CLYDE – The Ashland-area’s rising high school girls wrestling talent has begun putting its stamp on the postseason, starting with a big effort Friday in the Clyde Sectional.
Crestview’s Naomi Gearheart – ranked No. 2 at 145 pounds by DubStat – was dominant in taking her weight-class title.
Less than a week after gathering her 100th career win at the Norwalk Invitational, the junior logged three first-period pins Friday.
Gearheart now is 104-13 with 90 pins for her career and will carry a 39-3 record into next week’s Findlay District.
Also at Clyde, Ashland had a big day in the lower weights, advancing three of its six sectional competitors on to the next round in Findlay.
Juniors Rowan Varnes (3-1, 3 pins at 110) and Gracen Brockett (3-1, 3 pins at 120) both picked up third place in their brackets. Brockett now is 40-6 this season while Varnes improved to 22-19.
At 140, Arrows senior Isla McFrederick moved on in fourth place. She went 2-2 with a pin to improve to 32-13 this winter.
Senior Amelia Hunt also nabbed an alternate spot at districts as a fifth-place finisher. She went 3-2 at 115 with a pair of pins and now is 23-24 this season.
Ashland senior Skylar Dunlap (130) and sophomore Natalie Secrest (125) did not advance, but both collected pins in their efforts.
As a team, the Arrows placed sixth out of 30 teams in the event, scoring 72 points.
On Sunday, Loudonville and Mapleton both will have three wrestlers competing in their sectional at Northwest.