Draft wrestlers ready for next bout

One day, Stuarts Draft wrestler Savannah Fitzgerald challenged her father, Herman, to a bout. The outcome just solidified her calling to the mats.

The rest is history.

“Yeah, she wrestled me down and knocked out my tooth,” Herman Fitzgerald said, pointing to the old abrasion. But her father was taken back by his daughter’s ambition.

“It just came out of the blue,” Herman said. “Personally, I thought she lost her mind. I didn’t know that she’d be that good.”

The match with her father in the backyard hardened the junior’s resolve to wrestle.

“I just liked to wrestle,” Savannah said straight-faced as she pulled her bangs away from her eyes. “I don’t mind that I wrestle against the boys. It doesn’t bother me.”

Savannah is one of two girls who will wrestle for the Cougars again this season. She competes in the 119-pound class this year with her best friend and teammate Petya Rogers, who wrestles in the 125-pound class.

“I’ve always wanted to wrestle since I was in middle school,” Rogers said. “We’ve worked hard on getting better. We help each other out.”

During the Little Giants Invitational on Saturday afternoon, a loud cheering section developed for girls. Both players’ parents were hooting and encouraging Rogers during her bout against Wilson Memorial.

But the girls’ parents were not always sure that the sport was for their daughters.

Barbara Rogers was reluctant about her daughter’s love for the sport.

“In the beginning, I was afraid that she would get hurt,” Barbara said. “The first time was hard.”

The gender factor, however, was not an issue for Draft or the parents.

“This is a team sport. It’s the Stuarts Draft wrestling team. Anybody who wants to try out for the wrestling team can. They can’t turn them a way,” Barbara Rogers said. “They don’t want to be singled out as girls. They just want to be part of a team.”

After Herman saw Petya wrestle, he was convinced that she was on the right path.

“The first time I saw her daughter [Petya], she got blown to the mat and got a bloody nose,” Herman Fitzgerald said. “They stuck one of those plugs up her nose and she went right back out there. I was so proud of her.”

Draft coach Chip Campbell initially didn’t know what to expect when he first arrived three years ago. But he quickly learned about the grit his wrestlers possess.

“They both have improved their technique and toughness. I wouldn’t put them on the team if they couldn’t do everything the guys did,” Campbell said. “They’re extremely tough girls.”

Savannah finished second in the district last year. Since achieving that status, she has become a target.

“People really gun for her now,” Campbell said. “People try extra hard to beat her because they don’t want to lose to a girl.”

All the two friends want to do is wrestle and critique each other’s moves.

“This is the only time in our lives that we’re allowed to get mad at each other,” Savannah laughed.

Petya summed up her feelings about having Savannah to back her up in two words: “It’s awesome.”