Valley Sports ReportJIM THORPE, Pa. — Led by seniors Leah Nason and Hanna Rathbun, Athens sent four wrestlers to the podium and finished second in the team standings at the rugged Coal Cracker Girls Wrestling Invite.
Nason placed third and Rathbun placed fourth, while freshman Evelyn Cummings and junior Abigail Wagner both finished fifth.
Sophomore Memphis Paul won three matches Saturday, losing one round shy of the podium, and freshman Chelsey Renninger posted two wins Saturday in the consolation bracket.
Northern York won the team title, edging out Athens by 5 points.
Nason, the third seed, was 3-1 on the day to finish third in the 237-pound bracket.
Nason, who was 2-0 Friday, opened Saturday with a pin of sixth-seeded Samara Bailey of Chestnut Ridge in 3:50 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Nason lost via first-period fall to second-seeded Evelyn Sheer of Hazelton.
Nason bounced back with a pin of her teammate, freshman Evelyn Cummings in 1:50 in the consolation semifinals, then pinned Bailey in a rematch in 1:38 in the third-place match.
Cummings, the ninth seed, was 3-2 to finish fifth in the 237-pound bracket.
In the quarterfinals, Cummings lost via fall in 57 seconds to top-seeded and two-time defending state champion Brenda Banks of Panther Valley.
Cummings bounced back with a pin of Northern Bedford's Emilee Beach in 2:34, then pinned Central Columbia's Aubrey Edgar in 4:25.
After her loss to Nason in the consolation semifinals, Cummings pinned Mahanoy Area's Adeline Rine in 1:49 in the fifth-place match.
Rathbun, the second seed, was 2-2 on the day to finish fourth in the 132-pound bracket.
After going 3-0 Friday, Rathbun opened with a 42-second fall over Upper Dauphin's Bella Waters in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Rathbun suffered her first loss of the season, dropping a 12-0 major decision to third-seeded and eventual champ Shannon Logue, who pinned top-seeded Anaiah Kolesar of Northeast Bradford in the finals.
Rathbun bounced back with a 54-second fall over Owen J. Roberts' Emma Englehardt in the consolation semifinals.
In the third-place match, Rathbun dropped an 18-7 major decision to Trinity's Adyson Vogelsong.
Wagner, the fifth seed, was 3-2 to finish fifth in the 172-pound bracket.
Wagner, who was 2-0 Friday, was locked in a 0-0 battle with Bangor Area's Alisa Williams when Williams turned her for a fall at 5:20.
Wagner bounced back with a pin of Danville's Brightness Che in 2:22, then edged Carlisle Area's Andee Boyce, 3-1, with a first-period takedown.
In the consolation semifinals, Wagner led 3-2 when Northern York's Amber Brlteich reversed her to her back for a fall at 4:47.
In the fifth-place match, Wagner scored a 7-0 decision over Stroudsburg's Jasmine Chapman.
Paul, who was 2-1 Friday, posted a 3-1, losing in the "blood round," one win shy of a medal.
Paul opened the day Saturday with a pin of Pocono Mountain West's Elyssia Brown in 2:13, then forged a 17-1 technical fall of Big Springs' Kylie Singer.
Paul won a 13-2 major decision over Upper Dauphin's Mary Marchese to advance to the blood round, where she lost via second-period fall to Milton's Shu Hyra Ali.
Renninger lost her opening-round match Friday, then won two matches in the consolation bracket to advance to Day 2. On Saturday, she won two more before being eliminated.
Renninger opened Saturday with a pin of Hazelton's Kimberly Ramirez in 1:51, then decked Stroudsburg's Elsie Trotter in 2:20, before losing by second-period fall to Lehighton Area's Kennedy Quinn.
Junior Joyce Clink, the fifth seed who was 3-0 Friday, was 0-2 Saturday, dropping a 10-1 major decision to Benton ace fourth-seeded Callie Hess in the quarterfinals, then losing via fall to Owen J. Roberts' Gianna Jones via second-period fall in her first wrestleback bout.
Payne, the fifth seed who was 2-0 Friday, lost both her bouts Saturday. She dropped a 9-0 major decision to fourth-seeded heaven Ramirez of Big Springs in the quarterfinals, then lost via second-period fall to Wilkes-Barre's Avah Jobarteh.
A trio of Athens wrestlers advanced to Day 2, but did not win a match Saturday. Sophomore Hailey Brinkley was 0-1 in the 102-pound bracket, sophomore Alyssa Rinebold was 0-1 in the 108-pound bracket, and sophomore Abigail Ahern was 0-1 in the 144-pound bracket.
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PHOTOS BY CASEY WILBURN.
