ORLANDO — In future editions of the Grenadier Girls’ Grappler, perhaps ultimate bragging rights will be on the line for participating wrestlers.
But in the inaugural version, there was plenty of mat time to be gained in Saturday’s 32-team tournament, which had two and sometimes three divisions in each weight class (only one, 105, crowned a weight-class champion).
At tournament’s end, and after some scoring corrections made some time after trophies were handed out, Apopka pushed past a 32-team field to win the team race with 177 points. Gateway was second at 156 (their score did not change) and McKeel Academy, which was awarded the team trophy on site, finished third with 153, with area teams Dr Phillips (148) and Lake Brantley (144) fourth and fifth, respectively.
In all, 13 wrestlers from the coverage area made their way to successful flight championship by day’s end as well.
The 190 weight class brought home the most area success, as Seminole’s Chaunti Clark (A), Apopka’s Jada Jones (B) and Dr Phillips’ Emily Riveira (C) all took home firsts.
Clark had a pin over Gateway’s Precious Rijos (20th at 190) and added a forfeit win in subflight competition; in crossover, she pinned wrestlers from Haines City and Rijos a second time to win the A flight. In B, Jones (5th at 170) took pins over wrestlers from Ocoee, Bayside, Haines City and McKeel Academy to claim a 4-0 day, while Riveira (11th at 170) had pins over Haines City, Colonial and twice over Winter Park to earn the C flight.
Two weights — 135 and 155 — saw two area wrestlers each go home undefeated.
At 135A, Apopka’s Nehemie Gregoire (9th at 140) pinned her way to a 4-0 day, with two falls over Gateway and pins over Cypress Creek and Vero Beach in the flight, while Lake Howell’s Ava Barhorst won 135B also with four pins (Lake Brantley, East River and two over Tohopekaliga).
Locals swept the 155 flights, as Hagerty’s Shyann Tate (4th at 155) took 155A with five pins (Ocoee, Apopka, Dr Phillips, Cypress Creek & Gateway), including falls over Elody Rodriguez (Gateway, 5th at 155), Gio Frascarelli (Cypress Creek, 12th at 155) and Hannah Haworth (Ocoee, 18th at 145). The Knights’ Melanie Saucedo won 155B, but only after an initial loss to Jones in the first round. Saucedo came back with pins over Gateway and Evans to get a rematch, this time winning by fall for the flight win.
Six additional wrestlers — Lilah Nation (115A) and Marcela Maya-Escalona (235A) of Lake Brantley, Apopka’s Shelby Sherman (110A) and Anaiya De Leon (140B), Brianna Pena (125A) of Seminole and Dr Phillips’ Jessania Jarrett (145B) — picked up flight wins.
Nation had pins over Wellington, Winter Park and Tohopekaliga to take 115A, while Maya-Escalona (10th at 190) avenged a pool loss to McKeel, otherwise picking up four falls over Cypress Creek, Vero Beach, Gateway’s Fedline Joseph (2nd at 235) and McKeel to win at 235A.
Sherman (5th at 115) had four pins for the 110A win, including two over Dr Phillips’ Victoria Ceballos (5th at 100) and two over Vero Beach and Lake Brantley. At 140B, De Leon took pins over Winter Park, West Orange and Colonial before falling an unattached wrestler in the final.
Pena (18th at 120) took 125A behind four pins, with preliminary falls over Ocoee, Gateway and Vero Beach before a fall over Apopka’s Samantha Sherman (20th at 120) in the final. Meanwhile, Jarrett had three pins and a decision in winning 145B, with the decision over Lake Brantley, one of the three pins over Lake Wales and the other two against Bayside.
Results from the one-day event can be found HERE.
North Florida Matmen 