By Mark Schafer | The News-Review
OTTUMWA – A busy week just led to more and more opportunities to get better.
That is exactly what the Pekin girls were able to do last week as they wrestled in three different tournaments.
Success started on Jan. 12 when the Pekin girls traveled to Ottumwa, where they finished seventh overall.
Leading the way were a pair of second place finishers.
Lexa Nelson was able to finish second in the 110-pound bracket as she won her first match with a first period pin. However, an injury limited her tournament as she had to medically forfeit the championship match.
Hailey Pedrick would finish second in the 145-pound bracket. She won her quarterfinal match with a pin in 23 seconds. She was able to pin her semifinal opponent in 57 seconds.
Despite wrestling well in the championship match, Pedrick was pinned in 1:14 in the championship match.
Rylee Frye was third in the 190-pound bracket. She started off with a pin in 32 seconds in the quarterfinal round. After being pinned in 1:11 in the semifinals, Frye won her consolation semifinals with a pin in 18 seconds. She needed just 27 seconds to secure a third place finish.
Ella Rose was fifth overall in the 155-pound bracket.
Bree Earnest finished sixth in the 115-pound bracket. Earnest went 2-2 in head-to-head matches, recording a pin and a tech fall victory.
Lila Miller was sixth in the 125-pound bracket. After winning her first two matches, Miller sustained a shoulder injury and had to withdraw from the rest of the tournament.
Lila Miller earns 100th career win
On Thursday night the Pekin girls were at home for a pair of dual matches as they hosted both BGM and Lone Tree.
Against BGM they won 60-0.
Bree Earnest won the 105-pound match with a pin in 2:33.
Lexa Nelson was able to pin her 110-pound opponent in 59 seconds. Autumn Coleman won the 120-pound match with a pin in 1:48.
Lila Miller was able to pin her 125-pound opponent in 30 seconds. That marked her 100th career victory.
Reece Brisby won the 130-pound match with a pin in 46 seconds. Hailey Pedrick won her 140-pound match with a pin in 1:15.
Ella Rose, Carly Clubb and Rylee Frye all won their matches by forfeit.
Against Lone Tree, the Panthers won 42-24.
Carly Clubb started off the head-to-head wins for Pekin with a pin in 4:18 in the 170-pound match.
Rylee Frye needed just seven seconds to win her 190-pound match.
Bree Earnest (105); Lexa Nelson (110); Lila Miller (125); Hailey Pedrick (140) and Ella Rose (155) all won by forfeit.
Panthers wrestle at Pella
The Panthers wrestled at the Pella tournament on Jan. 17.
Hailey Pedrick was able to win her 145-pound bracket. Pedrick needed 1:35 to win her first match. She then pinned an Albia opponent in 2:15 in the semifinals. In the championship she pinned a Burlington wrestler in 3:17.
Lila Miller was able to finish second in the 125-pound bracket. Miller won her first two matches with pins in under a minute.
In the semifinals she needed 3:06 to pin the wrestler that beat her at the Ottumwa tournament.
In the finals, Miller was pinned in 55 seconds.
Rylee Frye finished second in the 190-pound bracket. Frye pinned her first two opponents. She was able to finish the day 2-1 in head-to-head matches.
Lexa Nelson finished fourth overall in the 110-pound bracket. She was able to win her first match by tech fall. After falling in an 8-6 decision in the semifinals, Nelson won the consolation semifinals with a pin in 43 seconds.
Nelson was defeated by injury in the third place match.
