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LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER

Four Trojans advance to state tourney

Four Parkland girls wrestlers will compete in the state championship meet in Hershey next week. The Trojans took third place as a team Sunday in the PIAA Southeast Regional Championships at Quakertown High School with two third-place finishers and two fourth-place finishers at the tournament.

Senior Angelina Spachman took third place at 136 pounds.

Spachman lost her opening bout at the tournament then wrestled back with three straight pins in the consolation bracket to finish third. She pinned North Penn’s Godie Hart in the third-place bout in 3:18.

“I wasn’t thinking about states,” said Spachman, who makes her second straight trip to the state championships after a second-place finish there last year. “I was just focused on today. I defended shots pretty well in a couple of those matches.”

Parkland junior Lizkarla Grullon-Vasquez (190) also finished third at regionals.

Grullon-Vasquez won a 1-0 decision in the opening round before falling in semifinals. She pinned two opponents in the first period or her next bouts at the exact same time, 1:39.

The second of those pins came against Abington’s Chelsea Kamgaing in the third-place bout. The first of the pins sealed a top-four finish and her second straight trip to the state championships.

“I was very relieved,” said Grullon-Vasquez. “I was overjoyed. I was ready to go to states. I wanted that win.”

Peyton Schneck was fourth at 106 pounds. The sophomore won her first match with a 5-2 sudden victory decision before falling in semifinals.

Schneck rebounded with a win in her first consolation bout before dropping her third-place bout 1-0 to Souderton’s Holly McKinney.

“I think I wrestled pretty well,” said Schneck, who qualified for regionals for the first time this year. “It was a very fast tournament. The energy was a little off but I think I wrestled pretty well.

“It was great because going from not doing any of this to going to states is awesome.”

Trojan junior Natalie Deutsch placed fourth at the tournament.

Deutsch, who moved down to 148 in the postseason after wrestling at 155 during the regular season, pinned her first opponent but got pinned in semifinals. She won a consolation bout to get to the third-place match where she was pinned by Daniella Maxwell (North Penn).

“I made some mistakes but I know what I need to work on now,” said Deutsch, who made her first trip to regionals this year and will compete at states for the first time. “I’m very excited. I’ve never wrestled this weight class so I don’t know what to expect.”

Parkland freshman Laura Volpe (142) also competed at regionals.

PRESS PHOTO BY TAJ FALCONERLizkarla Grullon-Vasquez is congratulated during the PIAA Southeast Regional Championsips.
PRESS PHOTO BY TAJ FALCONERPeyton Schneck took fourth place at regionals last weekend.
PRESS PHOTO BY TAJ FALCONERNatalie Deutsch will make her first trip to the state championships after placing fourth at regionals.