High school girls wrestling: East’s Edwards wins championship
Published 1:26 am Saturday, February 4, 2023
- East's Leah Edwards (in pink head gear). (File photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post)
Staff report
GREENSBORO — East Rowan sophomore Leah Edwards pinned Lumberton’s Teresa Canady on Saturday for a girls state wrestling invitational championship.
Edwards finished a 42-2 season with her championship (for open classifications) in the 114-pound division.
She won three matches in Bermuda Run on Friday — advancing with a first-round pin, a quarterfinal technical fall and a semifinal decision.
The NCHSAA, in conjunction with the North Carolina Chapter of USA Wrestling, conducted the girls state wrestling invitational.
Wrestlers competed at Bermuda Run on Friday, with championship and third-place matches held at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse on Saturday.
East’s Emma Blackwell (120), Carson’s Raelie Hernandez (120) and A.L. Brown’s Chasidy Bryant (165) were state qualifiers, but lost in the first round on Friday.
A.L. Brown’s Kahlen Kuddie (126) and West Rowan’s Mackenzie Riley (235) won their first-round matches but lost in the quarterfinals.
First round
114
Leah Edwards (East Rowan, 40-2) won by fall over Karuna Das (Enloe, 11-5) (Fall 2:44)
120
Iesha McCollum (Lumberton, 28-7) won by fall over Raelie Hernandez (Carson, 19-12) (Fall 5:26)
Ayonna McNeil (Westover, 23-5) won by fall over Emma Blackwell (East Rowan, 18-20) (Fall 1:56)
126
Kahlen Kuddie (AL Brown, 28-11) won by fall over Hayokelyn Nylekoyah (Olympic, 17-10) (Fall 1:40)
165
JJais Roumno (Westover, 16-1) won by fall over Chasidy Bryant (AL Brown, 12-18) (Fall 0:27)
235
Mackenzie Riley (West Rowan, 12-3) won by fall over Faith Cherry (Fike, 8-5) (Fall 3:34)
Quarterfinals
114
Leah Edwards (East Rowan, 41-2) won by tech fall over Siena Palmisciano (Chapel Hill, 25-9) (TF-1.5 4:36 (18-1)
126
Alfa G. Dominguez Gutierrez (Cary, 43-0) won by fall over Kahlen Kuddie (AL Brown, 28-11) (Fall 2:15)
235
Kimberly Talton (Madison, 15-3) won by fall over Mackenzie Riley (West Rowan, 12-4) (Fall 5:08)
Semifinals
114
Leah Edwards (East Rowan, 41-2) won by decision over Addison Vindigni (Cleveland, 39-6) (Dec 5-0)
Championship
114
Leah Edwards (East Rowan, 42-2) won by fall over Teresa Canady (Lumberton) (Fall 5:22)
