Saphia Davis wrestled just two matches in December before being forced off the mat because of injury.
She made quick work of Burrell’s Cierra Molnar with a 48-second pin in Plum’s season opener and pinned Norwin’s Avalin Barry in 5:55 of their 130-pound bout during a dual match Dec. 18.
Davis suffered a concussion during the match with Barry, and she missed three tournaments, including Powerade at the end of last month.
But the Mustangs junior recovered in time for the Mid-Winter Mayhem tournament at IUP on Jan. 11. She showed she was back in top form with a second-place finish in the 130-pound bracket.
“It was a really tough time because I hate missing practices, matches and tournaments,” Davis said. “It bothers me so much. It was hard knowing I was missing out on good opportunities. But my one friend who missed a couple weeks last year with an ankle injury said that it was OK because it was my time to have a break. Honestly, having that time off allowed me to rest and refocus. I feel better now. But it definitely was hard in the moment not being able to wrestle.”
Davis, who returned for one practice before the Mayhem tournament, pinned her way through four matches to the finals.
In the championship match at 130, Davis found herself on the other side of a pin result as Zoe Furman from District 4’s Montgomery scored the victory in 1:49.
“The tournament went well,” Davis said. “When I was off, I focused on my cardio because that is really all I could do. Physically, I was there. Mentally, I felt a lot stronger. I was ready for the tournament and ready to show what I had been preparing for all summer and fall. I felt really good and really confident.”
Davis went into Saturday’s Butler tournament two wins shy of 50 for her varsity career.
Plum finished 10th in the Mayhem team standings with 69 points.
Junior Alaina Claassen tasted defeat for the first time this season as Peters Township’s Lilliana Giulianelli pinned her at 2:34 of their 190-pound semifinal match.
“That girl from Peters is really good,” Plum coach Dave Miller said. “Alaina didn’t expect to get caught, and I didn’t expect her to get caught. But things happen.”
But Claassen bounced back with a pin in the consolation semifinals and locked up third place with a pin of Clearfield’s Aylee Johnston in 2:05.
“She refocused and did what we told her to do,” Miller said. “She came back ready to wrestle.”
Claassen sported a 16-1 record prior to competing at the Butler tournament. Of those 16 wins, 12 are pins with three others by decision. She rolled to tournament wins at the Ram Slam tournament at Pine-Richland, Powerade at Canon-McMillan and the Lady Falcon Invitational at Connellsville.
“If she keeps wrestling how she is now and keeps improving with her chain wrestling, she’s going to be a tough out in the (WPIAL) championship tournaments,” Miller said.
Sophomore Addison Claassen made it to the Mayhem consolation semifinals at 124 before dropping a 6-4 decision to Saegertown’s Leah Sample.
“That is a pretty good score against Sample who is a heck of a good wrestler,” Miller said. “(Sample) was a state qualifier last year. I expect really good things for Addi moving forward.”
Addison Claassen started her tournament with three straight pins in less than two minutes. Her 3-2 record at the Mayhem tournament lifted her overall season mark to 11-7.
Davis’ pin in the match with Norwin — it was the final bout of the match — was crucial because it brought it to a 30-30 tie. Plum ended up winning 31-30 on criteria with a 4-1 advantage in pin victories.
“It was a really great feeling that we all wrestled hard in that match and came out with the win,” Davis said.
“I knew that I was going to have to get a pin. I wasn’t really looking at the score. I knew what I needed to do so we could tie the score. I was really proud I was able to do what I did for my teammates.”
Alaina Claassen, wrestling up at 235, Addison Claassen (124), and freshman Lily McClean (148) also recorded pins.
Plum improved to 3-0 with a 40-28 victory over Seneca Valley on Jan. 13. The Mustangs won seven bouts, including five in a row from 124 to 148.
Addison Claassen (pin at 124), Davis (major decision at 130), sophomore Kelsie Nesbitt (pin at 148), Alaina Claassen (pin at 190) and sophomore Caroline Perez (pin at 235) all were victorious against the Raiders.
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“That was the first time since I was coaching that we didn’t give up any pins in a (dual) match,” Miller said.
“It showed that they are battling and learning how to battle. I was very excited to see how they wrestled.”
Perez’s win at 235, a pin of Carlyn Sedar with two seconds left in the match, capped the victory.
“The girls were going crazy for her,” Miller said. “It’s nice to see in team competition how the girls get excited for each other.”