Malden’s Yohanni Costa wins second girls wrestling state title

The second All-State girls wrestling tournament was no different than the first one for Malden’s Yohanni Costa.

The junior standout earned her second straight All-State title as she pinned Tayla Tildsley of Shawsheen in the 149-pound final. The MIAA decision to create an all-girls tournament last year has been a blessing for Costa, a native of Brazil, who was introduced to jiu-jitsu and picked up wrestling when they came over to the U.S.

“I started wrestling when I was a freshman, but I kept losing because I had to wrestle the boys, so it was discouraging,” Costa admitted. “Then once they started girls states and I won, I realized I have what it takes.”

Costa wasn’t the only member of her family to appear in the girls tournament. Her sister Hayeni wasn’t as lucky in her 162-pound final, she suffered a fall to defending state champion, Samantha Springer of Springfield Central.

The only other team to send multiple girls to the finals also turned out to be the only team to crown multiple champs. Chicopee’s Janiah Baez won her second straight state title when she pinned Triton’s Tori Orender in the 108-pound final. Her teammate Shannon Mitchell was unchallenged in the 217-pound final.

In arguably the deepest weight class, Stoughton’s Anna DaSilva knocked off Wakefield’s talented Ana Valdevino in the semifinal, then completed her run to the 113-pound title as she used an early front headlock and a tough leg ride on top to pin North Andover’s Kenlei Milovanovic.

Woburn’s Sophia Matthews secured her second state title as she defeated Whitman-Hanson’s Bethany Ralph in the 120-pound final. Sophia set up an early takedown and never let her foot off the gas, finishing with a fall in the second period.

Other winners included Holyoke’s Ishani Morales (129), Monty Tech’s Lai-Lani Hendricks (138), and Whittier’s Catherine McNulty (177).

ALL-STATE GIRLS WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

(At Methuen High School)

108 – Janiah Baez (Chicopee) pinned Tori Orender (Triton) 2:50

113 – Anna DaSilva (Stoughton) pinned Kenlei Milovanovic (N.Andover) 5:36

120 – Sophia Matthews (Woburn) pinned Bethany Ralph (Whitman-Hanson) 3:35

129 – Ishani Morales (Holyoke) def. Alexa Forjmester (Ludlow), 9-3

138 – Lai-Lani Hendricks (Monty Tech) pinned Ayla Goldman (Middleboro) 1:41

149 – Yohanni Costa (Malden) pinned Tayla Tildsley (Shawsheen) 1:20

162 – Samantha Springer (Springfield Central) fall, Hayeni Costa (Malden) 0:51

177 – Catherine McNulty (Whittier) def. Victoria Fogg (Hampden Charter), 2-0

217 – Shannon Mitchell (Chicopee) default

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/38cVPbk