Junior Abi Lemon gives her all in four different sports
by Aubrey Cummings
Four different sports each school year seems impossible. How exactly does one do it?
Junior Abi Lemon does just that and has every year since she started high school. She participates in football, soccer, wrestling, and tennis.
Junior Abi Lemon shows determination during a wrestling meet. In addition to her leadership on the wrestling mat. Lemon also plays football, soccer, and tennis. Submitted photo.
“They are all so different but also help each other in their own way,” she explained.
She doesn’t just participate in these sports, though. She leads in them. She is the person coaches look to for an example. She is also the person her teammates look to when they need help.
Wrestling coach Danny Struck described Lemon as a leader on and off the mat.
“She leads by example. She’s involved in so many things. It’s what leaders do — they get involved. But she doesn’t just participate, she gives them her all.”
Lemon is constantly doing whatever she can to get better in each sport she participates in.
“I am constantly training, whether it’s for one sport or multiple. During soccer I’m also training for football, and when those are over, wrestling begins. And when in tennis I also train with the track team on occasion,” she said.
Her family plays a big role in why she plays the sports she plays.
“My mom is a really big soccer fan, so getting into it was for her, but I also found a love for it myself,” Lemon explained. “And my family is always playing tennis together.”
Lemon isn’t just an athlete, though — she is also a student, an employee and a friend. She is constantly having to find a way to balance all of this, which isn’t always easy.
“I am basically always busy, which means doing school work on the way to meets or games or even the period before it’s due,” Lemon said with a laugh.
Throughout the time Lemon has participated in these sports she has made friendships that she never would have had she not been a part of the team.
“Until I joined to football team, I never would’ve never even considered being friends with the guys, but when I joined I met them and now they are some of my closest friends.”
Lemon is a role model for those who want to try something new and for those who are already in the sports they love. She shows people how to push through challenges and she teaches people what it means to be a leader.
Junior Abi Lemon wrestles her opponent; wrestling is one of four sports Lemon participates in at JHS. Submitted photo.
This year’s boys’ wrestling team is one of the “youngest teams” that they have had. This young team of wrestlers has not only grown throughout the first half of their season, but they have also worked hard to improve and win.
This upcoming weekend is one of the hardest weekends of their season. Varsity wrestlers travel to Evansville, followed by some of the junior varsity and varsity B teams heading to Louisville.
Sophomore Chandler Cooke (WC 215) competes against a wrestler from Madison High School, demonstrating strong positioning and controlled technique throughout the match. Photo by Mackenzie Stubblefield.
Junior Will Honaker has been practicing every day, preparing for this upcoming weekend. He said practicing with Coach Jeremiah Cain has benefited him the most “because he has taught me to practice harder; practicing with my teammates has allowed me to gain strength, sportsmanship, and confidence.”
Many coaches come to wrestling practice every day. Head coach Danny Struck not only been attending practices and coaching, but he has also been attending middle school meets and helping any athlete who needs it.
Varsity freshman Logan Vidt said, “Coach Struck is just an amazing coach to me. In practice, he is so helpful, and he makes us drill hard and go hard every time because he knows in time it will add up and we will be our best we can be, and I really do respect that.”
Sophomore Julian Alvarez talks about how much practice defines real-world situations that he can always overcome because “Coach Struck always tells us how wrestling is the hardest thing we do, and I believe that is true because without wrestling, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I have a tough mindset, strong skills, and great sportsmanship, and I think that all can go into defining your own character.”
Honaker said, “As much as I would like to win this weekend, I’m not just looking for a win — I’m really hoping that going against tough wrestlers will make me tougher. I think it’s all about my mentality. I believe if we really try as a team whole, we could make it this weekend.”
The boys’ wrestling team is on their climb for the gold, but every wrestler knows it’s not just about the gold and the glory, but it’s about the privilege they earn to wrestle and the people they do it with.
Vidt said, “We have our ups and downs, but the most important part of it all is that we keep our heads up and keep walking and never look back. I am so grateful to be a part of a team that pushes me past all my goals to go above and beyond.”
Senior Quintin Smith (WC 157) competes against a Madison High School wrestler, maintaining focus and strong defensive skills during the contest last Saturday. Photo by Mackenzie Stubblefield.
The Jeffersonville girls’ wrestling team etched its name into the history books Saturday, powering past the competition to win the first official Hoosier Hills Conference (HHC) Wrestling Tournament.
The Red Devils finished with 217 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Floyd Central’s 192, a 25-point margin that underscored Jeffersonville’s depth and dominance across the brackets.
Champions Lead the Charge
JHS crowned two individual champions: Fatima Carrillo (120 lbs) and Scarlett McRae (145 lbs) Both wrestlers delivered commanding performances, setting the tone for the title run as they earned all-conference honors.
Depth Secures Victory
While the champions grabbed headlines, Jeffersonville’s strength came from across the lineup.
Five wrestlers earned runner-up finishes: Abi Lemon, Valeria Ramirez, Abril Andres, Envy Diaz, and Yarely Solis, each contributing critical points to the team tally. They earned all-conference honorable mention honors.
The Red Devils also picked up podium finishes from the following athletes:
3rd Place: Levi Evans, Justise Clubb-Leon
4th Place: A’lia Griffith, Daytona Tripp
5th Place: Chloe Fischer
Coaches React
Head girls’ coach Joe Somerville praised the team’s effort and resilience throughout the day.
“This was a total team win, from our champions to the wrestlers battling for third, fourth, and fifth, every single point mattered,” he said. “Due to illness, we were without our 100-lb #1 seed Kristin Brown, so the rest of the team was determined earn every point possible. That’s what makes this group special.”
Girls’ wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports. This year’s wrestling season has started off with a big team, one that puts them at an advantage for the season.
Wrestling coach Danny Struck teaches a takedown with assistant coach Jeramiah Cain at a recent wrestling practice. The girls’ wrestlers compete Saturday, Nov. 8 at 9 a.m. at JHS. Photo by Isabella Stewart.
The wrestling team has done a lot of advertising to recruit athletes, handing out flyers, having the wrestlers talk to their friends and getting girls interested in coming to practice at least to watch.
Girls’ head coach Joe Somerville is excited to get athletes on the mat; he wants them to “be comfortable on the mat and be the best version of themselves.”
Somerville said, “We have lost a lot of seniors, a lot of leadership, but we have so many new girls out here. We have put seven weeks into pre- seasons and I think by mid-season everyone will be in great shape.”
Junior wrestler Levi Evans agreed. “With the loss (of seniors) we have so many new girls,” she said. “There is a lot of diversity on the team, and I think that we can really do something with all the diversity this season.”
Junior wrestler Kristin Brown has put in a lot of effort during pre-season, being there at practice to show leadership. She said, “The girls have been working extremely hard, and I have been there helping girls practice in hopes we will have a great season.”
The wrestling coaches have been preparing in the off-season as well, attending clinics and coaching conferences to prepare for the season.
Head wrestling coach Danny Struck said, “I have attended six clinics myself and a couple of national tournaments, and we’re just working to be our best we can be for the wrestlers.”
Wrestling coach Danny Struck teaches junior Levi Evans how to do a double leg takedown during a wrestling practice. Photo by Isabella Stewart.
A new support to the team is athletic director A.J. Moye, who has shown up to practices and been there for the team in his first season as AD.
Moye said, “I’m bringing what I’ve brought to every other team, and that’s just a lot of support. I’m just so excited. I’ve been talking with Danny a lot, and we’re both just so excited for this season ahead.”
Brown said the team appreciates Moye’s support. “I’m really happy that we have an athletic director who cares so much about the sport. I think he’s a great asset and I think we’re going to have a great season with him.”
The wrestlers are gearing up for their opener this Saturday at JHS at 9 a.m. They’re going against many teams, as they just had their first match on Wednesday. They won against Columbus East and had a loss to Jennings County.
Coming from a family of soccer players, the sport has always been a big part of Scarlett McRae’s life. McRae, a junior at Jeff High, has been playing soccer for almost 10 years now.
“If I had to pick one person that has inspired me the most when it comes to soccer, I would have to say my dad. Not only has he taught me about soccer my whole life, but he is also there after games to give me feedback, good and bad,” said McRae.
Junior Scarlett McRae on the field at a soccer practice. McRae is a dual sport athlete, playing soccer and wrestling for JHS. Photo by Aubrey Cummings.
In her three years on the Jeff High girls’ soccer team, McRae has had many accomplishments. Her freshman year she was awarded with The Rookie of the Year award. Halfway through her sophomore year she set a record for the most goals scored for the girls´ team and will continue on to add to that record this year.
Earning these accomplishments has put a lot of pressure on McRae to keep being the one of the best. This pressure has taken a toll on her confidence in her abilities. In order to overcome her lack of confidence before games she said, “I pray before games and then just go with the flow, remembering that it’s okay to make mistakes and that I don’t have to be perfect.”
McRae isn’t just a part of the Jeff soccer team, but also the Racing Louisville Academy team. It’s a great opportunity to get her name out there and to be seen by colleges and professional teams.
After high school McRae plans to go to college for sports physiology. She also wants to play for her college team and eventually for a professional team.
“She makes me want to keep getting better so I can improve and beat her but not in a super competitive way but in the way that we both want to make the team the best it can be,” stated Junior Abi Lemon, a teammate of McRae’s on the field and the mat.
Though soccer is her main sport, McRae is also a part of the girls´ wrestling team. She started her freshman year when Sian Rogers, a senior on the soccer and wrestling team, convinced her to give it a try, telling her it would help her at soccer.
Junior Scarlett McRae wrestles her opponent at the JHS meet with Moore High School in 2024. Photo by Ethan Bronson.
After a week of wrestling she decided it wasn’t for her but she still wanted to be involved, deciding to be a manager instead. By doing this she was allowed at the practices and meets. As time passed she realized how much fun her friends were having and decided to rejoin towards the end of that season. That year she made it to Semi-state with her team before ending the season. She then chose to come back the following year to continue to improve.
Wrestling coach Danny Struck described McRae as a driven and dedicated player.
“When given the opportunity Scarlett is always open to improving; she keeps her eye on her goals and does the things that make her and her team better,” he said.
McRae said competing in both sports has helped her compete on the soccer field and on the wrestling mat.
“Soccer allowed for me to have better and quicker foot work in wrestling that most girls didn’t have, and wrestling taught me how to not get pushed off the ball as easily and stand my ground in soccer.”
McRae has been described as a leader in everything she does. She strives to be the best person she can be and to help whoever she can. She looks forward to trying to beat Floyd Central and New Albany, along with helping her teammates score more this soccer season.
Going into wrestling later this year, she wants to win as many matches as she can and make it to state.
“Coming into both seasons I am excited to win,” McRae explained. “Also to help my teammates succeed and to see how far we can go.”
Senior Ben Land wrestles his opponent in November. Land advanced to Semi-State after this weekend’s Regionals and is the 285-lb weight class champion. Photo by Kirk Owen.
by Ifrah Daber
With the JHS wrestling season soon coming to an end, now is the time to better understand what goes into wrestling, be it the accomplishments, the struggle, and what goes into the sport both physically and mentally.
The Red Devils had 14 qualifiers in this weekend’s Regionals for male wrestlers at Johnson Arena. Both Ben Land and Aiden Stellato advanced to Semi-State.
It’s also the first year where girls’ wrestling is recognized as its own sport with a state tournament by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). Senior Kaylea Beauchamp was a state runner-up in the inaugural event.
“Wrestling means to struggle,” said coach Danny Struck when asked about some of the initial hurdles that come with wrestling. The mantra is repeated by members of the team and other coaches.
He spoke of the struggle to control one’s food intake and mental fight to stay in their weight class. His fellow coaches, Evan Myers and Joe Somerville, shared these sentiments.
Myers said, “Physically and mentally, it’s one of the most difficult sports.”
There are difficulties that come with any sport, but with how contact-heavy and the lack of teammates that can be on a mat, wrestling distinguishes itself with how steep of a learning curve newcomers must climb.
“Physically and mentally, it’s one of the most difficult sports.”
Wrestling coach Evan Myers
Myers also said, “The biggest gap is getting through the first week.”
But Somerville stated that even though it could be intimidating at first, over time it gets easier.
“It’s very difficult at first, but once they do it, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Discipline” and “struggle” are words that come up often for every sport, but for wrestlers, it seems to be a part of everything they do.
“Discipline is most of wrestling,” stated senior wrestler Montana Northern. He spoke of the discipline to watch his diet so he can keep weight, as well to train and get stronger.
Land, a two-time Regional champion with over 100 career wins, also spoke of discipline in training.
“You have to show up every day,” he stated about coming to practice and giving his all in practice.
Despite all the struggles that come with wrestling, from daily training to tumbling drills, conditioning, and hours of practice, many wrestling team members spoke highly of the experience of being on the team.
Senior Venus Plamp, who wrestles for the girls’ team, specifically spoke of the community that wrestling brings being one of their favorite aspects.
“The second you step into the wrestling room, boom, you have a family.”
Liking that sense of family and community given through wrestling was a sentiment that many shared.
Beauchamp spoke highly of the people on the team, and described “the mano a mano” of wrestling being a good way to reflect on herself as a wrestler and a person.
“It makes you sit down with yourself,” Beauchamp stated, saying being alone on the mat distinguishes wrestling from other sports, along with the discipline that it takes to do that self-reflection.
One season highlight was girls’ wrestling finally being recognized as its own sport statewide.
Plamp and Beauchamp both spoke for the girls’ team of the opportunity and excitement this brought them.
“It is a lot of excitement for the girls’ team,” stated Plamp.
Somerville also spoke of the growth of the girls’ team and the support that the boys’ team has given them. He even stated that, to him, one of the largest accomplishments of the year was that at sectionals the girls’ team wrestled their best of all time.
Girls’ wrestling has always been competing, but now they have more opportunities, more recognition, and more fellow women wrestlers to compete against.
With the season coming to an end, the wrestling team will be looking for new people to join. The team is extremely open for people to come and check out what they do, even if it’s just watching for the first time. From the physical benefits, to the discipline one can find, Myers’ final regards to those who wish to join is,
“Once you’ve wrestled, everything else is easy.”
Additional reporting by Sarah Baloucoune.
The boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams pose with their first-place trophy for Fern Creek Gladiator Tournament. Photo by Brian Juarez.
Update, Friday Night: Kaylea Beauchamp is the 2025 IHSAA Inaugural Girls’ State 135-lb Runner-Up.
Update, 4:06 p.m.: Senior Kaylea Beauchamp has advanced to the Final Four and is two wins away from a state title.
Update, 1 p.m.: Senior Kaylea Beauchamp advanced to the medal round in today’s state wrestling finals with a 2:37 pin.
by Ifrah Daber
Meet Kaylea Beauchamp, a senior athlete on the girls’ wrestling team, a Lady Devil wrestler, and regional champion that represents Jeff High in the inaugural IHSAA girls’ state tournament today.
Senior Kaylea Beauchamp competes against her Marion C. Moore High School opponent in December. Beauchamp competes today in the first IHSAA girls’ state wrestling finals. Photo by Brian Cardoza.
Beauchamp started wrestling in middle school. She was the only girl in a group of boys, making it difficult; thoughts of quitting came to her mind. She speaks of the struggle and overthinking that could come from comparing herself to the boys on her team.
“I know it’s a lot of overthinking when it comes to wrestling because you see the boys wrestling how they are, they’re nowhere near the girls. Girls wrestling is totally different, but we aren’t soft.”
Despite these challenges, she still recommended that other women try out for wrestling, stating that there are benefits that come with wrestling, from discipline to friendships.
“It teaches you far more about discipline than just getting on the mat and trying to dominate someone. It helps you gain friends, and it’s a really bonding time.”
All this discipline has paid off for Beauchamp, as she is now taking Jeff High to the first IHSAA girls’ state tournament finals today. She spoke on the feeling of representing the school at such a large event.
“It’s always fun to represent something and seeing how proud everyone is.”
JHS showed great pride in her indeed, from signing a piece of paper wishing her luck to having her teammates attending the tournament for support.
Senior Kaylea Beauchamp competes today in the inaugural IHSAA state girls’ wrestling final. Photo by Brian Cardoza.
With a new school year starting and seasons kicking off, many teams and coaches prepare for a year filled with hopeful achievements and golden medals. Through intense practice and hours of dedication that are put into these sports, student-athletes bring pride to JHS.
However, one must remember the coaches who built these players into the athletes they are today. A spotlight on several fall sport coaches reveals their backgrounds, interests, and goals for their Red Devil teams.
Girls’ Soccer Coach Julie Deuser
New girls’ soccer head coach Julie Deuser. Submitted photo.
Coach Deuser is a new addition to the JHS athletic team, taking over for former soccer coach Kallee Thornton. With big shoes to fill, Deuser has come in with a strong sense of determination. She has a long history of coaching at many different schools and playing for several more herself. For example, she coached at New Albany and led her team to the IHSAA Sectional Championship in 2012.
But now, she has big goals for the JHS girls’ soccer team.
“My biggest goal for this team is to see the girls grow and learn the game. I want this team to be competitive and respected in the area. We want girls to want to come to Jeffersonville to play soccer. The program is going to be transforming over the next few years. Long term, we want to win games and championships.”
“I think she’s going to take the soccer program in a positive direction,” senior and varsity player Jovie Golko. She has been playing soccer for all four years of high school and has vocalized her faith in her new coach’s ability to lead her and the rest of the team.
Head Co-ed Swim Coach Michael Pepa
Pepa is a face many students recognize from his teaching College and Careers for many freshman classes, but he is also the head coach for the JHS award-winning swim team.
Pepa had been a swimmer for many years before he was known for his coaching abilities. He started swimming in high school and he, like many, wasn’t the best when he first started. But after swimming through high school to college, he eventually became a record-holder in his sport.
With his 30 years of experience, Pepa passes wisdom onto his students. He pushes an idea of personal best, wanting each student to reach their potential.
“I love Pepa; He’s an amazing coach who built me into the swimmer I am today,” stated Romier Hunter-Lawrence, a senior swim team member.
JHS swimmers join principal Pam Hall and mayor Mike Moore for the new pool facility being built. Submitted photo.
But even after 30 years Pepa has more plans and hopes for the new year, from strong talent new and old, and the addition of a new pool in the coming months. There is much to look forward to for the swim team in the coming years.
Volleyball Coach Wesly Briscoe
Originally Briscoe had no plans for becoming the coach we all know him as today. He originally wanted to do more of a journalistic view of sports. He was the news and sports editor when he attended Floyd Central High School. He even did radio and TV. It was when he went off and became a student at UofL, sitting around one day, when his mother gave him an offer to coach volleyball.
JHS volleyball team. Submitted photo.
During the first few years of this new volleyball coaching career, Briscoe walked with a “chip on his shoulder.” He said he was coaching out of spite, but he learned to change his mentality.
His new values as a coach are that coaches should lead by example. They should strive for personal growth and push the students to be the best they can be.
“You could train like a tiger in the jungle or train like a tiger in the zoo” is one of Briscoe’s mantras about pushing himself and his students to train to be the best version.
This mantra is one any student should remember if they want to join the volleyball team in the near future. As Briscoe also shared, volleyball is not an easy sport to just pick up – it will take time and practice but the results will lead the athlete to find improvement and self-pride.
Assistant Wrestling Coach Evan Myers
Myers has been coaching at JHS his entire coaching career and similar to a past coach on the list, Myers didn’t originally plan on being a coach. He was interested in journalism, which led him to become an English teacher. Since he wrestled while in high school, along with a strong love for teaching, he took an opportunity to be a JHS wrestling coach when he heard that the position was available.
2024 IHSAA Sectional Wrestling Champions. Submitted photo.
Myers said that personal responsibility is a key part of wrestling.. Unlike many other sports where athletes are surrounded by teammates on a field or court, wrestling has only the athlete and the opponent on the mat. This means each wrestler must carry the win or loss on his or her shoulders.
He added that the sport requires a lot of tough training from the strength that is required to pin another wrestler, which adds physical stress to the body.
However, this training can pay off, for example, for JHS senior Ben Land, who competed at National Tournaments, as well as for other wrestlers on the team.
“Great pain comes with great reward,” Myers said, believing that the best way to succeed is to work for it, as many of his students have done and have received the benefits.
Myers’s love for teaching, his students, and the sport drive him every year to push and grow the team. He has much hope for the upcoming year and for all the talent new and old that are in the team.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the way we live our lives in many ways, one major thing it has affected is athletes and their sports. Some sports are not as affected as others such as cross country, where they can still run the same trails while being socially distant.
Other sports that are close contact such as wrestling have had to change their routines significantly to keep at their success. Junior Wrestler Dillon Mouser says their entire practice schedule has been altered compared to last year. “Last year, we used to be able to just switch partners. Now we have pods of 4 people , and we can’t drill, lift, or practice with anyone outside of our pods. Typically we practice with only one person in our pod until it’s time to wrestle each other for a live match.”
Mouser says they also had to split up into separate rooms. “Stations 1 and 2 are mat 1 , and 2 are in the same room but divided by a curtain. Station 3 is the weight room. Station 4 is mat 3 , which we moved upstairs. Sixteen people on one mat, and obviously we wear our masks everywhere except for when we are on the mat, and every time we switch stations we sanitize.”
Wrestling team members gather around a teammate to offer support before at match at the December 5 meet. Photo by Paige Moore
Practice routines aren’t just the only thing COVID-19 has affected. Varsity wrestler Evan Clayton decided to switch to online school to lessen his risk of exposure during wrestling season. “Online school makes it harder to get work done because you aren’t in the classroom learning first hand and you lack the motivation you would normally have in class,” Clayton says. “But it wasn’t a hard decision knowing I can maintain my grades and not risk missing out on a big part of the season,” he adds.
Over Christmas break, Clayton got quarantined, and not getting quarantined leading into sectionals was a big part of his decision. “I live fairly far from most of my family, but when I got quarantined over Christmas I was upset because I couldn’t go see my grandma, and that was pretty hard for me.” Clayton intends to stay in online school until he can finish up his season and the school quarter to learn the material easier and prepare for his AP tests.
The decision to participate in a team sport has affected some wrestlers at home also. Some athletes’ relatives have health problems that would put them at risk if they contracted COVID-19.
Even before COVID-19, being an athlete required making tough trade-offs. For athletes this year, the stakes seem more significant and the choices more complicated — but the drive to compete has not gone away
JHS senior opens up about new recycling program, busy schedule, and the diversity of Jeff High
Many know 17-year-old Jeffersonville High School senior Adonis Boyd. But what they may not know is that Boyd is the driving force behind the school’s new recycling program. Boyd is well-rounded and is involved in numerous extracurriculars including Key Club, Student Council and Friends of Rachel. He is also an awarded wrestler and is involved in track as well. His participation in sports is one of the reasons he got the idea for the recycling program.
Senior Adonis Boyd collects recycling. (Photo by Bella Bungcayao)
“Well, I drink a lot of water, like with all the things I do, with all the sports,” Boyd said. “I get really dehydrated really quick. So I always bring two water bottles to school with me and I realized that kind of adds up.” He also noticed other things that should be recycled instead of being tossed in the trash. “Sometimes I’ll go to the copier room if I need to run something for a teacher,” he said. “And they just have so much paper…and there’s just nothing to do with it. They just throw it away, and it can go to something. It can do something bigger.”
Boyd also loves the diversity at Jeff High, saying that it’s “a big mesh of a lot of people.” “It’s very real worldish,” he said. “Like the other schools, they’re going to be like one group of people that stand out. But here, everybody really gels together really well. There’s a lot of diversity. It’s just a really great place to be to set you up for the real world.”
Boyd wants to make a difference in this world by increasing diversity and helping the community through recycling. He wishes to bring the diversity that Jeff High shows to the outside world. “With other schools there can be subgroups,” he said. “Of course Jeff High has those subgroups but within those subgroups people are also intertwined to other groups. It’s not just like one person rules everything. Everyone is friends with everybody and I just wish that we could take that to the outside world. Because in the outside world people can very groupish. It’s very stereotypical. Like, ‘Oh I see them. I don’t hang out with them.’ But here we don’t see any of that. We see everyone for how they are as a person. Like I can be friends with anybody. And that’s wonderful.”
Coming off a successful HHC Tournament last weekend, the Jeffersonville Red Devils co-ed wrestling team is prepared to end the season on a strong note. Four wrestlers earned all-conference honors (1st place) in the HHC Tournament: Ethan Rogers, Devin McDaniels, Matt Munoz and Cody Matherly. Rogers, a senior who has wrestled for two years, says it takes a lot of commitment to win. “Wrestling is really hard,” he said. “We stay after, come in the mornings, put in extra work.” Sophomore Connor Pangburn, a JV wrestler, says team support makes a difference, too. “When you’re on that mat, you’re out there by yourself, but you have a whole team behind you. Everybody’s watching you and wants you to win.”
Senior wrestler Ethan Rogers faces off against his opponent from Charlestown High School. (Photo by Paige Moore)
Senior wrestler Cody Matherly takes a breath during a tough match. (Photo by Paige Moore)
This season has also featured strong performances from Jeff High’s female wrestlers. Last Friday, Chrissy True won the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling Association State Title. Emelly Valezquez and Mia Compton both took third place. Overall, the girls wrestling team won 5th place in the state competition. Compton says wrestling in a girls-only event is a bit unsettling. “When you’re going against a girl, it makes you a little nervous because you’re used to going against guys, and in the matches the guy usually wins,” she said. “But once you come out on top [in a girls tournament], it’s like boom … she’s powerful!” In only its first year, Jeff High girl’s wrestling team is already putting the other teams on notice.
The Girls Wrestling team proudly shows off their awards after qualifying for state. (Submitted photo)
Although the regular season is nearly over (the last regular-season meet is tonight at home versus New Albany), fans will have more opportunities to cheer on the wrestling team at home. Jeff High will host the IHSAA sectional tournament on February 1, as well as the regional tournament on February 8.
Jeffersonville High School has a new state champion.
Camyle Cain, a wrestler in the 138-pound weight class on the female circuit, won the Indiana state competition on Jan. 19 — just one year after the first-ever state competition for girls, in which she placed second against Alara Boyd, the second-ranked female wrestler in the world in her weight class.
“I’ve never felt something so exciting,” Cain said on her experience at the state tournament. “Everyone is so welcoming and nice. Even if you’re going against the girl, she’ll help you warm up.”
Cain was convinced to join the wrestling team by head wrestling and strength & conditioning coach Danny Struck, who has been coaching at Jeff for over 20 years. While she excels on the mat, Cain’s first love was the football field.
“I didn’t want to originally,” Cain said on joining the wrestling team. “Struck would ask me everyday to come. He would say ‘if you don’t like it, don’t come back. Just try it.’ I didn’t like it the first week, but I kept going, and a month down the road, I realized I really liked this sport.”
Cain joined the football team her freshman year, and played under head coach Lonnie Oldham. During her first year, she built relationships with her coaches, including Alfonzo Browning, who would eventually go on to become the head coach.
Cain’s wrestling coaches have helped pave the path to a state title, and her football coach would end up accompanying her to the state championship
“It meant a lot to me, especially after everything we’ve been through over the last four years,” said Browning, on taking Cain to State. “I was honored to be able to take her up there.”
While Cain enjoyed the experience, a high school athlete’s goal is to win a state championship. Her hard work got her all the way to the championship match after winning the first two matches in the competition.
Cain went into her final match with a 8-0 record against female opponents, including a first place finish in the USA preseason national tournament and regional champion.
In dominating performance, her first two wins of the tourney would come by the way of pin. As the favorite, Cain would eventually make her way to the championship round, where she would face off against Westfield High School’s Melody Barrows.
During the final, she continued her impressive display, pinning her opponent less than two minutes into the match.
“When I won I couldn’t even control myself,” Cain said. “I really didn’t know how to act.”
The win is not only a tremendous accomplishment for Cain herself, but a groundbreaking accomplishment for the girls who could potentially follow down the same path.
“She improved both physically and mentally,” Struck said. “She’s grown up and she’s much better at keeping her emotions in check.”
It’s safe to say the win brought a lot of attention to Cain, and she has received an abundance of support from the students and teachers around the building.
“Every time Coach Browning sees me, he’ll say ‘what’s up champ’,” Cain said. “Everyone is so excited for me.”
Although Cain won a state championship, there will always be people who doubt and hate excellence, especially as a female exceeding in a predominantly male sport. Cain is no exception.
“I do get some crap for it. Some people say, ‘You didn’t really win state because you’re a girl,’” Cain said. “I don’t really know why. I guess they are just jealous.”
Regardless of the naysayers, Cain shined on her way to a state title, utterly dominating her competition.
“She’s got a runner-up against the second-ranked wrestler in the world and a state title; that’s a nice resume for when she goes for the All-Marine team,” Struck said.
With the backing of her coaches, teammates and classmates, Cain made her championship dream come true.
“I can’t believe I won state,” Cain said. “That’s something every athlete dreams to do.”
Cain finished her high school career on top, but it’s not the end of the road for the outstanding Red Devil. Although she has yet to pick out a college, Cain fully intends on wrestling post-high school, and the school that she decides to attend will be getting a girl who is ready to work.
“I just want to get better,” Cain said. “Get better for when I further it.”
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