WHITEHALL — A packed house greeted individual girls wrestlers Sunday for the district tournament, hosted by Whitehall, and four local athletes earned bids to the regional meet next Sunday.
Whitehall star Kassie Sapp ran her season record to 32-1 with a dominating performance to win the 130-pound title, and Montague's Zaniya Meza was equally impressive to secure the 105-pound title. Reeths-Puffer's Sidney Shackelford took second at 145, and Whitehall's Miley Manzo was third at 115.
It's the second year the girls wrestling bracket has included a district round, and the second year local schools have converged on the White Lake area for it; last season, Montague hosted the district tournament.
The girls wrestling tournament is different from the boys in two major ways: In addition to the top four finishers advancing to the next round as with the boys, team championships are awarded based on individual scores (Lowell took the top spot Sunday); and there are no divisions, with brackets arranged purely on geography. It's possible that as the sport grows, both will one day change.
The present looked pretty good for Sapp and Meza in particular Sunday, though, as both pinned their way to the top of the podium. Both athletes didn't let any opponent out of the first period before taking them down. Sapp and Meza each were seeded atop their brackets, so their victories were not surprising.
Sapp's title was the first ever by a Whitehall Viking girl, and Meza's win likewise made her the first ever district champion in Montague girls wrestling.
Shackelford reached the finals at 145 for the Rockets with a pin and a hard-fought 8-5 decision against Lulu Cousins of Forest Hills Central, ultimately losing to top seed Markie Davis of Grant in the finals.
Manzo's run to third place was marked by her avenging losses from earlier in the season against two different opponents. She scored two pins and defeated Grand Haven's Blake Long, 12-5, in the blood round to secure her place at regionals. She then outmuscled Lily Gonzales of Lowell in the third-place match, 4-3.
Among other area wrestlers Sunday, Whitehall freshman Makenna Deshong won a match and reached the blood round before falling short. Montague's Emma Trevino also won a match and reached the blood round. R-P's Brooklyn Colson went 0-1 to conclude her individual season.
