Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
On a night normally reserved to honor seniors, youth was served at the Warsaw/Peru gymnastics meet in the Career Center gym at Warsaw Community High School Tuesday night. With two of its top three gymnasts out of action, Warsaw battled but fell to the Tigers from Peru, 79.65-62.45.
Juniors Katie Kusserow and Janelle Bonitati didn't compete for Carole-Miller Patrick's Warsaw squad.
Both gymnasts, Kusserow, who missed due to illness, and Bonitati, who missed due to a prior choir commitment, will be in action Saturday at the Wawasee Sectional.
Bonitati missed the early part of the season due to injury but has come on as of late to become a third scorer that Miller-Patrick has been looking for.
Short-handed, Warsaw turned to junior Jakayla Snodgrass to take on the scoring brunt.
She obliged with two first-place finishes. Snodgrass garnered her first top score of the evening on the bars.
After some early struggles with coming off a bar, Snodgrass regrouped nicely to stick her landing and come away with a 7.05.
Peru's Emily Ashbrook finished second on the bars with a score of 6.95.
Ashbrook was sharp all evening and took advantage of the lack of Warsaw's depth.
She finished first in the vault with a score of 7.6 and first on the beam with a score of 6.4
Snodgrass finished second in the vault with a score of 7.55 and third on the beam with a score of 5.4.
Sophomores Heather Sowers and Kristen Fatchett took advantage of their varsity opportunity. Sowers scored a 6.4 in the vault while Fatchett managed a 6.65.
"We were really low on girls tonight. They worked hard tonight. I have a hard-working group and most of what you saw tonight was freshmen," said Miller-Patrick.
Freshmen Sara Hatcher, Sara Furnivall and Megan Kammerer were also on display Tuesday night.
Hatcher competed in the vault, bars and beam. She posted a 4.0 on the beam and a 3.95 on the bars. Furnivall scored a 3.5 on the bars. Kammerer score a 4.05 in the beam.
"They're learning. And they learned from tonight, which is a wonderful thing. You always want them to leave having learned something," said Miller-Patrick.
Snodgrass rode her performance to finish second in the all-around with a cumulative score of 28.75 to finish behind Ashbrook's 29.2.
The Warsaw Tigers are next in action Saturday at Wawasee High School for their sectional with action beginning at 11 a.m.
Warsaw is looking for its first sectional title since 2001.
PERU 79.65, WARSAW 62.45
Vault - 1. Emily Ashbrook (P) 7.6, 2. Jakayla Snodgrass (W) 7.55, 3. Kayla Ballard (P) 7.3
Bars - 1. Snodgrass (W) 7.05, 2. Ashbrook (P) 6.95, 3. Ballard (P) 6.05
Beam - 1. Ashbrook (P) 6.4, 2. Kelsey Connolly (P) 5.8, 3. Snodgrass (W) 5.4
Floor - 1. Snodgrass (W) 8.75, 2. Ashbrook (P) 8.25, 3. Maggie Townsend (P) 8.25
All-Around - 1. Ashbrook (P) 29.2, 2. Snodgrass (W) 28.75, 3. Connolly (P) 24.95
