Girls Mat Cat meet spotlights growth of girls wrestling; Kassie Sapp wins weight class for Whitehall

MONTAGUE — The Lady Mat Cat Wrestling Invitational in Montague has grown at warp speed, going in a few years from a fun event to spotlight a fledgling Wildcat girls program to one of the biggest tournaments in the state in one of its fastest-growing sports.
Over 60 schools were represented at Sunday's event, which was the first girls meet in Montague's new gym. The increased space enabled the invitational to have four matches going at one time.
All three local schools had wrestlers participating. Whitehall led the way, scoring 37 points, many of them by 130-pound champion and 2025 state runner-up Kassie Sapp, to earn 16th place. Reeths-Puffer tied for 32nd, and Montague placed 36th.
The results, though, weren't the main point of the day. Showcasing the sport was a much higher priority.
"The level of wrestling girls are displaying now has jumped leaps and bounds from our first tournament," Montague coach Kris Maddox said. "What was really great to see (Sunday) was all the local and conference teams which were represented. I believe when we started there may have been only one other local school or conference (school) besides us who had girls entered, and it’s just great to see multiple from our area, many of which either were in the finals or won the tournament.
"It’s almost surreal to look at where the tournament started and looking around (Sunday). However, it doesn't happen without the mass of volunteers, help, school and community. I can’t say enough about the support that those behind the scenes provide to make it possible."
Another example of the full-circle nature of the event was the return of Montague wrestling alum Emma Pendell. The 2022 state champion Wildcat is now a member of the coaching staff at Hudson, a small-school powerhouse in boys wrestling with a growing girls contingent.
"She was wrestling in this tournament in its first year, and now she’s helping coach years later," Maddox said. "That in itself should show how much the sport is growing."
Sapp's victory at 130 was unsurprising given her accolades, but she had to earn it, winning in overtime in the championship match against Ana Sofia Vega of Plainwell, 9-2. Sapp scored a pair of pins prior to that to reach the finals.

Teammate Miley Manzo was the Vikings' other team scorer, placing sixth at 115 with a 3-2 record. Manzo scored a pair of pins and one decision victory.
"Don’t sleep on Miley, as she has really good stuff this year and we are proud of where she is at and where she is going," the Whitehall wrestling team posted to its Facebook page.
For Reeths-Puffer, Sidney Shackelford went 4-1 and finished in fifth place at 155. Shackelford racked up three pins for the Rockets. Brooklyn Colson scored a pair of pins in the consolation bracket at 130 to give her team six points.
Montague's Zaniya Meza finished fifth at 110 with a 4-1 record. She was dominant in her wins, scoring three pins and a technical fall.
"Zaniya has been consistent, but we are still looking for her to take that next big step," Maddox said.

Also for the 'Cats, two wrestlers competed in B team brackets. Alex Dugan was sixth in the 125/130 B team bracket, posting a 3-2 record, and Emma Trevino dropped a pair of matches in the 170 B team bracket, though Maddox said Trevino is to be commended for coming out for her first wrestling season as a senior.
"Alex is a first-year wrestler and she should be happy with her performance," Maddox said. "She is improving daily and should look to be a state qualifier in the next few years."
The Wildcats are enjoying the opportunity to annually showcase girls wrestling as the sport continues to grow in popularity and participation.
"We have built something that can provide these girls an opportunity to be showcased and compete with girls at the highest level of competition," Maddox said. "They deserve to be on the same level as the guys, and (Sunday) was a prime example of that. Many of these girls who placed will be all-state girls in March."