by Jamie Harris
The Berkeley Springs Lady Indians wrestling team took to the mat on Saturday, March 8, at the Marshall Health Arena, aiming for state gold and top six finish in the second WV Girls State Wrestling Championships.
With the tournament condensed into a single day, the Lady Indian grapplers had to demonstrate both skill and endurance to secure a place on the podium.
Bailee Diehl (114) and Delilah Rhoten (120) started the tournament with first- round byes, while Willow Rhoten (138) made an early statement by pinning University’s Toria Tower in just 55 seconds to advance to the second round.
In the second round, Diehl continued her strong start, pinning Liberty Raleigh’ s Stella Brown in 1:14 to reach the championship quarterfinals. D. Rhoten also secured a second-round victory, pinning Keyser’s Miley Portillo at the 4:17 mark. W. Rhoten, however, faced a tough challenge against defending state champion Maya Garcia and was pinned in 30 seconds, dropping her into the consolation bracket.
Diehl’ s tournament run ended in the quarterfinals after being pinned by Cameron’s Ava Lemasters in 3:45. Already battling a torn meniscus, Diehl medically forfeited the remainder of the tournament, finishing with a 1-1 record.
D. Rhoten delivered an electrifying performance for Berkeley Springs fans, securing a hard-fought 10-7 victory over Ripley’s Destiny Steele to advance to the championship semifinals. Meanwhile, in the consolation second round, W. Rhoten’s run came to an end after a loss by fall to Lincoln’ s Hannah Westfall, finishing the tournament with a 1-2 record.
School State Tournament.
photos by Betsy Hovermale
D. Rhoten’s championship semifinal bout saw her fall to Parkersburg South’s Anniya Powell in 1:47, sending her into the consolation semifinals. She then lost by fall to Berkeley Springs High School wrestler 138 lb. Parkersburg’ s Karma Hodges before facing Buckhannon- Upshur’s Sadie McCarthy in the fifth-place match, where she fell by major decision, 18-8. Despite the losses, Rhoten’ s sixth-place finish earned her a state medal—her first at the championship level.
The Lady Indians wrestling program continues to grow and with each passing season, the future looks brighter for Berkeley Springs’ female grapplers. It may only be a matter of time before a Lady Indian wrestler makes school history by capturing the program’s first girls’ state championship title.
