‘Find a way.’ Dramatic pin helps Lafayette defend girls wrestling region title
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- Lafayette beat Harrison County by 10 points and had eight state qualifiers.
- Freshman Katelyn Adams pinned Loralei Nelson late to win 100-pound title.
- Aaliyah Davis, Addison Reed won region titles; girls state meet Feb. 28.
Lafayette’s smallest wrestler might have turned in Saturday’s biggest result at the KHSAA Girls Region 3 Wrestling Championships at Robert D. Campbell Jr. High .
Trailing 4-2 in the final round of her 100-pound championship match, Generals freshman Katelyn Adams needed to do something quickly.
Adams made her move and got enough leverage to pin Harrison County’s Loralei Nelson 33 seconds into the third and final round for her first region title in her first season of competition.
She shouted in celebration with a wide smile and raised a hand in the air after the official’s whistle blew.
“I was worried, definitely, but I felt like I did good. I was really excited,” Adams said.
Adams, who wrestled in the first championship final of the afternoon in the gym Clark County’s Cardinals once called home, was later joined by Lafayette teammates Addison Reed and Aaliyah Davis as region title winners in their respective divisions.
Combined with two runner-up finishes and three more state qualifying efforts, the Generals, last year’s region and state champions, narrowly defended their region team title by 10 points over Harrison County.
“I just tell them ‘Keep going.’ Something may happen,” said Lafayette coach Williams Green, who earned another of his numerous region coach of the year honors Saturday. “This sport will humble you in a heartbeat. You can work your butt off and still lose. So, you’ve got to go. … If it’s important to you, you find a way.”
Harrison’s Thorobreds won two of the three head-to-head finals against Lafayette and matched the Generals with three individual region crowns among their six state qualifiers.
“I’m very proud of our girls. Our average age for this group is ninth grade, I think. We’re looking forward to the future,” Harrison County coach Josh Ashbrook said. “This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for us, but we’re not satisfied by any means.”
The girls wrestling state championships will be held Feb. 28 at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena.
Lafayette’s big day on the mat
After her third place finish at state last season, Lafayette senior Aaliyah Davis determined she needed to become the aggressor in all of her matches at 120 from then on. She needed to take her shots.
“I lost my semifinals match because I didn’t get any takedowns and I stalled. I gave her like three stall points,” Davis said of last season’s disappointment. “I realized shooting makes everything so much easier. I learned to take the shot and once you get it, don’t just sit there. Drive through.”
Davis claimed all of her matches by pinfall on Saturday, including a pin of George Rogers Clark’s Bailey Fletcher with 57 seconds left in the second round of the finals to defend her region title and help earn the meet’s most outstanding wrestler honor.
In the 132 division, Lafayette senior Addison Reed’s 7-1 win over Walton-Verona’s Chloe Schwanenberger garnered her her first region title in her second season of competition. Reed didn’t make state her rookie year, but grew to love the sport.
“I play other sports, but it’s not like wrestling,” said Reed, who also plays soccer. “You’re sweating together. You’re working hard together. Every practice, you get better. With other sports, you can miss practices. You can’t miss this. You have to show up for your teammates. I love them so much.”
Lafayette took second at 145 with Amy Velasco and 235 with Elene Niyogoshima and has eight total state qualifiers thanks to third place finishes by Trinity Matthews at 138 and Mackenzie Medley at 107 and a fourth by Clarytza Castillejos Santos at 185.
Though Velasco and Niyogoshima came in as the defending region champs in their divisions, they’ve been chasing their Harrison County rivals this season. Green saw positives in both of their finals matches despite the results.
“To me, those were both victories on our end because we’ve been beaten by those two, and I know we’re in better shape (now),” Green said.
Henry Clay’s Appolon dominates
Henry Clay’s Sianni Appolon continued her demolition of the 165 division where she hasn’t been beaten in two seasons and has pinned every postseason opponent during that streak.
In winning her first state title last year, Appolon spent the least time on the mat of any competitor, taking just 4:14 to take down four opponents.
She beat that mark by nearly a minute Saturday with falls in 25, 13 and 49 seconds on the way to the finals where she patiently worked Campbell County’s McAyla Steffen into a pin at 1:45 of the first round.
Appolon, a shy, soft-spoken senior, acknowledged wrestling is more than competition for her. It challenges her to break out of her shell.
“It takes a lot for me to step on the mat and perform well for a big group of people,” she said. “It was good to win regionals again because it kind of proves something to myself, but also to other people.”
Lexington had two other state qualifiers with fourth place finishes by Asina Gilbert of Frederick Douglass at 114 and Bre`Aijah Harris of Bryan Station at 165.
Harrison County closes gap
Despite its youth, Harrison County came much closer to edging out Lafayette for the team title this year than last. The determination of freshman Jenny White in her 145 division finals win showed why.
The region runner-up to Lafayette’s Velasco last season, White hasn’t been beaten this year and landed a takedown in the second round Saturday on her way to a 6-1 lead.
As Velasco, who also won state last year, tried to rally with Lafayette’s supporters chanting her name, White calmly held onto to her foe and a 6-4 victory for her first region crown, thumping her chest in celebration to her own fans’ cheers.
“It was eventful. I just trusted God in it,” said White, who placed fourth at state last year. “I trusted my technique, and I worked really hard for it, so I trusted myself.”
Harrison’s Rayleigh Maybrier defended her 185 region title with a pin of Simon Kenton’s Alayna Banks in 1:16 of the first round. Teammate Layla Davis avenged her loss to Lafayette’s Niyogoshima in last year’s region finals with a 5-2 decision this time.
Saturday’s other champs
Walton-Verona senior Emma Moore claimed the 107 region title with a 17-1 major decision over Ryle’s Peyton Brinkman. Moore won back-to-back region and state crowns at 100 the past two years.
Likewise, Scott County sophomore Ava Castleman claimed the 114 crown after winning region and state at 107 last year. Castleman pinned Campbell County’s Leah Boggs with eight seconds left in the first round.
Great Crossing sophomore improved on her region runner-up finish last season with a pinfall win over Harrison County’s Emma Bailey in the second round of their 126 championship match.
Highlands junior Emma Hood claimed the 152 title due to her opponent’s medical forfeit. Cooper freshman Aaliyah Svec pinned Ryle’s Preslee Steiber in the second round for the 138 title.
KHSAA Girls Region 3 Wrestling Championships
Saturday at Robert D. Campbell Jr. High, Winchester. Individual state qualifiers listed. Complete results online at trackwrestling.com.
100: 1. Katelyn Adams, Lafayette; 2. Loralei Nelson, Harrison County; 3. Olivia Butler, Grant County; 4. Riley Booth, Highlands.
107: 1. Emma Moore, Walton-Verona; 2. Peyton Brinkman, Ryle; 3. Mackenzie Medley, Lafayette; 4. Samantha Oliver, Scott County.
114: 1. Ava Castleman, Scott County; 2. Leah Boggs, Campbell County; 3. Danica Patrick, George Rogers Clark; 4. Asina Gilbert, Frederick Douglass.
120: 1. Aaliyah Davis, Lafayette; 2. Bailey Fletcher, George Rogers Clark; 3. Abrielle Hooten, Walton-Verona; 4. Olivia Thornton, Campbell County.
126: 1. Sadie Parker, Great Crossing; 2. Emma Bailey, Harrison County; 3. Dezeray Morris, Walton-Verona; 4. Braelyn Babb, Simon Kenton.
132: 1. Addison Reed, Lafayette; 2. Chloe Schwanenberger, Walton-Verona; 3. Brannan Ransom, Harrison County; 4. Elexis Herrington, Bourbon County.
138: 1. Aaliyah Svec, Cooper; 2. Preslee Steiber, Ryle; 3. Trinity Matthews, Lafayette; 4. Natalia Lucas, Walton-Verona.
145: 1. Jenny White, Harrison County; 2. Amy Velasco, Lafayette; 3. Nayeli Solis, Great Crossing; 4. Abigail Edmondson, Highlands..
152: 1. Emma Hood, Highlands; 2. Devon Banks, Simon Kenton; 3. Kristina Schmucker, Great Crossing; 4. Jaelynn Holcomb, Walton-Verona..
165: 1. Sianni Appolon, Henry Clay; 2. McAyla Steffen, Campbell County; 3. Bailey Boyd, Scott County; 4. Bre`Aijah Harris, Bryan Station.
185: 1. Ryleigh Maybrier, Harrison County; 2. Alayna Banks, Simon Kenton; 3. Jaycee Foley, Mercer County; 4. Clarytza Castillejos Santos, Lafayette.
235: 1. Layla Davis, Harrison County; 2. Elene Niyogoshima, Lafayette; 3. Fanta Mariko, Cooper; 4. Mackenzie McGeorge, Great Crossing..
Team standings: 1. Lafayette, 195; 2. Harrison County, 185; 3. Walton-Verona, 116.5; 4. Scott County, 86.5; 5. Great Crossing, 80.5; 6. Simon Kenton, 77; 7. Campbell County, 74; 8. Highlands, 58; 9. George Rogers Clark, 54; 10. Ryle, 53; 11. Cooper, 46; 12. Henry Clay, 44.5; 13. Frederick Douglass, 36.5; 14. Bryan Station, 36; 15. Mercer County, 31; 16. Bourbon County, 29.0; 17. Holmes, 27.5; 18. Grant County, 23.0; 19. Conner, 15.0; 19. East Jessamine, 15.0; 19. Paul Laurence Dunbar, 15; 22. Scott, 9; 23. Tates Creek, 4.0.
Team points guide: Championship bracket — 6 team points (pin, forfeit, injury default, disqualification win); 5 points (“technical fall” win by 15 or more); 4 points (“major decision,” win by 8-14); 3 points (win by 7 or less). Consolation bracket — 1/2 point for consolation match wins.
Coming up
Saturday: KHSAA Boys/Co-ed Region 6 Wrestling Championships at Harrison County Middle School, Cynthiana.
Feb. 26-27: KHSAA Boys/Co-ed State Wrestling Championships at Alltech Arena.
Feb. 28: KHSAA Girls State Wrestling Championships at Alltech Arena.
This story was originally published February 15, 2026 at 1:20 PM.
