Kiski Area has been known for the success of its wrestling program, and after a fourth-place team finish at the Powerade tournament, the girls are looking to add to that reputation.
During the annual tournament held at Canon-McMillan High School this past weekend, the Cavaliers earned their podium finish with three wrestlers getting medals placed around their necks.
Senior Ava Golding and junior Alyssa Tresco each second-place finishes in the 142- and 170-pound weight classes, respectively, and freshman Carley King finished sixth at 130.
The Cavaliers had 10 wrestlers participate, and only three lost their first match. They picked up 18 total wins and earned 95.5 points to finish behind Mt. Lebanon (111.5), Cleveland (Tenn.) (139) and Canon-McMillan (171.5).
“Even some of our girls that aren’t Ava, Alyssa or Carley, those girls wrestled solid, and they wrestled until the end,” coach Justin Tresco said. “They never quit wrestling, and the coaches and I were super proud of their performances. I think with these girls, there’s no quit in them. But we have confidence moving forward and looking forward to going against other teams this year. I think we’re going to be pretty solid the rest of the season.”
In their third year as a program and second under Tresco, the Kiski Area girls team has started to gain traction. Its showing at one of the premier tournaments in the country is a prime example
After two years of recording 30-plus wins, Golding showcased her talents. She won her first three matches by pin (1:16), technical fall (15-0, 2:49), and major decision (14-0) before losing to Archbishop Spalding’s (Ohio) Taina Fernandez, the top seed in the bracket and a four-time Super 32 champion, in the championship bout.
Golding has finished on the podium at the PIAA tournament the past two years, earning a third-place finish as a sophomore and a sixth-place finish as a junior. She has won 76 matches in her high school career, according to pawrestling.com. So her performance at the Powerade tournament came as no surprise.
“She’s always solid, and her performance is always up there,” coach Tresco said. “You know what you’re getting with her when she gets on the mat.”
Alyssa Tresco was just as impressive during her tournament run. She picked up pins (3:22, 5:01) in the first two rounds and then earned a 2-1 decision over Norwin’s Ocatavia Walker in the semifinals.
After picking up a first-round takedown in the finals, Tresco lost to Northwestern’s Cydney Rea via a 6-3 decision. Rea scored all six of her points in the final period. Despite the finish, coach Tresco said Alyssa took steps forward.
“The last couple of years, I think it was more of a mental thing with her, the anxiety and things like that,” coach Tresco said. “Ava has the experience of nine years or whatnot. Alyssa is in her third year, so it’s taken up to this year for her to actually say, ‘Hey, listen, I feel good. I’m going to go out there, and I’m going to win.’ ”
King, who’s jumped out to a 6-3 start in her first high school season, won her first two matches this past weekend, handily. She recorded two first-period pins before being pinned in the quarterfinals.
The 130-pounder rebounded and picked up back-to-back wins in the consolation bracket, both coming via first-period pins. However, King dropped her final two matches to land in sixth.
Earning a spot on the podium at the Powerade tournament is a difficult task for any wrestler, but doing so as a freshman showcases the type of future that King has, coach Tresco said.
“She’s going to be a force in the next couple of years,” he said. “She’s just an animal, and she’s an all-around athlete. She’s like Alyssa when Alyssa was her age. When we calm her down, she goes out and wrestles well. But she’s just an animal, she’s an athlete and she’s solid.”
The Cavaliers will travel to Hampton on Jan. 7 before participating in the Mid-Winter Mayhem tournament Jan. 9-10 at IUP.