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Hughesville Edges Montgomery in Thrilling Girls Wrestling Dual, 36-33
Hughesville High School’s girls wrestling team avenged an earlier loss, securing a hard-fought 36-33 victory over defending state champion Montgomery on Wednesday, January 24th. The Spartans flipped the script on a previous 39-33 defeat, fueled by a pivotal upset and strategic maneuvering. A single different result could swing the match in their favor, having fallen short against Montgomery nearly two weeks prior. That key shift came at 155 pounds, where Spartan Caroline Hicks delivered a stunning performance.
Hicks’ victory proved to be the turning point.After a closely contested second period where she trailed 3-2 against Georgia Leet, Hughesville coach Royce eyer opted for a top start in the third. “We showed that we could turn her at the end of the second, and we wanted to keep the pressure on her, wear her down more, and hopefully get a turn there eventually,” eyer explained. With 40 seconds remaining, Hicks executed a half-nelson, securing a crucial four nearfall points and ultimately clinching both the match and the dual meet for hughesville.
“I was struggling to get my half in during the second period, and all through the third I was really trying to dig it in and pull the wrist tight,” Hicks said.”I just wanted to get her onto her back for a couple of seconds to score some back points, which I did. I was obviously looking for the pin to score more, but I was happy with the back points I got to secure the win.” This nine-point swing was critical,as Montgomery had previously secured six points in that weight class. “We bumped them around there to get that match up, and Caroline did an excellent job and came up with the win,” Eyer added.
Hughesville started strong, with Isabella Olshefeskie earning a pin over Brooke Knoebel in the 100-pound class. A subsequent forfeit to Julia Ritter extended the Spartan lead to 12-3. Bella Young nearly upset returning state bronze medalist Jenna Houseknecht at 112, but houseknecht prevailed 9-8 in a late third-period battle. Another forfeit, this time to Jaysa Kiess at 118, pushed Hughesville’s advantage to 18-3.
Leah Lehman continued the momentum with a 4-1 sudden victory decision over Makenna Hakes at 124, increasing the lead to 21-3. Arianah Moore than received a forfeit at 130, bringing the score to 27-3.
However, Montgomery began a determined comeback. Briella Walk pinned Madoka Charles at 136, and state runner-up Zoe Furman swiftly pinned Aria Myers at 142, narrowing the gap to 27-15. A Montgomery forfeit to Avery Earnes at 148 brought the score to 33-15.
The Red Raiders threatened to complete their rally, mirroring their performance at the Boiling Springs Duals on December 6th, where they secured four pins from 155-235. However,Hicks’ victory halted that momentum.
Montgomery concluded the night with pins from Addison Gregor at 170,Malayna Beattie at 190,and Adelyn Rine at 235,but the damage was already done.
Hughesville 36,Montgomery 33
100: Isabella Olshefskie (H) pinned Brooke Knoebel,3:05. 106: Julia Ritter (H) by forfeit. 112: Jenna Houseknecht (M) dec. Bella Young, 9-8. 118: Jaysa Kiess (H) by forfeit. 124: Leah Lehman (H) dec. Makenna hakes, 4-1 SV. 130: Ariahna Moore (H) by forfeit. 136: Briella Walk (M) pinned madoka Charles, 3:08. 142: Zoe Furman (M) pinned Aria myers, 0:16. 148: Avery Earnest (H) by forfeit. 155: Caroline Hicks (H) dec. Georgia Leet, 6-3. 170: Addison Gregor (M) pinned Michayla Applegate, 1:13. 190: Malayna Beattie (M) pinned Emma statts, 2:11
