SOUDERTON WINS FIRST DISTRICT ONE GIRLS WRESTLING TEAM TITLE
by Glenn Kaiser
Warminster, PA-The Souderton Girls Wrestling Team won the inaugural PIAA District One and District Twelve 2024 Individual Championships, capturing the team title with 106-points at William Tennent H.S. Saturday. The Indians finished well ahead of the field that featured 44 teams through D1 and D12 (Philadelphia Public & Charter/Parochial Schools). This is the first year that girls wrestling is officially a PIAA sport, and to no one’s surprise, it was an exciting day of wrestling as the top five girls advanced to next Sunday’s Regional Championships with a chance to make the trip to Hershey for the first time.
Some of Pennsylvania’s best girl wrestlers were on display here, and the event clearly indicates that girls’ wrestling is here to stay. Besides Souderton taking the crown, the SOL girls’ teams impressed as Quakertown finished third with 84.5-points, William Tennent fifth (79 pts.), Neshaminy sixth (69), Central Bucks West (56) tied for eighth and Pennsbury was tenth with 55-points. Souderton Head Coach Chris Atkinson was awarded the District One Coaches Association Man of the Year Award prior to the Parade of Champions, along with Pennsbury Head Coach Craig Williams honored as the D1 Coach of the Year. Brian Munroe, Pennsylvania State Representative (District 144), participated in the awards ceremony and was on the mats to take in all the action.
The number one pound-for-pound grappler in Pennsylvania according to PA Power, Haylie Jaffe from Kennett, won the title at 136-pounds. District One will be a force at the Giant Center in March when the girls will wrestle alongside with the boys, and the SOL will have several stars expected to shine and climb the podium. Neshaminy’s Grace Nesbitt (#4 PA Power) defeated Bensalem’s Payton Hinkle (#5) by fall to win the 100-pound weight class. Quakertown’s Ashley Stank finished third with a forfeit at 100-pounds, she is ranked #6 at this weight. At 106lbs, it was #1 Julia Horger garnering gold over Souderton’s Emily Sarr (#5) by major decision 11-1. Horger, just a sophomore, transferred to Egan from Bensalem. She has a 35-1 career record and was 17-11 on the boys’ side last season at Bensalem.
Souderton crowned three champs with Gisele Ramirez (ranked #4 at 112) at 118, Kayla Husti at 130 and MacKenna Atkinson (#4) at 235-pounds. Atkinson pinned Quakertown’s Peyton Fries. Bensalem’s Maya Krieger (#14) won the 170-pound title over Central Bucks Isabella Priano (#12) by tech fall 15-0. Quakertown’s Caroline Hattala only needed 27-seconds to win the title over North Penn’s Daniella Maxwell at 190. Hattala is the #1 ranked wrestler at her weight and will look to win her first PIAA championship in Chocolate Town, USA this coming March.
#9 Macayla Needham from CB placed third at 112-pounds, Pennsbury’s Anya Abel (#6) finished 5th to advance at a stacked weight class here. The 170-pound class is also loaded with talent as Pennsbury’s Maya Chojnowski (#8) advanced (5th) as did Tennent’s Megan Gottschall with a third place finish. Upper Dublin’s Rylee Netter (#11) advanced with a third-place finish over local rival Ciara Rodriquez (Cheltenham) with a fall at 142-pounds. The SOL has clearly set the bar high for future success. Many story lines remain to be written for SOL girls’ wrestlers.
For me as a former wrestling coach, it is extremely impressive to see these girls wrestle at a high level with solid technique and tenacity in a sport that people once said wasn’t for girls. Well, times have changed, and these girls train as hard as anyone in the world’s oldest sport. The 2024 PIAA Individual State Championships are underway, and it is our girls leading the way.
The Southeast Regional for the girls will be Sunday Feb. 25, at Quakertown Area H.S. Participants will be represented by Districts 1, 11 and 12 in an 8-girl bracket with the top three from D11 seeded by formula with the five D1 and 12 qualifiers. The PIAA Girls Individual Championships are comprised of four regions (Southeast/South Central/Central/West). The top four place-winners from each region will advance to the Giant Center in a 16-girl bracket. The girls will wrestle along with the boys in an intricate schedule over three days March 7, 8 and 9, 2024 in the first ever true PIAA Girls Wrestling Championships. All PIAA Wrestling information/scheduling can be found at www.piaa.org
Finals Matchups/Results
|
Outstanding Wrestler |
||
|
100 |
Grace Nesbitt |
Neshaminy |
|
Championship Finals |
|
|
100 |
Grace Nesbitt, Neshaminy, pinned Payton Hinkle, Bensalem, 5:13 |
|
106 |
Julia Horger, Conwell-Egan, maj. dec. Emily Sarr, Souderton, 11-1 |
|
112 |
Samiyah Rahming, Northeast High, pinned Anjaleen Siddiqui, William Tennent, 0:21 |
|
118 |
Gisele Ramirez, Souderton, pinned Savannah Richards, Pottstown, 5:15 |
|
124 |
Julissa Ortiz, Mariana Bracetti Academy, pinned Hawa Konate, Penn Wood, 2:22 |
|
130 |
Kayla Husti-Luca, Souderton, dec. Sarah Pearson, Downingtown West, 4-0 |
|
136 |
Haylie Jaffe, Kennett, won by tech. fall over Raylyn Schwoyer, Owen J. Roberts, 4:04 (15-0) |
|
142 |
Sienna Landrum, Downingtown West, pinned Jessica Ayala, Garnet Valley, 3:14 |
|
148 |
Jameson Strickland, Sun Valley, pinned Annette Barry, Neshaminy, 1:09 |
|
155 |
Lane Harrington, Strath Haven, dec. Savanah Kirk, Chichester, 4-2 |
|
170 |
Maya Krieger, Bensalem, won by tech. fall over Isabella Priano, Central Bucks, 6:00 (15-0) |
|
190 |
Caroline Hattala, Quakertown, pinned Daniella Maxwell, North Penn, 0:27 |
|
235 |
MacKenna Atkinson, Souderton, pinned Peyton Fries, Quakertown, 5:16 |
|
Third Place |
|
|
100 |
Keyra Seville, Boyertown, dec. Taya Wuchter, Kennett, 11-5 |
|
106 |
Ashley Stank, Quakertown, won by forfeit over Reese Dewar, Garnet Valley |
|
112 |
Macayla Needham, Central Bucks, pinned Alexandra Cannon, Upper Perkiomen, 2:21 |
|
118 |
Ashae Branch-Huston, Cheltenham, pinned Emma Englehardt, Owen J. Roberts, 4:04 |
|
124 |
Molly Brangan, Archbishop Ryan, dec. Gianna Jones, Owen J. Roberts, 5-4 |
|
130 |
Emma Arnold, Avon Grove, won by forfeit over Hayden Tschoepe, Perkiomen Valley |
|
136 |
Gabrielle Costa, Coatesville, pinned Triniti Rhodes, Pottstown, 1:49 |
|
142 |
Rylee Netter, Upper Dublin, pinned Ciara Rodriguez, Cheltenham, 1:22 |
|
148 |
Adria Page, Upper Perkiomen, pinned Eliana Riva, Pennsbury, 2:36 |
|
155 |
Kaylyn Adair, Upper Perkiomen, dec. Kaitlynn Arnold, Avon Grove, 4-3 |
|
170 |
Meghan Gottschall, William Tennent, pinned Mariyatta Idris, Penn Wood, 1:34 |
|
190 |
Vida Torres, Pottstown, pinned Alyssa Crespo, William Tennent, 4:37 |
|
235 |
Zakyiah Welton, Cheltenham, pinned Peninah Boywa, North Penn, 2:04 |
|
Fifth Place |
|
|
100 |
Cadence Jozefowski, Quakertown, won by forfeit over Finley Hall, Downingtown West |
|
106 |
Anya Abel, Pennsbury, maj. dec. Alizeth Ramirez, Coatesville, 12-0 |
|
112 |
Kyla Riley, Upper Merion, pinned Tara Morgan, Pottstown, 2:37 |
|
118 |
Kara Diviny, Abraham Lincoln, pinned Emily Mays, Upper Perkiomen, 4:14 |
|
124 |
Gracie Clift, Abington, won by forfeit over Godie Hart, North Penn |
|
130 |
Ava Akacha, Upper Merion, dec. Megan Campos, Coatesville, 5-4 |
|
136 |
Alanna Condo, Lower Moreland, won by forfeit over Angel Coley, Academy Park |
|
142 |
Chloe Windsor, Council Rock South, pinned Annetta Barry, Neshaminy, 3:55 |
|
148 |
Irelynn Cahoone, William Tennent, pinned Riley Maguire, Pottstown, 2:01 |
|
155 |
Chase Ryan, Quakertown, dec. Simone Grondahl-Zerby, Central Bucks, 5-0 |
|
170 |
Maya Chojnowski, Pennsbury, pinned Alana Davila, Lower Moreland, 4:47 |
|
190 |
Peyton Polk, Penn Wood, pinned Adriana Pagan, Pennsbury, 2:36 |
|
235 |
|
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