Almost a year after the Missouri State High School Activities Association board of directors voted to approve separating the girls into their own competition, the state crowned its first 12 champions on Saturday night at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
And Jefferson County can count one of those historic 12 as its own.
De Soto sophomore Jaycee Foeller capped a perfect 35-0 season when she pinned Lafayette sophomore Josette Partney in 3:48 to win the 167-pound championship. It was the fourth meeting between the two wrestlers and Foeller won all of them by fall.
But there was some drama before Foeller won the title when Partney took her down and was looking for her own pin.
“I flipped my hips over and I was not going to be one of those big upsets,” Foeller said. “I wanted the title more than she did.”
Lebanon won the first girls title with 87 points. Lafayette was second with 81. De Soto scored 28 points and registered the county’s top finish in 16th. Seckman (13 points, 37th), Northwest (9, 46th), Windsor (4, 56th) and Fox (3, 68th) were the rest of the county teams at state.
After she captured the 180-pound championship at the United States Marine Corps Cadet/Junior Freestyle National Championships in Fargo, N.D. last July, Foeller became a nationally ranked wrestler. She wrestled for the Dragons’ boys last season. There were high expectations all season for her to win the first girls tournament.
“I feel kind of numb, honestly,” she said minutes after winning the state title. “Being the first state champion from De Soto. It’s really amazing.”
Partney is every bit as strong as Foeller, but Foeller is the better technical wrestler. If they stay in the same weight class, this budding rivalry will only get better with more matches. Partney only lasted to 1:03 before being stuck by Foeller in the district final on Feb. 9.
“She’s as strong as I am, so I have to work harder on my positioning and technique,” Foeller said.
Foeller took a nap a few hours before she took the center mat on the arena floor, then spent the rest of the time in the tunnels listening to music and pacing.
“She has a level head,” De Soto head coach John Brown said. “A lot of news people have talked to her. I told her to keep her cool.”
Foeller had a first-round bye and pinned all three of her opponents at state. She was one of seven girls to earn the undefeated state champion badge of honor. Foeller beat Branson sophomore Erin Bohmont in the semifinals.
“Her semifinal match was a barnburner,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of nerves down here. She had some nerves in the semifinals.”
Foeller used a sweep to take down Partney for the pin. She’s just as effective using the single-leg takedown.
Junior Hunter Bullock won a district title at 131 for the Dragons and was their other state qualifier. Bullock (30-7) had a first-round bye and was pinned by Marcelin junior Baylee Jobson in the second period. Jobson had already won a match. Bullock was knocked out in the second round of wrestlebacks by Ste. Genevieve junior Genevieve Nickelson.
Fox senior Hailie Terry will go down as the first girls wrestler at the school to qualify for the state tournament. Terry got to Columbia on the strength of a 27-1 record at 103 pounds and won her first match in a 13-2 major decision against Brentwood sophomore Zoe Arrindell.
Terry was pinned in the first period by Nixa freshman Ashlyn Eli (25-2) in the quarterfinals and fell out of contention when she lost 8-7 to Cameron freshman Celeste Greer. Eli beat Greer to place third.
“Hailie had a lot of expectations coming into this with one loss,” Fox head coach Tyson Campbell said. “Both of the girls she lost to were all-state.”
Three Northwest wrestlers -- sophomore Emma Spencer (126), junior Taylor Murphey (136) and freshman Macie Twine (235) -- advanced to state. Seckman junior Corrine McClure (121) and freshman Madison Conrad (126) and Windsor sophomore Reilly Baughman (110) were all history-makers for the county at state.
Spencer and Conrad met in the second round of wrestlebacks and Conrad took a 9-4 decision. Conrad was one round away from wrestling in the “bubble match” for third place when St. Charles junior Kaitlyn Clutter pinned her in the second period.
Murphey pinned her first opponent before losing in the quarterfinals to Lebanon freshman Antionna Cunningham by fall. Murphey made it to same the round Conrad did when she scored a 4-2 decision over Smithville senior Olivia Cummings.
Twine also won by fall in the first round before losing to Versailles junior Alaina May, who finished second in the state. Twine lost in her first wrestleback match.
The Lions had the largest girls team in the county this season.
“We have a lot to look forward to. All of our girls return,” Northwest head coach Ron Wilhelm said.
McClure pinned Lee’s Summit North senior Rebekah Neitzey in 3:58 in the first round. McClure lost by fall in the quarterfinals to undefeated state champion Mary Belle Harrell (22-0), a junior from Columbia Hickman.
McClure won her next two matches and stood at the precipice of the third-place match, but lost a 6-5 decision to Fort Zumwalt West senior Vivian Madrid. Madrid pinned her next opponent in 47 seconds to finish third.
Baughman lost in the first round, got a bye, then pinned Kirksville sophomore Lydia Nelson in the second period before being eliminated in wrestlebacks.