes! Yes! Yes! I was excited. There were a lot of nerves, but it felt good to get some wins.”
With the state tournament more than a week away, Coach Taylor said he plans to individualize the workouts of the three girls instead of the generalized approach he typically takes in team practices. He will take the same approach with the boys after Saturday’s tournament in Paola.
“This week, we’ll be more focused on the boys and their regionals, but the girls will be in there with them,” Taylor said. “Whoever qualifies, we’ll be giving them time on the little things they need to work on.”
