Riverhead girls vie for wrestling championships
Two Riverhead girls’ wrestlers are heading to the New York State championships. The routes taken to get there couldn’t have been more different.
Miiko Foster, the reigning Suffolk County champion in the 185-pound weight division as a freshman last year, had an up-and-down sophomore campaign. She lost twice over the course of the season, losing her No. 1 ranking, battling to get it back before the Suffolk County championships took place.
After the opening rounds of the championships were in the rearview mirror on Saturday at Bellport High School, the remaining wrestlers took to the mat at Stony Brook University on Sunday, Feb. 15, to finish the semifinals and, in time, crown a champion.
Foster defeated Valery Cerrato in the semifinals, and she waited for the results of the other semifinal between Scotlynn Peihler and Kyleigh Kershner, both of which handed her a loss this season. Peihler later advanced to the finals on a narrow 2-1 decision. That’s when the anxiety kicked in.
Warming up on the sidelines as the lower weight classes were playing their championship round, Foster was pacing back and forth. Suddenly, though, she rushed over to the garbage can, took another sip of water, before throwing up.
“Pregame jitters,” she whispered to a teammate that went to go check on her. “I’ll be fine.”
Before she knew it, her name was called. It was show time.
“As soon as I get on the mat, whatever is going on — the anxiety, the nervousness, the overthinking — cancels itself out,” Foster said. “It’s game on. I’m on this mat now and I’m going to win. It’s just me and her and the mat. I just love it.”
She was ready as soon as the lights shone down on her. After a short tussle, Foster got to her signature move and hip-tossed Peihler onto her back. The sophomore continued to fight for position on the ground before the referee called the pin just one minute and seven seconds into the match.
“The last time Miiko lost to her, she made a mistake,” Bellport Surge wrestling coach Edwin Perry said. “She tussled with her for too long and played into her game. We wanted her to get offensive early today, and now she’s a two-time champ. She’s been working so hard, we’re so proud of her.”
Despite the losses early in the season, Foster never wavered. She just continued to work on her craft, waiting for the eventual rematch she knew she would get.
“It only made me work harder to win,” Foster said. “When I slipped in the rankings, it definitely bothered me a bit, but I know what I’m capable of and I’m always trying to improve my game.”
Evelyn Torres Reyes, a Riverhead senior, took a loss against the No. 1 seed and teammate on the Bellport Surge wrestling team, Caitlin Maragioglio, which dropped her to the loser’s bracket. Her chances to make it to the New York State championships seemingly slipped, but she kept fighting. Torres Reyes eventually defeated Adrianna D’Agostino 10-0 by technical fall to secure third place in the 132-pound weight division.
The problem is, only the top two finishers make it to the states. So, for all intents and purposes, her season was over. Once all the championship ceremonies took place, however, Suffolk County announced a true second match. If the second- and third-place finishers did not face each other, they would battle for second place and a spot in the state championships.
“I knew she had a chance to win,” Perry said. “Evelyn has been steadily improving since she started. Once she gets on top, she’s hard to beat.”
Torres Reyes got behind 2-0 before finding a takedown and quickly securing a pin in just 29 seconds of wrestling time. Suddenly, she was no longer on the outside looking in. She was states-bound.
“These two girls are the face of Riverhead wrestling, and I hope it inspires more girls to join,” Perry said. “To have two girls in states shows what can be accomplished if you set your mind to it.”
The New York State girls wrestling championships will take place Thursday, Feb. 26, at the MVP Arena in Albany.
