Westmoreland athletes of the week: Franklin Regional’s Colton Camacho, Norwin’s Olivia Gribble

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 | 10:29 PM

Colton Camacho

School: Franklin Regional

Sport: Wrestling

Class: Junior

Claim to fame: Camacho (19-2) earned his third Westmoreland County Coaches Association championship, winning the 132-pound title by injury default when Penn-Trafford's Nick Coy suffered a shoulder injury in the first period Saturday at Norwin. Camacho finished third in the 132-pound weight class at the Powerade tournament Dec. 29.

“My season has been going pretty good,” he said. “I have been putting in a lot of work, and it has paid off. Even though he injury defaulted I wanted to show I was the top dog, and I didn't want to win that way.” =

How does it feel to win three WCCA titles?

It feels pretty good. Not many people get an opportunity to win four county titles. I have one more year to accomplish that. It's really hard to win a county title in this county with the competition being on another level.

How much would it mean to you to win four WCCA titles?

That is a really big milestone. It would be a fun experience, and I would be really excited to get that fourth one. The momentum after that will be incredible with hopefully getting a second state title after hopefully winning one this year. It would be pretty awesome to be in that elite group of wrestlers to win four titles.

What have you taken out of the last two weeks at Powerade and WCCAs?

This whole season I've really matured as a wrestler. I was able to beat a wrestler at Powerade after losing to him earlier in the tournament. Usually, it's hard for me to bounce back from a loss.

What is your pre-match routine?

Nothing changes when it comes to the type of match. I like to get a good blow in my lungs. I like to get a nice and hard warm up in and rest 15-20 minutes before my match.

What is your earliest memory on the mat?

Four years old. If it wasn't for my brother, I wouldn't be wrestling and competing the way I am now. I wrestled at Young Guns, and it's just awesome how far I have come. I use to get beat up since I wasn't that good then.

Olivia Gribble

School: Norwin

Sport: Basketball

Class: Sophomore

Claim to fame: Gribble, who is averaging 12.6 points, scored 20, including six 3-pointers, to lead Norwin (5-6, 3-1) to a 51-36 win over Penn-Trafford in Section 2-6A action Jan. 3.

“I thought we played really well on offense and defense in the first half, but we didn't do as well in the second half. But we finished the game off pretty well, which we haven't been able to do the past couple of games,” Gribble said.

What was been the key to the team's four-game winning streak?

Defense. We base our practices off of that. We have gotten really good at that, and we're playing well as a team.

What was the message to the team after starting the season 1-5?

We were playing tough competition. We have put that behind us. We got back to playing our defense and played as a team.

What's the biggest piece of advice your sister, Alayna, has given you?

Keep working hard and doing your best every game. You need to believe in yourself and look to take the next shot if you miss your last shot.

What was it like to grow up with Alayna?

She is a good role model for me. I got to work out with her during the summer. Now at Pitt, I get to watch what she does, and I try to incorporate that into my game.

Who's your favorite basketball player?

Maya Moore. She does a lot of things on the court offensively and defensively. She has won many WNBA titles.

— Andrew John

Tags: Franklin Regional, Norwin