SALINA — Endings are never perfect.
But Kiley Dillow, who won her third straight wrestling state title on Saturday, leaves Chanute wanting more.
Dillow, a senior for the Chanute Blue Comets, capped a brilliant career at the KSHSAA 4A State Wrestling Championships with a technical fall over Molly Benes of Bishop Miege in the 170-pound title bout.
“Winning my third is really cool,” Dillow said. “My brother won two, but I won three. And being the first Chanute athlete to win three in wrestling is pretty cool. It’s a great stepping stone into a new era.”
Dillow cruised through the bracket on Friday, earning first round pins over Mya Wallace, Jazmyn Kaufman and Dayanara Jimenez en route to the championship match.
Then came the final match against Benes, a rematch from the regional final.
Fourteen seconds into the first period, Dillow found herself in a place she hasn’t been in years in a KSHSAA- sanctioned bout — on her back.
Benes scored a takedown on Dillow. The Chanute star escaped 22 seconds later before asking for injury time.
“I asked if she was OK and she said she blacked out for a second,” Chanute head coach Nick Nothern said. “It took her a second to realize she was in a wrestling match. I asked if she got hit in the head and she didn’t think so. So she got her bearings for a second, then went back out and went to work.”
Dillow admitted the moment destabilized her.
“It definitely was pretty scary,” Dillow said. “Then I got overwhelmed and disassociated from where I was. Once I got up, I took a breath and reset. I knew I could take her down. So I knew I had this. I never thought I was out of it.”
Nothern never doubted Dillow’s outlook.
“As soon as I knew she was belly- down and she wasn’t going to give up near fall, I knew we were good,” Nothern said. “That girl was shooting her shot. She knew if she had a chance to win, she’d have to catch Kiley. I wasn’t worried at all. I knew Kiley would get away and take her down. Once she got up, Kiley took the life out of her. I knew she’d pin her or tech her.”
Dillow ended up winning, 21-6, with five takedowns and a near fall to her tally. After Benes’ three points on the takedown, the other three points she earned came from Dillow letting her off the canvas to set up another takedown.
“She’s resilient,” Nothern said. “She’s been down in matches before and came back to win. She knows how to gut out tough matches. At the high school level, she hasn’t been put in that position. But she wrestles at national events. So it’s not foreign to her. She just had to gather herself. I still don’t know why she had that blackout moment. Once she got her bearings back, she got it done.”
After getting her arm raised, Dillow skipped the usual fanfare. Instead, she was pissed, albeit for a moment.
“She couldn’t believe she gave up a takedown,” Nothern said. “But she left her arm up. It happens. And we knew that girl would come out throwing. She shot her shot. But in my mind, it was no big deal. Not long after, she switched gears. She couldn’t believe her high school career was over. So there were mixed emotions.”
Saturday’s win over Benes punctuated a four-year career that Dillow never envisioned before high school.
“Five, six years ago, I was playing basketball,” Dillow said. “Now I thank God for putting wrestling in my journey. It’s changed my character. I’ve grown in my faith and my discipline. I’m so thankful to be able to compete and serve His purpose.”
A three-time state champion in wrestling to go along with a decorated volleyball career, Dillow’s legacy at Chanute ranks near, or at, the top.
“There have been some pretty phenomenal athletes in this school, dating back to the 1930s,” Nothern said. “Kiley is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Kansas history. She’s one of the most dominant female wrestlers in Kansas history. Her legacy at Chanute High School is one that will be remembered. She’s a once-in-a-generation type of athlete. In Kansas, she’s going to be remembered for a long time.”
Dillow has become a staple on the national wrestling scene and was widely regarded as the best wrestler in the state this year.
“There’s a quote from John Wooden about having favorites — it’s the people that show up every day and work hard,” Nothern said. “That’s normal in every relationship. Not just in wrestling but outside of it. It’s hard not to build a strong bond with those types of people. Kiley and I are very close. She’s been our team leader since her sophomore year. We’re going to miss her. I’m going to miss her. She sets the standard and everybody else aspires to that.”
Dillow will continue her wrestling career at Fort Hays State.
“When you get to college, there’s not many easy matches,” Nothern said. “The talent level is so high. I was talking to her coaches at Fort Hays and I think Kiley has developed into a very good wrestler. But she hasn’t reached her ceiling. She’s going to keep improving. I can see her being a national champion.”
Dillow said she wants to cut down from 170 to 160 pounds at Fort Hays State.
“Hopefully I can get down to 160,” Dillow said. “I want to go down and dominate there. It’s my favorite style of wrestling. I love the coaches. I love the girls. I’ve met my training partner. So I’m so excited for my next chapter. I want to be the underdog again. I want competitive matches. That’s what’s fun.”
Legacies are all subjective. Dillow’s is pristine by any measure by any outsider.
But Dillow’s own self-image is perhaps the longest lasting legacy she’ll carry.
“Before wrestling, I never thought of myself as this amazing athlete,” Dillow said. “I never thought I’d make noise. But I saw the hard work and sweat and tears my brothers put in. So being able to carry that on was something special.”
Chanute girls finish 22nd as a team
While Dillow captured the state title, eight Blue Comets in total wrestled in Salina. Dillow was the only one to place.
“I knew coming in that it’d be really tough,” Nothern said. “Those seventh and eighth places at regionals left our work cut out for us. I thought we’d win a few of those first-round matches. But it didn’t go our way. We won a ton of matches on the back side, but then on Saturday morning we came out and wrestled flat. To be in the team race, you have to win 50-50 matches.”
Esperanza Cuin (105 pounds), Jocelyn Brecheisen (140), Kyli Baylor (190) and Mylee Miller (130) all went 0-2 for Chanute.
Jarynn Hockett (11), Jayla Dunivin (145) and Willow Vaughn (155) all made it to Saturday but didn’t make the blood round.
“We’ll have some of these girls back next year competing and bringing home a medal,” Nothern said. “I’m disappointed in how our state tournament went. But you learn more through losses and difficulties. These girls that are returning will be better for it.”
Four Chanute boys compete Four wrestlers for the Chanute boys, Bo Small (150), Braddox Bancroft (165), Gage Frazell (175) and Logan Axelson (138) all competed at the state tournament in Salina.
Small, Frazell and Axelson all went 0-2.
Bancroft advanced as far as the blood round before dropping a match to Zane Aikin with a medal on the line.
