They flexed muscles, smiled, looked tough and made heart-shapes with their hands, these 330 girls in braids, pony tails and pixie cuts who posed for a group photo before the fourth annual Women’s Wrestling Invitational, a two-day event that was held in Bermuda Run and Greensboro.
Mount Airy wrestlers Jamie Hearl (center to right), Constance Melton and Alexis Atkins laugh while trying Sponch marshmallow cookies shared with them by teammate Jenevy Olalde (left) before competing in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Jan. 26 at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis. Once the girls weigh in for a meet or tournament, they often immediately eat and drink because they spent hours or days fasting and trying to shed pounds to hit their weight.
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Jamie Hearl of Mount Airy High School was there in the back, a 4-foot-8 ball of fire who avoided wrestling for years because, in her eyes, it was a “boys sport.”
Mount Airy junior wrestler Jamie Hearl adjusts the straps on her singlet while warming up prior to a tri team meet on Jan. 13 at East Wilkes High School in Ronda.
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With her multi-colored braids, Jamie’s teammate, Hope Horan, was easy to spot. She started wrestling a few years ago after hearing it would make her a better football player.
Not far from Hope, Jordyn Cooper of Reynolds High School looked on. Tim Pittman, the wrestling coach at Reynolds who is always on the hunt for talent, saw her one day in the gym and thought she might make a good wrestler.
Reynolds senior Victoria Darden (left) is embraced by teammate Adi Marroquin after Darden pinned Laney’s Ay’Seante Ross in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 3 at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run. Darden, who helped recruit female wrestlers at Reynolds, needed one more win in the 152-pound weight class to make it to the final four but she lost the following match to East Forsyth freshman Taylor Williams.
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Victoria Darden stood in front of Jordyn in the group photo. She was so eager for other girls to join her on the wrestling team at Reynolds that she posted flyers in the girls restroom, encouraging them to give it a try.
Jamie, Hope, Jordyn and Victoria are just four of the young trailblazers who are taking girls wrestling in North Carolina to new levels.
Mount Airy assistant coach Dustin McCaw lifts junior wrestler Jamie Hearl to celebrate her win over South Brunswick’s Lily Prendergast. This win advanced Hearl to the state championship match in Greensboro on Saturday where she earned second place in the 100-pound weight class.
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“People aren’t putting girls in the corner of the wrestling room anymore,” said Breonnah Neal, a 2013 graduate of West Forsyth, who won 111 matches against boys, setting a state record that has since been broken.
Neal is now the women’s wrestling coach at Gannon University in Pennsylvania. “There are coaches now who want to coach girls and see the benefits of it,” she said. “It’s a whole lot better than it was.”
Though girls, such as Breonnah, have wrestled against boys for years in North Carolina, more girls teams are forming, allowing them to wrestle other girls and have their own dual team meets and tournaments.
A milestone
The N.C. High School Athletics Association will officially sanction women’s wrestling for the 2023-24 season, a milestone in the sport’s evolution that should lead to a boom in the number of young women who come out for wrestling.
West Forsyth wrestlers warm up prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Jan. 18 at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons.
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“Once girls feel like they’re on the same level playing field, it grows so fast,” Neal said. “When it becomes sanctioned, the numbers blow up.”
From 1998 to 2015, women’s high school wrestling was sanctioned in just six states — Hawaii, Texas, California, Washington, Alaska and Tennessee. Since then, 29 states have sanctioned the sport, said Cheryl Baynard of Hendersonville, who led the sanctioning push with her group, SanctionNC. Neal was among the members of the group.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association estimates that across the country 32,000 women wrestled in high school in 2022, up from 800 in 1994.
In North Carolina, the number of girls wrestling in high school programs jumped from 599 in 2022 to 1,024 in 2023, Baynard said.
“My personal belief is that we will double that next year,” she said.
Two schools in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools — Reynolds and West Forsyth — had enough girls in each weight division to field a full team.
Several other local schools had individual girl wrestlers who competed against boys in the regular season but participated in last weekend’s women’s invitational, which was run by the NCHSAA and N.C. USA Wrestling.
East Forsyth wrestler Haileigh Branscombe covers her face after losing her match to Parkwood’s Madison Mansfield in a 185-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Jan. 26 at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis.
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For the first time in the invitational’s history, girls had to qualify in four regionals held across the state. The top finishers advanced to the state invitational.
“Every year, we added one more piece to the invitational to make it more consistent with how boys go to the state tournament,” Baynard said.
Last Friday at the Rise sports complex in Bermuda Run, hundreds of people crowded around 12 mats cheering on girls who had qualified for the invitational championships and others who were wrestling in a showcase.
The sheer number of wrestlers and the intensity of the competition was a revelation, flipping on its head the antiquated notion that women should not engage in combat sports.
Pittman, the coach at Reynolds, counts himself as a convert.
Reynolds head coach Tim Pittman tends to junior Adi Marroquin during her match against Gray’s Creek’s Katelyn Whitfield in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 3 at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. Marroquin pinned Whitfield to win the 132-pound weight class match.
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‘Changed my outlook’
“If you’d asked me 10 years ago if I’d be coaching girls wrestling, I’d have said, ‘No way.’ It was a fear thing to be honest with you, me getting out of my comfort zone,” said Pittman, who is in his third season as the Reynolds wrestling coach.
He had a change of heart a few years ago while running a wrestling camp in Rowan County. A young boy broke his arm on the first day of camp and the mother asked Pittman if her daughter could take his spot in the camp since she had already paid.
Pittman hesitated, then relented.
The young girl followed instructions to a T, doing everything the boys could do.
“She completely changed my outlook on women’s wrestling,” Pittman said. “It wasn’t that she was a girl and the other campers were guys. She was a wrestler. It’s not girls and guys. It’s wrestlers.”
Her name is Leah Edwards, and last Saturday, she became the state champion in the 114-pound weight class for East Rowan High School.
Hope of Mount Airy wound up finishing third in that class. Two years ago, Hope etched her name in the record books when she became the first female freshman to place in the men’s state championship with a fourth place finish in the 106 class.
Mount Airy junior wrestler Hope Horan stands on the scales and waits for her weight to populate on the screen prior to a tri team meet on Jan. 13 at East Wilkes High School in Ronda. Horan wrestled in the 113-pound weight class against Elkin and the 120-pound weight class against East Wilkes.
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“There’s something in me that makes me want to do big things,” Hope said.
All her life, Hope has been going against the grain, pushing herself to prove people wrong.
Mariana Carreno holds a rosary as she watches her daughter, Adi Marroquin, wrestle Gray’s Creek’s Katelyn Whitfield in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 3 at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run. Marroquin, who is a junior at Reynolds, has been wrestling since the sixth grade. She said her mother has supported her at every single one of her matches.
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Raised by a single mom in a house with three brothers, she was the only girl on her middle school’s football team. Then, she stopped growing. When some folks suggested wrestling as a way to improve in football, she told them: “Y’all, that’s too far. No. No.”
She decided to give it a try anyway and wound up with a black eye in her first practice.
Her mom told her she didn’t have to continue, but Hope discovered that wrestling calmed her mind, made her mentally sharp.
Mount Airy junior wrestler Hope Horan (right) and her mother, Brooke, watch in suspense as teammate Josh Chavis wrestles East Wilkes’ Bryson Shumate in a tri team meet on Jan. 13 at East Wilkes High School.
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“I’ve had little girls come up to me and say, ‘Oh my lord. You’re Hope Horan. I look up to you.’ It’s crazy. It’s like, man, people are watching me,” Hope said.
‘It’s like family’
Little girls are watching her teammate, Jamie, too.
At nearly every tournament, young girls will come up to her and want a picture, said Jamie’s dad, Joey Hearl.
Reynolds sophomore wrestler Jordyn Cooper clips her fingernails prior to a dual team meet against West Forsyth on Jan. 18 at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons. Before each meet, medical professionals perform a skin and nail check for each wrestler. They look for contagious skin infections, including ringworm and impetigo. Each wrestler’s nails must not be sharp or long due to the possibility of injuring an opponent.
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“It’s not specifically because it’s Jamie, but it’s that there are these girls who are showing them that just because you’re a lady doesn’t mean you can’t do this or do that. That’s neat and special to see that happening,” he said.
A college wrestler, Hearl urged Jamie to give it a try. She resisted.
“I’ll be the only girl. It will be weird,” she told him.
A friend dragged her to practice in 2021, the year that wrestling was pushed to late spring because of COVID. She saw Hope, but no other girls, just a bunch of cut, athletic boys tossing each other around.
“Oh crap,” she thought to herself. “This is not for me.”
“This is my place,” she said of the wrestling mat. “And I never really knew my place in sports because of my size. But in wrestling, you have the same strength, the same advantage.”
Mount Airy junior wrestler Jamie Hearl displays a large quantity of safety pins on her backpack while competing in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 3 at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run. It is a longstanding tradition for wrestlers to have a safety pin to represent each pin they earn in their career.
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With some schools still not able to field a full women’s team, Jamie frequently wrestles against boys. Beating them is particularly gratifying.
“Everyone sees you and they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s a small girl.’ And they see a boy who’s ripped and jacked. And when you beat him, the gym is like, ‘What did we witness?’” she said, a big smile spreading across her face.
Still, she enjoys the camaraderie of being on a team with girls. The boy wrestlers are supportive, but a special bond has developed among the girl wrestlers.
East Forsyth assistant coach Chad Sapp (left) and head coach Troy Lambert direct freshman wrestler Taylor Williams during her match against Havelock’s Natalie Titus in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 3 at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run. She lost this match to Titus, who took home the state title the next day in the 152-pound weight class, but Williams placed fourth overall to close her first wrestling season.
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“They’re going to cut up and be stupid,” she said of the boys, “but with the girls, it’s like family almost.”
Jamie finished as a state runner-up last weekend in the 100-weight division, losing 2-0 to Jeulenea Khang of Morganton Freedom.
If Jamie and Hope are the core of the Mount Airy team, Jordyn and Victoria are the foundation of Reynolds’ fledgling women’s team, which has doubled to 11 girls this year.
Atkins senior Destiny Vaughans works to pin Mallard Creek’s Jillian Boothe in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 4 at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro. Vaughans’ victory in this match secured her third place in the 235-pound weight class.
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Inside the James Alexander wrestling room at Reynolds earlier this month, 1980s classic rock blared as dozens of boys and a handful of girls practiced drills.
Jordyn’s story is similar to Jamie’s. Invited by Pittman to swing by wrestling practice, she walked in then promptly walked out.
“I was intimidated,” Jordyn said.
When she heard the word wrestling, she had visions of World Wrestling Entertainment, best known as WWE.
Mount Airy wrestler Constance Melton (from left) hugs teammate Hope Horan while Alexis Atkins wraps a blanket around Horan’s shoulders prior to a tri team meet on Jan. 13 at East Wilkes High School in Ronda. Horan said she was freezing because she hadn’t been eating much to be sure she made weight for the meet.
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“I thought, ‘I’ll get up in the air and boom!’” Jordyn said, breaking into giggles with Victoria, who sat on a couch next to her in Pittman’s tiny office.
“We didn’t know anything,” Victoria said.
Among the first to join the women’s team, the two sought each other out and have become good friends.
Without wrestling, Victoria isn’t sure she’d be on a sports team at Reynolds. She and Jordyn have both lost weight and gotten more physically and mentally fit while on the team.
And they’ve found a family with the other girls and boys in the program, some of whom came out to cheer them on at last weekend’s invitational.
Reynolds sophomore Jordyn Cooper screams as she wrestles Smoky Mountain’s Gabriela Roman Bruno in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 3 at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run.
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“It’s home,” Victoria said.
Victoria and Jordyn placed in the regionals to advance to the state invitational last weekend. Though they both failed to advance to the championship round, what they and the other girls accomplished can’t be measured by takedowns and pins.
Mount Tabor sophomore wrestler Jenna Catania pins Hickory Ridge’s Cynthia Smith to advance in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis. Catania, who also plays softball, made it to the state tournament in her first year of wrestling. She frequently trains with her brothers, Matthew, who wrestles at Greensboro College, and Christopher, who is also a wrestler for the Mount Tabor Spartans.
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Through hard work, discipline and the courage to put on a singlet and step onto the mat, they set fire to a mountain of preconceived notions of what a girl should and should not do.
Victoria contemplated this the other day.
“It’s weird to think,” she said. “We’re making history.”
PHOTOS: Girls Wrestling
West Forsyth female wrestlers warm up during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestler Alissa Neal stretches with teammates during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestling coach Racheal Roberts demonstrates a move during a girls wrestling practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth female wrestlers practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestlers Bela Ogilvie (left) and Jadyn Magallanes during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Members of the West Forsyth girls wrestling team watch as coach Jason Hooker and a male wrestler demonstrate a technique during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Mount Airy junior wrestler Jamie Hearl sticks her tongue out at a teammate during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy junior Jamie Hearl wrestles teammate Garrett Routh in the “hell room” during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C. The coaches and wrestlers call the space the “hell room” because it is fully padded, sweaty and hot. It is a space for the more advanced wrestlers to practice.
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A Mount Airy assistant coach helps wrestlers Jenevy Olalde (left) and Alexis Atkins improve their technique during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestler Hope Horan smiles while working on technique with teammate Garrett Routh during a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestlers practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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During practice, a Mount Airy female wrestler’s hair ties and necklace are strewn across a piece of paper with information regarding a wrestling tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestlers listen to coach Cody Atkins at the end of a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestlers huddle together to say the Lord’s Prayer at the close of a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestler Jamie Hearl jokingly kneels down to kiss teammate Jenevy Olalde’s hand after a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestler Constance Melton lifts Alexis Atkins to crack her back after a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Mount Airy Junior High School Gym in Mount Airy, N.C.
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Mount Airy assistant wrestling coaches Jacob Fregia (from left) and Dustin McCaw explain how Jamie Hearl’s height makes it easier for her to do squats as they ride the bus to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestlers Hope Horan (from left), Grace Segrest and Constance Melton share a laugh prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestler Jamie Hearl does somersaults on a railing in a locker room prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestler Jenevy Olalde does somersaults on a railing in a locker room prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestlers Jamie Hearl (right) and Grace Segrest joke around in a locker room while getting ready for a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy wrestler Constance Melton (from left) hugs teammate Hope Horan while Alexis Atkins wraps a blanket around Horan’s shoulders prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C. Horan said she was freezing because she hadn’t been eating much to be sure she made weight for the meet.
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Mount Airy wrestler Hope Horan stands on the scales and waits for her weight to populate on the screen prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C. Horan wrestled in the 113-pound weight class against Elkin and the 120-pound weight class against East Wilkes.
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Sean Pitchford of Atrium Health performs a skin and nail check for Mount Airy wrestler Constance Melton while her teammate Grace Segrest waits her turn prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C. Before each meet, medical professionals perform a skin and nail check for each wrestler. They look for contagious skin infections, including ringworm and impetigo. Each wrestler’s nails must not be sharp or long due to the possibility of severely injuring an opponent.
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Mount Airy wrestlers Jamie Hearl and Garrett Routh eat after weighing in prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C. Once the wrestlers weigh in for a meet or tournament, they often immediately eat and drink because they spent hours or days of fasting and trying to shed pounds to hit their weight.
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Mount Airy junior wrestler Hope Horan paces before her match in a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy junior wrestler Jamie Hearl paces before her match in a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy junior wrestler Jamie Hearl adjusts the straps on her singlet while warming up prior to a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy junior wrestler Jamie Hearl looks on before her match in a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan wrestles Elkin’s Manual Salas during a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Brooke Horan cheers for her daughter, Mount Airy wrestler Hope Horan, as Hope battles Elkin’s Manual Salas in the 113-pound weight class during a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan wrestles Elkin’s Manual Salas during a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan takes a breather next to her mother after her match against Elkin’s Manual Salas during a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Grace Segrest (left) checks on teammate Hope Horan after Horan’s loss to East Wilkes’ Robert Kraft in the 120-pound weight class during a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (from left) is consoled by teammates Alexis Atkins and Constance Melton after her loss to East Wilkes’ Robert Kraft in the 120-pound weight class during a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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Mount Airy junior wrestler Hope Horan (right) and her mother, Brooke, watch in suspense as teammate Josh Chavis wrestles East Wilkes’ Bryson Shumate in a tri team meet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at East Wilkes High School in Ronda, N.C.
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West Forsyth coach Racheal Roberts lets the girls know who they will be wrestling based on weight classes prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth coach Racheal Roberts shares a moment with wrestler Alissa Neal prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestler Hailey Eisenbaum (right) joins teammate Amber Summers for a run so Summers can shed some weight before weigh-ins prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestler Hailey Eisenbaum (left) joins teammate Amber Summers for a run so Summers can shed some weight before weigh-ins prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth coach Racheal Roberts gives wrestler Amber Summers two layers of hoodies to help her shed some weight while running before weigh-ins prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Sinia Reyes (left) braids West Forsyth wrestler Maria Barrios’ hair while Milagros Garcia Olmedo removes her earrings prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Reynolds sophomore wrestler Jordyn Cooper clips her fingernails prior to a dual team meet against West Forsyth on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C. Before each meet, medical professionals perform a skin and nail check for each wrestler. They look for contagious skin infections, including ringworm and impetigo. Each wrestler’s nails must not be sharp or long due to the possibility of severely injuring an opponent.
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Reynolds wrestlers Sally Alcantra (from left), Jordyn Cooper and Eden Gentry clip their fingernails prior to a dual team meet against West Forsyth on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C. Before each meet, medical professionals perform a skin and nail check for each wrestler. They look for contagious skin infections, including ringworm and impetigo. Each wrestler’s nails must not be sharp or long due to the possibility of severely injuring an opponent.
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A West Forsyth wrestler keeps her jewelry in her sneaker during a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Reynolds senior wrestler Arvriel Douthit focuses prior to a dual team meet against West Forsyth on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestlers enter the locker room for weigh-ins prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Reynolds wrestler Kaitlyn Edwards looks up as West Forsyth coach Racheal Roberts writes down her weight prior to a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestler Hailey Eisenbaum hugs teammate Amber Summers after Summers hit her weight prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C. Eisenbaum joined Summers for a run earlier when Summers had to shed some weight before weigh-ins.
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West Forsyth coach Racheal Roberts laughs while speaking with the team in the locker room prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestlers Hailey Eisenbaum (from left), Ashley Hiller and Amber Summers share snacks after weighing in prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C. Once the wrestlers weigh in for a meet or tournament, they often immediately eat and drink because they spent hours or days of fasting and trying to shed pounds to hit their weight.
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West Forsyth wrestler Jadyn Magallanes hugs her 2-year-old cousin, Jackson Hennessey, prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth wrestlers warm up prior to a dual team meet against Reynolds on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth’s Maris Barrios wrestles Reynolds’ McKenzie Hutchins in the 114-pound weight class during a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth’s Maris Barrios pins Reynolds’ McKenzie Hutchins in the 114-pound weight class during a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin wrestles West Forsyth’s Milagros Garcia Olmedo in the 132-pound weight class during a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Parents and fans cheer during the West Forsyth, Reynolds dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Reynolds’ Jordyn Cooper stretches before her match against West Forsyth’s Chloe Hoover during a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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West Forsyth’s Jadyn Magallanes (left) and Reynolds’ Arvriel Douthit face off in the 165-pound weight class during a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Reynolds’ Zaliyah Jamerson pins West Forsyth’s Kendall Pridgen in the 185-pound weight class during a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Reynolds’ Eden Gentry (left) and West Forsyth’s Chloe Saunders face off in the 235-pound weight class during a dual team meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (left) shares a laugh with East Rowan’s Leah Edwards before weighing in during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl (from left), Providence’s Barbara Nunes and Walkertown’s Amara Mullins, all of the 100-pound weight class, stretch before weighing in during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Dean Proctor, athletic trainer with Atrium Health, performs the skin and nail check for East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams before she weighs in during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Before each meet, medical professionals perform a skin and nail check for each wrestler. They look for contagious skin infections, including ringworm and impetigo. Each wrestler’s nails must not be sharp or long due to the possibility of severely injuring an opponent.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy wrestlers Jamie Hearl (center to right), Constance Melton and Alexis Atkins laugh while trying Sponch marshmallow cookies shared with them by teammate Jenevy Olalde (left) before competing in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Once the girls weigh in for a meet or tournament, they often immediately eat and drink because they spent hours or days of fasting and trying to shed pounds to hit their weight.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Kendall Pridgen leans against a bag after weighing in during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Victoria Pioquinto and teammates come together for a huddle before the start of the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy team manager Madison Atkins ties her sister Alexis Atkins’ hair before Alexis wrestles in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Walkertown’s Amara Mullins wrestles Corvian’s Sydney Martin in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Milagros Garcia Olmedo (left) wrestles Reynolds’ Kaitlyn Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Davie County’s Arwyn Brungardt (left) wrestles East Rowan’s Emma Blackwell in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Alexis Atkins works to pin Berry Academy’s Taylor Threatt in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Jenna Cagle (left) faces off with Porter Ridge’s Gabby Alegria in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy head coach Cody Atkins (right) gives wrestler Constance Melton guidance after she won her match in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Devan Bull (left) battles with South Stanly’s Sammy Hinchliffe in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl warms up before her match in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jasmine Davis (left) faces off with Lexington’s ZyNeah Lopp in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jenevy Olalde stretches before her match in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl pins Walkertown’s Amara Mullins in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl shows the referee that she has a bloody nose after she pinned her opponent in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forysth’s Devan Bull rests in Ashley Hiller’s lap between matches during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds head coach Tim Pittman congratulates Adi Marroquin after she won her match in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Sally Alcantara (right) faces off with Parkwood’s Cheyene Bramhall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Chloe Hoover (front) and Atkins’ Ashlee Fuentes battle in a 152-pound weight class match during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Atkins assistant coach Tyler Smith consoles Ashlee Fuentes after her match in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Arvriel Douthit pins Union Academy’s Cianna Delia in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl prepares for her next match with her father Joey Hearl in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan pins Mallard Creek’s Diya Dhananjay in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy assistant coach Jacob Fregia, Jenevy Olalde’s brother Victor Bacho and assistant coach Dustin McCaw watch Olalde’s match with suspense in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Constance Melton fights as Trinity’s Bliss Joyce tries to pin her in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Stephanie Melton, mother of Mount Airy’s Constance Melton, cheers for her daughter during her match in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Tabor sophomore wrestler Jenna Catania pins Hickory Ridge’s Cynthia Smith to advance in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Catania, who also plays softball, made it to the state tournament in her first year of wrestling. She frequently trains with her brothers, Matthew, who wrestles at Greensboro College, and Christopher, who is also a wrestler for the Mount Tabor Spartans.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Arvriel Douthit wrestles Parkwood’s Madison Mansfield in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Zaliyah Jamerson (right) wrestles West Rowan’s Mackenzie Riley in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mariana Carreno embraces her daughter, Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin, before she wrestles in her next match during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth wrestlers cheer for their teammate Milagros Garcia Olmedo as she works to pin her opponent in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Milagros Garcia Olmedo pins Northwest Cabarrus’ Haleigh Barnhardt in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Milagros Garcia Olmedo is embraced by teammates and friends after winning her match during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Constance Melton leaps into assistant coach Dustin McCaw’s arms after winning her match to advance to the finals in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Constance Melton is embraced by teammates, coaches and parents after winning her match to advance to the finals in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Constance Melton hugs her mother Stephanie after winning her match to advance to the finals in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Atkins’ Ashlee Fuentes pins Anson County’s Angelica Crawford in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Victoria Darden lifts West Forsyth’s Chloe Hoover in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Victoria Darden pulls the shoulder of West Forsyth’s Chloe Hoover too far in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Jordyn Cooper embraces assistant coach Gerrit Russ after winning her match to advance to the finals in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Forsyth wrestler Haileigh Branscombe covers her face after losing her match to Parkwood’s Madison Mansfield in a 185-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Atkins’ hugs head coach David Hamlin hugs Destiny Vaughans after winning her match to advance to the finals in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl pins Ragsdale’s Cherish Charley to place first overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl celebrates after pinning Ragsdale’s Cherish Charley to place first overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl cries while celebrating with teammate Grace Segrest after pinning Ragsdale’s Cherish Charley to place first overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl (left) hugs teammate Jenevy Olalde after giving her a pep talk before her finals match in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Olalde placed second overall.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Rosorio Olalde, mother of Mount Airy’s Jenevy Olalde, cheers for her daughter as she wrestles in the finals match of the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Olalde placed second overall.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy assistant coach Jacob Fregia high-fives Hope Horan before her final match against East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan paces before her final round match against East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Brooke Horan cheers for her daughter, Mount Airy’s Hope Horan, as she wrestles East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (front) wrestles East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Horan placed second overall.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (front) wrestles East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Horan placed second overall.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (front) wrestles East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Horan placed second overall.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mother Brooke Horan and teammate Constance Melton cheer for Mount Airy’s Hope Horan as she wrestles East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Horan placed second overall.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (right) wrestles East Rowan’s Leah Edwards in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. Horan placed second overall.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Wrestlers compete in the finals matches of the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin reaches to hug her mother Mariana Carreno after she placed third overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin hugs her mother Mariana Carreno after she placed third overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Victoria Darden wrestles Atkins’ Ashlee Fuentes in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Lake Norman’s Nevaeh Banks pins East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams in finals match of the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams reacts to losing to Lake Norman’s Nevaeh Banks to place second overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams reacts to losing to Lake Norman’s Nevaeh Banks to place second overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams hugs Lake Norman’s Nevaeh Banks after Banks pinned her in the final match during the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Jordyn Cooper pins A.L. Brown’s Chasidy Bryant to place third overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin celebrates after teammates Jordyn Cooper wins her match to place third overall in the NCHSAA Women’s Midwest Regional Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Wrestlers line up for skin and nail checks and weigh-ins during the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth wrestlers stretch before the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy assistant coach Dustin McCaw tapes Hope Horan’s shoe laces before the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan wears multicolored braids in her hair for the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Wrestlers warm up near a decal for the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Tabor’s Jenna Catania stretches before the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Tabor’s Jenna Catania warms up with her brother Christopher before the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth wrestlers stretch before the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
All of the girls participating in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament and the showcase sit together on two mats on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jame Hearl looks on during her first match in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan wrestles Clayton’s Savannah Lee in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin works to pin Havelock’s Isabella Campbell in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Victoria Darden cheers for her teammate Adi Marroquin during the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Victoria Darden (right) wrestles Havelock’s Natalie Titus in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams (right) wrestles Laney’s Ay`Seante Ross in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds head coach Tim Pittman directs wrestler Victoria Darden in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Victoria Darden (right) wrestles Havelock’s Natalie Titus in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
West Forsyth’s Jadyn Magallanes (left) wrestles Jack Britt’s Victoria Shepherd in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Rilyn Sales (left), 5, and Zane Sales, 4, hold cut outs of West Forsyth’s Jadyn Magallanes as she competes against Jack Britt’s Victoria Shepherd in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. Rilyn and Zane Sales’ father, Shelton, is Magallanes’ coach at Combat Athletics.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Jack Britt’s Victoria Shepherd tries to escape West Forsyth’s Jadyn Magallanes (left) in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Tabor’s Jenna Catania competes against North Henderson’s Ariana Flores in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl (left) wrestles Manteo’s Thalia Aguirre Gomez in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl (right) pins Manteo’s Thalia Aguirre Gomez in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jenevy Olalde has a bloody mouth while wrestling Croatan’s Kaylum Mills in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jenevy Olalde has a bloody mouth while wrestling Croatan’s Kaylum Mills in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan wrestles Hoke’s Sara Warren (front) in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin (front) battles Pineforest’s Hailie Misplay in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Reynolds sophomore Jordyn Cooper screams as she wrestles Smoky Mountain’s Gabriela Roman Bruno in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
North Henderson’s Ariana Flores works to pin West Forsyth’s Jadyn Magallanes in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams pins Pisgah’s Paloma Ramirez in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams (center) is congratulated by head coach Troy Lambert (left) and assistant coach Chad Sapp (right) after she pinned Pisgah’s Paloma Ramirez in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan paces before her match in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl (left) competes against South Brunswick’s Lily Prendergast in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy head coach Cody Atkins lies on the floor to direct wrestler Jamie Hearl as she vies against South Brunswick’s Lily Prendergast in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy head coach Cody Atkins hugs Jamie Hearl to congratulate her after her victory over South Brunswick’s Lily Prendergast in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy assistant coach Dustin McCaw lifts junior wrestler Jamie Hearl to celebrate her win over South Brunswick’s Lily Prendergast in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. This win advanced Hearl to the state championship match in Greensboro on Saturday where she earned second place in the 100-pound weight class.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan tries to pin Lumberton’s Teresa Canady in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Brooke Horan cheers for her daughter, Mount Airy’s Brooke Horan, as she wrestles Lumberton’s Teresa Canady in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy assistant coach Jacob Fregia jumps up and down as he directs Hope Horan in her match against Lumberton’s Teresa Canady in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy wrestlers and parents cheer for Hope Horan as she wrestles Lumberton’s Teresa Canady in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Brooke Horan watches with anticipation as her daughter, Mount Airy’s Brooke Horan, wrestles Lumberton’s Teresa Canady in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Mariana Carreno holds a rosary as she watches her daughter, Adi Marroquin, wrestle Gray’s Creek’s Katelyn Whitfield in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. Marroquin, who is a junior at Reynolds, has been wrestling since the sixth grade. She said her mother has supported her at every single one of her matches.
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Reynolds head coach Tim Pittman tends to junior Adi Marroquin during her match against Gray’s Creek’s Katelyn Whitfield in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. Marroquin pinned Whitfield to win the 132-pound weight class match.
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Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin pins Gray’s Creek’s Katelyn Whitfield in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. Marroquin pinned Whitfield to win the 132-pound weight class match.
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East Forsyth assistant coach Chad Sapp (left) and head coach Troy Lambert direct freshman wrestler Taylor Williams during her match against Havelock’s Natalie Titus in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. She lost this match to Titus, who took home the state title the next day in the 152-pound weight class, but Williams placed fourth overall to close her first wrestling season.
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East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams (right) battles Havelock’s Natalie Titus in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. She lost this match to Titus, who took home the state title the next day in the 152-pound weight class, but Williams placed fourth overall to close her first wrestling season.
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East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams is consoled by assistant coach Chad Sapp (left) and head coach Troy Lambert after her loss to Havelock’s Natalie Titus in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Reynolds’ Adi Marroquin’s mother, Mariana Carreno, wraps her knee while her sister watches in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Matthew and Christopher Catania cheer for their sister, Mount Tabor’s Jenna Catania, as she wrestles Hickory Ridge’s Cynthia Smith in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Mount Airy junior wrestler Jamie Hearl displays a large quantity of safety pins on her backpack while competing in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. It is a longstanding tradition for wrestlers to have a safety pin to represent each pin they earn in their career.
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Reynolds head coach Tim Pittman cheers for senior Victoria Darden as she competes against Laney’s Ay’Seante Ross in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Reynolds head coach Tim Pittman cheers for senior Victoria Darden as she competes against Laney’s Ay’Seante Ross in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Reynolds senior Victoria Darden (left) is embraced by teammate Adi Marroquin after Darden pinned Laney’s Ay’Seante Ross in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C. Darden, who helped recruit female wrestlers at Reynolds, needed one more win in the 152-pound weight class to make it to the final four but she lost the following match to East Forsyth freshman Taylor Williams.
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Atkins’ Destiny Vaughans celebrates her victory over Madison’s Kimberly Talton in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (left) wrestles Jack Britt’s Isabella Hernandez in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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Reynolds’ Victoria Darden (right) lifts East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams during their match in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, N.C.
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East Forsyth assistant coach Chad Sapp wears a wrestling tie while helping Taylor Williams stretch before competing in the finals of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl (left) wrestles Freedom’s Jeulenea Khang for first place in the 100-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl (front) winces as she wrestles Freedom’s Jeulenea Khang for first place in the 100-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl is consoled by her sister, Jordan Hearl, after her loss to Freedom’s Jeulenea Khang in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C. Hearl placed second overall in the 100-pound weight class.
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Mount Airy’s Jamie Hearl is consoled by her mother, Amanda Hearl, after her loss to Freedom’s Jeulenea Khang in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C. Hearl placed second overall in the 100-pound weight class.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan (right) battles Cleveland’s Addison Vindigni for third place in the 114-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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Kazann Joyner, grandmother, Brooke Horan, mother, Karla Renteria, team manager, and Alexis Atkins, teammate, cheer for Mount Airy’s Hope Horan as she wrestles for third place in the 114-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan is congratulated by head coach Cody Atkins and assistant coach Jacob Fregia after her victory over Cleveland’s Addison Vindigni for third place in the 114-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan is congratulated by assistant coach Jacob Fregia after her victory over Cleveland’s Addison Vindigni for third place in the 114-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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Mount Airy’s Hope Horan hugs her grandmother Kazann Joyner while her mother Brooke (right) smiles at her after her victory over Cleveland’s Addison Vindigni for third place in the 114-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Mount Airy’s Hope Horan is embraced by her mother Brooke (right) after her victory over Cleveland’s Addison Vindigni for third place in the 114-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
East Davidson’s Danielle Dennis battles Cary’s Alfa G. Dominguez Gutie for first place in the 126-pound weight class in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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East Davidson’s Danielle Dennis battles Cary’s Alfa G. Dominguez Gutie for first place in the 126-pound weight class in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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East Forsyth’s Taylor Williams faces off with West Carteret’s Kenley Riley for third place in the 152-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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Atkins senior Destiny Vaughans is encouraged by head coach David Hamlin (left) and assistant coach Tyler Smith before her match against Mallard Creek’s Jillian Boothe in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Atkins senior Destiny Vaughans looks on before her match against Mallard Creek’s Jillian Boothe for third place in the 235-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Atkins senior Destiny Vaughans faces off with Mallard Creek’s Jillian Boothe in the 235-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Atkins senior Destiny Vaughans works to pin Mallard Creek’s Jillian Boothe in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C. Vaughans’ victory in this match secured her third place in the 235-pound weight class.
Allison Lee Isley Journal
Atkins senior Destiny Vaughans is congratulated by assistant coach Tyler Smith after her victory over Mallard Creek’s Jillian Boothe in the 235-pound weight class of the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C.
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