Guerrier takes on boys varsity wrestling

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Photo courtesy of Robert Senn Photography .Sarah Guerrier, a junior at Austintown Fitch, is the first female wrestler to win a trophy at the Josh Hephner Memorial Tournament. Guerrier is the only girl on the wrestling team at Fitch.

By GRACE WYLER gwyler@vindy.com

At 103 pounds, it is hard to tell at first glance that Sarah Guerrier is a force to be reckoned with.

The Austintown Fitch junior is the only female member of the varsity wrestling team. She is also the first female to be awarded a trophy the Josh Hephner Memorial Tournament, which took place Jan. 22-23.

“I like to see how far I can push my body within six minutes,” she said. “I like to see how much I can withstand.”

Guerrier, who wrestles in the 103-pound division, finished eighth overall in the Hephner.

“It felt really good,” she said. “I got my first three pins of the year, and I lettered in varsity.”

Guerrier, who was the first female to compete in the sectional tournament last year, will also compete in women’s wrestling, which starts after the end of the high school season.

Women’s competition includes small state championships and a national tournament with up to 40 girls in each weight class, she said.

Last year, Guerrier finished seventh in the nation in female competition.

“She has done an outstanding job at 103,” said head wrestling coach Brett Powell. He said that before Guerrier and former teammates Monica Moffa and Jessica Smith joined the team, he had never coached girls.

Smith, who competed in last year’s Olympic trials, will forgoe high school competition this year to compete in the women’s season. She plans to compete at Cumberland College in Kentucky next year. Moffa is out for the season due to injury.

“They did everything that the guys did and they got better as wrestlers,” Powell said. “They have adapted to the sport and the boys have adapted to them being there.”

Guerrier, who has been wrestling since she was in fifth grade, said that she has gained respect from her male teammates as a result of her hard work.

“It takes a while for them to accept you. But once they do, it’s like they are family,” she said. “The boys on the team have a lot of respect for me now.”

Guerrier plans to continue wrestling in college, where she also plans to compete in cross country and track and field. At Fitch, Guerrier competes in the 5,000-meter run, the 3,200-meter run and the 1,600-meter run. She plans to be a pre-med major.