Groton girls wrestling off to strong start

By Ryan Gineo

There’s no dispute that girls wrestling is the nation’s fastest-growing sport across the nation. That trend has been especially evident in Groton, and it’s continued to flourish early on this season.

The Red Hawks had three girls wrestlers last season. They now have seven, enough to field the first-ever girls wrestling varsity team in school history and compete in dual meets with other girls wrestling teams in Section IV. Head coach Jayme Evans is elated to see the sport expand not just in town, but throughout the entire state.

“The growth in girls is awesome,” Evans said. “I love watching it. It’s exploding every year… the girls’ side is just getting big, and the opportunities are wonderful to watch. They’re getting a whole bunch of opportunities, get on the mat, show what they can do.”

The Red Hawks have soared out the gates to start off the season. They first took fourth place at the Larry Goodrich Invitational, where three wrestlers—Carmen Bishop, Phoebe Bishop, and Leontine Evans—recorded individual victories. Those same wrestlers came out on top the following week at the Union-Endicott Tradesman Tournament. Their hot start is a testament to all the work they put in during the offseason, specifically with Crown City Wrestling Club.

“Wrestling went to freestyle this year in high school for the girls’ side,” Evans said. “It’s not folkstyle like the boys’ side, so it was a really good learning curve for the summertime to get in that room and really learn the new freestyle moves. Carmen, Phoebe, Leontine and Lacy [Batzer] all put some time in over there this summer, and it’s starting to show. Kudos to that program for really getting these girls where they need to be. And then circling the girls that are brand new, they got some really, really, really good practice partners in our room right now that’s helping them along the way also.”

Carmen Bishop is one of the youngest wrestlers on the Red Hawks as an eighth grader. But she made a name for herself last time out as just a seventh grader by winning a sectional title in the 114-pound weight class. She’s more than held her own against even older competition. Last month, she finished in third place at the Alfred State Open and has a 7-3 record against collegiate wrestlers. Having that level of success against such difficult opponents will no doubt set her up for success this season and for years to come.

“It’s been a crazy growth,” Evans said. “This summer, I watched her beat some nationally-ranked girls. She’s a tough cookie. Watching her place at that college open was pretty eye-opening… She’s gotten so much better over the summer. It’s gonna be fun to watch these girls go all year long, and hopefully get to that state tournament.”

Wrestling seems to be strong in the Bishop bloodline. Her younger sister Phoebe is also excelling in her seventh-grade season, winning the 94-pound weight class titles in the opening two tournaments of the year.

“Phoebe is probably one of the most technical girl wrestlers I’ve ever watched,” Evans said. “She doesn’t freak out. She doesn’t get worried. She’s smart on the mat. She knows where she is at all times. She puts in a lot of work like all the other girls. But most of all, in our wrestling group, she’s wrestling girls 20-25 pounds heavier [than her], and that actually helps with the strength part, too.”

From the youngest wrestler on the Red Hawks to the oldest one, Leontine Evans is off to a dominant start. Across her pair of 235-pound weight class tournament victories, the senior has pinned seven of her eight opponents, with the other win occurring due to a medical forfeit. Her father and head coach wants her to savor her final season with the Red Hawks.

“Since she’s my daughter, I just want her to have fun and enjoy it,” Evans said. “It’s her senior year. No stress, nothing like that. I just want her to enjoy her senior year, have a good time and just put all that work she put in the summertime on the mat.”

This season is also historic because it will feature the first-ever full state tournament for girls wrestling, expanding upon the one-day invitational that was held last year. While Evans wants to send as many wrestlers as possible to states, the bigger picture is fostering a strong team bond.

“As a team, we like to create the family atmosphere,” Evans said. “We like to have a family unit. All of our girls get along just perfect. It’s like a big, giant family from kindergarten all the way up to all the seniors, one big family. They’re all in each other’s corners… That’s what we promote, and our goal is just to do our absolute best and get the kids where they need to be at the end of the year.”