Three area girls capture openers at first state tourney
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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
HERSHEY -- Bellwood-Antis sophomore Juliette Cuevas said she was nervous on the first day of the first PIAA-sanctioned girls state tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Giant Center.
Cuevas, who got a fire truck escort out of town on Wednesday, didn't wrestle like she was nervous.
Cuevas let it fly against Mount Lebanon's Sophia Beanner, rolling to an 18-6 major decision in the first round at 100 pounds.
"It was the first win for states, and I plan to have three more," Cuevas said. "Top three would be amazing if I can get there."
The three girls from the Mirror coverage area all won on the first day.
Northern Bedford's Kaylee Ebersole and Raegan Snider also advanced to the quarterfinals at 106 and 155, respectively. The quarterfinals are scheduled for approximately 11:45 a.m.
When the girls came out to the mats to warm up after the Class 2A boys were done, the crowd gave them a loud cheer.
"It's crazy the first year," Cuevas said. "I think it's a big opportunity for girls across the whole state to do what they've been they've been wanting to do for who knows how long."
Ebersole opened with a 12-5 win over Pennsbury's Anya Abel in the first round, while Snider pinned Imani Cameron-Botti in 1:27.
"Both of the girls had a little bit of nerves," Northern Bedford coach Zach Clark said, "but I think the more they get on the mat those nerves are going to leave. They're going to keep wrestling well."
Cuevas took a 2-0 lead into the second period, where she scored eight points, including five points from reversing Beanner to her back.
Beanner took her down in the third period, but Cuevas reversed and then scored scored two sets of three-point nearfalls as the wrestlers scrambled.
"I like going to the legs because I can get back points," Cuevas said. "There was a potential pin there, but I just couldn't get it. She was good, tough, tall. I just tried my best to outwrestle her. I love scrambling. It's my favorite thing to do out there."
"She looked great," Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Torsell said. "One of her strongest points is she's a good scrambler. She's good at ending up on top when it matters the most. It can make for some fun scenarios to watch and make my heart skip. It was a blast watching her out there.
"She's peaking at the right time. She got a lot of confidence this past weekend at the regional tournament. I think she believed for the first time she belonged in these big matches. We've got a lot of wind behind our back, and I think we're going to win a few more."
Cuevas (8-1) will now wrestle Bensalem's Payton Hinkle (23-8), who won by fall in 4:26 while losing 3-2.
Ebersole notched two takedowns and a two-point nearfall for a 6-1 lead on Abel after one period. Ebersole added three more takedowns over the next two periods to finish off the bout.
"She wrestled well," Clark said. "She even said afterward she was a little nervous, had herself worked up. She kept working and every time she came up neutral she was scoring again."
Ebersole (21-8) will wrestle York Suburban's Alysiana Price-Lerley (28-3), a pinner in the first round, in the quarterfinals.
"We'll get a good warm up going tomorrow," Clark said, "and she'll be ready to go."
Snider didn't waste any time, getting a takedown with 51 seconds left, bundling Cameron-Botti to her back and recording the fall with 33 seconds remaining.
"It feels pretty good to get that first one out of there," Snider said. "I was just trying to get it over with so I didn't have to spend too much time on the mat."
Snider will wrestle Avon Grove's Kaitlynn Arnold (7-3), who won, 5-1, in the first round.
"I'm excited for tomorrow," Snider said. "I'll have some tougher matches tomorrow, but it will be fun. It's a little different because I'm wrestling a lot more of the people I know, but it's not really any different. I just go out and get it done."
"I preached to them a lot because it's something I've been preached to, in the postseason get on the mat and get off the mat," Clark said. "The quicker you can take care of business, take care of it."
Bishop McCort's Jordyn Fouse (33-1) opened with a 21-5 technical fall over Cumberland Valley's Mari Bruscino. The former Northern Bedford wrestler will wrestle Liberty's Doniya Anwari (20-4) in the quarterfinals.