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Ike junior wrestlers qualify for states

Photo submitted to the Times Observer Autumn Waite with her gold medal from the Area VIII tournament.

With the opportunity to qualify for the 58th Annual Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling State Championship, youth wrestlers from Erie, Forest and Warren counties competed in the Area VIII qualifying tournament on Saturday, March 12 at the Erie SportsPark.

Also held on March 12 was the PA Super Novice State Championships, where wrestlers with three years of experience or less competed to see who were the top new wrestlers in the state. The event was held at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona.

Four wrestlers from the Eisenhower youth wrestling program decided to evaluate their might in Erie.

At the conclusion, Autumn Waite ended up victorious and stood atop the podium in the 8 and Under 51-pound bracket to secure a spot in the PJW State Championships on March 26.

En route to her crown, Autumn cruised to a major decision in her first bout, picking up a takedown, reversal and three sets of near-fall points in the 11-0 win.

Photo submitted to the Times Observer Laine Jackson atop the podium after winning the championship at the PA Super Novice Tournament.

In her second bout, she continued to score from all positions, recording a 10-4 decision.

With the win she claimed the Area VIII Championship, punching her ticket to the next round.

Reid Mitchell opened the day with a quick first period pin over his initial opponent. Using his length and scrambling ability, he proved to be a difficult match throughout the day for his opponents. Narrowly losing a hard-fought battle in the consolation finals, Reid finished the day in 4th place.

Conner Ash showed grit and determination in both matches on the day losing to eventual place winners. He worked tirelessly throughout his matches in an effort to improve his position. When the opportunities presented themselves, he worked to score points.

Owen Ash also competed on the day and was able to fight off multiple pinning attempts in both of his bouts. He demonstrated a great ability to work to his base, never giving up. He demonstrated great sportsmanship to his competitors and support to his teammates.

Laine Jackson and Hunter Vanderhoof made the long trek to Altoona to compete in the PA Super Novice State Championships.

Laine made quick work of his opponents, recording two pins, one within :28 seconds, to claim the title in the 9U, 140-pound division.

Hunter opened the tournament with a 6-0 decision in the quarterfinals. He then met Kam Walker of Franklin Regional in the semifinals, losing the bout by pinfall.

Walker would eventually go on to place first.

Hunter quickly bounced back, not allowing either of his opponents to score on him in the consolation bracket. He was able to build up an 8-0 lead before getting a pin in the consolation semifinals. In the consolation finals he used two takedowns and a reversal to blank his opponent by a score of 6-0, claiming third place.

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