Two Wildcat girls will represent the growth and success of WHS girls wrestling at the state tournament. Senior Skylon Boone will make a return to the state mat and sophomore Naomi Yoder will make her state debut.
Boone was district champion in 125 lbs and Yoder finished third. Freshman Izzy Schierholz, junior Brooklyn Jackman and Junior Alysia Yoder each finished the district tournament 2-2.
“We are very proud and ecstatic about Skylon Boone (Champion) and Naomi Yoder (3rd Place) qualifying for state this year. They performed and wrestled with determination and heart this past weekend in order to punch their ticket to state. Both girls were extremely coachable and willing to leave everything on the mat. And I am looking forward to seeing how the girls come out and perform at state this year,” coach Aspen Longworth said.
Boone knocked off the number one seed from Versailles to take the championship. She attributed the win to the advice and encouragement from her coaches.
“It clicked in my head that it is now or never. This is my last season to do this,” Boone said.
“My family, friends, and love for the sport motivates me to wrestle,” Yoder said.
This is the first year that the WHS girls wrestling team could officially enter in tournaments. Many athletes were excited about this announcement.
Boone said her favorite memory of girls wrestling is the team experience.
“My freshman year, I was the only girl. It is important to me that this season we were able to go together and have the team experience,” Boone said.
Coaches have been encouraging girls starting out in the traditionally male-dominated sport.
“Confidence and constructive criticism is key to a wrestler choosing to work hard. This is not something we can teach, the athlete has to want it for themselves and overtime learn how to work through adversity,” Longworth said.
The girls team saw growth this season. This year, every athlete made it the final elimination round to qualify for the state tournament. While Boone and Yoder were the only two to find success in their qualifying rounds, they recognized their team’s improvement.
“This season is just another step in the right direction for Lady Wildcats Wrestling. We have a nucleus of five high school girls that have done a nice job over the past two seasons. We have a good mix of girls coming up through our youth and middle school programs so we should continue to see growth in our girls numbers,” Coach Wisdom said.
