LITTLETON — To get a sense of the occasion inside the Chatfield High School gymnasium for the Girls War Horse Invitational, all you had to do was be near the championship match.
Female wrestlers took up every available space at the back of the mat, eager to see a possible state tournament, or even championship bout preview. Those were the stakes Saturday, and area wrestlers from the programs at Mead, Broomfield and Legacy embraced them.
Mead’s Booth all about fun
Even while she came up short in the 140-pound final bout, Mead’s Ashley Booth took a lot from the experience.
The sophomore (25-3) had a big afternoon, but was pinned by freshman Ryen Hickey of Chatfield (33-1) to take second place. Even in defeat, Booth was all about keeping things in perspective.
“My biggest takeaway is to always have fun, I mean, if you’re not having fun then why do it?” Booth said. “The other thing is that I can always improve. I’m going to take this match, learn from it and grow. Then, next time, I’ll come out victorious.”
The Mavericks had a big afternoon, finishing with 57 points, as sophomore Erin Young (29-6) finished fourth at 120 pounds, while senior Kristen Davis recorded two pins and a 9-1 major decision to claim the bronze.
For Booth, who reached state last year as a freshman, now is the time to switch into postseason mindset. From here on, it’s about the little things.
“I’d say, find the bits that you’re still messing up on or still need work on — fine tune those and get them ready. That way, you’ll be ready for all of the different aspects of everything,” she said.
Legacy’s Mehia eager to keep building
For Legacy’s Cassandra Mehia, Saturday’s experience was hugely important as she got a good grasp of what she will face down the stretch as the season is getting closer to the state tournament, now just three weeks away.
“It’s definitely different from any other tournament as normally, my bracket only has eight girls and we all compete against each other,” Mehia said of her experience at the 235-pound weight class. “But today we had 14 girls. Today was a fight for every one of us.”
Mehia (8-11) bounced back after a second-round defeat, and in the wrestlebacks she found her groove. In the consolation quarterfinals, she pinned Eaglecrest’s Emma Roberts in the first period to advance. In a match to see if she could get into the placing rounds, she was unable to secure a two-point takedown and narrowly lost 2-0 to Grand Junction Central’s Rya Brown.
It will be the first time going through the late-season push as she was a manager last season.
“I might not have placed as well as I wanted to, but we’re going to go back into the room on Monday and get some good workouts in to build,” she said.
Broomfield’s Wu embracing healthy senior season
Broomfield senior Sydney Wu is in a highly competitive weight class at 135 pounds. With how much she’s dedicating to her craft, she’s made her health a priority.
“There’s a lot of girls in these weight classes, between 130 and 135 but the choice for me, I wanted to choose health for my senior year,” Wu said. “I want to come home and eat dinners, and be able to wake up in the morning of tournaments and eat and drink, and be on my best game in that physical state.”
While results are still important — she finished in fifth place Saturday and is now 20-6 on the year — she’s tried to build her mental side of wrestling the most.
“I want to be confident and be in the game, I think I can 100% come back, beat the girl who I lost to in the quarterfinals, and be the state champion — if I am really focused and I get in that mental game,” Wu said.
For Wu, seeing a lot of the same competitors, it only enhances her belief that Colorado is an incredibly strong wrestling state, and she’s looking forward to the hoopla at Ball Arena next month.
“At every tournament, you’re able to interact with the best female wrestlers in the state, and while there’s a sense of competition, aggression and feeling the crunch on the mat, there is still this really great sisterhood of friendship and bonding,” she said.
