Semoball

Area grappler girls look to make history at sectionals

Notre Dame's Emma Steimle stands on the podium with the silver medal after finishing in second place at the District 1 Tournament in Cedar Hill.
Photo provided

Notre Dame, Jackson, Dexter and Poplar Bluff will have the opportunity to do something this year that they weren’t able to the year before.

Send a girl to the state tournament.

A total of 13 wrestlers from the Southeast Missouri area will converge at St. Clair for the Sectional 1 Tournament on Saturday. Only the top-3 finishers will advance to the state tournament.

For Notre Dame, this would be an historic achievement. The Bulldogs are only in their second season in girls wrestling. They went into districts with two wrestlers and enter sectionals with both of them.

Lily Ahlvin will start against St. Clair’s Makayla Johnson in the 132-pound weight class and Emma Steimle will face off with Parkway West’s Faith Woodall in the 159-pound weight class.

“Emma definitely has a real shot at it,” Notre Dame head coach Garrett Watson said. “She’s always been a natural but there has definitely been improvement. She’s honed in technique a lot more. Last year was definitely raw talent and this year we refined a little bit to where we have a strategy instead of just go out there and give them all you got.”

Steimle has been with the program for both years. The sophomore went 9-0 during the regular season. She placed second in the 159-pound weight class after suffering her first loss of the season to Elise Falcetti of Lindbergh by fall.

“I’m really hoping to see the Lindbergh girl,” Watson said.

Poplar Bluff’s Breann Thresher will go against Rolla’s Gracie Skyles in the 112-pound weight class. Alexis Rowland will face Mckenna Deckelman of Washington in the 127-pound weight class. Mckayla Brown will take on St. Clair’s Elexis Wohlgemuth in the 143-pound weight class. Rowland placed third after beating Herculaneum’s Eddyson Reeves in a 10-6 decision.

Jackson’s Kaiden Weisbrod faces Lilly McCollum of Eureka in the 102-pound weight class. Mallorie Metzger faces Parkway South’s Kadance Coffin in the 122-pound weight class. Kassie Hodges tangles with St. Clair’s Kaitlyn Janson in the 137-pound weight class. Kayla Hodges faces Faith Ruoff of Eureka in the 143-pound weight class. Maggie Gibbs takes on Union’s Jaiden Powell in the 174-pound weight class.

Kassie Hodges won first place in districts after defeating Mehlville’s Nadia Abdijanovic in a 7-0 decision.

Sikeston hopes to return its duo to the state tournament. Kate Grubbs, who placed second in districts, takes on Lana Todahl of Pacific in the 132-pound weight class and Lila Eckert faces off with Lafayette’s Seraphina Blackmon in the 137-pound weight class. Eckert placed third in districts after defeating DeSoto’s Riley Coleman in a 9-0 major decision.

Julianna Rivera is Dexter’s lone representative and will start off against Pacific’s Emmaline Steel in the 143-pound weight class. She secured first place in districts after after pinning Jackson’s Kayla Hodges.

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