The Kentucky State Wrestling tournament took place from Thursday, February 27th – Saturday. March 1st. Girls state was a one day tournament that took place on Thursday. Boys was a two day tournament on Friday and Saturday. Woodford County had a total of 7 Wrestlers and 1 alternate. On the girls’ side, Ana Tierney wrestled in the 107 lb. weight class, London Mosley wrestled in the 114 lb. weight class, and Lacey Gilbert in the 120 lb. weight class. For the boys, Isaac RIchards wrestled the 120 pound weight class, Caleb Rogers wrestled the 126 pound weight class, Isaac Johns wrestled the 150 pound weight class and Braylen Livingston wrestled the 165 pound weight class. Bode Darland was an alternate and weighed in for the 190 pound weight class.
Photo credit- Bill Caine
The Girls State Tournament was a success, with Ana Tierney taking home 3rd place and Lacey Gilbert taking home her 2nd gold and winning 1st place. Girls wrestling has grown rapidly in the past couple of years, skyrocketing to over 60,000 girls — a 55 percent increase in participation. I believe that Ana and Lacey could be some of the stepping stones to grow girls wrestling in Woodford County.
Photo credit- Bill Caine
Ana in the first round would take down Leah Boggs from Campbell County with a tech fall and score of 17-1. Heading into the 2nd round, she would face Isabell Walker from Hopkinsville. This would result in Another Ana Tierney win by fall. Ana would then face Ava Castleman from Scott County High School. This would be one of the determining factors through the tournament. After a hard fought match, Ana would come up defeated. Castleman would go on to win the 107-pound weight class for a state championship. Ana would be sent to the blood rounds and be forced to wrestle back for 3rd place. Ana would face Madison Leonard from Central Hardin in the consolation semi-finals. After a very tough but entertaining match, Ana would come out on top with a 5-4 win. Going into the 3rd and 4th place match, Ana was motivated to win. She would be facing Payton Pomeroy from PRP High School. Ana would dominate the match, winning by pin. Ana Tierney would take home 3rd place as just a freshman. Expect to see a state champion out of Ana Tierney in the years to come. Ana says, “It’s special because I have worked very hard over the past 3 years to be good enough to do something like this. I stay motivated though, because of the wins and making my father proud. “
Photo credit- Bill Caine
Lacey Gilbert would dominate her way through the state tournament. She would pin Allison Dye from Harrison County in the first 44 seconds, moving her on to round 2. In round 2, Ana would face Alexis Gibson from Greenup County. This would result in another Lacey first-round pin. This time in only 49 seconds. Going into the semi-finals, Lacey would face Aaliyah Davis from Lafayette. Lacey would have another dominant win, this time being a major decision 8-0 win. This would put Lacey in the State Finals with a chance to go back-to-back. Lacey would be taking on Brailey Jackson from the dominant wrestling powerhouse, Union County. Lacey would take control of the whole match, not letting any chance slip away. Lacey would win by Major decision 14-1 and win her 2nd state title.
Photo credit- Bill Caine
Isaac Johns was the only boys state placer, however he would do so in a dominant fashion. In the first round, Isaac would take on Andrew Clayton from Taylor County in the first round. However, this would not last long, as Isaac would pin him in just the first 47 seconds. In the second round, Isaac would face off against Triton Moncrief of Fredrick Douglas High school, who he has seen many times before, however this turn out would be no different, as Isaac would beat Triton Handedly with another pin. Going into the quarterfinals, Isaac would be facing off against his biggest and best opponent yet in a match that people say would decide the state champion. A rematch from the 2024 State finals, a match where Isaac came out on top. Isaac’s opponent, Hunter Jenkins of Union County. Hunter has made a name for himself across the state of Kentucky as well as the country. With a 43-3 record, he was ready to shock the state of Kentucky. However that would not happen, as Isaac Johns knew what he had to do and was prepared. Isaac would come out on top with a 2-1 decision in one of the most entertaining matches of the year. Isaac would advance to the state semifinals where he would take on Boyle County’s very own Judah Carey. Isaac would dominate the whole match and win by another pin. In the State Finals, Isaac would be looking to win his second state title in as many years. He would be taking on Ryan Smith of Johnson Central. Ryan is a junior who has had an outstanding season with a record of 43-5. However this was no match for the defending state champ. Isaac would dominate every aspect of the match. From the tie up, to the ground, Isaac dominated. Isaac would win by a 7-0 decision and win his second state championship after a wonderful highschool career. Isaac will be moving on to wrestle division one at Bellarmine University and continue his dominance. Isaac stated after his state championship win: “A few things keep me motivated to wrestle. I love seeing myself improve and working towards the best version of myself. I also am a big goal setter. I like to set high goals for myself and that helps me push myself every day.” Isaac says his plans after high school are to wrestle Division 1 for Bellarmine University and to major in Exercise Science to work towards becoming a dietitian.
Photo credit- Bill Caine
High school wrestling in Woodford County is a staple to the culture, and I don’t plan on seeing it leaving any time soon. With the new addition of 4 time state champ and local legend, Coach Harrison Courtney, the winning mentality in Woodford County will be even bigger and better now. Expect to see more state championships to come for Woodford County wrestling.
