Take the letter “r” out of Haley Smarsh’s last name, and you should get a pretty good idea of her job description every time she takes the mat.
In a showdown of defending WPIAL champions, Smarsh put on a wrestling clinic against Plum’s Saphia Davis (16-4) on her way to a 12-1 major decision victory in Saturday’s 130-pound WPIAL championship bout at North Allegheny. The Moon sophomore controlled the match from start to finish, showing off her impressive strength with a series of powerful takedowns while dominating in every position for her second WPIAL title.
“It feels great,” Smarsh said. “I was hoping I was going to be able to do it again, and I did.”
Smarsh steamrolled the competition as a freshman, going undefeated all the way up until the state finals before taking the first loss of her high school career against Easton’s Aubre Krazer. Although the result was certainly nothing to be ashamed of — Krazer is considered one of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in the country — Smarsh wasn’t satisfied with second place.
This season, Smarsh (23-6) entered a slew of high-level tournaments while facing a much higher level of competition than she did a year ago — and although she has endured a few losses along the way, Saturday’s performance was a clear indicator that she has ascended to a whole new level as a sophomore.
One of only two returning PIAA finalists along with Canon-McMillan’s Natalie Rush, Smarsh is as shy, humble and reserved as any athlete you’ll find off the mat. But when she steps inside the circle and hears the sound of the whistle, most of her helpless foes are simply no match for the ferocity of the Tigers’ smashing machine.
“[Becoming a four-time WPIAL champion] is definitely my goal,” Smarsh said. “My goal for this year is to get to that [state] finals match again, and hopefully have a different outcome.”
In the 124-pound final, South Park’s Anna Duncan and Pine-Richland’s Aariona Strader captivated the crowd with the most exciting match of the event. After a wild, action-packed scrap that saw several lead changes, Duncan (25-3) reversed Strader onto her back and scored the pin with 49 seconds left in the third period to send the Eagles fans in the stands into a frenzy. Duncan trailed, 12-8, at the time of the reversal.
“I’ve worked for it for eight years,” Duncan said about her first WPIAL title. “It’s amazing.”
Are you not entertained?!?
— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) February 15, 2025
After an action-packed bout in the 124-lb. finals, South Park’s Anna Duncan reverses Pine-Richland’s Aariona Strader to score a thrilling pin late in the third period while trailing, 12-10.
Stay for the awesome show of sportsmanship at the end: pic.twitter.com/VPQ9v51rNp
With the top girls in the area reconvening at North Allegheny in two weeks for the PIAA West Regional, there’s a chance Duncan and Strader (22-8) could meet again on the final stop before the PIAA championships in Hershey. Strader, a freshman, is the younger sister of Pine-Richland quarterback Oobi Strader.
After putting on a show in her first appearance at the WPIAL tournament, the future is looking bright for the next young star of the Strader family — but for now, Duncan reigns supreme at 124 pounds.
“Usually, I just try to get it over with,” Duncan said about going for the pin. “I had to fight for this one.”
Only two competitors entered this year’s tournament without a loss, and both Kiski Area’s Ava Golding and Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy kept their perfect records intact on Saturday.
The reigning WPIAL champion at 136 pounds, Golding (27-0) had to dig deep to secure her second consecutive title with a 5-1 decision in the second tiebreaker period against Connellsville’s Janayah Nobles (25-6). Golding held Nobles down for the duration of the first 30-second tiebreaker period, then escaped to her feet midway through the second tiebreaker period before polishing off the victory with a match-clinching takedown.
“[Being undefeated] definitely adds pressure,” Golding said. “Everyone is paying attention whenever you’re at the top. It’s hard to stay sharp with all the pressure, but I feel like I definitely handled it well.”
As for Murphy, last year’s runner-up at 235 pounds became the WPIAL’s new heavyweight queen with a first-period fall against Brooklyn Pearson of Woodland Hills. Murphy (14-0) needed only 42 seconds to headlock Pearson (6-7) for the pin.
“I’m not allowed to do [headlocks],” Murphy said with a laugh. “Something just clicked [this year], and I started using more technique, instead of throwing moves. I’m actually taking more shots now. Not just doing headlocks and hip tosses.
“I felt her on her back, and I just had her head right there.”
In the first match of the afternoon at 100 pounds, Montour’s Kristen Walzer took down top-seeded freshman Blythe Letters of Shaler, 7-0. Walzer (19-8) racked up all seven points in the first period before shutting Letters out the rest of the way to bring home her first WPIAL title. Letters (14-2) is the daughter of 2001 Shaler grad and former PIAA and NCAA champion Troy Letters.
“In the offseason, we wrestled twice,” Walzer said. “I knew a couple of her go-to moves.”
At 106 pounds, Fort Cherry’s Ella Trahan (25-5) pinned Canon-McMillan’s Malia Ramos (25-8) in 5:19 to capture her first WPIAL title. Trahan had built a 3-0 lead before taking Ramos to her back for the fall. Next, Canon-McMillan’s nationally ranked sophomore Marlee Solomon (29-2) cruised to a 14-6 major decision win in the 112-pound final against West Mifflin freshman Kaila Keesecker (15-15). Knoch’s Braylee Ireland (22-5) then grinded out a 7-3 decision win against Mt. Lebanon’s Paige Jox (26-2) at 118 pounds.
In the 142-pound final, Abigail Dolanch (28-1) brought Avella its first WPIAL title with a first-period fall against Upper St. Clair’s Grace Nasman (27-5) in 1:37. Norwin’s Josephine Dollman (30-4) then started a run of three consecutive pins by the Knights in the championship finals, sticking Canon-McMillan’s Evangeline Gray (26-7) in just 24 seconds at 148 pounds.
Norwin’s Karsyn Champion (30-5) followed with an overtime pin against North Allegheny’s Sophia Folks (21-3) at 155, then Octavia Walker (25-7) pinned Avella’s Virginia Smith (21-7) in 37 seconds at 170 to complete the Knights’ trifecta of champions. Finally, Plum’s Alaina Claassen (24-1) claimed her second WPIAL title — this one at 190 pounds after winning at 235 pounds last year — by defeating Valley’s Arianna Bernard (19-6) by a 3-0 decision.
“I feel very proud of myself,” Champion said. “Proud of myself for all the work that I put in, going to multiple practices a day. … My mom is known for being very loud, as you can see. I’m just very thankful [for the support].”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
