DP girls wrestling seniors proud of prep careers

DR. PHILLIPS — It was roughly three-and-one-half years ago when Brandolyn Henry and Joanelly Ramirez, then sophomores at Dr. Phillips, both found themselves attracted to a new sport at the school — girls wrestling.

“It was different — no one had ever talked about girls wrestling, so I wanted to try something new,” Henry, now a senior for the Panthers, said.

Dr. Phillips is the only school in the West Orange Times & Observer’s coverage area that offers girls wrestling. For girls such as Henry and Ramirez, it offers a chance to be a part of something new, something different — and it also presented a chance to be a part of the school’s storied athletics department on campus.

The two girls recently wrestled on their Senior Night, against Freedom, with each girl winning her respective match via pin. Three years later, Ramirez said she can still remember those first few practices and getting used to the rigorous conditioning of the sport.

“It was really hard at first; the conditioning is really hard,” Ramirez said.

Still, both girls said they knew wrestling was something they wanted to stick with — and improve at.

“My sophomore year was hard — I don’t think I won one match,” Ramirez said. “But I stuck with it, and now, I’m doing really well.”

Ramirez is currently 10-3, and she and Henry are the “big sisters” on the five-member squad, which Henry said is like a big family.

Henry said the mental aspect of the sport is what drew her to it, and that’s what keeps her interest piqued to this day.

“I like the mind game of it — it’s kind of psychological,” Henry said. “It’s kind of an analytical sport more than just combat and fighting.”

The girls participated in a meet at Timber Creek on Tuesday, after press time, and will now prepare for the State Meet, scheduled for Feb. 7 at Liberty High School. Both girls said it will be important for them and their teammates to make weight at the big meet, so they do not have to change classifications in the most important matches of the year.

The two girls both take pride in their chosen sport for their high school years — that they are helping to pioneer it and also that they stuck with it.

“When I tell people, they usually typically think it’s pretty cool,” Ramirez said. “When you’re a girl and you stick with it, it’s pretty rewarding.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].