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Lady Devil Lylah Cogdill got fifth in the 138 weight class at the NCHSAA individual champs.
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
The Lady Devils wrestling season came to an end with just one Swain athlete placing in the individual state championships – Lylah Cogdill, who got fifth in the 138 weight class.
Cogdill bested Hickory Ridge’s Sophia Haferman with a fall after 55 seconds, and then defeated Hoke County’s Jada Lebron with a fall after 37 seconds.
She won by defeating Lebron again with a fall after 1:56.
Coach Adam Jaimez said it was disappointing they didn’t get more wins but said the team was taking it in stride.
“It was a tough weekend,” he said. “A lot of things didn’t go our way, but we teach our kids it’s not what we bear but how we bear it. We operated with a lot of humility. There were some bad calls, but we didn’t cry ‘woe is me.’ I was proud of the fact that our kids shook hands properly, they went out and shook the other team’s hand.”
Jaimez praised Cogdill’s win, and said the team had done well for the fact that they were facing a wide range of teams between 1A and 4A.
“We had several kids in the blood round, which is the round before placement,” he said. “Things didn’t go our way. That’s just life. There’s not a sport that mirrors life better than wrestling.”
Jaimez said he was appreciative of the school officials and parents who put their faith behind the girls’ wrestling team. He also praised the donations they’d received from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Tribal Council and the tribe’s ABC Commission which had helped the team.
This was the first season the female wrestling was sanctioned by the NCHSAA, which allowed teams more funding and paid coaching positions. While Swain has had a girls’ wrestling program for the past several years, this was the first year they had a wider amount of duals and teams to play.