Joliet Central spoils Plainfield Central’s senior night, but growth of girls wrestling evident

PLAINFIELD – The final result of Monday’s match between the Joliet Central and Plainfield Central girls wrestling programs was never in question.

Plainfield Central carried only six wrestlers on its roster and two were out, leaving just four available to compete. The final score of 63-11 wasn’t a surprise. The score was 48-0 before Plainfield Central sent a wrestler to the mat.

But that’s not what Monday was about.

For Plainfield Central, Monday was about recognizing the three seniors on the roster for helping them to field a team this season. For Joliet Central, it was about getting four of their wrestlers ready for the eventual postseason chase.

For Alicia Tucker, Zyon Jordan, and Miah Banda (who wasn’t available to wrestle), Monday was about having the work they put in over the years to help grow the girls wrestling brand at Plainfield Central recognized.

That’s especially true for Tucker, who won a state championship in 2023 and has her eyes on another title this year.

“(Plainfield Central) will always hold a special place in my heart,” Tucker said. “I was the first girl on the team my freshman year. Just watching it grow from there has just been an amazing experience Being able to watch all of these girls learn and helping them learn has been amazing.”

That growth should only continue, as Joliet Central would know. This is the first year the girls' team has competed on its own after having shared a coop program with Joliet West. Now, they carry a wrestler at every weight.

Coach Marcus McCullum expressed pride in how his team has grown over the years.

“I’ve been very impressed (with the growth of the program),” he said. “I’ve just been really proud of how they’ve continued to improve and get better within the sport. Girls wrestling could be a global phenomenon just like the boys side. I’m happy with the results that we’re getting and with the numbers that we have.”

As for the matches that actually took place, there were positives and negatives to take away for each program.

The first round of the 140-pound match saw little to no action as it remained scoreless. Nadya McCottrall managed to take a 3-1 edge over Aaliyah Banda entering the final round before winning 7-2 for the Steelmen.

The 145-pound bout didn’t take long to settle. Jaylin Ingram defeated Niamh Patterson by fall with 20 seconds remaining in the opening round to keep the Steelmen undefeated on the evening.

“I was a little nervous but it wasn’t that hard,” Ingram said. “It’s been pretty cool seeing like fifty girls come out for us earlier this year and to see us win and all that.”

Tucker was the brightest spot for the Wildcats, winning by technical fall 18 seconds into the second round over Gianna Guerrero at 170.

The final match was at 235 between Zyon Jordan of the Wildcats and Valerie Hernandez of the Steelmen. That one was also a bright spot for the Wildcats as Jordan won by fall in less than a minute.

The Steelmen got the team victory and earned a pair of individual victories in competed matches. The Wildcats got two wins and celebrated their seniors. By any metric, that’s not a bad night.

“Those three seniors have helped build our program when it was nothing,” Wildcats coach Kyle Hildebrand said. “We’ve now gotten to the point where we’re able to have duels on our own here. They’ve played a huge role and they will be greatly missed next year.”