Apollo girls wrestling closed the season out strong at state, while the boys group has Jake Ramsey, Dana Bishop and Tavius Walker preparing to compete at state individually.
Apollo girls set the trend for success within the school first, having competed at the KYWCA girls state wrestling tournament a week ago and finishing 10th overall. With girls wrestling still not sanctioned as an official sport by the KHSAA, Head Coach Courtney Johns said the coaches association has been hosting this tournament for six years and has continued to grow.
“Apollo has competed in this tournament for the last four years,” Johns said. “I am among most coaches in the state that are waiting on KHSAA to sanction girls wrestling as it continues to grow in the state. Last year KHSAA sanctioned weight classes for girls and there are 12 weight classes compared to the 14 for boys. This year’s tournament had over 80 Kentucky high school teams and has grown every year.”
This year at state the Lady Eagles were led by two top-five finishers, with Erin Faulkner earning fourth and Mayte Lopez finishing second in her third time competing at state.
“Erin Faulkner and Mayte Lopez were returning state placers, both stood out throughout the tournament and showed why they have been ranked in the top four of their weight class all year and we as coaches are very proud of how our girls team performed,” Johns said. “Mayte Lopez has been a state placer for the last three years and to have that moment when they dim the lights and introduce one of your kids as a finalist in a state wrestling meet is one of the proudest moments not only for coaches, but for the school and the athlete.”
They helped Apollo grab a 10th place finish, with five out of six girls winning at least one match and finishing in the top-10 for the second straight season.
“As a team I was happy how our girls wrestled,” Johns said. “Win or lose they did what we as coaches have been asking them to do all season which was to fight for six mins. Our girls have improved so much from the start of the season and to see them finish the year out leaving it all on the mat is all I could ask for. Finishing in the top ten of any tournament with 80-plus teams is an accomplishment all on its own.”
Johns is excited to see not only the growth of his team this year, but another step forward in the growth of girls wrestling amongst the Commonwealth. He said that the continued support from parents and school administration shows that they’re on the right track and is looking forward to seeing that progress carry into next year.
“I’m hoping with the growth of girls wrestling, not just in the state but in our area, that we can show our community that wrestling isn’t just a sport for boys,” Johns said. “This is a sport for anyone who is willing to do something different and isn’t afraid of putting in the work to better themselves. Wrestling is a sport that builds mental and physical toughness, character, teaches discipline, builds strength, and teaches young individuals how to overcome obstacles. Wrestling can be a very fun sport, but like anything you do in life you get what you put in.”
In the meantime Apollo plans to get right back to work as the offseason begins, looking to get stronger and come back to state with an even more well-rounded performance.
“What’s next is we continue to build the program which starts with off season workouts and recruiting,” Johns said. “Injuries have been a roadblock for both our boys and girls team this season. And for me I feel we have some unfinished business as we prepare for next season. Once we get all our girls healthy and we can build on the eight we have I feel we can push for a top-five finish if not top-three next year. We have a solid core of girls with Mayte Lopez, Erin Faulkner, and Lydia Gardner who were ranked fifth, third, and fifth this year. And Gardner missed state due to an injury.”
The boys on the other competed for a chance at state recently, with the Region One tournament this past weekend. Finishing ninth as a team, it Damon Crockett who finished sixth, Dana Bishop and Tavius Walker both grabbed fourth place finishes while Jake Ramsey was the region champion in his weight class.
Johns felt like they had the chance to send six guys to state, but some inexperience showed with some crucial mistakes. However, he knows that this can be a big learning moment for the underclassmen on the roster for the future
“It’ll give us more time to grow a little bit more,” Johns said. “Those are all young kids and underclassmen, so we’ll get all of those kids back next year. It’s promising moving forward because we only lose two kids. Then we’ll get a couple kids back that were injured, so I think we’ll do fairly well next year.”
As far as the three headed to state, Johns said that it’s the time they put in prior to the start of the season that has helped them find success this year.
“For these guys it’s the work that they did,” Johns said. “I tell the kids all the time it’s not what you do in October to February, it’s what you do from March to October that is how you improve and get better.”
Bishop is choosing to continue to share that hard work will pay off, ready to put it all on the line at state.
“Just knowing it’s the end of the season,” Bishop said. “You’ve gotta put everything you’ve got into it before it’s over. I mean it’s going to end eventually, so enjoy it while it lasts.”
That message especially hits home with Ramsey, as he is set to graduate in the spring and wants to close out his wrestling career with the Eagles on a high note.
“As a senior, just not only enjoying it, but making the most out of it and going as far as possible,” Ramsey said. “Even if I wrestle in college, you only get high school once and with this being the last year I want to finish on the top.”
Johns said the he is confident in his guys competing at state, knowing that if they translate practice to the matches that they’ll be able to succeed.
“They just gotta do what they are supposed to do,” Johns said. “As long as they go out there and they perform and do what they’re supposed to do I think they’ll be fine.”
