The girls’ wrestling team at Fort Campbell has earned a No. 5 preseason statewide by kentuckywrestling.com although they will likely not get a chance to prove them accurate.
DoDEA announced last week that basketball and wrestling can continue no-contact skills and conditioning work at both Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, but no competitions by those teams will be allowed due to COVID-19 guidelines.
Preseason rankings have the girls’ program ranked fifth in the state. Harrison County is No. 1 followed by Woodford County, Central, and Madison Southern.
Fort Campbell has five wrestlers ranked in the top 6 in their respective classes.
September Snyder is ranked No. 2 in the 106-pound class. The Lady Falcon sophomore finished second at the state meet last year to Ryle’s Olivia Messerly, who won the girls’ state title in the class and won a match at the boys’ state tournament in February.
Kennedi Turner is ranked No. 2 in the 160-pound class. She was third at state last year.
Destiny Solis is ranked No. 2 in the 285-pound class. She was the state runner-up last year to Harrison County’s Autumn Burgan, who is the preseason No. 1 in the class.
Kathryn Chappell is ranked No. 5 in the 195-pound class, which is where she finished at the state tournament.
Natalie Britton is ranked No. 6 in the 138-pound class. She was sixth at last year’s state meet.
Of the five wrestlers ranked, only Solis is a senior and likely to lose her senior on the mat unless the DoDEA reverses course.
The loss of the 2020-21 season would also be a setback for girls’ wrestling, who has been working to be sanctioned by the KHSAA. As of now, girls’ wrestlers have to compete with the boys to compete in postseason wrestling. Advocates of girls’ wrestling in the state were hoping increased participation this year would help their argument for sanctioning by the KHSAA.
The KHSAA sent down guidance for wrestling to its member schools on September 30.
The first official practice can be held Monday. No intra-squad scrimmaging may be conducted beginning the first day of practice and no preseason scrimmages will be allowed.
The first official contest can be held on December 7 with no more than three matches in a given week.
The guidelines also state that wrestlers must wear a mask or face covering everywhere except for the mat when wrestling. Coaches must wear a mask at all times.
