Iola Middle School seventh grade wrestler Cayleigh Rutherford is already showing signs of greatness after medaling against much older opponents at the Iola Kids Wrestling Tournament Sunday.
Rutherford, who was voted Allen County Area Athlete of the Month for January, continued to add to her resume after medaling in two different age brackets. The 12-year-old took first in the 114 lbs. 12U division and second in the 114 lbs. 14U division.
“It was a little bit harder than 12U and I’ve been wrestling 12U for more than a year now,” said Rutherford, who only had a handful of matches to recover between rounds. “The first girl I wrestled was easier than the second, who was more experienced,” she said.
In the 12U bracket, Rutherford (25-4) swept a four-woman round robin with first-period pins of Humboldt’s Kenady Lucke, Paola’s Skylar Bass, and Wellsville’s Ashlynn Rice to secure the 12U title. Despite facing bigger opponents, Rutherford showed no signs of slowing down with a first-period pin of Neodesha’s Byrlee Burgell before falling to Eureka’s Adleigh Ray by first-period pin in the title match.
“I’m just trying to work harder in practice and trying to make my weight for districts and state,” Rutherford said. “I don’t want to go to a higher bracket than where I am now.”
Rutherford takes to the mats naturally. Her older half-sister is Zoie Hesse, an IHS junior who is ranked in the top five in the recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association poll.
Rutherford hopes Iola citizens become just as familiar with her name as they are with her big sister.
“Most people don’t know me,” Rutherford said. “They know my sister. She’s more famous.”
