Republic freshman Mabel Rogers went to the Class 2 state tournament with a perfect record and came home with a piece of history. Rogers tech-falled Branson’s Alyssa Salemie 16-0 in 3:31 in the championship match at 115 pounds, finishing 42-0 and becoming the first girls wrestling state champion in Republic history.
She’s also the school’s first wrestling state champion since 2008.
“I knew I was gonna do good. I told myself that I was gonna win,” Rogers said. “But holy crap, a tech fall — I think that’s pretty crazy.”
No one came close to testing her. Rogers tech-falled Jackson’s Lillie Morningstar 18-3 in the first round, shut out North Kansas City’s Anh Ngo 14-0 in a quarterfinal major decision, and tech-falled Lee’s Summit North’s Avery Edwards 15-0 in the semis. Her four opponents, with a combined record of 129-41, managed just three points against her combined.
Coach Eric Nolan called it a landmark moment.
“Mabel winning our first state title in history for our girls team, second person to ever win a state title in wrestling in Republic history — it’s just a real special moment for our program,” Nolan said.
Rogers scored 27.5 team points across her four matches. Her unbeaten season and state title are our Performance of the Week.
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