BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports Report
HERSHEY — NEB’s Anaiah Kolesar took fourth place in the PIAA Girls’ Wrestling Championships Saturday for the second year in a row. Kolesar went 1-1 on the day, winning in the consolation semifinals, but falling in the third place match.
“I’m proud, given our circumstances that we went through this weekend,” said NEB coach Tyler Wheaton. “I couldn’t be more happy to stand where we are. I know it’s not the result she wanted, but that’s how it goes sometimes. You’ve just got to keep your head up - like I said, given the circumstances of yesterday, and what she’s gone through this weekend, I’m proud.”
A bit different of a path for Kolesar this year, as last year she reached the semifinals, then fell into the consolations. This weekend she had to win three straight consolation matches to get into the third place match.
“She showed heart,” said Wheaton. “Her hard work has proven that it paid off. We placed higher than that girl (that beat her in the quarterfinals), which is good.”
She opened with a 3-0 win over South Park’s Anna Duncan, using a second period, and reversal to get the win.
Kolesar rode her out for two minutes in the third period to keep it scoreless.
“She gutted that one out,” Wheaton said. “We’re still dealing with some things, but she gutted that one out, and just kept wrestling.”
In the bronze medal match she went up against a familiar foe in Montgomery’s Emily Murphy.
Kolesar beat her 10-1 in the Regional finals last week, but it was Murphy’s day on Saturday, as she got takedowns in the first and second periods to take a 7-0 lead.
In the third she got the fall in 3:32.
“She’s tough,” Wheaton said. “We know that we just need to keep our head up, and keep working.”
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
