Kearney High School is Title Town once again.

On Thursday, Feb. 26, inside Mizzou Arena in Columbia, the KHS Girls Wrestling program delivered another unforgettable finish at the 2026 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships, bringing home the Class 1 team state championship for the FOURTH year in a row.

The Bulldogs didn’t just win. It was dominant. Kearney scored 130.5 team points, finishing nearly 20 points clear of second-place Ste. Genevieve to secure the crown.

That makes it four consecutive Class 1 state titles (2023–2026), a run that has firmly established this team as one of the premier programs in Missouri.

Please help us congratulate our six Bulldogs who battled their way onto the podium (a program record!):

• Zolah Williams (105) — State Champion
• Myla Woolridge (110) — State Runner-Up
• Riley Walker (115) — 5th Place
• Aida Appenfeller (140) — 5th Place
• Bella Wenzel (145) — 4th Place
• Carli Vargas (190) — State Champion

Head Coach Nick Ward summed it up best. "The Bulldogs came out hot and never cooled off,” he said. "In the biggest rounds, they delivered the bonus points and clutch moments that separate champions from everyone else."

And just as important as the hardware: all eight state qualifiers represented Kearney with the kind of class, toughness and team-first confidence that makes our community proud!

Coach Ward's staff includes Varsity Assistant Coaches Cami Aebersold, Lexie Cole, Caleb Grant Dixon, Eric Marshall and Brett Williams, in addition to Junior Varsity Assistant Coach Caleb Grant Dixon.