3 L-L League girls wrestlers make history, advance at PIAA championships

HERSHEY — Kylee Trostle danced like a ballerina and did some spins as she left the mat in the Giant Center. Isabella Baccio? Her smile could have lit up Dauphin County as her hand was raised.

And then there was Journie Rodriguez, who looked like a kid in a candy store as she looked up toward her mother in the stands.

Oh, how sweet it was for the three wrestlers from the Lancaster-Lebanon League, who not only pinned their way into the quarterfinals at 112 pounds but also made history on Thursday as the first from the L-L to win a match in the inaugural PIAA championships for girls.

Manheim Township’s Baccio was the first to advance, pinning Pleasant Valley’s Juliette Trout in 2:42. McCaskey’s Rodriguez wasn’t far behind, pinning Parkland’s Sylvyn Parham in just 2:44.

Elco’s Trostle pinned Macayla Needham of Central Bucks in 1:12.

Trout tried to hit a cradle on Baccio, but the Blue Streaks senior floated her hips over it, then stuck a half for the fall.

“Oh my goodness, I don’t even remember what happened,” Baccio said. “I just wrestled. It’s weird to think I just pinned a girl who got second in a different section. I was so ready for this! Right now, it is my senior year, and I have nothing to lose at this point. This is my last tournament. I go out, do everything I can, and know, I am going to leave it all out there.”

2024 PIAA wrestling championships - Day 1 [photos]

Up next for Baccio is Conneaut’s Daylee Watson, who was fifth at the My House state championships last year and is 6-0 against girls this year.

“I’m wrestling for me, and that is what I am looking forward to,” Baccio said with a huge smile. “There will be a lot of mental preparation and trying to take it one step at a time for tomorrow (today).”

PIAA Wrestling Championships day 1 — Buy Now

McCaskey's Journie Rodriguez gets ready to pin Parkland's Sylvyn Parham in their 112 pound match during the PIAA Wrestling Championship at the Giant Center in Hershey on Thursday March 7, 2024.
CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer

Rodriguez, the My House state champ at 112 last season, spent the morning at Chocolate World, where she got herself a couple stuffed animals. Although she said she was a little nervous, with the crowd and the fact that it was her first time wrestling at the Giant Center, when she hit the mat, she ended up being the one who did the stuffing.

Rodriguez missed a shot early, putting her in a bad position and giving up two points. Parham then rolled, and Rodriguez stacked her to get the pin.

“It was a little nerve wracking,” Rodriguez said. “It is my first time performing here. I didn’t force anything in the second period. I am proud of myself because I made it here, and a lot of girls did not have that opportunity. When I won the match, my adrenaline was going and I was excited.”

In the quarters, she will face the top-ranked wrestler in the state at 112-pounds in Williamsport’s Lillian Rumsey (33-0), who was third last year at 106 pounds. Rodriguez did beat Rumsey last year in PAUSA, but she said she isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I’m not going to sleep on anything because a couple of months can do a lot for someone,” Rodriguez said. “I’m just going to wrestle my moves and not switch up. If I am aggressive shooting and doing my bread and butters, I should do well.”

Trostle, who became the L-L’s first regional champion last weekend, took down Needham with a fireman’s carry to take a 2-0 lead, then did a power half, putting Needham in a bar to get the pin.

“This means a lot to me,” Trostle said. “I am just happy to be here and have to keep working hard. Bella and Journie have been my competition so far, and now some other good girls are coming up. But we are here to have fun, to do what we love.

“We want to win, but it is for the love of the sport. You are already here at the Giant Center, so all you can do is go out there, do your thing and have more fun.”

Trostle gets a tough quarterfinal matchup with Bishop McCort’s Lane Fordyce, who is 24-4 with 22 falls.

For the eight others from the L-L, most facing top seeds, it was a learning experience as their first day ended quickly, all with falls.

Octorara’s Cassidy Jeffries, the other L-L wrestler at 112, fought hard, but fell to top-seeded Andi Bibeau of East Stroudsburg North in 3:35.

At 190, McCaskey’s Jurelys Peguero came closest to a win, holding her own against Canon-McMillan’s Natalie Rush.

After taking Rush to her back, Peguero got rolled, and Rush caught her in 2:57 with the fall.

Hattie Mack’s match at 100 pounds was perhaps the biggest heartbreak of the afternoon. The Hempfield junior was up 3-2 before a blood timeout late in the third. Mack chose bottom against Bensalem’s Payton Hinkle. Not long after, she fell and got caught in 4:26.

Those three, along with Penn Manor’s Anisa Orr (142) and Brooklynn Ayala (235); Hempfield’s Clementine O’Brien (106) and Cleona O’Brien (118), and Manheim Township’s Ainsley Bounds (130), can still a medal as they will return to the Giant Center today for the blood rounds.

Wrestling begins at 11:45 a.m., with the quarterfinals and first round of consolations. The second round of consolations starts at 1:15 p.m. The semifinals are at 7 p.m., and the third round of consolations at 9 p.m.

Here is a look at the consolation round one match-ups for each of the remaining girls from the L-L:

100: Mack gets Mt. Lebanon’s Sophia Beanner, a freshman who is 15-7 with 13 falls.

106: Clementine O’Brien’s opponent, Bald Eagle’s Eden Eveleth, is 23-7 with 12 falls.

112: Octorara’s Jeffries has one of the tougher opponents in Western Wayne’s Lexie Desiato. Desiato placed eighth last year in the My House state championships and is 31-7 with 27 falls. She lost her first round 5-3 to Hickory’s Emma Johnston in an upset.

118: Cleona O’Brien faced perhaps the toughest of the eight from the L-L on Thursday, going against nationally ranked Savanna Witt. Witt won by fall in 1:23. Up next for O’Brien is Isabel Seip (7-2) of Wyoming Valley West, a My House state qualifier last year who also went 5-21 against the boys this season.

130: Bounds gets Avon Grove’s Emma Arnold, also a freshman who is 7-4. She went 7-9 with the boys this season.

142: Orrgets Eva Gray (15-16) of tradition-laden Canon-McMillan.

19: Next up for Peguero’s is North Penn’s Daniella Maxwell, who is 19-14 with 16 falls.

235: Ayala will face Leah Nason of Athens. Nason is 18-13 and was a 2023 state qualifier.