Parkwood girls’ wrestler takes advantage of Holy Angels event’s addition
Savannah Bramhall enjoyed her contribution to high school wrestling history Saturday night.
“It’s nice that we’re finally getting a chance to do this,” Bramhall, a Parkwood High freshman, said after winning the 145-152 weight class in the annual Holy Angels Invitational wrestling tournament at Bojangles Coliseum.
Bramhall, who got her start in the sport competing against boys, was among six winners in the tournament’s first girls’ division.
Expanding the meet, which brings together more than 100 teams from six states across the Southeast, was a nod to the growth of wrestling among young women.
“We’re going to recruit more girls for our team next year,” said Parkwood coach Ryan Dunn, whose team has two female wrestlers this season. “It’s a great sport, and I’m glad to see this event provide a special division for the girls.”
South Caldwell head coach Dusty Smith, whose team finished second to Hoke County in the girls’ division, said young women are a joy to coach.
“They really listen to what we say, and they work hard,” he said. “I hope we have more girls next year.”
The N.C. High School Athletic Association now offers a state tournament for girls, and Dunn said the sport is growing.
“Adding a division like this is a sign of the growth,” he said.
Both Dunn and Smith had champions a year ago, at the NCHSAA’s first girls’ state meet. Parkwood’s Amber Parker won at 138 pounds, and South Caldwell’s Jade Hutto captured the 126-pound title.
South Caldwell’s Maddi Dillard, who finished third Saturday in the 170-182 division, started wrestling six years ago, when nearly all her competition was male.
“It was a lot different when I started,” she said. ‘There are a lot more girls competing now, but I’d like to see even more. In some of the weight classes, there isn’t a lot of competition.”
Wrestlers like Bramhall and Dillard still practice frequently against members of their schools’ boys’ teams and say they are accepted by male wrestlers as serious competitors.
“The support is really good,” Dillard said. “We all push one another to get better.”
Bramhall said tournaments like the Holy Angels event give girls a chance to be seen by colleges, which now offer scholarships for the girls.
“That’s a nice opportunity for all of us,” she said. “It wasn’t there before.”
Georgia school tops boys
Creekview High, of Canton, Georgia, won the boys’ team title in the Holy Angels Invitational, with 200 points. Kathleen (Ga.) Veterans was second, with 184 points, and Wisconsin’s Wrightstown High took third (162). Avery County (146.5) and Hough (139) were fifth and sixth, with Central Academy (106) eighth and Rock Hill (96.5) tied for 10th.
Weight-class champions
106 pounds: Mark Samuel (Wilmington Laney); 113: Richard Treanor (Hough); 120: Tripp Collins (Piedmont); 126: Max Druhot (Marietta, Ga., Pope); 132: Ethan Oakley (Wheatmore); 138: Julian Farber (Kathleen, Ga,, Veterans); 145: Dallas Wilson (Cape Fear); 152: Francis Morrissey (Veterans); 160: Kevin Reynolds (Veterans); 170: Donald Cates (Ragsdale); 182: Holden Cypher (Millbrook); 195: Charles Swiggett (Western Guilford); 220: Jake Fernicola (Woodmont, SC); 285: Parker Bennett (Charlotte, TN, Creekwood).
Girls’ champions
Hoke County (58 points) took the team title, with South Caldwell (46) second and Creekwood, from Charlotte, Tennessee, third. Parkwood was sixth, and Rock Hill tied Ashley Ridge (S.C.) for 10th.
Champions
106-113: Heaven Fitch (Uwharrie Charter); 120-126: Milena Daniels (Hoke County); 132-138: Hannah Mains (Ashley Ridge); 145-152: Savannah Bramhall (Parkwood); 170-182: Isabella Kessey (Hoke County); 195-220-285: Samantha Kidder (Hoke County).
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 10:29 PM.
