Growing Carrollton girls wrestling program is in a good spot

Girls’ wrestling is a growing sport and Carrollton is right in the middle of the growth spurt. As Lionel Woods enters his fourth year as head coach of the fledgling program, he’s in an enviable spot.

Coming off a 2024-25 year in which the Lady Warriors finished with a 3-2-1 record, including a 2-2 mark in the Eastern Buckeye Conference, Carrollton lost but one letter winner, Kailey Delawder.

Returning letter winners are led by junior Riley Alborn, who wrestles at 190 pounds. Alborn is two for two so far when it comes to qualifying and placing at the OHSAA state tourney; as a freshman, she placed fourth, then returned in 2025 and picked up a 14-13 decision to finish third.

Also returning are sophomore Paityn Crank (135), who was a state alternate last year, and senior Kira McDaniel (125) and junior Ashly Jasso (145), both district qualifiers. Sophomore Faith McDaniel (115) rounds out the list of returning letter winners.

Adding to the mix are three promising new faces: juniors Juliana Miller and Breanne Arquilla and freshman Kristin Hawkins. They may be new to the team, but Woods doesn’t see these three as newcomers.

“This season our younger class are coming in with experience after getting the fundamentals from (Carrollton Middle School) coach Kevin Owens and coach Richard Amos, which leads into more experience,” said Woods.

Woods may be concerned about numbers, but he doesn’t have one question about the quality of the athletes he’s got on the team.

“Numbers are a big factor,” he said. “We need more girls to come out for wrestling. More participation is going to help our long-term and short-term success.”

As mentioned previously, wrestling is still a new sport, so coaches have to teach the basics of a sport that is, in many ways, foreign to girls. It’s a challenge that Woods welcomes, however.

“As always wrestling is a newer sport for girls, so it’s just getting used to the timing, aggression, and technique that’s not normally taught to girls,” he said. “However, these young ladies are resilient and I believe with commitment and support from family and community they will embrace the hard work and succeed.”

Having compiled an overall coaching record of 19-8-1, Woods expects and produces successful results. Don’t expect anything different this season when the Lady Warriors take to the mat.

“I believe as always our girls will be physically ready to go, in shape with grit and determination,” said Woods. “I believe we should be top two or three again this season.”