Local Girls Compete At District Wrestling

The 5th/6th girls district wrestling tournament took place last weekend at Thunder Ridge High School.  Unlike the boys, the girls districts and state tournaments do not split schools into separate classifications.  That means that every wrestler in the fifth and sixth district no matter the size of their school competed for district titles last weekend.  Soda Springs and Grace each had five girls competing in the district championships.  Here is a breakdown of how each of those girls did in the tournament.

Soda Springs

At 100lbs Soda Springs had Brinlee Hemmert competing.  Hemmert lost her first match of the tournament sending her to the consolation side of the bracket.  Once there Hemmert went on a run winning her next two matches.  Hemmert then competed in the consolation semi final.  Hemmert competed well but fell in that match sending her to the fifth place match.  A win in the fifth place match would put Hemmert in the state championships.  Unfortunately Hemmert came up short leaving her to rely on earning a wildcard bid.  Sadly that did not go Hemmert's way either and her season came to an end.  Taylor Hirsbrunner competed at 107lbs for the Cardinals.  Hirsbrunner also lost her first match sending her to the consolation side of the bracket.  Hirsbrunner won her next two matches before falling in round five.  This eliminated Hirsbrunner from state qualification but left her wrestling for seventh place.  Hirsbrunner came up short in that match and her season also came to an end.  At 132lbs Layah Dilworth fought hard but went 0-2 in the tournament and was eliminated.  Abbiegail Krupp saw some success at 165lbs.  Krupp started off with a win in round one then lost in round two.  The loss sent her to the consolation bracket.  Krupp won her first match on the consolation side but lost her second.  That loss eliminated Krupp from state and put her in the seventh place match.  Krupp earned some redemption by winning that match but still had her season come to an end.  The final wrestler for Soda Springs was Alexandra Sturges at 126lbs.  Sturges won her first two matches putting her in the semi final match.  In that match she faced Grace’s Bella Eddins.  Eddins got the better of Sturges, sending Sturges to the consolation semi final.  Sturges lost that semi final as well, sending her to the fifth place match.  The fifth place match was Sturges’ final chance to qualify for state.  She would need a win to get there.  A win is exactly what Sturges got, pinning her opponent in the second minute of the match and qualifying for state.

Grace

The Lady Grizzlies had a phenomenal district tournament that culminated in a fourth place finish as a team.  An impressive feat with just five girls and as one of the smallest schools in the competition.  Individually Holland Ball at 126lbs competed hard for Grace.  Unfortunately Ball lost her first match in the second period then lost her next match in overtime.  Ball finished 0-2 and was eliminated from the tournament.  Ball’s older sister Hayden Ball competed at 107lbs for Grace.  The older Ball sister won her first two matches making it to the semi final match.  Ball ended up losing that match and getting sent to the consolation side of the bracket.  Ball lost her first match on that side of the bracket and headed to the fifth place match.  In the fifth place match Ball went on to win and by doing so qualified for the state tournament.  At 152lbs Skyla Cloud got off to a great start.  Cloud pinned her first two opponents earning a spot in the semi finals.  In the semi final match Cloud had more of a challenge but ended up winning by decision securing a spot in the championship match.  Cloud ended up getting pinned in the championship finishing in second place and qualifying for state.  Bella Eddins wrestled at 126lbs for Grace.  Eddins cruised in her first two matches earning a spot in the semi final.  As posted above Eddins faced off with Sturges from Soda Springs.  It was a competitive match but Eddins came out the victor earning a spot in the championship.  In that match Eddins got the pin earning a district championship and qualifying for state.  The final Grace wrestler was Josie Newby at 145lbs.  Newby made very short work of her first two opponents, pinning each early in the match.  In the semi finals Newby once again won by pinning her opponent and earning a championship match.  In the championship Newby had a little more work cut out for her.  That match would go the distance but Newby emerged victorious winning the second district championship for the Grizzlies.

There you have it, six local girls will be wrestling in the state championships this Friday and Saturday at the ICCU Arena in Pocatello.  Make the trip over the hill and cheer them on.