Young adds 3rd-place finish for Bellefontaine
What once seemed impossible became a reality this season for Bellefontaine’s Chelsea Horsley and Makayla Young.
Not only did the Chieftain sophomores get the opportunity to compete in the first girls state wrestling tournament, they both made big noise.
Horsley captured a state championship at 106 pounds, while Young placed third at 101 pounds during the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association girls state tourney Saturday and Sunday at Hilliard Davidson High School.
“It feels great to be a state champion,” said Horsley. “It’s been a goal of mine since the beginning of the year. I felt great going into the tournament. I feel that I’ve been wrestling well and doing what I’ve needed to in order to prepare for this moment.”
There were 99 schools represented at the OHSWCA girls state meet this weekend with 263 individual wrestlers competing. Bellefontaine placed eighth in that field with 52 points on the backs of Horsley and Young.
“There have been a lot of people around the state who have looked down at girls wrestling in the past,” said BHS head coach Brady Hiatt. “But there were a lot of guys who have been around wrestling a long time there this weekend. They thought this was incredible to see the pure passion and joy on the girls’ faces. You couldn’t help but be excited. To be apart of the very first girls state tournament and to have two of the more elite girls in Ohio in our town, it’s just an incredibly special thing to be a part of.”
Bellefontaine started its first official girls wrestling program this winter with Horsley and Young as the faces of the program. The Chiefs also hosted what was considered the toughest regular-season tournament in Ohio earlier this month. Horsley won the tournament and went on to be the top seed at state meet.
Horsley recorded two pins on Saturday to reach the semifinals. She fought past Sidney’s Jadah McMillen 4-1 to reach the finals. Horsley then delivered an even stronger match and beat Badin’s Samantha Caballero, the second seed, by a 7-2 score. The match was tied 2-2 going into the third period, but Horsley scored a quick takedown and earned near fall points to close out the match.
“In the past, we could have accused Chelsea of not wrestling the smartest of matches,” said Hiatt. “In the semis and finals it was the exact opposite. She wrestled good, smart and controlled matches. She took her girl down in the third period and implemented what we were working on in the warm-up room an hour before the finals. It was pretty incredible to watch Makayla pin to get third and see Chelsea beat a really tough opponent. It’s a nice high to be on.”
Making Sunday’s state championship win even sweeter is that Horsley will always be part of the first group of Ohio girls state champions.
“It is extra special to be one of the first girls state champions in Ohio history,” said Horsley. “It’s something that makes me happy to be apart of. I’d like it to be just a small part of a bigger future.”
Young was seeded fourth going into the state tournament. She recorded two pins on Saturday to reach the semifinals. Young faced off with Elyria standout Riley Banyas on Sunday morning. Young gave one of her better matches of the season. She trailed Banyas 5-1 in the third period, but fought back to tie the match 5-5, before eventually falling 10-5. Banyas went on to win the 101-pound state title.
The Chieftain star bounced back with a pin in the consolation semifinals and then pinned Marysville’s Madison Sharp in 2:55 to finish third. Young had split a pair of bouts with Sharp, losing the last regular season meeting 6-2.
“Makayla wrestled an incredible match in the semifinals,” said Hiatt. “She was down 5-1 and could have packed it in. She launched that girl in a headlock and if she weighed a little more could have held her there. She wrestled hard and came back in the third-place match to avenge a 6-2 loss with a pin. I couldn’t be more proud of her this whole weekend.”
Young competes nationally and earned All-American status in Fargo this past summer, but only weighs around 90 pounds. The 101-weight class is the smallest class, leaving Young undersized for most of her bouts.
“I wrestled well and I feel like my only issue was being so small,” said Young. “When I won my third-place match it was exciting because we’ve been going back-and-forth all year. It’s really cool to place, though, because it’s a part of history.”
Bellefontaine freshman Maryssa Hurley also competed at 121 pounds, but was unable to win a match.
Miami East won the OHSWCA team title with 149.5 points, Olentangy Orange was runner-up with 122.5 points and Marysville took third with 99.5 points.