Gary Ayers
ayers5315@bellsouth.net
At 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Feb. 8, the Swain girls had a slim one-point lead 97-96 over Olympic High from Charlotte in the girls NCHSAA Western Regional. But a short-time later and more outstanding wrestling, the Swain High Lady Devils won the Western Regional championship 101 to 94.5 over the 4A school.
"We battled hard all day against 58 other schools that included all classifications 1A through 4A. I'm so proud of these girls who qualified for state, but at the same time I'm heart-broken for the girls who didn't make it," said Head Coach Ian Roper following the competition.
Leading the battle against the larger schools was Regional Champion senior Tasia Neadeau in the 126-pound class as she pinned her opponent in the first round for the title. Neadeau has also won at the
Falcon Frenzy, the Great Smoky Mountain Grapple and the Carolina Clash. Neadeau is a likely #1 seed heading into the state finals that begin Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Three other Lady Devils also qualified for the state finals. Senior Lylah 'Dozer' Cogdill finished third in the 138-pound division by dominating her opponent 14-1 in three rounds after winning by pin in the "Blood Round."
The Blood Round is for wrestlers who haven't gone through their classification unscathed during the day-long event which began at 10 a.m. at North Henderson High School. Only the top four wrestlers in each weight-class qualify for the state championships.
Pippa Welch won her Blood Round by pin and then lost by pin in the second round of the consolation finals to finish in fourth place. Chloe Kent, a first-year wrestler for Swain, finished fourth by winning her Blood Round by pin and then losing by pin in the consolation finals. Kent was extremely happy with her qualification to the state finals as she jumped into her mother's arms with tears of joy following the match.
Just missing the top four was Anesette Cooper, who lost in the Blood Round after wrestling hard for three tough rounds.
"Four girls are the most we've ever had qualify for the state championships," said Roper following the presentation of the Regional Championship plaque. "I'm so proud of the way these girls battled all day long. I'm just proud to be a part of this program."
The attendance was great inside the North Henderson gym. North Henderson principal John Shepard, a leader in hosting and coordinating the event, was pleased with the attendance. "We've doubled in
the size of the crowd every year we have hosted this event," Shepard said.
Girls’ wrestling is now a sanctioned sport by the NCHSAA and is the fastest growing prep sport in North Carolina. Two wrestling mats were used and stayed busy all day.