photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Goldy Stephens pins her opponent down during the second day of the 6A state girls wrestling tournament at AdventHealth Sports Park in Overland Park on Saturday, March 1, 2025.

Overland Park — Lawrence junior Goldy Stephens became the school’s first state placer after finishing fifth in the 235-pound weight class in the 6A state girls wrestling tournament on Saturday.

“I’m really grateful, and I’m really excited for next year. Hopefully, I can do better,” Stephens said. “That was my season-long goal, so that was really satisfying.”

Stephens started the day with two pins to reach the consolation semifinals. There, she lost a close 13-9 match to go to the fifth-place match.

Stephens finished her season with a pin 1 minute and 8 seconds into the bout. The win was also the 90th of her career.

Stephens was one of three Lions to compete on the second day of the tournament. Three Free State wrestlers also competed on the second day. Lawrence finished the tournament 21st in points with 23.0, and Free State tied for 26th with 9.0.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these kids,” coach Carl Springer said. “Two years ago… These girls showed up, put some shoes on, and we figured it out together. This was the first year where we had girls that identify as wrestlers. It showed this weekend.”

This was the first year that Stephens competed in the 235-pound weight class. She competes at around 215, giving her speed over many other girls in the weight class.

“190 was a lot faster paced, and there are a lot of styles of moves that don’t work on bigger bodies,” Stephens said. “It took a little adjusting. My first few tournaments were a little rough, but now that I’ve adjusted to it, I think this is where I’ll stay at for my senior year.”

Sophomore Paige Fishburn reached the second consolation round of the 120-pound bracket but lost by a pin. Senior Reann Rodriguez also reached day 2 in the 125-pound weight class but lost her first match of the day by a pin.

Rodriguez is one of two seniors on the Lions team. She and Avery Sutton were part of the initial four-person team between Lawrence and Free State that started the program. Stephens was the only freshman then, and Free State senior Daijah Preston was the only Firebird. Preston won her second consolation round match with a pin but lost the blood round in an 18-0 technical fall.

“Even though (reaching the podium) didn’t happen for them, the next group of girls coming through will get to keep the legacy going,” Springer said. “Somebody had to start the program, and they did that. It’s hard to send them off without a medal, knowing that these girls are the reason we had nine girls here.”

For Free State, junior Delaney Earl lost her second match in the 125-pound bracket at the start of the second day. Junior Madilyn Pierson lost by a pin in the second consolation round of the 190-pound weight class.

Nine wrestlers between the two schools qualified, and five of those nine will be back with the team next year. Next season will also be when the two teams officially split and won’t practice together.

“We have a young team, and I’m excited for next season,” Springer said. “It’s going to be hard, but I’ve been pushing for (assistant coach) Melle Dye to become the head coach at Free State. When the Free State girls are wrestling, I’ll try not to stand behind Melle and yell, and he’s going to be the same for the Lawrence High girls.”