The girls wrestling squad continues to make history. By finishing third in the state duals this past weekend in Franklin, they completed the best team season in school history.
They faced Blackman High School in the first round, defeating the Blaze 50-12. Lexi Dean, Mariana Bowen, Trelynn Laurin, Xia Singletary and Elise Renken all defeated their opponents, while Bella Laurin, Aniyah Wakefield, Jehieli Velez-Almodovar and Syriana Berrios picked up forfeit wins.
Their opponent in the second round was state powerhouse Cleveland High School. Coming into the match, the Blue Raiders were the two-time defending state duals champions who had not lost a match in the state tournament since 2022. The Lady Coyotes gave Cleveland the closest match of the tournament but ended up on the losing end of a 32-28 score. Bowen, Bella Laurin, Trelynn Laurin won their matches, and Najette Mojica Soto, Renken and Jes’Onia Barefield won via forfeit.
The loss to the Blue Raiders dropped the Lady Coyotes into the Consolation Bracket, where they had to win two matches to take third place.
Needing to defeat Riverdale High School to move on, they did just that. Not only did they win the match 48-24, every Lady Coyote who won defeated her opponent by pinfall. Bowen, Trelynn Lauren, Velez-Almodovar, Dean and Barefield pinned their opponents in under one minute. Berrios, Singletary and Renken pinned their opponents in less than two minutes.
The final match would determine if the Lady Coyotes would take third place. In a dominant 48-19 victory over Maryville High School, the squad etched its place in West Creek’s history books. Bella Laurin, Velez-Almodovar, Berrios, Renken, Dean, Bowen and Mackenzi Simons picked up pinfall victories, and Trelynn Lauren won via forfeit.
Next up for the team is the Section 4 individual tournament, to be held on Friday, Feb. 14, at Austin Peay State University’s Dunn Center.