Western Wayne girls wrestling team dominant in early season action
VARDEN — Western Wayne’s girls varsity wrestling team is off to a sizzling start in this, the first year of officially sanctioned PIAA competition.
Under the direction of veteran head coach Josh Harrison, the Wildcars have been dominant in both dual meet and tournament action to date.
They opened up the regular season with a solid 36-27 victory over Delaware Valley Tuesday night at home. They then traveled to Athens High School Saturday for the Jarvis Memorial Girls Tournament.
There, the Wildcats made an emphatic statement by finishing first overall in the team standings.
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“I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” Coach Harrison said. “That was a really big win over Delaware Valley in our gym. Then going up to Athens and coming out on top was huge.”
Lexi DeSiato is once again pacing the on-mat attack. The battle-tested senior has wrestled six bouts thus far and has been flawless. DeSiato boasts a perfect 6-0 record with six falls.
“Seeing all of the girls come out to join the team and sticking with it has brought me so much joy,” Lexi said. “With the matches we have all wrestled so far, I am excited to see where this season takes us.”
Weather permitting, Western Wayne will be back in action this coming weekend. The Wildcats will be back in Athens for that school’s annual duals tourney.
Victorious home opener
Western Wayne jetted out to a quick lead at home versus Delaware Valley.
Sara Shook opened up the match at 148 pounds and made short work of her opponent. The senior tri-captain needed just 1:52 to put the clamps on Olivia Montanino.
Shook’s pin gave the Wildcats a 6-0 lead, but the visiting Warriors came surging right back. Two falls and a forfeit propelled DV to an 18-6 advantage. However, the Wildcats quickly recaptured momentum and took control of the match.
Western Wayne reeled off four consecutive pins to seal the deal on an impressive win.
Mia Gifford got things going with a second period fall over Andrea Boronow at 106. Loucynthia Allen followed that up by pinning Taylor Yablonksi at 112.
That set the stage for DeSiato who strode to the mat with the score tied 18-18. As has been the case countless times during her trailblazing career at Western Wayne, DeSiato rose to the occasion, pinning Riley McHenry in just 1:14.
“The energy in the gym was great,” Lexi said. “A lot of people came out to support us including the boys team. It was such a great way to start off the season. I’m very happy.”
Katelynn Nunez kept the streak going, notching a fall of her own at 124 that upped Wedrern Wayne’s lead to 30-18.
DV managed to win two of the three last bouts, but Kaylee Piotrowski carded one more fall at 136 to put the match out of reach.
“This team has such good chemistry,” Coach Harrison said. “The way these girls work together at practice really translates onto the mat.”
Top of the Pops
On the heels of this big win, Western Wayne headed up to Athens to compete in the inaugural Jarvis Memorial Tournament.
The Wildcats were part of a 19-team field which included the likes of Williamsport Area, Montgomery, Northeast Bradford, Benton and Sayre.
Coach Harrison’s girls weren’t intimidated, though, powering their way to a total of 109 points and the overall team title.
“Every one of these kids wants to make it to states,” Coach Harrison said. “They have some big goals this year, so we’ll be holding them to a high standard throughout the season.”
The trio of DeSiato, Shook and Gifford led the way for Western Wayne. All three went undefeated en route to gold medals in their respective weight classes.
DeSiato was particularly impressive, going a perfect 5-0 with five falls. She now has 65 wins in her varsity career.
“Working on technique in practice has helped me a lot,” Lexi said. “I feel that practicing the way we do has helped me a lot with gaining confidence in all positions on the mat.”
Shook also dominated the competition, racking up five falls of her own at 155. She’s also 6-0 for the season.
Gifford ran roughshod over the bracket at 106. She went 4-0 with four pins including a lightning quick 18-second clamp of Sayre’s Kennedy Cochrane.
Liza Pontosky (130) placed third. Addy Pruss (170), Summer Pugh (136) and Savannah Mayes (148) finished fifth.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Western Wayne girls wrestling team defeats Delaware Valley
