HERSHEY — Instead of the competitive snarl, Garnet Valley’s Reese Dewar delivered a long-lasting victory smile.
There is nothing like winning your last match at the PIAA wrestling tournament, and when Dewar had done so Saturday morning, the Garnet Valley freshman allowed herself to feel the emotion.
For a kid who grew up wrestling for Team Chaos in Chichester, a fifth-place medal was a great start to a varsity career trending upward.
“It feels really good being able to come back,” Dewar said Saturday. “It was a really tough day yesterday with my losses putting me down. I was nervous today. I haven’t been really this nervous for a while. So, being at this tournament and being this nervous, I think it gave me an extra boost.”
Dewar built a 12-3 lead before pinning Kaylee Ebersole of Northern Bedford in the fifth-place match at the Giant Center in the inaugural PIAA girls tournament. There was no doubt about it. Then she did some interviews and wished teammate Jessica Ayala the best.
Ayala disposed of Sayona Harris of Greater Johnstown, 6-1, to capture a third-place medal at 142 pounds.
“You know what was cool about her wrestling? She got down in a couple matches, tight ones and she found ways to win over the last three days,” Jaguars coach Chris Tate said. “Her first match she was down 8-4 and she came all the way back. Found a way to win. She just found ways to battle.”
Ayala will take that with her as she plans to continue wrestling in college.
“I’ve been wrestling since sixth grade at Garnet Valley Middle School,” Ayala said. “I was like 12. I’ve looked at a couple of colleges — Ursinus, Alvernia.”
At 148 pounds, Sun Valley freshman Jameson Strickland closed out her tournament in fourth, losing a major decision, 9-1, to Marissa Rumsey of Williamsport. For the Vanguards as a whole, the results didn’t quite match expectations, Strickland the only one of the school’s four wrestlers to medal.
Nonetheless, Ellis called Strickland’s medal, “An amazing accomplishment.”
“She’s a freshman,” Ellis said. “If she does the things that she needs to in the next three years, she’ll be the first four-time medalist. But for us to come up short it stings. Hopefully it carries for her into the offseason and the next tournament we have.”
There was a time when girls participated almost entirely in a few sports like tennis, field hockey, track, and basketball. The mothers of that era are grandmothers and mothers now, and they’ve passed that competitive instinct down through the ranks.
High school wrestling is just another example of the explosion of varsity sports for girls. Hopefully, the PIAA tournament will welcome a generation of female officials and coaches into the fold for a sport that is growing quickly on the girls side nationally. Not that there’s anything wrong with Tate or Ellis, who are significant advocates for wrestling.
The impact Dewar’s grandfather had on her wrestling career is a perfect example of how the sport grows. Dewar’s grandfather, Ed Bailey, drove up here to see her take her place at the podium. It’s one of those basics that grow the sport.
“My grandfather has been calling and sending me texts throughout the weekend,” Dewar said. “I started wrestling at age 8. From a young age he’s been the one who taught me what I know, the basics. In the weeks before this we’ve been going over stuff. I think he really is one of the biggest reasons I’m here.”
