LaPlata’s senior state champion Daisy Rojas (155), senior Oriana Boling (105) and junior Adriana Hernandez (145) won titles, 11th-ranked senior Madison Rich (130) placed second, and freshmen Grace Immler (100) and Kenadi Reeder (235) were third as the Warriors (143.5 points) overcame the host Eagles (129) for the title in last weekend’s 20-team Francis Scott Key Girls’ Wrestling Holiday Showcase.
Ranked second by Legacy Wrestling, Rojas scored falls in 1:44 and 5:36, the latter in her championship bout against Dunbar’s Azaria Benjamín, a fourth-place state finisher. Rojas improved to 14-0.
“Daisy got her will tested by the young lady from Dunbar,” said coach John Pankhurst, a former Southern Maryland Athletic Conference champion and winner of two regional crowns who placed second and third at Class 4A-3A states before graduating from LaPlata in 1995. “She was quite physically imposing and we struggled in several positions that we will need to work on. Daisy was down, time was short, and when the outcome was in the balance, she executed in the clutch and secured the fall in the closing moments.”
A returning regional runner-up who is ranked eighth by Legacy Wrestling, Boling used a five-minute fall to reach the finals, where she earned a 17-2 technical fall over Winters Mill junior Carli Ireland to raise her record on the year to 16-0.
“Ori overcame some adversity,” Pankhurst said. “She proved she has the guts to get the job done. Ori teched Ireland to secure first place.”
Hernandez scored a fall in 3:25 before outlasting Winters Mill junior Amelia Boddie, 15-10, in their semifinal bout. Hernandez won her title match by injury default over Chesapeake-Anne Arundel junior Emily Strevig, improving her season record to 12-3.
“Adriana’s been on a roller coaster during our time together. She had some medicals to work through last year and got a late start, then battled for us at 155,” Pankhurst said. “She got herself extremely fit and was quite light, so we set a plan to go to 140 this year because that's what we thought was the best course of action. Adriana works so hard, and that's all you can ask for. She just smiles and does whatever we ask.”
Walkersville’s third-ranked Alexis Nicholas (120) gained a measure of revenge by winning a clash of sophomores by 9-4 decision over Smithsburg’s top-ranked Rileigh Romberger.
A state runner-up, Romberger pinned Nicholas in 4:25 of last year’s state semifinal bout. Nicholas improved her record on the year to 11-1, having placed third at states last season.
The runner-up Eagles crowned third-ranked junior Ellie Kinloch (100), with third-place Winters Mill having a title winner in sophomore Kaitlyn Lemerise (110), and senior Caroline McCann (130) standing on the victory podium for seventh-place Westminster.
Ninth-place Richard Montgomery crowned sophomore Estrella Edwards (170) and fifth-ranked senior Cielo Prieto (125), who were third and fifth at states.
Zaniah Westry (190) was victorious for 10th-place Dunbar, as was sixth-ranked Lena Black (140) for 12th-place North Point, 10th-ranked junior Madison Drumwright (235) for 14th-place Milford Mill, and ninth-ranked senior Esther Clark (135) for 17th-place Northwest.
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