LADY PHOENIX READY TO HIT THE MATS

By Joe Walker

LOGANTON- The Sugar Valley Rural Charter School Lady Phoenix will open their 2024-25 season this Wednesday (Dec 4th), when they will host the the Ladies from Wellsboro prior to the boys opener with the Green Hornets. 

Like a lot of high schools in the just the second season of PIAA girls wrestling programs, the Lady Phoenix will be working with a low number roster. The Lady Phoenix have six wrestlers on their roster, led by sophomore Marrin Chester, who posted a 14-12 record last season with 11 falls. Chester was a District 4 runner-up and then placed sixth in the regional tournament. 

Other returnees from last season are Seniors Olivia Johnson (14-14) and Olivia Chester (5-13), along with sophomore Evangeline Andrus (4-16). The two rookies on the roster are sophomore Kohana Yamashita and freshman Aaliyah Hopkins. 

“We will be working with low numbers again this season, but girls’ high school wrestling is a young and hopefully growing sport in a very early stage and we are not the only school with low numbers. But, I have six girls right now who are working really hard and hopefully as the season goes on they improve each week,” commented Head Coach Jason Bilbay. 

“Marrin (Chester) comes back after a very good freshman season, as she placed second at districts and then was sixth place at regionals. She just missed qualifying for the state tournament, but has really been working hard and if she continues progressing, she has a very good chance to make it to Hershey this season” added Bilbay. 

“We open with Wellsboro on December 4th and then travel to Jersey Shore on December 12th before hosting our first Christmas Classic Duals Tournament. It will be the first ever wrestling tournament held by a Sugar Valley school, to be fair the old Indians’ gym of course could not hold one. The teams coming are Bald Eagle Area, Jersey Shore, Mifflinburg, Towanda and Sullivan County, which will provide a lot of good competition”, continued Bilbay. 

After the Christmas Duals tournament on Saturday December 14th, the Lady Phoenix will travel to Mifflintown to meet Juniata on December 16 and then conclude the month by hosting Sullivan County on December 18. They will then be off until January 7th when they host Danville. 

There are a lot of changes this season in scoring, as takedowns are worth three points and nearfall points are based on the referee counting, 2 count (2 pts), 3 count (3 pts) and four count (4 pts). A wrestler can get five nearfall points if he takes a wrestler to their back by takedown or reversal and an injury happens or the bottom wrestler says they are hurt. But the referee must have made a four count before the fifth back point can be awarded. 

If a wrestler puts a wrestler over on his back and even though it would be a 15-point tech fall, the bout will not be stopped until the referee gives back points or a fall occurs. Wrestlers will still be ruled inbounds if either wrestler still has just one supporting point touching the inbounds part of the mat. The 10-foot center circle is now an option to be on the mat.