HERSHEY – A year ago, Ava Golding came home from Hershey’s Giant Center with a bronze medal from the inaugural PIAA girls wrestling championships. It’s no surprise that the Kiski Area junior’s expectations are high this weekend during her second visit to the state tournament.
“My goal is to make it to the finals and stay undefeated until then,” Golding said after her first-round match Thursday afternoon.
Golding opened her tournament in the 136-pound bracket with a 10-5 victory over Michella Yakupova of Abington in the forst round.
“I definitely got my first match nerves out,” Golding said.
Golding was not just wrestling against Yakupova, but also against confusion. The scoreboard was wrong at the end of the first period, causing a delay. Then the periods were labelled incorrectly later in the match.
“It said it was the third period when it was the second, so I thought it was done,” Golding said.
Even with the extra two minutes of wrestling, Golding moved into Friday morning’s quarterfinals. So did her teammate, Alyssa Tresco, at 142 pounds. Tresco defeated Maddison Miller of Honesdale, 8-5.
Knoch’s Braylee Ireland was unable to compete in last year’s state meet due to an injury, but she quickly put herself in the mix at 118 with a 7-0 win over Shannon Logue of Bishop Shanaman.
“Honestly, my first goal was just to get a win,” Ireland said. “But I really want to place this year.”
Ireland recorded a takedown late in the first period and never left an opening for Logue to get back in it. Ireland, like Golding, was unfamiliar with her opponent, but also like Golding, not depending on that to succeed.
“Just everything I’ve been working on all season,” Ireland said. “Nothing different, just keep on sticking with my bread and butter.”
Saphia Davis of Plum won one of the tightest matches of the day with a 4-3 decision over Callie Hess of Benton at 130. Alaina Claassen won at 190 with a 44-second pin against Jaylynn Reeder of Coatesville.
Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy took one of the highest-scoring bouts of the day, defeating Samara Bailey of Crestwood 19-13 at 235.
Canon-McMillian, the team champion from last year, has three wrestlers in the quarterfinals. Marlee Solomon pinned Alysiana Ierley of York Suburban in 1:17 at 112, Evangeline Gray pinned Jameson Strickland of Sun Valley in 4:48 at 148, and Natalie Rush pinned Lizkarla Grullon Vasquez of Parkland in 1:58 at 190.
Octavia Walker of Norwin pinned Sierra Ripka of Nanticoke in 5:43 in the 170-pound opening round.
In 100, Kristen Walzer of Montour pinned Kate Hollinger of Central Dauphin in 4:42.
Ella Trahan of Fort Cherry bounced back from an early takedown to dominate Taylor Keckler of Gettysburg, 15-3, at 106.
Brashear’s Tamara Humphries earned a major decision over Olivia Kerns of Shippensburg 14-6 at 112.
Anna Duncan of South Park pinned Rylee Campbell of Shikellamy in 2:11 at 1:24.
Haley Smarsh of Moon won by a tech fall by posting a 19-1 win over Aubrey Rebuck of Shikellamy at 130.
Laurel’s Maggie Alfera pinned Rylyn Schwoyer of Owen J. Roberts in 4:40 at 136. Also at 136, Connelsville’s Janayah Nobles earned a major decision over Emma Rose Arnold of Avon Grove, 12-4.
Two other WPIAL wrestlers won at 142. Grace Nasman of Upper St. Clair pinned Austyn Falls of Central Mountain in 55 seconds and Abigail Dolanch of Avella pinned Avery Earnest of Hughesville in 5:38.
Elaina Ashby of Trinity won by tech fall with a 16-1 triumph over Gabby Bambarger of West Branch at 148. Also at 148, Tiffany Gathers of Pine-Richland won 6-0 over Alexis Kurzawa of Hughesville.
At 190, Liliana Giulianelli of Peters Township pinned Maura Case of Easton in 58 seconds.
Consolation survivors
First-round losers who won in the first consolation round are still in the mix for a medal.
That included Yuni Ayala of Canon-McMillian, who lost in the first round by fall to Northeast’s Samiyah Rahming in 1:37, but bounced back with a 5-0 win over Chloe Stiles of United. Also at 118, Paige Jox of Mt. Lebanon lost 9-0 to Mai Graham of South Lehigh but won 10-9 against Seqoia Murray of Northern York.
At 124, Ariona Strader of Pine-Richland was pinned by Emily Murphy of Montgomery in 3:56 but came back in a big way with an 18-0 tech fall victory over Jada Dillard of Upper Dauphin.
Karsyn Champion of Norwin lost 6-2 to Raegan Snider of Northern Bedford before earning a 15-5 major decision over Adrianna Bowling in Gettysburg at 155.
Valley’s Arianna Bernard was pinned by Quakertown’s Caroline Hattala in 4:15 but won by fall in 1:10 against Noelle Murray of Bedford at 190.
Brooklyn Pearson of Woodland Hills had a similar afternoon. At 235, she was pinned by Jaiden Mikulak of Honesdale in 3:28 before pinning Makenzie O’Donnell of Council Rock in 3:28.
Two-and-out
Blythe Letters of Shaler lost two bouts at 100. She was pinned by Brooklyn Henry of Gettysburg in 1:15 and by Kaylee Ebersole of Northern Bedford in 2:07.
At 106, Malia Ramos of Canon-McMillian lost 16-0 in the first round to Alexis Pancoast of Mechanicsburg and dropped a 4-1 decision to Ava Helsel of Northern Bedford in the consolations. Her teammate, London Ellis, was pinned in 48 seconds by Mylah Steinbuck of Bedford and in 1:59 by Noelani Knott of Dallastown at 235.
Connelsville’s Trinity Moore fell out of the 112 bracket, losing to Kylee Trostle of Elco, 9-2, and to Grace Nesbitt of Neshaminy, 10-0.
Alexia Ashby of Trinity lost both of her 142 bouts. She dropped an 11-0 result to Sayona Harris-Haye of Greater Johnstown and a 4-2 decision to Laila Colon of Manheim Township.
At 170, Olivia Shultz of Connelsville was pinned by Jael Miller of Punxsatawney in 1:00 then pinned by Lane Harrington of Strath Haven in 2:01. Also at 170, Hannah Hornick of Seneca Valley was pinned in 4:41 by Kendall Wagner of Central Mountain then beaten 9-3 by Angela Imorhoa of York Suburban.