Three area girls wrestlers earned spots at next week's state finals Sunday at the regional tournament in Cadillac, with two making the regional finals.
Montague senior Ava Pelton brought home a 145-pound regional championship in impressive fashion, earning a revenge pin over Grant's Markie Davis in the finals. Davis defeated Pelton in overtime in the district finals match. Pelton earned a pin and a major decision in her first two matches.
"Ava, a
soccer standout, finds wrestling as a secondary sport and has been
really successful," Montague coach Kris Maddox said. "It’s amazing to see how much she has accomplished in
her four years wrestling."
Whitehall's Kassie Sapp also earned a finals spot at 115 pounds, placing second after a tough overtime defeat against Grand Haven's Gracey Barry, who also topped Sapp at the district tournament. Sapp picked up two pin victories prior to the finals.
Taylor Moore qualified at 235 for the Wildcats with a fourth-place finish. Moore went 2-2 on the day, and fought her way to state with a dramatic 1-0 victory in the blood round against Northview's McKayla Brown.
Whitehall's Miley Manzo finished 1-2 with a technical fall win, missing state qualification by one win. The Wildcats' Zaniya Meza and Reeths-Puffer's Sidney Shackelford each ended their individual seasons at the regional meet. Maddox said Meza's bracket was "loaded," with multiple state-ranked opponents, and she's put in a lot of work this season.
Montague assistant coach Andrew Nold picked up his second career assistant girls wrestling coach of the year award during the tournament. The award is presented by the state coaches' association.
