Smiling through it all

Girls wrestling is still fresh in Nebraska, but you wouldn’t know it looking around Saturday at the A-1 district meet in Fremont. 
Both Aurora and High Plains were there competing for spots at next week’s state wrestling championships in Omaha and emotions were through the roof. 
Sure, girls wrestling has added another main course to my already loaded dinner plate, but let’s be honest -- I wouldn’t be as happy without it. 
As the second year of NSAA sanctioned girls wrestling gears up for the pinnacle next week, I’m often asked, almost exclusively by those who haven’t seen one in person yet, “What’s girls wrestling like?”
They compete just like the boys, and that’s not a slight to either gender. Girls wrestling is as intense, tough, respectful and fun as its boys counterpart.
And the growth is tremendous. 
More than 1,200 girls participated in girls wrestling this year with just under 1,000 wrestling at districts over the weekend. 
The Norm Manstedt Invitational in January has now become a three-day event with girls participating on the first day. Standing room only at that particular event is an understatement. 
The NSAA made a few adjustments after the first year to make 14 weight brackets and 16 qualifiers for state in each bracket, mirroring the boys criteria. 
It won’t be long until we’re talking about multiple classifications and stand-alone girls state wrestling championships. 
That’s the way it should be, too. The girls should have their own spotlight -- their own weekend to be on display. 
The talent on display this year has made girls wrestling look like a completely different sport from just a year ago. 
During year one, more likely than not, matches would feature one participant who really had a good grasp of the sport while the other was learning for the first time. 
There were times where two girls would meet up who were both learning on the fly, and those provided some fireworks in a “you know what you know” type situation. 
It was tough, at least until late into the year and at state to get two girls on the mat together who both had solid wrestling backgrounds. 
The difference this year is a lot more of these girls had the background and the competition has skyrocketed.
All of Aurora’s wrestlers are unrecognizable in terms of their skill and ability from just two months ago. Aurora coach Derek Keasling has let fellow coaches Sheri Thompson and Bailly Ballard steer the girls wresting ship and the only time the boat may have taken on any water was Saturday when Kehlanee Bengtson nearly jumped over and through her two coaches after winning a district title. 
Bengtson has more than a district championship on her mind now with the state championships looming. 
Natalie Bisbee is Aurora’s other two-time state qualifier. Last year, she was almost in disbelief that she qualified. 
Saturday, with her hand raised after a win in the heartbreak round, Bisbee had a look of confidence and belief she belonged. 
Aubrie Beed was a student manager one year ago and now she’s a state qualifier for the Huskies. 
Angelina Leininger hasn’t frowned one time on the wrestling mat, sometimes with a half smile even in defeat. 
Her win in the heartbreak round on Saturday provided a similar million dollar smile to her teammates. 
Plus, how much fun has it been to see her father, Tom, in a completely different arena as a wrestling dad? His smile hasn’t wavered once, either. 
If anything, that’s the biggest difference about girls wrestling. Sure, some get upset at times -- it’s competition. 
But, 99 percent of the time, they’re smiling. Win or lose. 
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.