Meet Waverly’s Savanna Johnson, Tiger Wrestling

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Waverly Senior Savanna Johnson placed 4th in last weekend’s OHSWCA Girls State Tournament at Hilliard Davidson High School. It was a marked improvement on her 6th place finish in 2021.

“It was exciting” said Johnson. “It was sad that it’s my last year though.”

Johnson’s third trip to the state meet was bittersweet as Girls Wrestling moves to being fully sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, which voted to do so in January. That means girls versus girls instead of having to mix it up with boys.

“I’ve had boys like, cry over me beating them” Johnson said in an interview with Litter Media. “I love it” she said chuckling.

But like many other girls across the state, Johnson is happy to have helped pave the pathway for others who will follow.

Tigers Wrestling Coach Scott Green said it all started four years ago.

“We started out with Trinity Shell, she’s a senior this year, and Abby Montgomery who graduated a few years ago,. So we had just the two (girls)” said Green. “And then the following year, we added Savanna and a couple other girls. We had eight or nine girls on the team last year. This year we have seven.”

It’s been Johnson, though who has turned heads on the mat. As wrestlers enter the sectional tournament this weekend, Johnson sport a 28-5 record… and that’s not exclusively against girls. Waverly heads to Washington Court House, where in her rookie year, Johnson became the tournament’s first girls to win a match. She also qualified for the district tournament in 2020.

Coach Mindie Bond said it was a pretty special moment. “They gave us the official scoresheet from it.” Bond added Johnson has a copy of the scoresheet, but the original has a spot reserved on the wall of the Wrestling Facility at the Waverly campus.

Johnson has received a scholarship to Siena Heights University, an NAIA school based in Adrian, Michigan.

Another female wrestler making waves is Teays Valley sophomore Ava Miller. Vikings Coach Todd Nace says Miller is 35-12 in her matches with a 3rd place district finish and placed 4th at last weekend’s state meet falling 7-6 in the 3rd place match.

Miller and the Vikings will wrestle in the Central District Tournament this weekend at Newark High School.