Girls wrestling: Cloverleaf pulls off late comeback to beat Highland

GRANGER TWP. —The Cloverleaf girls wrestling team was ready to close the deal Saturday. Competing in their first dual of the season, the Colts won the final three matches of the night to come away with a 26-18 non-league victory over Medina County rival Highland. Returning state qualifier Natalie Wise (105) got the rally going at 105 pounds with a 15-1 major decision over Alyssa Storad. Cloverleaf senior Berkeley Craddock (130) gave the Colts a 20-18 lead when she pinned Kendra Jilek and Kaleigh Bratcher (135) secured the win with a pin against Tina Hoy. The Colts won four of the six contested matches. "We've put a lot of work in for our whole team," Craddock said. "It's exciting to have a dual close to home that people can come watch us." Behind the home crowd, Highland grabbed the momentum early as freshman Kelsey Denholm (145) and sophomore Lexi Timura (155) recorded pins in back-to-back matches for a 12-4 lead. Despite the loss, Timura can see the growth for the Hornets in their second season. Saturday was the second dual of the season for Highland, which defeated Strongsville earlier in the year. "It's definitely getting so much better," she said. "We're always bonding and having fun together while improving. The girls that wrestled last year are getting so much better, and it's so much fun to see the new girls and teach them new things." After Aubrey Willig got Cloverleaf started with a 13-0 major decision over Elona Kusiv, Denholm pinned Amelia Ryncarz with 19 seconds left in the first period. Denholm entered the program as a two-time state placer in middle school and is finding her footing at the high school level. "High school wrestling is so much different than middle school wrestling," she said. "I'm focused on getting better each and every time I wrestle. There's been a lot of highs and lows so far." After taking a 9-1 lead in the first period, Timura pinned Jenah Gluckle midway through the second. "I think I had a great match tonight," she said. "(Gluckle) was really aggressive. I tried my best to hit some double-legs and new moves on her. She was a great opponent and I really enjoyed my match." Cloverleaf and Highland traded forfeits at 190 and 235 to push the Hornets' advantage to 18-10. After qualifying for the state tournament as a freshman, Wise is looking for even bigger things in a healthier sophomore season. Her win over Storad, in which she led 12-1 after two periods before Storad held off the technical fall, was a good barometer. "I'm planning on having a better record since I was out for so long last year (with a concussion)," Wise said. "I'm looking to have a winning record with a better amount of matches this season." Craddock's victory over Jilek celebrated her return to the mat after a sprained ankle cost her a few weeks of competition. "Coming off an injury, it's great to win my first match," she said. "It was good to help my team win and have a good match." Bratcher was able to get takedowns in the first and second periods to take a 6-0 lead into the final two minutes before getting a bigger advantage with the pin with 46 seconds left. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Cloverleaf 26, Highland 18 100 — dbl. fft. 105 — Natalie Wise (C) m.d. Alyssa Storad, 15-1. 110 — dbl. fft. 115 — dbl. fft. 120 — dbl. fft. 125 — dbl. fft. 130 — Berkeley Craddock (C) p. Kendra Jilek, 1:00. 135 — Kayleigh Bratcher (C) p. Tina Hoy, 5:14. 140 — Aubrey Willig m.d. Elona Kusiv, 13-0. 145 — Kelsey Denholm (H) p. Amelia Ryncarz, 1:41. 155 — Lexi Timura (H) p. Jenah Gluckle, 3:01. 170 — dbl. fft. 190 — Eleanor Freund (C) fft. 235 — Trinity Smith (H) fft.