Six Cyclones compete in Ridge View Wrestling Invitational
Cyclone wrestlers Addison Obrecht, Annaleigh Sheehan, Elle Stephens, Kyrsten Madden, Danica Schwery, and Hallie Lopez competed in the Ridge View Wrestling Invitational Nov. 19.
“They wrestled really well at the Ridge View tournament,” said Cyclone Head Coach Tarah Devlin-Lawler. “We were battling some nervousness about being back on the mat, but they were able to come back and put that aside and they wrestled really well.”
Obrecht was able to get a victory with a pin in 1:07 against Kenzie Jones, followed by a sudden victory with a 9-6 decision over Natalie Sanchez in the next round, but fell to Nadia South in the next round at 4:37.
“Addi won her first match with a pin, and then she won her second match,” Devlin-Lawler said. “She lost her third match with a pin.”
Stephens received a bye the first round, but lost in the next round to Aazilynn Felix with a fall at 3:41. Madden had a bye the first round, but couldn’t get past the next round, losing to Martinez in a fall at 2:56.
“The second round she won by way of a fall,” Devlin-Lawler said of Stephens. “Then in the next round she got beat by a 5-4 decision. She came back at beat the next girl in a pin with 2:56 and won her final match in a major decision 14-5.”
Sheehan went 0-2 on the day. Lopez received a bye, but in the next round she lost to Corum of Riverside in a fall at 49 seconds.
“For Hallie Lopez, it was her very first time ever getting on a mat, and she went it and gave it her all,” Devlin-Lawler added. “She was wrestling up a weight class. We’re seeing her become more confident in herself.”
Schwery finished 2-3 in the tournament, dropping her final match to Rusche in a fall at 1:21.
“Danika worked her way through the entire back half of the bracket,” Devlin-Lawler said. “She lost her first match with a pin at 1:07, and then she pinned the next girl at 1:11, and then pinned her next opponent in 51 seconds.”
Stephens takes four victories in A.L. Invite
Last Monday, the HCHS Cyclones girls wrestling team competed in the Abraham Lincoln Invite, taking an 11th place finish overall with 34 points.
“The girls competed well as a group,” said Cyclone Assistant Coach Austin Jacobsen. “Most of them are pretty new to the sport of wrestling, and all of them are making large strides of improvement each time they get on the mat.”
Elle Stephens set the tone for the Cyclones earning four victories starting with a 5-4 decision over Audrina Johansen of Glenwood. Next, she beat Graycn Stone of Logan-Magnolia in a fall at 1:45, followed by a victory over Charlotte Gerdts of Clarinda in a fall at 5:42, and her final victory came against Jocelyn Tackett in a first place match with a fall at 5:20.
“Elle is a fast and aggressive wrestler,” Jacobsen said. “She does a great job setting her pace for the match and maintaining it. Elle is a year-round wrestler, and all of the work she puts in is really paying off for her.”
In weight class 110, Annaleigh Sheehan earned a victory in the championship round one over Yaretzy Garcia-Paz of Denison in a sudden victory.
“Annaleigh is new to the world of wrestling, but brings over a bit of grappling knowledge from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,” Jacobsen added. “She is a disciplined, hard worker, and quick learner. With less than 3 weeks of wrestling practice she is competing with varsity wrestlers from other schools. It was a tough match that Anna won in overtime. She really pushed herself to a new level of competition, and a hard fought victory like that is something to be proud of.”
In weight class 140, Kyrsten Madden lost the championship round one to Lily Weinreich of Clarinda to a fall in 45 seconds, but came back with a victory in a consolation round beating Olivia Bandow with a fall at 59 seconds.
“Kyrsten Madden is one of the hardest workers in the room,” Jacobsen said. “It was no surprise to me that she bounced back from a loss to high caliber opponent like Lily. Kyrsten is a very mentally tough individual and will show up to compete every time.”
Other girls who competed for the Cyclones were Addison Obrecht, Danica Schwery, and Hallie Lopez. Jacobsen is confident they will all improve as the season goes on.
“The Harlan Community Girls Wrestling program and the girls themselves are in a state of growth,” he said. “We do not look at a loss as a setback, but as an opportunity to get better. Everyday these young ladies work hard in practice, that hard work brings about improvement. They are going to continue to improve, and with that will come more victories.”
The girls return to action Thursday at Treynor High School, competing with nine other schools.
“We have already seen some of the teams that will be there,” Jacobsen said. “We take video and keep notes on each match our girls wrestle in. Tarah [Devlin-Lawler] and I use the videos and notes to identify what each individual wrestler needs to work on.”