Lafayette makes history with its first girls wrestling region championship
With a year of KHSAA-sanctioned girls wrestling under its belt, Lafayette realized the potential it has shown during the sport’s rapid growth to grab the overall team title and claim four individual crowns among the nine wrestlers who qualified for state Saturday at this year’s Region 3 Girls Wrestling Championships at Walton-Verona High School.
“I just thank God for being able to do this. Our girls are young, most of them are juniors, but they’ve been with us a long time and they try hard and they work hard,” said Lafayette coach William Green, who has coached the boys for years and earned his second consecutive girls region coach of the year award Saturday. “Our mantra this year is ‘Believe and do your part.’ Don’t worry about the other person. If you just do your part, we’ll be OK.”
In addition to its champions, Lafayette had two runners-up and three-third place finishers. That’s a marked improvement from last year when the Generals only had a couple of seconds among its six state bids. The Generals as a team finished second to Harrison County last year.
“It means a lot. All the girls on the team are some of my best friends,” Lafayette’s 120 champion, Aaliyah Davis, said. “To be able to make history with them is really cool.”
Davis trailed George Rogers Clark’s Bailey Fletcher 6-5 midway through the second round of their finals match, but she rallied to pin her opponent.
“Honestly, just hearing my coaches scream at me through the crowd to keep going just helps me push myself to go a little bit further,” Davis said.
Amy Velasco, Lafayette’s 145 division champ, credited her teammates and Green’s conditioning program for their progress.
“It was very hard. We all look pale at the end of practice. We look half-dead,” the sophomore said, smiling. Velasco defeated her division’s top seed, Harrison County’s Jenny White, with a pin late in the second round. “Our team has definitely gotten a lot better.”
Lafayette junior Trinity Matthews won the 138 division finals with a 13-3 major decision over Ryle’s Preslee Steiber.
In the 235 division, Lafayette’s Elene Niyogoshima finished runner-up in the region and state championships last season as a sophomore. The experience helped, she said, but it also ramped up expectations.
“It felt like pressure. But I tried to use that pressure as fuel,” Niyogoshima said after earning the 235 title over Harrison County’s Layla Davis, the defending region champ, via a pin late in the second round. “Even though I’ve had some tough losses this year, being able to come back and win this felt really good.”
Eleven Generals competed in the event’s 12 divisions Saturday. Unfortunately, Lafayette’s Mackenzie Medley had a medical forfeit of her opening match in the 114 division. Hermelinda Estaban won her 132 division fifth-place match and will be a state alternate.
Henry Clay has top contender
Henry Clay junior Sianni Appolon finished runner-up at region and fifth at state last year, but she should be the No. 1 seed in the 165 division at state next week after running her season record to 29-0 with two dominant wins Saturday.
“It feels unbelievable,” Appolon said after getting a fall in 52 seconds over Lafayette’s Clarytza Castillejos Santos in the finals. She also won her semifinals match via first-round fall.
Appolon will be joined at state by teammate Alexandra Cortez, who placed fourth in the 185 division.
In all, 15 wrestlers from Lexington high schools qualified for state. Frederick Douglass qualified three. Bryan Station had one.
Two titles for Scott County
Scott County sophomore Samantha Oliver improved on her third place in the 114 division a year ago by outscoring Harrison County’s Sophia Moore 8-1 to claim the champion’s red banner this year. She’s hoping to make similar strides in her second trip to state.
“It was an amazing experience,” Oliver said of the state meet. “I didn’t place last year, but I’m hoping to do that this year. I’m ready to go out and wrestle for it.”
She’ll be joined at state by three teammates, including freshman Ava Castleman, who toppled defending 107 champion Lilly Nelson of Harrison County via a 20-5 technical fall score that ended the match in second round.
Walton-Verona wrestler earns top honor again
Walton-Verona’s Emma Moore won her second consecutive 100 division title and repeated as the event’s most outstanding wrestler as chosen by the region’s coaches.
“I can’t even describe how good it feels,” said Moore, who credited her two older brothers for inspiring and aiding her success so far.
Brian and Spencer Moore each won two state titles for Walton-Verona and have gone on to college wrestling careers.
Emma Moore, a junior, has a chance to defend her state title at the 2025 KHSAA Girls State Wrestling Championships on Feb. 27 at the Kentucky Horse Park and match her brothers’ achievements with a year to spare.
“I’m going for three,” she said.
Region 3 Girls Wrestling Championship
At Walton-Verona High School, Feb. 15.
Individual state qualifiers listed. Complete results online at trackwrestling.com.
100: 1. Emma Moore, Walton-Verona; 2. Peyton Brinkman, Ryle; 3. Noel Karezo, Lafayette; 4. Riley Galusha, Scott County.
107: 1. Ava Castleman, Scott County; 2. Lilly Nelson, Harrison County; 3. Jeanette Asukulu, Lafayette; 4. Leah Boggs, Campbell County.
114: 1. Samantha Oliver, Scott County; 2. Sophia Moore, Harrison County; 3. Asina Gilbert, Frederick Douglass; 4. Emily Stephenson, Walton-Verona.
120: 1. Aaliyah Davis, Lafayette; 2. Bailey Fletcher, George Rogers Clark; 3. Asmin Saidi, Frederick Douglass; 4. Allison Dye, Harrison County.
126: 1. Rose Thomas, Conner; 2. Sadie Parker, Great Crossing; 3. Candan Allen, Scott County; 4. Elexis Herrington, Bourbon County.
132: 1. Sophie Anderson, Walton-Verona; 2. Laila Buckley, Frederick Douglass; 3. Isabell Bryant, Harrison County; 4. Reagan McNerney, Ryle.
138: 1. Trinity Matthews, Lafayette; 2. Preslee Steiber, Ryle; 3. Mariah Koch, Campbell County; 4. Amina Masudi, Bryan Station.
145: 1. Amy Velasco, Lafayette; 2. Jenny White, Harrison County; 3. Nayeli Solis, Great Crossing; 4. Tayla Tobin, Bourbon County.
152: 1. Emma Hood, Highlands; 2. Devon Banks, Simon Kenton; 3. Parfaite Eliada, Lafayette; 4. Jaelynn Holcomb, Walton-Verona.
165: 1. Sianni Appolon, Henry Clay; 2. Clarytza Castillejos Santos, Lafayette; 3. Alayna Banks, Simon Kenton; 4. Taylor Moorman, Grant County.
185: 1. Ryleigh Maybrier, Harrison County; 2. Camila Velasco Pillacios, Lafayette; 3. Mackenzie McGeorge, Great Crossing; 4. Alexandra Cortez, Henry Clay.
235: 1. Elene Niyogoshima, Lafayette; 2. Layla Davis, Harrison County; 3. Destany Tapp, Simon Kenton.
Team standings: 1. Lafayette, 197.5; 2. Harrison County, 159; 3. Scott County, 103; 4. Walton-Verona, 88.5; 5. Simon Kenton, 80; 6. Frederick Douglass, 69; 7. Ryle, 53.5; 8. Great Crossing, 52; 9. Campbell County, 49; 10. Henry Clay, 38; 11. George Rogers Clark, 30.5; 11. Highlands, 30.5; 13. Bourbon County, 28; 14. Conner, 24; 15. Mercer County, 20; 16. Holmes, 16; 17. Bryan Station, 14; 18. Grant County, 13.
