Photos by Kamryn Cooper for CatchMark
Montague’s girls wrestling team continues to make a name for itself, even if the Wildcats’ season-opening meet went in the wee hours of the night.
Despite have only seven participants compared to 14 for champion Hastings, Montague made a serious run at the title in Friday’s East Jackson Girls Wrestling Tournament.
Hastings finished with 132 points, while runner-up Montague totaled 116. Waterford Kettering (80), Ovid-Elsie (68), and Olivet (65) rounded out the top five teams.
“What an exceptional first outing for our girls team. The tournament didn’t end ’til about 1 a.m., but our girls showed tremendous grit,” Montague coach Kris Maddox said.
“We are so incredibly proud of each one of them and how they represented Montague today. With over 40 teams. we battled and the final team standings weren’t determined until the last round of wrestling.”
Three Montague senior wrestlers captured individual titles Friday: Savannah Winkleblack at 110, Emma Pendell at 145 pounds, and Trisha Beckman at 235. This is Beckman’s first season wrestling.
Abby Thommen (130) and Ava Pelton (155) placed third in their respective weight classes for the Wildcats.
On Dec. 29, Montague will be hosting the ever-growing Lady Mat Cat Invitational for a third-straight year. On Friday, the Wildcats proved to be a program on a rise.
“At one point, we jumped a head of (Hastings) in the last round before the finals but they too battled and prevailed,” Maddox said. “These girls from across the state showed what girls wrestling is about today.”
