Three Minerva girls will represent the Lady Lions at the OHSAA state wrestling tournament, with Bailey Hilliard (105 lbs.) and Sarah Sphon (120 lbs.) earning fourth-place finishes, while Bridget Hilliard (110 lbs.) secured a fifth-place finish to qualify as an alternate.
Bailey Hilliard began her tournament run with a dominant pin over Akron North’s Sanjita Subba in just 56 seconds. She followed with a commanding 17-5 major decision over Cleveland Heights’ TaMya Bouie in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Hilliard fell in a 9-5 decision to Kenaya Mwehu of Garrett Morgan. She rebounded in the consolation semifinals with a 3-1 victory over Mentor’s Julia Marshall, officially clinching her state berth. In the third-place match, Hilliard dropped a close 7-4 decision to Massillon Perry’s Mia Forberg, finishing fourth overall.
Sphon also secured her state qualification with an impressive performance at 120 pounds. She opened the tournament with a first-round pin over Garfield Heights’ McHale Macklin in 1:56. She advanced to the semifinals after pinning Austintown-Fitch’s Yelieishka Perez-Navedo in 4:35.
In the semifinals, Sphon was pinned by Chippewa’s Kayla Moroschan in 1:07. She bounced back in the consolation semifinals, pinning Merrick Gibson of Rittman in 3:39 to secure her state ticket. In the third-place match, Perez-Navedo got the rematch victory, pinning Sphon in 2:25, placing her fourth.
Joining them as an alternate is Bridget Hilliard, who placed fifth in the 110-pound weight class. She secured her spot with a dominant 38-second pin over Mary Averell of Austintown-Fitch in the fifth-place match.
With their finishes, the Hilliard sisters and Sphon will represent Minerva on one of the biggest stages in high school wrestling, with Bridget Hilliard standing by as an alternate should an opportunity arise.