Liberty Lady Jays wrestling making their mark
LIBERTY, Mo. — The Lady Jays Wrestling team is ready to make their mark on the sports landscape. The team finished third in the Class 2 State championships last year and is loaded up and prepared to make a run for state again, with five girls ranked in the top three in their weight class this season. The team competed with 84 teams at the Wonder Women Tournament and finished 5th. They also finished 3rd at the GKC Suburban Conference Tournament. In late January, the Jays are ranked #2 in Missouri Class 2, closely following #1 Nixa.
The returning state champion at 100 pounds is Lilly Breeden. She has had an excellent season, finishing third in the Dan Gable Donnybrook and second at the Wonder Women tournament. She scored wins at the Greater Kansas City Conference Tournament, the KC Stampede, and the Belton Invitational. She is the favorite to repeat as champion in Class 2.
Last year’s runner-up at state in 105 pounds, Sandy Breeden, scored second-place finishes at the Wonder Women and Donnybrook and won at GKC, KC Stampede, and Belton.
Jaden Breeden, at 110 pounds, was fourth at state last year and has not finished any lower than third place this year, scoring an impressive win at the Dan Gable Donnybrook.
Returning runner-up at 120 pounds, Julie Breeden scored second-place finishes at GKC Conference and the KC Stampede. She won the Belton Lady Pirate Invite and finished top five at the Donnybrook and Wonder Women.
Stepping up big time has been Alexis Stinson, who did not place at state last year, but at 235 this year, she has scored significant wins at the Donnybrook, the KC Stampede, the GKC Conference, and the Belton Lady Pirate Invite.
Liberty Lady Jays wrestling is on the cutting edge of a trend sweeping the nation. Women’s high school wrestling is exploding across the country. National updates on participation in high school women’s wrestling shows increase as high as 46% annually across all states, and Missouri is no exception.
“The sport has expanded for the girls,” says Liberty head boys coach Dustin Brewer. “It’s incredible. I think it’s great for our sport. It creates opportunities for the girls. We have girls at Liberty who are pretty experienced, and we have some who aren’t. But it is an opportunity for the girls to come in and work hard, and they get to love wrestling. It is awesome to see the sport growing like it is.”
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