State Girls Wrestling: Five Elyria seniors look to cap careers in style

You'll have to excuse Elyria girls wrestling coach Paul Felton if he's feeling a little nostalgic these days. Felton spent years on the Pioneers boys staff when the program was nationally ranked and perennially sent multiple athletes to the state tournament. Felton is back in his element with the girls team as Elyria is sending a program-record five to Columbus this weekend. "It is a little bit of déjà vu," Felton said. "It's been awhile since that boys run that we had but I think maybe there's a little bit more pressure being a head coach instead of an assistant. But these are the weekends that I live for. The state tournament's a lot of fun but there's a lot of work that goes into getting there." The work has paid off for five seniors as Emilie Conley (120 pounds), Jaelyn Green (145), Seraiah Jackson (170), Kira Maassen (190) and Khloee Washington (235) will battle for a spot on the state podium. Maassen was a district placer last season and has benefited the last few years from being placed between Jackson and Washington. "Seraiah is definitely a lot faster … she had some really good shots," Maassen said. "It really makes me have to work harder when I go against her, stay on my defense because she loves to shoot a lot. Then with Khloee, she is really strong, so she definitely makes me put in the effort when I'm going with her in the room." Felton points to his upper weights as one of the program's biggest success stories during the three years he's been at the helm. "Khloee's only a second-year wrestler, so for her to make it to state with 37 wins, that girl's really bought into the program really quick," Felton said. "Kira, her first year she won only one match, so for her to come from winning one match three years ago to being a state qualifier, it's all about the dedication and work they put in. They could have gone through the motions and let whatever happened happen, but they put in some good work this year and it's paying off." Conley has won multiple district matches the past two seasons, while Green and Jackson advanced to the state tournament last year. Maassen and Washington have mostly flown under the radar but are ready for the spotlight. "I'm extremely excited for what I've accomplished and I just try to wrestle my best every day for my team," Washington said. "I just try to lock in and focus on what I can do and not be scared of anybody, especially after this last year and these past few months I have gained some confidence, so I feel like I can accomplish anything if I keep working hard." The results have been impressive for Washington, not only because of her relatively short time in the sport but because she's also undersized in her weight class. "Khloee is giving up like 30 pounds to some of these girls she's going against so it's been amazing to watch her continue to get better and better," Felton said. "At one point this year she talked about going down to 190 and we already had Kira and Seraiah at 190, so they all kind of decided amongst themselves that Khloee would stay up at heavyweight, Kira would stay at 190 and Seraiah would go to 170, and that's been great for our lineup. We've got three girls that were kind of in a logjam at the top of the lineup and they are all state qualifiers now and looking to go place down in Columbus." The Pioneers' chances will be aided by the fact that none is entering the state brackets as a No. 4 seed. Green, Maassen and Washington advanced to the district finals before finishing as runners-up, and Conley and Jackson bounced back after semifinal losses to take third place. "I was really happy, really proud when I got off that mat and realized I finally made it to state," Maassen said. "It was just really exciting having that support behind me and looking at my coaches and my teammates cheering me on. "It's amazing to have the team that I have and to be with a whole bunch of other wrestlers who are going to go out there and give it their all and it's great to watch them get their wins and see the smiles on their faces after their matches. It's really been amazing to help build the Elyria girls team. Each year we've gotten better and better and now we're ready to represent our school." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.