Kiski Area’s Ava Golding 1 of 5 to win 2nd WPIAL girls wrestling titles

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, February 15, 2025 | 9:35 PM

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Kiski Area junior Ava Golding knew she’d be in for a battle in the 136-pound final against Connellsville senior Janayah Nobles.

And it took overtime to defeat Nobles and claim her second WPIAL girls wrestling championship title Saturday at North Allegheny.

Golding (27-0) used an escape and takedown during the second tiebreaker period for a 5-1 victory. She defeated Nobles for the 10th time.

“Janayah has been closing the gap,” Golding said. “The matches have been a lot closer, and she is definitely getting better every match.

“There was a lot of pressure on me. I’m really grateful to have an opponent like her that keeps pushing me.”

In the overtime, Golding was able to keep Nobles from scoring in the first 30-second period. Golding was able to escape from the bottom position with 13 seconds left and then countered a Nobles shot to get a takedown.

“Winning was one of my goals,” Golding said. “So I’m happy to accomplish that goal, and with all my friends here, too, which is a really cool experience. Now it’s on to regionals.”

The PIAA Western Regional is March 1 back at North Allegheny. The top five finishers advance from the WPIAL, and a sixth-place finisher will get a spot if District 8 (City League) fails to fill its spot.

Norwin had three in the finals — Josephine Dollman, Karsyn Champion and Octavia Walker — and all three won with pins.

Dollman (30-4) won her second title despite spraining her right ankle 6 seconds into her first match of the tournament. The junior wasted no time in pinning Canon-McMillan senior Evangeline Gray (26-7) in 24 seconds to win the 148 title. It was Dollman’s eighth consecutive first-period pin.

“When I hurt it, I knew I could not spend much time on the mat,” Dollman said. “I knew what I had to do.

“Winning this a second time was special because I have more experience, and I felt a lot more confident this year.”

Champion (30-5) needed overtime to grab her first WPIAL title. The sophomore was in a tight battle with North Allegheny junior Sophia Folks before getting a pin in sudden victory. Champion pinned Folks earlier this season.

“I knew that whatever the score turned out, I was gonna try my best to get that win,” Champion said. “The goal for the three us was to win the title. I was also trying to reverse my loss to her in January.”

Walker (25-7) did not waste much time in winning her second title. She pinned Avella sophomore Virginia Smith with a cradle in 37 seconds at 170. She reversed a loss to Smith (9-3) at the Mid-Winter Mayhem.

“We both came out strong, but I got lower than she did and caught her in a cradle and pinned,” Walker said. “That’s not a move I usually hit. It was the first cradle this season.

“It feels great that all three of us won. It shows all the hard work we’ve put in over the year.”

Also earning her second gold was Plum junior Alaina Claassen, but at a different weight.

Despite fighting flu like symptoms, Claassen won the 190 title by defeating Valley senior Arianna Bernard.

“I haven’t felt good for days,” Claassen said. “I’ve had a fever and a bad cough. It was tough preparing for this. I’ll be better for regionals.”

In a battle of returning champions, Moon sophomore Haley Smarsh (23-6) defeated Plum junior Saphia Davis, 12-1, at 130. Davis was the 124 champion in 2024.

Southmoreland junior heavyweight Zoey Murphy became the school’s first WPIAL champion when she pinned Woodland Hills junior Brooklyn Pearson with a headlock in the first period.

Kristen Walzer (19-8) won the 100-pound weight class with a 7-0 victory against Shaler freshman Blythe Letters (14-2). Walzer finished second in 2024.

Fort Cherry junior Ella Trahan (25-5) claimed the 106 title with a pin of Canon-McMillan sophomore Malia Ramos (25-8), who also finished second in 2024.

Canon-McMillan sophomore Marlee Solomon (29-2) won a physical battle, 14-6, against West Mifflin freshman Kaila Keesecker (14-15) at 112. Keesecker was unseeded and started the tournament by defeating No. 2 Trinity Moore of Connellsville.

Knoch junior Braylee Ireland (22-5) got a quick takedown and rolled to a 7-3 victory against Mt. Lebanon junior Paige Jox (26-2) at 118. Jox was the WPIAL runner-up in 2024.

South Park’s Anna Duncan (25-3) rallied from a 12-8 deficit in the third period to pin Pine-Richland freshman Aariona Strader (21-6) at 124. Duncan was able to catch Strader in a headlock from the bottom position.

Avella sophomore Abigail Dolanch (27-1) pinned Upper St. Clair freshman Grace Nasman (27-6) for the 142 title.

Two returning champions were knocked out in the semifinals. Laurel sophomore Contessa Cotelesse lost to Folks, 8-1, at 155, and Canon-McMillan senior Natalie Rush fell 4-3 to Bernard at 190.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Avella, Canon-McMillan, Connellsville, Fort Cherry, Kiski Area, Knoch, Laurel, Moon, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, Norwin, Pine-Richland, Plum, Shaler, South Park, Southmoreland, Upper St. Clair, Valley, West Mifflin, Woodland Hills