RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Erica Banks from Mitchell Middle School in Rancho Cordova won the Middle School State Wrestling Championship, with teammates Peyton Ollinger and Harmony Navarette-Williams winning 3rd and 5th place, respectively. On March 30, 2024, girls from Mitchell Middle School including Harmony Navarette-Williams (103 pounds), Erica Banks (107 pounds), Peyton Ollinger (118 pounds), and Jayden McCullar (135 pounds) competed in the 2024 Girls California Middle School State Wrestling Championships held in Ukiah, California. 

 Shown left to right: Erica Banks, Harmony Navarette-Williams, Coach Zilles, and Peyton Ollinger.

Erica Banks, competing in the 107-pound weight class, got thereafter a successful season and winning the Regional Girls Championship back in February. Banks dominated the competition with decisive wins by pin over every opponent. Banks demonstrated her skill using a variety of technical moves such as the fireman’s carry, over/under bulldog, cradles, and head and arm throw to move her opponents toward submission. Three of Banks’ four matches ended in the first round with pins including the championship match.

Peyton Ollinger (118 pounds) lost only one match throughout the day and wrestled tough to stay at the top of the runner-up position. Facing an opponent she wrestled previously and won only by two points, Ollinger took on an equally matched opponent in the finals. With the score 0-0 after the first round of three, Ollinger took a bottom position and outmaneuvered her opponent for a single escape point. During the third and final round, her opponent tried the same strategy to force an overtime period, but Ollinger was too strong and was able to control her opponent for the 3rd-place win.

 Peyton Ollinger shows off her third-place finish at the State Championship tournament.

Harmony Navarette-Williams (103 pounds), a first-year wrestler, won her Girls Regional Championship in February to gain entry into the State Championship tournament.  Navarette-Williams had to fight her way back into the tournament contention after losing the second and fourth round matches. Navarette-Williams ended the day with three wins for a 5th-place State finish. Jayden McCullar (135-pounds) placed second place at the Regional Championships and, like Williams, is another first-year wrestler. McCullar was out of the tournament after two losses in the early rounds despite wrestling hard to make the competition earn the wins.

Harmony Navarette-Williams shows off her fifth-place podium finish at the State Championship tournament. 

Overall, six wrestlers from Mitchell Middle School went from the Regional Championships to the Norcal and State tournaments this season.  The Marauders are looking forward to another winning season next year with Banks, Navarette-Williams, and McCullar returning while Ollinger moves on to high school. 

GO BIG BLUE!!