COLUMBUS — Pierce County’s Jayden Altman, Josie Insalaco and Robi Milsom punched their tickets to the Girls Class AA State Traditional finals here Friday at Carver-Columbus High School.
Altman captured the 110-lb. weight division February 6 at the GHSA Girls’ Sectional B tournament. Insalaco placed third in the 130-lb. class, while Milsom finished fourth in the 105-lb. division.
Joselyn Barrera (140) just missed qualifying with a fifth-place showing. Zinique Hightower (155) was a spot back in sixth, helping PCHS to a fifthplace finish in the field of 39 teams.
Carrollton topped the field with 102 points. The Lady Trojans were followed by Jordan (68), Grovetown (57), Harris County (53) and Pierce County (47).
Only the top four finishers in each weight class advance to the state tournament scheduled for Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14 at the Clayton County Convocation Center in Morrow.
The five grapplers had advanced from Wednesday’s 43-team Area 2 Sectional B tournament at Cook High School with the Lady Bears placing fifth.
Altman, who topped her weight class at the Area 2 Sectional B tournament at Cook High Wednesday, February 4, needed three victories — all via pin — to win the title. She beat Sophia Paige (1:18) of Villa Rica in the quarterfinals, Carrollton’s Elise Hauter (3:48) in the semifinals and Schley County’s Ella Wells (1:20) in the finals.
SPECIAL PHOTO Insalaco, the weight class champ at Cook bounced back from a loss (14-11) to Jordan’s Alliyah Rone to post three consecutive consolation bracket wins by pin. She beat Greenbrier’s Gabrielle Jefferson (2:21), Chapel Hill’s Brooklyn Bracero (58 seconds) in the consolation semis and Jamie Dawson (1:45) of Columbus in the third-place match.
Milsom, who also won her Sectional weight class, in Adel, alternated wins and losses Friday. She opened with an Ultimate Tie-Breaker decision in a 0-0 match over Carrollton’s Azaria Jackson. The UTB is the final 30-second overtime period used when the score remains tied after regulation and two 30-second tie-breaker periods.
Milsom then lost by pin (3:05) to Paulding County’s Kayleigh Grant. She won the consolation semifinal match 1-0 over Jordan’s Angelina Hawkins before falling 3-1 in the third-place match to Carrollton’s Azaria Jackson.
Barrera, who qualified with a third-place finish Wednesday, opened with a 17-1 technical fall loss to Hardaway’s Marley James. She pinned Jordan’s Adriann Smith in the consolation bracket before losing by pin (2:43) to Villa Rica’s Jonae Smith. Barrera pinned (1:27) Peach County’s Nishantis McCants in the fifth-place match.
Hightower, a fourth-place qualifier, dropped three of four matches. She lost an 11-0 major decision to Carrollton’s Amazing Ackey and bounced back with a pin (1:43) of Sophia Kamara of Northside-Columbus. Arabia Mountain’s Arianna Amin-Williams posted a pin win (1:42) in Hightower’s next match followed by a pin loss (2:58) to Aysia Hawkins of Lakeside-Evans.
At the Area 2 Girls’ Area 2 tournament at Cook, Milsom, Altman and Insalaco (130) captured their respective weight classes. Barrera placed third with Hightower finishing fourth. Elizabeth Insalaco (135) was sixth. Also wrestling was Megan Stanley (125).
Grovetown captured the team title with 168.5 points. Rounding out the Top 10 were Evans (156), Greenbrier (133), Peach County (124.5), PCHS (124).
Milsom posted a 4-0 record opening with a pin (5:56) and escaping with a 4-3 decision in the quarterfinals. Milsom survived in the semifinals winning 1-0 in a Tiebreaker 1 (two 30-sec. periods) following a two-minute sudden victory (SV) period. She was awarded the title via forfeit.
Altman recorded three pins posting a pin at 1:05 in her first match, 1:09 in the semis and 36 seconds in the championship match.
Josie Insalaco notched four pins. She opened with a 39-sec. pin and followed with her second at 1:12 in the quarterfinals. Insalaco posted a two-minute victory in the semifinals and claimed the title at 1:16.
Barrera posted a 3-1 record winning her final two matches in the consolation round. She recorded a 17-8 major decision before losing via pin (1:45) in her second match. Barrera recorded consecutive pins (3:05, 40 sec.) en route to the third-place showing.
Hightower finished 3-2 opening with a 9-7 decision and followed with a pin (3:09). After falling via pin (1:02) she notched a 10-6 decision in the consolation semis before losing by pin (5;52) in the third-place match.
Elizabeth Insalaco went 1-3 losing her final three matches. She began the tournament with a pin (3:31) before suffering a pin (4:00). The defeat was followed by a 4-1 setback and a 14-5 major decision.
Stanley dropped both of her matches via pin (1:08, 1:56).
