Western Wayne girls wrestling team advances two to inaugural state tournament
VARDEN — Thanks in large part to the efforts of two senior stars, Western Wayne’s girls wrestling team is on the brink of closing out a stellar season in historic fashion.
The Lady ‘Cats posted a 4-3 dual meet record, but absolutely thrived in invitational tournament action.
With Lexi DeSiato and Sara Shook leading the way, the squad powered its way to Top 10 finishes in four different events, including a pair of championships at the Jarvis Memorial and the Hawkeye Holiday Classic.
It’s a performance that has head coach Josh Harrison beaming with pride.
“I’m really proud of all our girls,” Harrison said. “But Lexi and Sara have been wrestling for awhile so they knew what expect. Overall as a team, we’ve accomplished so much this season. It’s definitely impressive what we have been able to do.”
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On the heels of podium-worthy performances at both districts and regionals, DeSiato and Shook will be representing Western Wayne at the inaugural PIAA state girls tournament.
The event runs Thursday through Saturday at Hershey.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Lexi and Sara can both medal and maybe even make it into the top three or four,” Harrison said. “We’re going to set the standard pretty high.”
District dominance
Western Wayne turned in a solid all-around performance at the first sanctioned District 2 girls meet.
A total of seven Lady ‘Cats earned spots on the podium en route to a third-place finish in the team competition. Harrison’s squad trailed only Wallenpaupack Area and Delaware Valley.
“We had a great showing at districts,” he said. “As a team, I think we wrestled great. From the top of the lineup to the bottom, everyone showed up ready to wrestle.”
Medaling for Western Wayne were Mia Gifford (1st, 100 lbs), DeSiato (1st, 112), Summer Paugh (3rd, 130), Shook (1st, 136), Savannah Mayes (3rd, 142), Addy Pruss (4th, 155) and Katelyn Nunez (5th, 118).
DeSiato dazzled in her bracket, notching pins in both the semifinals and finals to capture gold. She clamped Gia Silva of Paupack to seal the deal on a trip to regionals.
“Districts was really great,” said DeSiato, who has racked up 66 wins in her girls varsity career. “There was good energy everywhere. I’m extremely pleased with how everything went.”
Shook was the top seed in her bracket and drew a quarterfinal bye. She then pinned Hazleton’s Lynzee Buglio in the semis (3:01) and Victoria DePew in the finals (:54).
“I’m pretty happy how everything has turned out with it being my last season,” Shook said. “It all went according to plan, and I wasn’t worried about anything surprising me. I definitely gave it my all.”
Gifford also claimed a gold medal, carding two falls of her own. The talented sophomore pinned Andrea Boronow of Delaware Valley in the semis (2:31) and Paupack’s Rosa SanClementi in the finals (:36).
In addition to that trio, Pruss, Paugh and Mayes also qualified for the regional tournament, which was held Saturday at Milton High School.
Punching their tickets
More than 50 schools competed in the very first regional event and Western Wayne was right in the thick of the fight for a team title.
In the end, the Lady ‘Cats finished sixth in the rankings with a total of 71.5 points. DeSiato and Shook once again spearheaded the assault, each earning a spot in the top four and qualifying for states.
“They both did really well,” Harrison said. “Lexi lost in the semis, but wrestled back for third, which is impressive in a tournament of that caliber. Sara battled all the way to the finals before finally losing. Overall, they both wrestled tough and punched their tickets to Hershey.”
DeSiato posted a fall in the championship quarterfinals, but then suffered a tech fall in the semis. The tough-as-nails senior bounced right back, though, carding a pair of wins in the consolation bracket to take bronze.
“Regionals was obviously a tougher tournament,” DeSiato said. “I knew I would run into a tough girl in the semis, but I’m pleased that I battled back the way I did.”
Shook powered her way to two more falls before absorbing just her third loss of the season at the hands of top-seeded Jordyn Fouse of Bishop McCort in the finals.
“I was pleased right up until the finals,” Shook said. “I went against a tough girl and it got in my head before the match even started. I think that caused me not to wrestle to my full ability.”
Both girls have been to states before, so they’re accustomed to the big stage. DeSiato is 31-3 on the season and already owns a pair of state medals. Shook sports a 26-3 mark this year and has also medaled twice at the state level.
This time around, though, the Lady ‘Cat seniors will be competing at Hershey in an officially sanctioned PIAA tourney.
“I’m very happy to have punched my ticket to states,” DeSiato said. “My goal is to improve on my placement from last year.”
For her part, Shook is relishing her last chance to represent Western Wayne on the mat.
“I’m going to push as hard as I can and get as far as I can,” she said. “I’ve loved every bit of being a part of this team. I wouldn’t want to end it any other way.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Western Wayne's DeSiato and Shook headed to state wrestling tourney
