Greensburg Salem’s Stoner has her eye on another state title

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, January 8, 2020 | 9:48 PM

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Greensburg Salem senior Riley Stoner was in an unfamiliar spot Wednesday night.

Because of a random draw before the match, her match against Latrobe freshman Nate Roth would be the final bout of the WPIAL Class AAA Section 1-B matchup.

Stoner was a little overmatched by Roth, who was coming off winning the 67th annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association wrestling championship, but she wasn’t about to back down.

Latrobe defeated Greensburg Salem, 46-21, and Roth eventually pinned Stoner after the two put on a good battle.

Stoner has played a key role for the Golden Lions. Her presence gives coach Randy Parsley a wrestler to compete at 120 pounds. Greensburg Salem is a little thin in the lower weights, and Stoner fills a void in the lineup.

“She’s just not a fill-in,” Parsley said. “If she hits her move, she’s going to stick you. I don’t care how strong you are.

“She’s a battler. When she wrestles a girl, she’s not losing. That’s why she’s going to wrestle in college.”

She said wrestling the guys makes her a better wrestler and helped her win a state title.

Stoner won the 128-pound girls high school state title in 2019 at Gettysburg. She pinned Delaware Valley’s Lily Sherer at 4:32. She was leading 4-2 when she hit a reversal and then winged Sherer to her back for the fall.

“Wrestling girls is a lot different than wrestling the guys,” Stoner said.

Stoner won two matches in the state tournament. She’s also won state titles in Junior Olympics.

Stoner (7-11) has a career mark against the boys of 19-18. She pinned Woodland Hills’ Dominick Williams in Monday’s match.

Stoner signed a letter of intent to wrestle in college for Gannon University’s women’s team.

“When I visited Gannon, I got to know some of the wrestlers,” Stoner said. “I knew right away that’s where I wanted to go to college and wrestle. It’s a perfect fit for me.”

Stoner’s best tournament this season was at Southmoreland, where she went 2-2 with two falls.

When Stoner competes against the boys, she said she has to counter their strength with quickness and smarts.

She likes wrestling because of the lessons it teaches.

“I love wrestling and love wrestling for Greensburg Salem,” Stoner said. “They don’t treat me differently and they’re all my friends.”

Stoner also played on the soccer team and when she’s not wrestling she likes hang out with her friends, play games and listen to rap music.

One thing Stoner is looking forward to is defending her state title in March.

“I can’t wait,” she said. “That’s what I’m training for.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg Salem, Latrobe