West Ottawa's Isabel Anaya wrestles to third in state; two more girls all-state
DETROIT - The West Ottawa girls wrestling team turned in some huge performances at the state tournament.
The Panthers placed three girls all-state during the weekend at Ford Field, including a third-place finish by Isabel Anaya at 235.
She is the first West Ottawa wrestler to finish in the top three since Michael McClure in 2008.
"Isabel showed up to the state finals ready to compete at the highest level. She was focused, prepared, and had a game plan to score bonus points in every match," West Ottawa coach Ryan Lancaster said. "She wrestled with a sense of urgency, always looking to score and dominate her opponents. Isabel never let the score dictate her approach to the match, wrestling like it was always 0-0. Her dedication and work ethic paid off, and we're incredibly proud of her for finishing her season as a state placer."
Le'Anna Zavala finished seventh and Abrielle VanderZwaag was eighth, earning all-state honors.
In the first round, Anaya earned all-state honors. She pinned West Bloomfield's Katrina Achluche in 1:19. In the quarterfinals, Anaya pinned Farwell Area's Tailyiah Thrush in 6:00 to advance to the semifinals.
Anaya lost a close 3-2 decision to Grand Blanc's Lillianna Garcia in the semifinals then bounced back to pin Thrush again and finish third in the state.
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In the first round, West Ottawa's all-state wrestler Le'Anna Zavala pinned Galesburg-Augusta's Shayleigh Simonds. Zavala lost in the quarterfinals to undefeated Khloe Williams of Clio in a pin. She bounced back to pin Northview's McKayla Brown in 2:12 and won the seventh-place match with a pin over Simonds to finish seventh overall, an all-state finish.
West Ottawa's Abrielle VanderZwaag earned all-state at 145. She lost by fall in 3:24 in the first round to Saline's Teairah Elseman. She bounced back to pin Portage Northern's Randi Rodriguez in 2:29, then won a 9-1 major decision over Holt's Clara Holtry. She finished eighth overall after losing a 9-2 decision to Midland's Morgan Ludwig in the seventh-place match.
Kaitlynn Heck qualified for state and lost both of her matches, finishing in the top 16.
Holland's Lee Silva and Kaydence Vesper both qualified for state but were eliminated in the second round, finishing in the top 16 in the state.
"The coaches are very proud of these two and we are all grateful for the fun experience this weekend," Holland coach Nick Lewin said.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa's Isabel Anaya wrestles to third in state; two more girls all-state
