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Cedar Crest’s Lily Harchuska stands on podium for a medal after defeating North Penn’s Godie Hart in their 136 pound match during the Baguba Brawl in Elizabethtown on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.
Cedar Crest’s Lily Harchuska stands on podium for a medal after defeating North Penn’s Godie Hart in their 136 pound match during the Baguba Brawl in Elizabethtown on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.
Lily Harchuska is a freshman, and so is Madelyn Schanfelder.
When the two hit the mats for Cedar Crest, you wouldn’t know it. They are fiery and show no fear.
Admittedly, Harchuska — who had played basketball since childhood — said when her parents found out three years ago she was interested in wrestling, they were apprehensive. But her friend did it, and she was determined to try.
At the time, there was no girls team, and she would be wrestling against boys.
“My parents were a little concerned at first; they were worried it was dangerous,” Harchuska said. “It was a lot at first. You get beat down a couple of times coming in. But you learn quickly, especially when you have good partners, good coaches, and people on your team who push you to be the best you can be.”
Harchuska (7-3) was upset when she lost to Ainsley Bounds in a bout that went three periods at Manheim Township early last week. But she also said that was one of the things that helped her get through two tough bouts in the BAGUBA Brawl at Elizabethtown on Saturday, where she came out as the event’s 136-pound champion.
She won her quarterfinal in a 4-0 decision over South Western’s Angel Upright and then her semifinal match 12-6 over Spring Grove’s Ava Dietrich.
“My second two matches went all three periods,” Harchuska said. “That Township match was a good match for me and a good experience. It really helped me get used to what it is to go through all three periods.
“This season I have had a good start. I am liking how it is going, and I like our team. We have built a lot,” she added. “I learned really quickly with this sport that you are way more than a team. You become a family. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your home life is like. You become friends — so much more than the boys — and, it’s fun.”
Schanfelder is in just her second year of wrestling. She decided to go out for the sport last year because of her mother. Her mom thought it would be something she would be interested in, and she has loved it since.
“Our first year was definitely rough,” Schanfelder said. “I had some success my first year wrestling. But it was still tough. I was still trying to get used to it and was being defensive.”
Schanfelder (142) currently boasts an 11-2 slate. Ten wins are by fall.
“I had some success my first year, but I was still getting used to it,” Schanfelder said. “This year, while it is still rough, I have had more success with my matches trying out new things. I have met a lot of people I wouldn’t have if I didn’t do the sport, and made a lot of friends. And our first-year wrestlers are doing so well. Whether they win or lose, they have done awesome.”
Girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, yet while it has gained traction across the state, many programs with sanctioned teams are still having a hard time fielding full rosters.
Lancaster Catholic is one of them, with just two girls wrestling. Out of that circumstance grew an idea where the athletes are put in the best opportunity as they gear up for the postseason. On Thursday night, the Crusaders hosted a quad meet with Annville-Cleona, Octorara and Columbia.
In all, 17 girls took the floor, with Octorara’s Taylor Orner having perhaps the best night, scoring two falls.
“All the coaches in attendance agreed, that having all come together like this with other girls teams in our section gives our girls the best opportunity to gain as much experience as possible wrestling,” Catholic co-coach Erin Groff said. “While girls wrestling is officially here to stay in Pennsylvania and the (Lancaster-Lebanon) League, schools still struggle to fill a full roster of 13 weight classes. Putting together a night where the schools in our section can come together and create as many matchups as possible for the girls gives them the most opportunity to wrestle. We have to maximize the opportunities for the girls where we can.”
In addition to the varsity matches, there were also four JV bouts.
“As far as our team at Lancaster Catholic, we were extremely happy with (Kim Rojas and Sydney English’s) performance,” Groff added. “We saw a lot of growth from both girls now in their second year of wrestling. Kim had her first varsity pin against (Ryleigh) Long from Octorara. Sydney also achieved a quick first-period pin against (Kighleen) Arnold from Annville. We are looking forward to the continued growth in their wrestling abilities this year.”
Although they brought no champions back to Landisville, on Dec. 14, Hempfield made an impression at the prestigious North Penn Girls Invitational, which featured powerhouses like Parkland, Dallastown and Souderton.
Hempfield placed fifth as a team, racking up an impressive 119 points. Dallastown won the event with 180.
Leading the way for the Black Knights were third-place finishers Carelyn Santiago (100) and Clementine O’Brien (118).
Santiago began her day with a 32-second pin over Elco’s Lorelai Boehler. She had two more falls in the event, one in 42 seconds over Bethlehem Liberty’s Leila Matejcek in the consolation semifinals and then for her third-place finish in just 27 seconds over Council Rock’s Gianna Loss.
Her only loss came to Upper Perkiomen’s Keyra Seville, a District One placewinner and North Penn’s eventual 100-pound champion.
O’Brien continued her quick start to the season (6-1) with two falls to start the tourney. In the first, she caught Upper Perkiomen’s Charlotte Pierson in 56 seconds, then got Saige Rittenhouse of Parkland in 2:18.
In her third match, she dropped a 10-3 decision to Emily Sarr of Souderton, an eighth-place finisher at states last year and that day’s eventual winner. But O’Brien bounced back nicely to take an 18-0 tech fall (4:03) over Palmyra’s Riley Zettlemoyer in the consolation semifinals, then pinned Parkland’s Payton Ocasio in 1:42 in the third-place bout.
Three other Black Knights also made it to the awards stand, as Hattie Mack (106) and Cleona O’Brien (124) brought home fourth-place honors.
O’Brien went 2-2 on the day, earning pins of Octorara’s Jolee Johnson in 1:53 and of Cheltenham’s Morgan Kelly in 1:24.
Mack upped her season slate to 5-2, garnering falls in 1:20 over Upper Dublin’s Alisha Mathew and in 2:40 over Palisades’ Molly Haubert. She also added a tech fall over Harry S. Truman’s Valerie Sanchez (15-0) in 3:17.
Kylie Mays also medaled, taking seventh place with her pin of Pennsbury’s Emma Kaucher in 2:13.
The BAGUBA Brawl kicked off the holiday tournament season, and two more big ones are on tap this week. On Friday, Manheim Township will travel to South Western for the South Western Holiday Duals, while McCaskey, Penn Manor and Elizabethtown travel to Governor Mifflin on Friday and Saturday for the Governor Mifflin Tournament. Then, on the first weekend of the new year, Penn Manor will host 17 teams in its annual Holiday Rumble.
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