Abbie Johnson makes Kennett history in inaugural wrestling season

On the first day of the Class 1 District 1 wrestling championships, Abbigail (Abbie) Johnson said she did not expect to wrestle at all.

Four matches later, Johnson found herself as a MSHSAA Class 1 State Qualifyer.

As girls wrestling is a recent addition to Missouri sports, it is common for Johnson to go an entire meet without facing any competition. A lot of times, if she does wrestle, it will be in exhibition matches against wrestlers outside of her weight class.

However, the 190-Ibs weight class did have a district opponent for Johnson.

She was matched up against Abigail Giunta of Affton High School, a wrestler Johnson had faced and beaten before.

“I just remembered she was strong,” Johnson said. “I started stressing and overthinking, but then I remembered I’ve beat her before, so I should be able to do it again. I just started playing my music and getting pumped, then when I got on the mat, I knew everything was going to be fine.”

After two periods, Johnson was awarded victorious against Giunta. She would go on to wrestle three more matches on Day Two of the District Championships.

On the second day, Johnson placed fourth at the District tournament and became the first Kennett female in school history to qualify for the MSHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.

“It didn’t feel real,” Johnson said. “Especially being a freshman and everything, it felt weird. At the beginning of the year, my coaches told me I could qualify, but I didn’t really believe I was going to make it to State. It was scary.”

Capping off her first year of wrestling, Johnson finished the year 18-9 heading into the State tournament.

Johnson's journey to state started on the first day of high school, when she learned Kennett had a girls wrestling team.

She was originally unsure about joining but was later convinced by juniors Heather Jones and Ja’Marria Rogers, who were already on the team.

“Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, period, in my entire life,” Johnson said.

What started as ‘peer pressure’ became an obsession for Johnson. Later, after realizing her potential in this sport, those obsessions became aspirations to be a state qualifier.

“I dreamt about it the whole season,” Johnson said. “I’m really hard on myself; I’ve always have been in everything I do. All I could think to myself every match was, ‘I have to go to state.’ That mindset and committing to the work, going to practices every day, got me to my goals.”

Her first match of the State tournament was against a seasoned senior, Kayleen Gariepy of Sherwood High School. Gariepy was 31-6 this season and advanced to the next round, sending Johnson to the consolation bracket.

There, Johnson went head-to-head against a 32-9 sophomore from Oak Grove High School, Eva Alexander.

She would eventually fall to Alexander. Despite her short run at the State tournament, Johnson’s run this season has been nothing short of historical.

She said becoming the first female wrestler at Kennett to go to state, especially in just her first season, proved a lot to her. More importantly, it showed she has a lot more left to prove.

“This year meant a lot to me,” Johnson. “It’s impressive, honestly, because there have been other girls in my weight class before, but I’m the first one to ever make it to state. That kind of gives me bragging rights for the future.”

With her success, Johnson gives credit to her coaches for pushing and believing in her this season.

Along with them, she is grateful for the other girls on her team who inspired her to be her best every time she steps on the mat.

“I look up to a lot of the girls on my team,” Johnson said. “Especially Jaz[lynn Covington] and Heather [Jones]. They are really good, and I strive to be as good as them one day.”

As her inaugural season concludes, Johnson said she has learned many valuable lessons from this sport.

After a year of success, wrestling has become so much more than a hobby or sport. Now, it is a permanent chapter of her life and she hopes to continue having success in the future.

“When you ask me about wrestling, I’d say it’s fun,” Johnson said. “If you ask me on a deeper level, though, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s not just physically difficult but mentally as well. You have to have the mental capability to be able to stay in it and keep going to win, because the feeling after you lose a match is one of the most devastating feelings in the world. You put everything on the mat and still lose; it’s devastating. It is the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome and get through, just to wrestle.”