East Hardy Wrestling junior SierraMarie Miller garnered the first West Virginia Girls State Wrestling Championship title in program history and three teammates reached the podium during this inaugural tournament held at Parkersburg South High School last Saturday.
“It was an amazing experience for SierraMarie. She has worked for years to get to this point and we knew if we ever had a Girls State Championship in West Virginia, she would be a contender. She has never lost to a female wrestler, so we were confident she could compete. The entire team enjoyed the experience and they all wrestled well,” East Hardy Wrestling coach Stevie Miller commented.
“We had SierraMarie, Erin and Victoria who have wrestled boys all year long and were happy to compete against females. Then we had Madison, Gabreanna and Courtney who wrestled their first matches ever at the tournament. All the girls performed well and never gave up. These girls are warriors and I am proud to be their coach. For the first ever girls championship I was impressed by the quality of wrestling. They all wrestled great. The competition was solid in all weight classes.”
The East Hardy contingent were described as warrior princesses in how they persevered and conquered the competition.
An announcement at the WV Girls State Wrestling Championships stated there were 70 participants from across the state ready to battle for titles in their respective divisions.
Miller went undefeated in the 118-lb. weight class with some of the fastest pins on the day culminating in the state championship.
“I am ecstatic to have won a state championship. I have had a large amount of support from friends, family and coaches. It is exciting to be a part of the group that has changed the sport of wrestling. When I was younger, I never would have thought there would have been a girls state wrestling [private]tournament. I am honored to have helped pave the road for future girls,” East Hardy Girls Wrestling State Champion SierraMarie Miller remarked.
SierraMarie Miller had two of the fastest pins at the state tournament winning in nine seconds against Webster’s Bryana Hughart and taking down Washington’s Skye Davis in 12 seconds.
Miller defeated Spring Mills’s Faith Getridge with a pin at 1:47 and pinned Greenbrier East’s Emma Kesterson at 1:01.
Sophomore Victoria Ames finished as the WV Girls State Wrestling Tournament runner-up in the 136-lb. division for the Cougars.
Ames pinned Shady Springs Tayla Grove with a pin at 3:15 and Tyler Consolidated’s Madison Huff at 1:47, but lost to Poca’s Chena Taylor by 10-4 decision and pin at 0:45.
East Hardy Wrestling junior Erin Riggle (147-lb.) and sophomore Courtney Shank (161-lb.) reached the podium in fourth place overall at the WV Girls State Wrestling Tournament.
Riggle defeated John Marshall’s Pearl Chambers with a pin at 1:39, lost to Cabell Midland’s Loralei Smith at 4:11 and Shady Spring’s Tianna Godbey-Cook at 2:54 and took two forfeits.
Despite not having wrestled prior to the tournament, East Hardy Wrestling’s Shank, sophomore Madison Heishman (100-lb.) and freshman Gabreanna Miller (147-lb.) competed with determination and grit in each match.
Heishman lost by pin to Hedgesville’s Jordan Dempsey at 1:44, Musselman’s Desi Stoey at 0:57, Musselman’s Sierra Stoey at 0:52, Doddridge County’s Alyssa Barnes at 1:19 and Martinsburg’s Emily Earehart at 3:10.
Gabreanna Miller lost by pin to Musselman’s Gwen Kackley at 1:31, Buffalo’s Elisa Riley at 1:22, Shady Spring’s Godbey-Cook at 1:49, John Marshall’s Pearl Chambers at 0:48.
Shank lost by major decision to Shady Spring’s Danielle Simmons 9-1, was pinned by Musselman’s Jaionna Curry (0:19) and Chloe Good (1:13) and Spring Mills Paige Jackson at 0:28.
“You could see that all the girls have been working hard to perfect their skills. SierraMarie felt in her mind she had to win the championship. She has been wrestling since she was six years old and she wanted all of her hard work to be rewarded. We are building a program at East Hardy that will continue to break barriers and excel. We are all preparing for the regional tournament and then the state championship. I am excited to see how it all plays out,” Coach Stevie Miller concluded.[/private]