The REPORTER
The first-ever IHSAA girls wrestling sectionals took place Friday across the state.
Hamilton County schools were spread out across four sites. Three teams traveled to Muncie Central, including Hamilton Southeastern, and it was a great day for the Royals squad.
Southeastern placed second as a team, scoring 147 points. The Royals were behind only Jay County; the Patriots won the team trophy with 232 points. Southeastern had one individual champion: Fanta Sall, who won the 235-pound weight class.
Three Carmel wrestlers won championships at the Alexandria sectional.
Pictured from left are Daniela Ramirez-Zarate, Grace Sharp and Josie Bellotti. (Photo provided)
Sall reached the championship match by getting a second-period pin in the semifinals. She faced Fishers’ Jolisa Janik in the final and won a 4-2 decision. Both wrestlers advance to next Friday’s Alexandria regional, as the top four finishers in each weight class qualify for the regional round.
Southeastern had eight wrestlers finish in the top four and move on to the regional. Ella Shults (at 110 pounds) and Kiarra Churchill (at 120) both placed second in their divisions. The Royals had two wrestlers finish third: Lindsey Lannen at 115 and Kelli Crawford at 190. Three more HSE wrestlers placed fourth: Lilliana Rodriguez at 105, Daphne Gillam at 135 and Samantha Broyles at 145.
The Tigers were 11th as a team, scoring 46 points. Janik was the lone Fishers wrestler to advance to regional. Noblesville totaled 40 points to place 13th as a team. Evangeline Howard placed third at 135, securing a spot at regional.
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Carmel had a strong day at the Alexandria sectional, tying for second place as a team.
The Greyhounds tied with the host Tigers, as each team scored 136 points. Frankton won the team championship with 161 points. Carmel had three individual champions and advanced six wrestlers to the Alexandria regional next Friday.
Grace Sharp easily won the 115-pound bracket, getting two pins to claim the championship. Sharp won her semifinal with a first-period pin, then took the final match with a fall late in the second period.
Daniela Zarate Ramirez was the 155-pound champion. Zarate Ramirez began with a technical fall win in the quarterfinals, then got a pin in the third period of her semifinal match. Zarate Ramirez then won first place with a 9-0 major decision.
Josie Belloti had the easiest day of all in winning at 170 pounds. Belloti only needed 49 seconds to become a sectional champion, pinning her semifinal opponent in 34 seconds, then getting a fall in the championship in just 15 seconds.
Giabella Romano finished as runner-up in the 130-pound bracket, reaching the final with a sudden-victory win in the semis. Tess Self placed third at 105, getting two pins in the consolation bracket and a technical fall in the third-place match. Masha Newsome also placed third at 120, winning the third-place bout with a fall.
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Hamilton Heights also had a successful day, placing second at the Western sectional.
Hamilton Heights’ Kendall Moe (above left) won the 105-pound championship at the Western sectional,
while Zoe Pugh (above right) was the winner of the 120-pound title. (Photos provided)
The Huskies scored 194 points, behind only the host Panthers, who ran away with the team championship by scoring 270 points. Heights also picked up two individual winners and qualified seven to the Rochester regional.
Kendall Moe won the 105-pound bracket in almost no time at all. Moe spent a total of 78 seconds on the mat, winning her semifinal with a 48-second pin and taking the championship match by fall in 30 seconds.
Zoe Pugh also took care of business quickly at 120 pounds. Pugh won her semifinal with a pin right at the two-minute mark, then got a 42-second pin to claim victory in the championship match.
Two more Heights wrestlers were runners-up in their classes. Aubrey Baber finished second at 115, making a pin along the way, while Isabella Bailey was the 145-pound runner-up, reaching the final with two pins.
Amaelia Cordero Ballinger placed third at 170, while Natalie Head took third at 190, winning the third-place match with a third-period pin. Both advanced to the regional along with Madeline McKinney, who placed fourth at 100 pounds.
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Sheridan finished in eighth place at the Crawfordsville sectional, scoring 66 points.
Three Blackhawks wrestlers finished in the top four to advance to the Rochester regional next Friday. Adrianna Hamersley was the runner-up at 135 pounds, reaching the championship with a 31-second pin in the semifinals.
Devyn Pewarski placed third at 130, clinching the bronze with a third-period fall in the third-place match. Pewarski totaled three pins for the day, coming from behind to make each one. Eva Todd finished fourth at 145, getting a 9-4 decision in the consolation semifinals to ensure a place at the regional.
“Four of our seven girls have never wrestled a match before this season,” said Sheridan assistant coach Colin Warner. “To win nearly 50 percent of our matches and get three out of sectionals, I consider this year a huge success. I’m very proud of the season we had and three of them are not done yet.”
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