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EDWARDSVILLE - Under the spotlight of the Edwardsville High girls' wrestling team's meet against Imperial, Mo.. Seckman, in Jefferson County, Hayley Buckingham's light shone bright.
Buckingham won by fall in the second period of the final bout of the meet, and it allowed the Tigers to take a 42-36 win over the Jaguars Thursday night at Warren "Babe" Stahlhut Arena inside the Jon Davis Wrestling Center in Edwardsville.
It was a very close and competitive meet, in which each team won seven bouts, and the excellent wrestling displayed by both teams ensured the fans got their money's worth.
"It was an excellent night of girls wrestling," Edwardsville head coach Jon Wagner said. "There was a full slate of 14 matches, there wasn't a forfeit in any of the matches, it was an exciting event, and great sportsmanship. It was a great meet under the spotlight."
Wagner was exceptionally proud of Buckingham's efforts as well
"Hayley shows up to practice every day," Wagner said, "and she works hard. I'm really proud of her and all of the girls."
It was veterans Olive Lindhorst and Holly Zugmaier who really got things going for the Tigers on the night.
"Olive and Holly really got the ball rolling for us," Wagner said. "We lost a couple of the bouts by decision during the meet. I'm really proud of the girls, and we're going to have some great things ahead."
The IHSA girls wrestling regionals will be held on Jan. 31 at Civic Memorial, with the sectional being held Feb. 14 at Highland. The state meets for both teams and individuals takes place Feb. 28-Mar. 1 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
