SALINA — Brittany Boucher, the first girl from Parsons to qualify for the KSHSAA 4A Wrestling Championships, went 0-2 on Friday despite leading in both bouts at 155 pounds.
In the first round, Boucher faced top-seed Ashlyn Rose of Scott Community. Boucher scored the first points of the match before getting pinned 55 seconds in.
“This whole week, we worked on things to improve on. We’ve got a limited playbook with her being a second- year wrestler, but she worked really hard,” Parsons head coach Kaito Barr-Miller said. “We were as prepared as we’ve ever been. She went after the top seed and scored some points. We had an opportunity to get her to her back, but we sat for a second and that’s all it takes. I was very proud of her and excited with what I saw — she went after the top seed and scored first and had a shot to win.”
In the first round of consolations, Boucher was pinned in the third period by Colby’s Dallis Stieben with the score tied at 2-2.
“It came down to little things in the match,” Barr-Miller said. “She got a little out of position. But I thought Brittany was the better wrestler. She’ll keep getting better.”
Rose finished sas the third place finisher at 155 pounds while Stieben claimed fifth.
Boucher aims to be a foundational piece for a rebuilding Parsons wrestling program.
“She’s going to make my girls team look really good next year,” Barr-Miller said. “She made it to state and she’s a grinder. That’ll rub off on the girls behind her. She’s going to be my leader and build this team. She is my foundation. Not just one brick.”
