Westfall’s Holderby earns spot at state tournament

SUNBURY — Westfall senior Savannah Holderby earned a spot in next weekend’s state tournament after finishing fourth over the weekend at the Big Walnut District tournament. 

Teays Valley had a pair of wrestlers finish just a spot shy of the state tournament as senior Josephine Bowerman and sophomore Rayne Dowdy each placed fifth. 

Holderby made quick work of her first opponent with a pin in 47 seconds to start her 145-pound tournament but then lost a 1-0 decision in the quarterfinal. Dropping into the consolation bracket, she advanced with an 18-1 technical fall against Teays Valley’s Sky Zoellick. 

Holderby (8-2) took the next step with a second-round pin and advanced to the consolation finals with a 7-0 decision over River Valley’s Havyn Rodgers. With her spot in the state tournament secure, she forfeited the finals match to Marysville’s Andrea Mendez to place fourth.

Action in the girls championships will start around 6:20 p.m. Friday at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.

Bowerman (25-12), a senior, pinned her first two opponents in the second round to start out the tournament. She lost a 12-1 major decision in the championship semifinals to drop into the consolation semifinal. Her chance at a state tournament berth didn’t end in success as she was pinned in 1:50. But she came back to place fifth by pinning Marion Harding’s Keira Hutchison in 2:32.

Dowdy (29-11), a sophomore, used second-round pins to advance in her first two matches at 170 pounds. Being on the other side of a second-round pin in the championship semifinals put her into the consolation semis. Dowdy was pinned early in the third round of the conso semis before taking fifth as a result of St. Francis DeSales’ Georgia Carr forfeiting their finals match. 

Westfall freshman Layla Geiger (22-9) won her first match at 105 with a pin in 1:08 but dropped into the consolation bracket after losing her quarterfinal 6-3 in sudden victory. She won a tight 5-3 overtime match to advance in the consolation bracket before losing an 11-10 decision in the conso quarterfinals. 

Logan Elm’s Milana Spriggs (17-17) lost her opener by technical fall and her freshman season came to an end with another technical fall in her consolation match at 105 pounds. 

TV’s Raena Todhunter (15-8) lost her 105-pound opener by third-round pin and lasted until the third round again before being pinned in the consolation bracket to wrap up her sophomore campaign

Freshman Lilly Hudson (22-10) suffered a first-round pin in her 110-pound opener and lost 12-6 in the first consolation rounds to wrap up her first season for Logan Elm.

Circleville senior Kaylin Mankin lost her 115-pound opener getting pinned in the second round and lost her consolation match when she was pinned as the second round was coming to a close. 

TV senior Lilly Gaal (26-17) was pinned in the first round of her 115-pound opener and lost her first-round consolation match by technical fall. 

Viking junior Montana Kinzy (21-16) lost her first match at 125 pounds in the first round and lost by third-round pin in her consolation match.

TV junior Hallie Dunaway (30-13) lost her first match at 135 pounds by pin. She came back to win her first consolation match with a 33-second pin but lost her next consolation match as she was pinned in the second round. 

TV junior Sky Zoellick (33-8) opened her tournament at 145 pounds losing an 11-9 decision. She came back in the consolation round advancing with a first-round pin but lost by technical fall to Westfall’s Savannah Holderby to complete her season. 

TV’s Faith Buckler (12-12) lost her first match at 235 in a first-round pin. She won her first-round consolation match with a pin 20 seconds into the second round before her freshman season came to end when she was pinned in the second round. 

Big Walnut District team scores: 1. Olen. Orange 183.0; 2. Marysville 131.0; 3. Gah. Lincoln 117.5; 4. Watkins Memorial 102.5; 5. Del. Hayes 73.0; 6. Hil. Bradley 67.0; 7. Cal. River Valley 59.0; 8. Warren 52.0; 9. Licking Hts. 50.5; 10. Big Walnut 46.0; Hartley 46.0; 12. Madison-Plains 44.5; 13. Jonathan Alder 43.5; 14. Olen. Liberty 41.5; 15. Teays Valley 39.0; 16. Bid. River Valley 37.0; Mar. Highland 37.0; 18. Miami Trace 35.5; 19. Canal Winchester 34.0; Marion Harding 34.0; 21. Chesapeake 33.0; Col. DeSales 33.0; Olentangy 33.0; Wester. North 33.0; 25. Mount Vernon 32.0; 26. Grove City 31.0; 27. Huntington 30.0; Logan 30.0; 29. New Albany 29.0; 30. Licking Valley 28.0; 31. McClain 27.0; 32. Hil. Darby 25.0; Thom. Worthington 25.0; 34. West Jefferson 23.0; 35. Pick. North 22.5; Reynoldsburg 22.5; Westfall 22.5; 38. WCH Washington 22.0; 39. Pick. Central 17.0; 40. Athens 16.0; 41. Linden McKinley 13.0; 42. Alexander 12.0; Whitehall-Yearling 12.0; 44. Fairbanks 10.0; 45. Jackson 8.0; Olen. Berlin 8.0; Utica 8.0; 48. Hillsboro 7.0; Mechanicsburg 7.0; 50. Franklin Hts. 4.0; Gallia Academy 4.0; Liberty Union 4.0; 53. Central Crossing 3.0; Dub. Coffman 3.0; Hamilton Township 3.0; Pleasant 3.0; Wester. South 3.0; Wor. Kilbourne 3.0; 59. Dub. Jerome 2.0; Whetstone 2.0; 61. Belpre 0.0; Briggs 0.0; Buckeye Valley 0.0; Cardington-Lincoln 0.0; Circleville 0.0; Elgin 0.0; Federal Hocking 0.0; Fredericktown 0.0; Granville 0.0; Groveport Madison 0.0; Heath 0.0; Logan Elm 0.0; London 0.0; Marietta 0.0; New Lexington 0.0; North Union 0.0; Reed. Eastern 0.0; Waverly 0.0; West Union 0.0; Wester. Central 0.0.

(Click to see photos from the girls district tournament at Big Walnut.)