Daphne claims championship in first-ever AHSAA Girls Wrestling Tournament

Holder, Sasser win individual titles in 85-82 team victory over Thompson

AHSAA.com
Posted 1/25/21

MONTGOMERY – Daphne High School emerged as team champion at the first statewide AHSAA girls’ only wrestling tournament held at Hoover High School Jan. 23.   The Trojans, coached …

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Daphne claims championship in first-ever AHSAA Girls Wrestling Tournament

Holder, Sasser win individual titles in 85-82 team victory over Thompson

Posted

MONTGOMERY – Daphne High School emerged as team champion at the first statewide AHSAA girls’ only wrestling tournament held at Hoover High School Jan. 23.
   The Trojans, coached by Joseph Jefcoat, scored 85 points to edge Thompson, which finished second with 82. W.S. Neal finished third with 54 points, followed by Northside Methodist Academy with 39, Auburn and Enterprise with 38 each.
     Approximately 100 girls competed in the emerging sport for girls, which hopes to become officially sanctioned in the AHSAA soon if growth continues, with 23 schools scoring points in the tournament that featured 11 weight divisions. The competition, which showcased the growth in girls’ interest in wrestling across the state, had girls ranging from senior to seventh grade competing in the tourney.
    Emily Sasser and Kaylee Holder won individual titles for Daphne in the 285 and 160 divisions. Sasser (4-1), a junior, won with two pins at 1:24 and 1:08 in her final two matches. Holder (9-1) won the 160-pound division with a pin in the finals. The sophomore won the match in just 40 seconds. Thompson also had two individual champions with seventh grader Lynleigh Weltzin (6-1) winning with a pin at 2:29 in the 95-pound division. Eighth grader Aenaya Vines (8-0) won her 115-pound finals with a pin at 1:16 of her finals match.
     All 11 weight division champions won by falls with Aniyah Griffin, a freshman from Pinson Valley, winning 225-pound division with pins taking just 18 seconds and 21 seconds in the semifinals and finals, respectively. She is 3-1 in girls’ matches this season.

    Viskya Lantzch of W.S. Neal turning in the next fastest time with a pin in the 185-pound division in just 19 seconds. The eighth grader from East Brewton compiled a 5-3 record this season in girls’ competition. Evelyn Holmes-Smith, an eighth grader from Enterprise, won the 105-pound division with a pin at 2:58 to improve to 25-2 – most wins this season of any girl competition in the wrestling meet.
     Eight different schools had a weight division champion including Daphne (2), Thompson (2), Auburn, Bob Jones, Enterprise, Pinson Valley, Weaver, Wetumpka and W.S. Neal with one each.
    The tournament held at Hoover was a big boost for girls’ wrestling in the state. Currently, girls compete in the traditional AHSAA Boys’ State Wrestling program. The growth of wrestling overall into the Gulf Coast area and Wiregrass has helped the sport grow substantially in recent years. This year’s number of girls, estimated at more than 140, is the most by far in AHSAA history.
    Final results from Saturday’s meet at Hoover include:
Team Scoring
Daphne 85; Thompson 82; W.S. Neal 54; Northside Methodist Academy 39; Auburn 38; Enterprise 38; Sparkman 36; Russell County 26; Pinson Valley 25; Bob Jones 24; Weaver 24; Wetumpka 24; Spanish Fort 19; Beauregard 18; Spain Park 18; Tuscaloosa County 18; Central-Phenix City 17; Oak Mountain 17; Foley 13; John Carroll Catholic 10; Hoover 7; Deshler 4; Dothan 2.

Individual Weight Division Results
95 pounds
First-place Match
Lynleigh Weltzin, Thompson, 6-1, (7th grade) pinned Erin Clarkson, Auburn, 1-1, (Fr.), 2:29.
Third-place Match
Erin Clarkson, Auburn 1-1 (Fr.) pinned Bailey Weismann, 2-4, (7th grade), Thompson, 0:36.

105 pounds
First-place Match
Evelyn Holmes-Smith. Enterprise, 25-2, (8th grade) pinned Mariah Jones, Central-Phenix City, 6-7, (Fr.), 2:58.
Third-place Match
Ellan Lassere, Daphne, 11-6, (7th grade) pinned Zoey Bair, Thompson, 5-3, (7th grade), 3:06.

115 pounds
First-place Match
Aenaya Vines, Thompson, 8-0, (8th grade) pinned Rachel Daisley Russell County, 17-17 (Sr.),   1:17.
Third-place Match
Ellan Lassere, Daphne, 11-6, (7th grade) pinned Zoey Bair, Thompson, 5-3, (7th grade), 3:06.

120 pounds
First-place Match
Carly Thomas, Bob Jones, 14-4 (Fr.) pinned Alexis Edwards, Beauregard HS (13-4), (Fr.), 5:51.
Third-place Match
Kara Whitehead, Northside Methodist, 11-8 (Sr.) pinned Hannah McNeese, Daphne, 5-6 (Fr.), 0:20.

130 pounds
First-place Match
Fabiola Sanchez (Auburn) 6-3, (So.) pinned Raya Carpenter, Tuscaloosa County, 3-1 (So.), 3:25.
Third-place Match
Kathryn Alvis, Oak Mountain, 5-2 (Fr.) pinned Loriah Castro, Enterprise, 6-6, (Jr.), 2:56.

140 pounds
First-place Match
Lena Johannson, Weaver, 8-1 (8th grade) pinned Yasmine Oliveria, Spain Park, 7-7, (Jr.), 3:53.
Third-place Match
Reagan Grant, Sparkman, 87-5 (Fr.) pinned Estrella Islas, Thompson, 3-5 (8th grade), 3:25.

150 pounds
First-place Match
Jade Eldridge, Wetumpka, 3-0, (Sr.) pinned Akerah Artis, Sparkman, 6-2 (So.), 1:29.
Third-place Match
Sage Adams, Daphne, 9-3 (8th grade) pinned Brynleigh Glover, Thompson, 9-8 (Sr.), 0:42.