OBSERVER File Photo by Ashleigh Brown Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Noli Paddock is wrestling in the 138-pound semifinals of the Section VI girls wrestling championships on Sunday at Steele Hall on SUNY Fredonia’s campus.

FREDONIA — A year ago Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Noli Paddock was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the inaugural Section VI girls wrestling state qualifier.

During the preliminary matches of the state qualifier at Sweet Home High School on Thursday, Paddock was once again outstanding as she along with 20 other local girls qualified for Sunday’s semifinals at SUNY Fredonia.

Now in her sophomore season, Paddock has moved up to the 138-pound bracket. She lived to the No. 1 billing in the preliminary matches with a 10-0 technical fall over Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Kennedy Licthenthal and then pinned CSAT’s Jasmine Scriven in 2:04 for her spot in the semifinals.

In order to reach the finals again she will have to face off against teammate Zoey Kling, who reached the semis the same way with a technical-fall win over Medina’s Britton Brady 12-2 and then pinned Royalton-Hartland/Barker’s Norah Klug 2:46.

On the other side of the 138-pound bracket, Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Braelynn Wicks reached the semis as the No. 2 seed with technical falls over Ken-Ton’s Haillie Vetter-Higgins 12-2 and then CSAT’s Sasha Ngandu 13-0. If Wicks hopes to reach states again she will need to defeat Portville’s Hudson Forness Thomas in the semis and then post a decision in the final over either Paddock or Kling.

If a wrestler loses in the semifinals they still can make it to states if placed in a match for True Second and comes out on top. Section VI will have an automatic qualifier for second place at 132 pounds, 138 pounds, 145 pounds, 152 pounds, 165 pounds, 185 pounds and 235 pounds.

Dunkirk’s Eva Colon-DeJesus still could wrestle as high as second, but would need to have Forness Thomas win the bracket.

At 145 pounds, Randolph’s Maddison VanSickle has her hands full in the semifinals against top-seed Sofia Guadagna of Sweet Home. VanSickle reached the semis with a pin over Clarence’s Sofia Connor in 58 seconds and then earned a 15-12 decision over Niagara Wheatfield’s Laila Ferguson.

On the other side of the bracket, Portville’s Autumn Baker takes on Lockport’s Bella Andres. Still with an opportunity to reach the podium are Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Zayelah Swierkosz and Dunkirk’s Gineishka Figueroa.

Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s McKella Hodkin is in search of another trip to states, this time as the top seed at 152 pounds and for her first sectional title.

Hodkin disposed of her first opponent Elizabeth Starkweather of Ken-Ton with a 10-0 technical fall and then pinned Orchard Park’s Victoria Lesh at 1:24. That sets up a bout with Sweet Home’s Jayden Crouse.

On the other side, Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Lilly Hyde looks to retain her 152-pound sectional title as the No. 3 seed. Hyde first secured a 10-0 technical fall over Sweet Home’s Jenah Lazem and then secured a 14-5 decision against Keirstin Bazinet of Niagara Wheatfield. Her opponent is Lockport’s Alexandria Yarling who earned two pins for her spot in the semifinals.

Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Avary LeGrano still has a chance to wrestleback to the podium and begins with Lesh.

Clarence’s Michaela Thomas begins her state title defense at 165 pounds, but first she has to reclaim her sectional title and her semifinal opponent is Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Bryleigh Wicks. Both reached the semifinal with pins, Thomas defeating Salamanca’s Arianna Acosta in 1:24 and Wicks taking down Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Hannah Evans at 1:47.

Evans and Acosta go head to head in wrestlebacks, while Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Chloe Hosier is the No. 2 seed in the semifinals against Springville’s Lauren Winfield after earning a pin over Olean’s Samantha McCaul at 2:29 in the quarterfinals.

Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Kim Bauer resumes her title defense at 185 pounds with a semifinal matchup against Frewsburg’s Bailey Fuller. No. 1 Bauer has rolled with a 10-0 technical fall over Gowanda’s Pyxi Zybert and a 45 second pin against Gowanda’s Brandi Washington. Fuller reached the semifinals with a pin against Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Madalyn Troutman at 1:59 and then a 10-0 technical fall over Wilson’s Briella Dirig.

In the other semifinal, Clarence’s Ryann Berner takes on No. 2 Mackenzie Vetter-Higgins of Ken-Ton.

Still in the running for the podium are Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton’s Tatum Bensink and Meghan Pauley, while Gowanda’s Washington is on the other side of the wrestleback bracket.

Dunkirk’s Jaslieen Morales-Salgado will try to get back to states as the No. 3 seed and her semifinal is against defending champion Khamya’J Maxwell of Lockport. Morales-Salgado defeated Lockport’s Meyalynn Roderick in the quarterfinals with a 1:56 pin, while Maxwell earned a 7-1 decision over Gowanda’s Nina Coulan.

Awaiting them on the other side is top-seed Ava Bragg of Lockport against Ken-Ton’s Aislyn O’Malley.

Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Ivie Newton is still alive for the podium and Salamanca’s Emma Domres kept her chances going with a wrestleback pin over Coulan at 1:17.

All of the local wrestlers are out of contention for the top of the podium at 132 pounds, but still could earn a berth into the state tournament with a victory at true second.

Needing a perfect Sunday are Dunkirk’s Kami McWillson and a sectional title by CSAT’s Ajok Aleu; Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Suzie Nebrich and a win by Clarence’s Cael Vesper; and Salamanca’s Kendra Bova-Redeye and victory from Lockport’s Emma Penna.

Nebrich first takes on Bova-Redeye in the wrestlebacks, while McWillson is up against Clarence’s Anika Matoon.

Each of the lower weights will require a sectional title to guarantee a spot at the state tournament and several local girls remain in the running.

Starting at 94 pounds, Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Anastazia Hale will attempt to retain her sectional title in a rematch of last year’s final against Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Kassidy Benedetto. The other semifinal is top-seed Emma DellaPenta of Eden/North Collins against No. 4 Sumaya Syed of Cheektowaga.

No. 2 Benedetto reached the semifinal with a 42 second pin over Orchard Park’s Cassia Long and No. 3 Hale earned a 10-0 technical fall against Niagara Wheatfield’s Cali Mota.

Dunkirk’s Damarielys Cruz missed states last year due to injury and the road back will have to go through her replacement in the semifinals, Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Kortlynn Fairbank. Cruz reached the semis with a pin over Haleigh Diltz of Eden/North Collins in 1:19 and Fairbank posted a 10-0 technical fall against Royalton-Hartland/Barker’s Trinity McGovern.

On the other side, top-seed Maliyah Stone of Falconer/Cassadaga Valley wrestles her first match in the semifinals against Frewsburg’s Emelyn Campion. The fourth-seeded Campion pinned Franklinville’s Selena Hernandez in the quarterfinals at 3:51.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Taylor Pinzok is the top seed at 107 pounds and reached the semifinals with a 24-second pin over Gowanda’s Hayleigh Miller and then a 10-0 technical fall against Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Luna Banse-Fay. Pinzok goes against No. 4 Angel Moss of Niagara Wheatfield, while on the other side of the bracket Tori Lombardo represents the Eagles after knocking off the third-seeded Lillian Sikora of Orchard Park with a 1:17 pin and a 45-second pin against Royalton-Hartland/Barker’s Carrilynn Thuman. Lombardo wrestles No. 2 Storm Dwaileebe of Olean.

Miller is still in the running for a podium spot for Gowanda.

At 114 pounds, Gowanda’s Raelyn Diebel takes on Fredonia/Forestville/Silver Creek’s Lindsey Bailey in the semifinals, while on the other side of the bracket defending champion Gabriella Barone of Niagara Wheatfield wrestles Lockport’s LaVaya Chandler.

No. 3 Diebel secured pins over Calli Van Dorn of Royalton-Hartland/Barker 1:35 and Clarence’s Gianna Atkinson 1:43, while Bailey pinned Lila Schuyler of Orchard Park at 1:47 and then Lockport’s Maidianza Garay in 47 seconds.

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Eliana Caldwell could wrestleback to the podium and it begins with Aria Gugino of Tonawanda on Sunday.

The area wrestlers are out of contention for the top of the podium at both 120 and 126 pounds, but podium position remains up for grabs.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Alice Scarpine takes on Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Braylee McAdoo in a rematch of the prequarterfinals in which McAdoo pinned Scarpine at 2:49.

The semifinalists at 120 pounds are Lockport’s Gabriella Gelnett against Niagara Wheatfield’s Mackenzie Sweeney, while Orchard Park’s Lacey Rajla takes on Niagara Wheatfield’s Nevaeh Senik.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Aurora Maring could still reach the podium at 126 pounds after being relegated to the wrestlebacks by Orchard Park’s Mina Vincent-Groves. Maring begins Sunday’s wrestlebacks against CSAT’s Chuencheew Shu.

In the semifinals are Orchard Park’s Olivia Phillips against her teammate Vincent-Groves and Niagara Wheatfield’s Jezell Allen up against Sweet Home’s Kaitlyn Mieczkowski.

The girls will wrap up on Sunday along with the Division 1 and 2 boys at Steele Hall at SUNY Fredonia.