Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eaton junior Sarah Abner has control of her match during the 2nd Annual Eaton Women’s Wresting Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 23. Abner finished first at 130 pounds.
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
Eaton freshman Maycee Adams (top) won the 110 pound division during the 2nd 2nd Annual Eaton Women’s Wresting Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 23.
Caroline Klawon throws Liz Rose of Sycamore during a match at the 2nd Annual Eaton Women’s Wresting Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 23. Klawon went 5-0 to win the 145-pound class.
EATON — Eaton’s women’s wrestling team continues to progress each time they take the mat.
In just their second year as a program, the Eagles have grown by leaps and bounds. Last season Eaton had just eight wrestlers. That number has more than doubled this season to 17 with an additional two more looking to join the roster soon.
Their efforts were evident with the results at the 2nd annual Eaton Women’s Wrestling Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 23 where the host team took home first placed with 229 points outdistancing runner-up Centerville by 19 points. A total of 26 teams participated in the event.
Preble Shawnee tied for 20th with 14 points.
The Eagles had four individual champions with freshman Maycee Adams winning at 110 pounds, freshman Marlee Trantanella winning the 120-pound division, junior Sarah Abner topping the 130-pound division and junior and returning state placing Caroline Klawon winning at 145.
Peyton Bradham and Ariel Stanley each placed second, while Abbie Schmidt finished third, Cami McCloud, Evelyn Cole, and Emma Gebhart placed fourth and Josie Eilerman was fifth.
“As a team, I must say that they’re following through the process. You’re getting kids that some of them are in their first year of wrestling, some of them are in their second and I’ve got several that have wrestled for a couple years and they’re growing through the process,” Eaton coach Mark Silvers said. “They’re learning to compete and they’re competing hard every match. They’re giving it everything they’ve got every time. Now, they’re making young mistakes that I expect them to make because that’s how you learn, and they don’t seem to make the same mistake twice. So, they’re learning and they’re progressing. Their performance this meet was more or less, I’ll be honest, they competed the way I expected them to. Last week (at Western Brown) they were really tough, and they’ve continued to develop and grow and really had a great meet.”
Adams went 5-0 during the meet, winning all five matches by pin.
“Macy just had a great meet,” Silvers said. “She’s progressing. She’s putting in the time. She’s doing the extra things that she needs to do to continue to develop and continue to improve and just really has put it together. She’s going out and basically imposing her will on each girl as she wrestled. She just had a great meet all the way around.”
Trantanella was just as dominant going 5-0, which included a win over her teammate Ariel Stanley in the final. Her longest match lasted one minute, 14 seconds.
“She really put together a good tournament this time,” Silvers said. “She really went out and wrestled her match and didn’t try to worry about what the other girl was going to do. She went out and did what she wanted and really established herself. Just had a great tournament.”
Abner was 4-0 with all four wins coming by pins.
“Sarah, she’s done everything this year. She ran cross country even though she hated it. She did it because she knew it was going to help condition her and get her ready for wrestling.,” Silvers said. “And she lifted all summer, and she did everything necessary. She’s a real team leader with the other girls. I mean, she’s not out there, it’s not about team Abner, it’s about Eaton girls wrestling with Sarah. She’s the one that runs our Instagram. She’s the one that has been recruiting a lot of girls to come out. And she really has done a great job as a leader and then putting it together on the mat. She’s putting it together in the matches. She’s had some really good wins and continues to work on developing, trying to get better. And it really showed up this weekend. She just had a very strong performance.”
Klawon also went 5-0 with four pins. She won the title match 10-0.
“It was one of those (situations) where Caroline has pinned almost everybody. And in that match that girl was another good wrestler, and she basically was like, I’m not going to get pinned. So, she kind of balled up on the bottom and she didn’t do anything. And it’s hard to pin somebody when they won’t wrestling with you,” Silvers said. “And so that’s kind of where it went. But like I told her, I said in the match, relax and just take what’s there, go out there and that’s the way she wants to wrestle, beat her 10-0 and to take a major decision. That’s okay. Caroline is just a very strong, let’s face it, a gifted athlete. She has been third in the state championships two years in a row and is looking to try and put it together this year and maybe we can move up a little higher on that podium.”
Silver said he is proud of each of his team members and is excited to see how the remainder of the season progresses.
“The sport itself is growing by leaps and bounds. And it’s gaining the respect of the coaches that have done it for a long time,” Silver said. “If you’d have told me 10 years ago, I was going to be coaching girls (wrestling) I would have said you’re crazy. But now, basically, to be honest with you, this group has really relit my fire.”
Preble Shawnee’s Bailey Garnett went 3-2 at 115 pound to finish sixth.
Eaton returns to the mat on Jan. 12-13 when they travel to Olentangy Orange.
Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on X @emowenjr.
