Kaylee Ricketts: 2021 Girls Wrestling STATE CHAMPION @ 170 lbs.!
Ricketts pins her way to the top, captures title in sudden victory & closes perfect 11-0 season; Zeleny takes 5th @ 132 lbs.; Team finishes 8th of 64 teams!
Launch the media gallery 1 player2020-2021 Varsity Wrestling Schedule
(Home competitions in BOLD ALL CAPS)
| Dec. 17, 2020 | Fairbury Invitational | TEAM: 3rd place Zeleny (132) - CHAMPION Ricketts (190) - CHAMPION |
| Dec. 30, 2020 | Winnebago Invitational | Zeleny (132) - 5th place |
| Jan. 4, 2021 | Beatrice Girls Invitational | Zeleny - RUNNER-UP Robinson - RUNNER-UP |
| Jan. 8, 2021 | Crete Invitational | Ricketts - CHAMPION Zeleny - RUNNER-UP |
| Jan. 11, 2021 | Oakland-Craig Invitational | Zeleny - CHAMPION |
| Jan. 15, 2021 | Tournament @ Schuyler | Cancelled |
| Jan. 29-30, 2021 | State Girls Tournament @ York | TEAM: 8th place (of 64 teams) Ricketts (170) - STATE CHAMPION Zeleny (132) - 5th place |
2020-2021 Wahoo Wrestling Roster:
| Wt. | Name | Gr. |
| 126 | Megan Robinson | 10 |
| 132 | Markael Zeleny | 10 |
| 170 | Kaylee Ricketts | 10 |
Head Coach: Ed Raney, Darold Foster
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Prep Extra Spotlight Athlete of the Week: Kaylee Ricketts, Wahoo
Lincoln Journal-Star (posted Feb. 3, 2021)
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Trio of Lady Warriors Find Success in Inaugural Wrestling Season
The 2020-2021 season was a year of firsts for the Lady Warriors Wrestling Team. After the NSAA conferred emerging sport status on Girls Wrestling, three sophomore girls took to the mats: Megan Robinson, Marke Zeleny, and Kaylee Ricketts. The team made a great deal of progress during the season, which was capped with a strong showing at the NSWCA Girls State Tournament in York.
After getting in some early season matches against Nebraska City, the team headed to the inaugural Fairbury Girls Invite, where they secured a 3rd place team finish with all three wrestlers finishing in the medals (Zeleny 1st, Ricketts 1st, Robinson 4th). Next up, Robinson and Zeleny competed at the 28-team Winnebago Lady Indian Invite, where Zeleny placed 5th.
After the new year, Robinson and Zeleny got the second half of the season off to a good start at Beatrice, with each wrestler recording a pair of pins on their way to 2nd place finishes (with Robinson just missing first place on tie breaker criteria).
All three wrestlers then headed to the Crete Invite. Ricketts captured her second tournament title of the season, while Zeleny avenged a loss from earlier in the season in the semifinals on her way to a runner-up finish. Robinson recorded a win via pin and finished in 7th place.
In the final regular season girls’ tournament, Zeleny secured two wins, both pins, against a returning state 5th place medalist for a first place finish at Oakland-Craig.
The final tune up before the state meet sent the Lady Warriors to Nebraska City, where Ricketts went 2-0 while wrestling up a weight class, and Robinson and Zeleny both went 1-1 on the day.
The culmination of the season was the NSWCA Girls State Tournament in York. At 124 lbs., Robinson went 1-2, scoring 4 team points, with a dramatic reversal and pin of Irene Burrell of Creighton. Zeleny, seeded seventh, started her tournament with a 7-6 victory over Patricia Aroyo of Red Cloud/Blue Hill in the 132 lb. bracket. After falling to the eventual state runner-up in the quarterfinals, Zeleny went 3-1 in the consolation bracket, including wins over the #3 and #4 ranked wrestlers in the last NSWCA rankings. This included her final match of the day, a 4-2 victory over Schuyler’s Alekxa Olvera to bring home a 5th place medal (making her Wahoo’s first-ever girls State medalist).
Another Lady Warrior first was provided by Ricketts at 170 lbs. Entering the State Tournament with a 7-0 record, she was seeded second to the defending state champion, South Sioux City’s Aridiana Zamora, who brought a 14-0 record into the tournament. Both wrestlers pinned their way into the finals, setting up a battle of unbeatens with a state title on the line. The match didn’t disappoint, as the two wrestlers entered the third period tied 3-3. After Zamora escaped to open the third period, Ricketts responded with a takedown and two-point near fall, before surrendering a late reversal and stall point to send the match to sudden victory overtime. In the overtime period, Ricketts secured a takedown and pin to claim the victory. With the win Rickets became the first Wahoo Girls Wrestling State Champion!
The strong performance by the Lady Warriors at the State Tournament propelled the team to 49 team points and an 8th place finish out of 64 competing schools.
From left: Coach Darold Foster, Marke Zeleny, Kaylee Ricketts, Megan Robinson, Coach Ed Raney
RESULTS:
Kaylee Ricketts: 2021 Girls Wrestling STATE CHAMPION @ 170 lbs.!
Ricketts pins her way to the top, captures title in sudden victory & closes perfect 11-0 season; Zeleny takes 5th @ 132 lbs.; Team finishes 8th of 64 teams!
January 29-30, 2020 (NSWCA Girls State Tournament @ York)
TEAM SCORES
1. South Sioux City (135.5), 2. Schuyler (129), 3. West Point/Beemer (128), 4. Amherst (118), 5. Platteview (71), 6. Weeping Water (56), 7. Pierce (50), 8. WAHOO (49), 9. Winnebago (44), 10. Fremont (43), 11. Battle Creek (41), 12. Nebraska City (38), 13. Kearney (32), 14. Omaha Westside (29), 15. Axtell (28), 15. Ogallala (28), 17. Scribner-Snyder (26), 18. Red Cloud/Blue Hill (24.5), 19. Creighton (24), 19. Fairbury (24), 19. Gordon-Rushville (24), 19. Hemingford (24), 19. Twin Loup (24), 24. Stanton (23), 25. Ainsworth (22), 25. Lexington (22), 27. Wisner-Pilger (21), 28. Centura (20), 29. Papillion-LaVista (19), 30. Bellevue West (18), 30. Chadron (18), 32. Ord (17), 32. South Loup (17), 34. Elgin/Pope John (14), 35. Johnson County Central (13), 36. Crofton-Bloomfield (12), 37. BRLD (11), 37. Wauneta-Palisade (11), 39. Mitchell (10), 39. Norfolk (10), 39. Valentine (10), 42. Bellevue East (9), 42. Gothenburg (9), 44. Bayard (7), 44. High Plains Community (7), 44. Omaha Skutt Catholic (7), 47. Beatrice (6), 48. Dundy County Stratton (5), 49. Chase County (4), 49. Papillion-LaVista South (4), 49. West Holt (4), 53. Palmyra (3), 53. Paxton (3), 55. Columbus (0), 55. Conestoga (0), 55 Crete (0), 55. Elkhorn (0), 55. Harvard (0), 55. Louisville (0), 55. Omaha South (0), 55. Pender (0), 55. Sandhills Valley (0), 55. St. Paul (0)
INDIVIDUAL VARSITY RESULTS
124 - Megan Robinson (7-14) scored 4 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Lexi Southard (Nebraska City) pinned Robinson (Fall 1:19)
Cons. Round 1 - Robinson received a bye (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Megan Robinson PINNED Irene Burrell (Creighton) 3-9 (Fall 0:48)
Cons. Round 3 - Clara Lesiak (Schuyler) 5-12 pinned Robinson (Fall 0:49)
132 - Markael Zeleny (19-8) placed 5th and scored 15 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Zeleny received a bye (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Zeleny WON by decision over Patricia Arroyo (Red Cloud/Blue Hill) 7-19 (Dec 7-6)
Quarterfinal - Pheonix Jensen (Platteview) 20-2 pinned Zeleny (Fall 0:57)
Cons. Round 4 - Zeleny PINNED Alyssa Hockenbary (Valentine) 6-11 (Fall 4:46)
Cons. Round 5 - Zeleny PINNED Maggie Painter (Pierce) 5-3 (Fall 4:49)
Cons. Semi - Carly Wemhoff (Schuyler) 18-8 pinned Zeleny (Fall 3:27)
5th Place Match - Zeleny WON by decision over Alekxa Olvera (Schuyler) 11-4 (Dec 4-2)
170 - Kaylee Ricketts (11-0) placed 1st and scored 28 team points. STATE CHAMPION!
Champ. Round 1 - Ricketts PINNED Hailey Heller (West Point Beemer) 2-15 (Fall 1:21)
Quarterfinal - Ricketts PINNED Glenda Delacruz (Schuyler) 8-9 (Fall 1:38)
Semifinal - Ricketts PINNED Makena Schramm (Fairbury) 11-8 (Fall 3:45)
1st Place Match - Ricketts WON in sudden victory - 1 over Aridiana Zamora (South Sioux City) 17-1 (SV-1 9-7)
Congratulations Kaylee Ricketts (left), and Marke Zeleny!
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Zeleny goes 2-0 at final regular season tournament @ Oakland-Craig
January 11, 2021 (Oakland-Craig Invitational)
Markael Zeleny (8-1) placed 1st CHAMPION
Round 1 - Zeleny PINNED Haley Albertson (Fort Calhoun) 3-4 (Fall 3:29)
Round 2 - Zeleny PINNED Haley Albertson (Fort Calhoun) 3-4 (Fall 5:07)
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Ricketts takes championship @ Crete Girls Invite; Zeleny captures runner up!
January 9, 2021 (Crete Girls Invitational)
Girls HS Bracket D
Markael Zeleny placed 2nd and scored 20 team points. RUNNER-UP
Quarterfinal - Zeleny PINNED Charlotte Dodd (Platteview) (Fall 0:34)
Semifinal - Zeleny PINNED Brooklin Kuester (West Point-Beemer) (Fall 4:42)
1st Place Match - Reagan D. Rosseter (Omaha Westside) pinned Zeleny (Fall 1:37)
Girls HS Bracket D
Megan Robinson placed is 7th and scored 4 team points.
Quarterfinal - Lexi Southard (Nebraska City) pinned Robinson (Fall 0:36)
Cons. Round 1 - Clara Lesiak (Schuyler) pinned Robinson (Fall 3:51)
7th Place Match - Robinson PINNED Charlotte Dodd (Platteview) (Fall 0:55)
Girls HS Bracket H
Kaylee Ricketts placed 1st and scored 22 team points. CHAMPION
Round 1 - Ricketts received a bye (Bye)
Round 2 - Ricketts PINNED Tristin Hansen (Fremont) (Fall 1:32)
Round 3 - Ricketts PINNED Carolina Carvajal (Schuyler) (Fall 1:36)
1st Place Match - Ricketts PINNED Makena Schramm (Fairbury) (Fall 2:45)
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Zeleny & Robinson both capture Runner-Up @ Beatrice Invite!
January 4, 2021 (Beatrice Girls Invitational)
121-129
Markael Zeleny's place is 2nd and has scored 14 team points. RUNNER-UP
Round 1 - Brooklin Kuester (West Point-Beemer) pinned Zeleny (Fall 2:47)
Round 2 - Zeleny PINNED Clara Lesiak (Schuyler) (Fall 2:53)
Round 3 - Zeleny PINNED Nella Dolan (Omaha Skutt Catholic) (Fall 0:24)
124-127
Megan Robinson's place is 2nd and has scored 14 team points. RUNNER-UP
Round 1 - Robinson PINNED Charlotte Dodd (Platteview) (Fall 0:58)
Round 2 - Robinson PINNED Baylee Tracy (Fairbury) (Fall 1:35)
Round 3 - Raquel Moore (Beatrice) pinned Robinson (Fall 3:25)
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Markael Zeleny & Megan Robinson compete in Winnebago Invite
Zeleny captures 5th place @ 132 lbs.
December 30, 2020 (Winnebago Lady Indian Invitational)
124 - Megan Robinson (2-8) scored 3 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Josephine Redman (Gordon-Rushville) 9-1 pinned Robinson (Fall 1:16)
Cons. Round 1 - Robinson PINNED Charlotte Dodd (Platteview) 0-6 (Fall 0:53)
Cons. Round 2 - Madisen Petersen (Crofton-Bloomfield) 5-6 pinned Robinson (Fall 2:10)
132 - Markael Zeleny (8-3) placed 5th and scored 8 team points.
Quarterfinal - Zeleny WON by major decision over Alyssa Hockenbary (Valentine) 2-5 (MD 10-1)
Semifinal - Angeline Skrdla (Pierce) 5-2 won in sudden victory - 1 over Zeleny (SV-1 4-3)
Cons. Semi - Emma Kavan (Cedar Bluffs) 2-2 won by decision over Zeleny (Dec 1-0)
5th Place Match - Zeleny PINNED Alyssa Hockenbary (Valentine) 2-5 (Fall 2:17)
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Markael Zeleny & Kaylee Ricketts capture championships @ Fairbury Girls Wrestling Tournament!
December 17, 2020 (Fairbury Girls Wrestling Tournament)
TEAM SCORES
1. Weeping Water (61), 2. Creighton (34), 3. Wahoo (30), 4. Centura (20), 5. Beatrice (16), 6. Johnson County Central (12), 6. Louisville (12), 8. Fairbury (11)
Warrior sophomore Markael Zeleny dominated the mat at the Dec. 17 Fairbury Girls Wrestling Tournament. Zeleny won all four of her matches by pin, and captured the 132-lb. championship! (photo courtesy John Minnick)
INDIVIDUAL VARSITY RESULTS
132 - Megan Robinson (1-3) placed 4th and scored 3 team points.
Round 1 - Raquel Moore (Beatrice) 3-4 pinned Robinson (Fall 0:48)
Round 3 - Robinson PINNED Baylee Tracy (Fairbury) 0-4 (Fall 3:30)
Round 4 - Abby Weidenhaft (Fairbury) 3-6 pinned Robinson (Fall 0:56)
Round 5 - Markael Zeleny (Wahoo) 4-0 pinned Robinson (Fall 0:53)
132 - Markael Zeleny (4-0) placed 1st and scored 18 team points. CHAMPION
Round 1 - Zeleny PINNED Baylee Tracy (Fairbury) 0-4 (Fall 2:51)
Round 2 - Zeleny PINNED Raquel Moore (Beatrice) 3-4 (Fall 0:20)
Round 3 - Zeleny PINNED Abby Weidenhaft (Fairbury) 3-6 (Fall 2:47)
Round 5 - Zeleny PINNED Megan Robinson (Wahoo) 1-3 (Fall 0:53)
190 - Kaylee Ricketts (2-0) placed 1st and scored 9 team points. CHAMPION
Round 1 - Ricketts PINNED Brooklyn Abbott (Creighton) 0-2 (Fall 0:55)
Round 2 - Ricketts PINNED Makena Schramm (Fairbury) 3-8 (Fall 0:49)
2020-2021 Warrior Wrestling Team, back row (from left): Cooper Hancock, Noah Visger, Sebastian Lausterer. Middle: Drake Carlson, Johnathan Perez, Kaylee Ricketts, Malachi Bordovsky, Kyan Lausterer, Megan Robinson, Klarice Waage, Isaiah Foster. Front: Trevor Beavers, Dominik Rohleder, William Nielson, Griffin Lausterer, Jacob Andresen, Markael Zeleny, Jet Nuckolls, Kaleb Broome, Brandon Hasenkamp. (photo courtesy Studio 123)