Ray, Happy, Goetz qualify for state
KEARNEY – To win her final match of the Class 1 District 4 Tournament, Haylee Ray admittedly deviated from her tendencies.Wrestling for third place in the 140-pound division at the Feb. 13-14 competition at Kearney High School, the Excelsior Springs sophomore trailed Mid-Buchanan’s Tayja Hernandez 6-3 in the third period. Ray cut Hernandez’s lead to 6-4 by scoring an escape. Then, with 23 seconds remaining, she scored a three-point takedown. She went on to claim a 7-6 decision.“I kind of just, like, buried my head and she threw a headlock,” Ray said. “And I kind of just listened and I rolled through it and ended up on top – which is kind of funny, because I don’t do that.”Ray’s statement was “100% true,” according to Excelsior Springs girls coach Scott Schwab.“She stepped up and hit it at the right time, and it worked for us,” Schwab said.By placing third individually, R...