What we learned from the first PIAA-sanctioned girls wrestling tournament in District 10
HERMITAGE — Avry Ryhal was unsure if the PIAA would sanction girls wrestling before she graduated from Hickory.
Now that it has, the senior made it clear Sunday there’s zero gray area as to how she’ll fare when — not if — she appears in next March’s inaugural state tournament at Hershey.
“I am being cocky. I will win states this year,” Ryhal said. “I am going to states and it is going to be memorable.”
Ryhal spoke during another unprecedented wrestling competition. She was the 155-pound gold medalist for the Hickory Invitational, the first PIAA-sanctioned girls meet held at a District 10 school.
Sunday’s six-team tournament was comprised of eight divisions. Of those eight, six combined two weight classes and six used a round-robin format.
Hickory was the team titlist with 140 points. Haley Hoffman (100-106), Abbey Hoffman (130-136) and Trinity Webster (170-190) joined Ryhal as individual champions for the Hornets.
The meet wasn’t as novel to Ryhal as some of its other participants. She said she comes from a wrestling family, which explains why she took up the sport in kindergarten.
Should Ryhal become a titlist during the PIAA’s inaugural meet, it technically wouldn’t be her first state championship. She was the 155 winner for the 2022 MyHouse PA Girls State Wrestling Championships at Harrisburg.
That had been the de facto state tournament since 2019.
“To win this year’s (PIAA) tournament will mean more than the one from two (seasons) ago,” Ryhal said.
This won’t be Ryhal’s last wrestling season, regardless of when and where her varsity career ends. She signed an Oct. 31 national letter of intent to compete for Lock Haven University and its established women’s wrestling program.
Sample secures first gold
Saegertown was second to Hickory in the team standings. The Panthers, led by lightweights Leah Sample and Elora Dillinger, totaled 108 points.
Sample made tournament history as its first individual winner. The sophomore pinned Warren’s Jenna Kophazy with five seconds left in their 112-118 final.
Although Sample was elated with the PIAA’s decision to make girls wresting a separate sport, she was grateful for her three seasons of facing junior high and varsity male opponents.
“They’re a lot scrappier, so they made me a lot quicker,” Sample said. “Now, I feel like I have a lot more strength against the girls. I can give it my all every tournament.”
Dillinger, a senior, topped Sunday’s 124-129 field. She pinned Kasey Kophazy, Jenna’s sister, 2 minutes 56 seconds into their final.
Bison brought quartet
Fort LeBoeuf was the lone Erie County team involved in Sunday’s meet. The Bison, with only four girls entered, were sixth with 33½ points.
Three of LeBoeuf’s four wrestlers were involved in the 100-106 bracket. PIAA rules currently permit multiple members from the same school to enter the same weight class of a regular-season tournament.
Two of those Bison, Abby Falk and Hayden Ramey, were the silver and bronze medalists for the meet’s lightest weight class. They followed Hickory’s Haley Hoffman, who had a 5-0 round-robin record.
Kiai Miklovic was LeBoeuf’s third starter at 100-106 and Ella McGuire represented the Bison at 112-118.
No day of rest
The inaugural portion of girls wrestling for the Hickory Invitational began less than 24 hours after the conclusion of its traditional season-opening boys meet.
LeBoeuf, led by 189-pound gold medalist Conner McChesney, was the team titlist.
Tim Jones, whose normal wrestling duties for Hickory are as coach of its junior high boys program, was the tournament director all three days. He said logistics likely mean the girls portion of its invitational will remain on a Sunday.
“It will be under the umbrella of this invitational,” he said, “but I doubt it will ever be part of (Saturday’s schedule).”
Jones said the Hornets do plan to add a junior high girls tournament in the near future.
Wrestling returns: 5 things we learned from opening weekend at the Hickory Invitational
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 girls wrestling history made at Hickory Invitational
