CORALVILLE - Vinton-Shellsburg's has an undeniable passion for wrestling.
She has dedicated countless hours and spilled plenty of blood, sweat and tears just for the opportunity to take the mat. Sanders has made the most of those opportunities, especially at the state tournament.
Sanders pinned Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont's Miley Kirkpatrick in 2:48 to advance to the 135-pound finals of the Class 1A state championships Friday at Xtream Arena.
"I'm super excited and thankful for the opportunity to wrestle," Sanders said. "I just love going out there and being able to work hard.
"These matches here have been a lot of fun. Just getting to wrestle hard and show them what I've got means so much to me."
Sander already secured her fourth state medal but returned to the title bout for the first time since her freshman season. She had to settle for bronze the last two seasons but has a chance to close her career with her first state title.
"Falling short the past couple years and not making it to the finals is heartbreaking and working your way back into that is always a mental battle," Sanders said. "To know that I'm in the finals this year is super exciting."
Sanders led her semifinal 3-0 after the first. She came out on top of a flurry, putting Kirkpatrick on her back for six more points. Sanders adjusted and put Kirkpatrick away.
"It was really fast," Sanders said. "I feel like it's all a blur at this point. I had her head at some point and she almost came back over. I saw the leg and I just worked to that. I wasn’t going to give up a reversal there. I just climbed over and got the fall."
Sanders (57-0) was the first female wrestler in state history to surpass 200 career victories and has a record 219 total. It tied the total of Missouri Valley's Nathan Haynes, who is second on the Iowa High School Athletic Association all-time wins list. Her final season has been special.
"It's been a wild ride," Sanders said. "It's gone by so fast and I've had some many huge accomplishments that mean so much to me. I'm just thankful for all my supporters. I just love being able to show my team anything's possible."
Sanders was joined in the final by teammate Kaelynn Roster. She preceded Sanders with a semifinal pin over Osage's No. 2-seed Lily Kolbet at 115. Roster erupted with excitement and hugged her coaches after the victory.
"My hard work throughout the season is actually paying off," Roster said. "This was my goal."
Roster scored the opening takedown in the first. She broke open a tied match with reversals in the second and third, ending it with a turn and fall with 10 seconds remaining.
"Effort," Roster said. "When you're tired, push through. It's only six minutes. Get through the match."
Sanders will face West Delaware's Anna O'Rear for the 135 championship. Like Sanders, O'Rear has pinned her way through the bracket. She decked Clarinda's third-seeded Lily Weinreich in just 49 seconds in the semifinal, advancing to her second straight state final.
"It's really great," O'Rear said. "That was my goal this year, come here and do what I do."
Last year, O'Rear was the fifth seed. She knocked off the No. 4 and No. 1 seeds, placing second at 125 in 2A. She is the No. 2 seed this time but she wasn't going to let the hunter become the hunted. O'Rear has been on the attack all tournament.
"We burn our brackets before the tournament," O'Rear said. "We don't think about the seeds. I ended up making the finals last year. I wasn't supposed to. Just do what I always do and do it to the best of my ability."
Dominance has led to confidence and that has led to her becoming the first Hawks female wrestler to reach the state finals twice. West Delaware Coach Dale Meyer said O'Rear is the most driven athlete he has ever coached.
"She's put in countless hours preparing so she has really earned it," Meyer said. "That said, I've never seen her as dialed in and focused as she's been during this tournament. We're super proud of her."
East Buchanan was perfect through the semifinals. The Buccaneers brought three wrestlers to state and advanced all three to the finals. Top-seeded duo Tayla Stiefel (145) and Brooklyn Graham (190) pinned their way to the title bout, while second-seeded Miley Walz recorded a technical fall in the 155 semifinal. The trio has combined for eight pins and 17 1/2 bonus points.
Mount Vernon's Adeline Whisner (145) and Gracie Pinckney (170) reached the finals. Whisner notched a 6-0 decision over Southwest Valley's Kenzie Maeder in the semifinal. Pinckney topped Fairfield's No. 2 Samantha Lyons, 3-1, to reach the final.
West Liberty also boasted two finalists. Top-seeded Bricsia Garcia-Vasquez (170) and No. 2 Aileen Aragon won semifinals. Garcia-Vasquez beat Humboldt's Danica Diedrick, 5-1. Aragon pinned Osage's Lauren Adams in 57 seconds.
The Gazette-area had 18 other medalists in 1A. Alburnett 135-pounder, Mid-Prairie's Sophia Miller (145) and Williamsburg's Cecilia Gryp (130) placed third.
Mount Vernon's Kate Martin (105) and Kiersten Swart (110), West Liberty's Kiley Collins and Williamsburg 125-pounder Keston Spratt finished fourth, while MFL MarMac's Kennedy Bachman (100) and Anamosa 170-pounder Izzy Taylor were fifth.
Waukon's Makenna Kurth (120) and Mid-Prairie's Ellie Callahan took sixth. South Winneshiek's Remington Wadsworth at 120 and Mount Vernon 155-pounder Kaylee Kintzel were seventh.
Highland had two medalists in Chloe Sexton and Adley Sweeting. Sexton was seventh at 190, while Sweeting was eighth at 120. Center Point-Urbana's Lainee Waggener placed eighth at 235.