The atmosphere is charged with anticipation as the tournament reaches its peak, with all eyes on Emma Hood (10) as she aims to claim the coveted top spot.
With the support of her coaches and teammates, she steps onto the mat, hoping to prove herself and secure the victory that is within reach.
As the match begins, each wrestler is looking ready to tear the other apart. The atmosphere is thick with hatred and revenge.
Hood is one of only a few girls on the Highlands girls’ wrestling team who has managed to climb the rankings to the top. She has only been wrestling for three years, since KHSAA made girls’ wrestling a state-sanctioned event, making her accomplishment that much more impressive.
“It’s crazy to look at photos [of me] from three years ago because that’s a completely different person,” Hood said.
Hood has been getting prepared for this season and the upcoming state tournament.
“I’ve been going to a lot of extra practices, like freestyle wrestling, to get prepared for some bigger national tournaments.”
A very important part of wrestling is the off-season to take time to work on technique.
“She had a very good off-season and she worked really hard for six months and that’s a lot of work,” volunteer coach John Hazeres said.
For Hood to secure her ranking, she had to defeat the formerly ranked number one and two girls.
“Going into matches, I didn’t really feel scared or nervous. She was previously ranked first and I lost to her last year at the state tournament, but I didn’t go in scared. I was calm and I felt good about the match,” Hood said.
At the tournament, Hood went 5-0 with four pins.
“It felt really good. It’s just nice to see all my hard work pay off.”
Although she is ranked the highest in her weight class, she has yet to secure the ultimate prize of taking home the state championship.
“No one is going to remember who was ranked first for part of the season, they are going to remember who wins at the end,” Hood said.
Hood hopes that she can get a favorable bracket for the state tournament considering her rank.
This means she will not have to wrestle either the now second or third-ranked girls again until the final match.
“I’m not going to be too worried about it. I know I can beat them but I also know they are even more determined to beat me, so I just have to be careful.”
Despite the favorable ranking, in the world of wrestling, being the best only means having the most to lose.
“Now every girl in the state wants to beat me.”
Hood’s story also inspires girls who want to start wrestling.
“Emma started wrestling three years ago, and now people can see that she is ranked number one. Other people could think they are able to do that, which could help our team grow,” girls’ head wrestling coach Dakota Riley said.
