Anastasia Manchester thrilled, Knoch’s Carma Forty escapes and a booming Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament
BUTLER TWP — Anastasia Manchester was unusually pleased with herself after a loss.
The Butler junior lost a tight 4-0 decision against Fort Cherry’s Brookelyn McClain in the 136-pound championship final during Saturday’s Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament at Butler Intermediate High School. It was the kind of match that typically has a wrestler sour and thinking about what-ifs, especially a near reversal that was instead ruled a costly foul.
Not Manchester.
“I felt amazing, today was one of my best tournaments,” she said. “I threw some underhooks. I get taught them in practice, but I usually never have the chance to get them in a match. And I did, and they were amazing and I thought I killed them.”
Manchester said the day before was a strength day in the gym, and her legs were sore from squats. The excuse was true but in jest, as she quickly called McClain a “really, really good wrestler” while coming off the mat happy she had closed the gap against a familiar foe. She lost to the freshman two weeks ago in Mt. Lebanon’s Blue Devil Girls Winter Classic.
“I was really pleased with Anastasia’s just baseline defense, her attempts on offense were nice and honestly just an all-around better effort against that girl,” Butler head coach Nathan Bottiger said.
Silver is an improvement for Manchester in her home tournament; she finished fourth last year at 136.
She also led a team jump from 14th last year to fourth Saturday with 82 points. Four Tornado wrestlers made the podium.
Kaylee Christie (130) finished fourth, and Sienna Stutz (112) and Monica Osborne (235) came in sixth.
“Kaylee Christie had a great tournament,” Bottiger said. “She wrestled absolutely tough. She's not someone that people were probably expecting to even place today, but just through grit, effort (she did).”
Osborne’s loss was tough. She led 7-1 after a big second-period takedown and tilt points, but Shaler’s Mariah Brown pushed back, took the lead and eventually flipped Osborne on her back with 27 seconds left in the third.
“That 235 weight class is anybody can beat anybody on any given day,” Bottiger said. “It truly is that way. The biggest thing for Monica is she puts in a tremendous amount of effort.”
It wasn’t perfect, and it nearly ended in a loss, but Carma Forty’s performance at 142 was a positive development for the junior and also a learning lesson.
Forty won a 10-9 decision for fifth over Saegertown’s Royale Reno-Gause with a very late escape. It was one of the more dramatic matches of the medal rounds. She needed the escape, with about 12 seconds left in regulation, after allowing a takedown with almost 30 seconds prior that tied things up at 9-9.
“Just hearing how much higher everyone’s voices were, I knew something was going on,” she said about what she remembered from the escape.
Forty said, however, she needs to work on being more present and focused on her opponent. She also needs to improve her on-top pressure. But a medal’s a medal and a confidence boost ahead of the postseason.
“Yeah, I had a better day than I did last time,” she said.
Five of Knoch’s six wrestlers made the podium, and the Knights finished sixth with 71.5 points. Kenna Watson finished fourth at 100 pounds, and Leila Crowe (130) and Makayla Pethel (155) came in fifth.
“I felt like my head was in the game and I wrestled my hardest,” Crowe said, adding she plans to working on setting up her takedowns better and being more aggressive heading into the postseason.
The team’s top wrestler, 124-pounder Braylee Ireland, had to medically forfeit her consolation semifinal and fifth-place match after a shoulder injury in the consy semi.
Canon-McMillan — one of the best programs in the country, Bottiger said — crushed the field for the team title Saturday with 231 points and won five individual titles, four thirds and a fifth. Shaler was a distant second (143).
The Big Macs highlighted the caliber of competition the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament — in its fourth iteration but second as a solo tournament from the boys’ junior varsity program — is putting on display.
“That's what people want,” Bottiger said as the mats were being rolled up. “We have schools that are coming from Erie, we have schools that are coming the Pittsburgh area, and we're somewhere in the middle and it's just a nice way — it's almost like a preview of the (PIAA) Western Regional. A lot of the Erie schools are excited to see Canon-Mac and us, and the schools that are down there, Canon-Mac gets to see that competition like Fort Cherry and some of those schools.”
Butler’s coach said he’s “pretty pleased” with how the tournament is running, but he has a wait list of teams trying to compete in it. He likes managing a one-day tournament, but the pressure to grow the tournament might one day make it a full weekend event.
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Butler 136-pounder Anastasia Manchester wrestles Canon-McMillan's Farrah Henderson during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler 100-pound Riley Gayhart wrestles Pine-Richland's Allison Burk in a match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler 112-pound Sienna Stutz wrestles with Hickory High School's Emma Johnston in a 5th place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley 106-pound Everly Harrell grapples with Saegertown 106-pound Aaliyah Morris in a semifinal match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 100-pound Kenna Watson maneuvers over Canon McMillan's Adelina Saussol in a semifinal match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Hannah Hornick during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler girl's wrestling coach Nathan Bottiger fixes Anastasia Manchester's headgear during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 100-pound Kenna Watson flips Greater Latrobe 100-pound Gabriella Roman during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 100-pound Kenna Watson reacts after her loss in a 3rd place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 100-pound Kenna Watson prepares for her 3rd place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 124-pound Braylee Ireland wrestles South Park's Anna Duncan in a semifinal match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Kenley Alexander fist bumps a coach during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler girl's wrestling coach Nathan Bottiger, left, reacts as Butler 142-pound Mylee Toner wrestles during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler's 112-pound Sienna Stutz flips over as she wrestles Canon McMillan's 112-pound Elexis Owens during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler 112-pound Sienna Stutz wrestles with Hickory High School's Emma Johnston in a 5th place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler 130-pound Kaylee Christie shakes hands with Upper Saint Clair's Sydney Laboon after losing a 3rd place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler 136-pound Anastasia Manchester wrestles Fort Cherry's Brookelyn McClain in a 1st place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley 112-pound Adele Shih-Calabro moves to attempt a pin against Burrell's Ella Campbell in a 1st place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 100-pound Kenna Watson attempts a shot against Shaler Area High School's Gianna Alcalde in a 3rd place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley 112-pound Adele Shih-Calabro competes agaisnt Burrell's Ella Campbell in a 1st place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 100-pound Kenna Watson circles Shaler Area High School's Gianna Alcalde in a 3rd place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch wrestling coaches Dave Ireland, left, and Logan Downes, right, call out directions from the sideline during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley 170-pound Hannah Hornick wrestles Kiski Area High School's Alyssa Tresco in a 1st place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley 170-pound Hannah Hornick wrestles Kiski Area High School's Alyssa Tresco in a 1st place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 130-pound Leila Crowe wrestles Hickory's Marissa Tanner in a 5th place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 130-pound Leila Crowe wrestles Hickory's Marissa Tanner in a 5th place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 124-pound Braylee Ireland wrestles South Park's Anna Duncan in a semifinal match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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An offical watches for a pin as Seneca Valley 106-pound Everly Harrell wrestles her opponent during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch 124-pound Braylee Ireland walks off the mat after losing to South Park's Anna Duncan in a semifinal match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley 106-pound Everly Harrell breaks free from Saegertown's Aaliyah Morris in a semifinal match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley 148-pound Kaeleigh Tuell works to takedown Canon-McMillan's Alaya Henderson during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler 112-pound Sienna Stutz fights her way off the mat in a 5th place match against Hickory High School's Emma Johnston during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler 130-pound Kaylee Christie fights to avoid being pinned by Upper Saint Clair's Sydney Laboon in a 3rd place match during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Knoch's Carma Forty (148 pounds) attempts to pin Canon-McMillan's Mackenzie Pape during the Butler Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Butler Intermediate High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
