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The Boonton High School girls wrestling team had just four girls during the 2021-22 season. This year, there was seven.
The increase in numbers gave them the opportunity to compete in the first all-girl dual meet in school history. That match, against Parsippany Hills, was highlighted by wins by Sidney Figueroa, Kaylee Hughen, Julia Fongaro, and Jocelyn Fredericks.
It was a thriller and ended in a 24-24 tie. Criteria determined the winner and the Lady Bombers picked up their first dual meet win. Coach Hughen expressed how it felt to win this match in criteria.
“It was a special feeling to see the girls program earn their first ever win,” said Hughen. “I was a bit nervous but I had figured that we would win on criteria.”
Boonton gained two other victories in dual meets by defeating High Point and Somerville. The Lady Bombers also placed first out of 41 teams at the first-ever girls Beast of the East Tournament in Delaware. Kaylee Hughen and Julia Fongaro had second-place finishes, while Samira Kupa was third.
With girls wrestling being the fastest growing sport in the country Kaylee Hughen shared her hopes on the future of girls wrestling at Boonton High School.
“I hope that the Boonton girls wrestling team continues to grow,” said Hughen. “We almost doubled our numbers from last year going from four to seven. I hope that next year we can double our numbers again and have around 15 girls. It won’t be easy. I really hope that as classes come in, they have an interest in it. It’s a really fun sport and I would love to see more girls come out.”
Not only did Boonton have success as a team, their individual accomplishments were many. Kaylee Hughen, Julia Fongaro, and Samira Kupa were champions at the inaugural NJAC Tournament.
Samira Kupa finished third and Julia Fongaro was fourth at the NJSIAA State Championships. Julia Fongaro talked about her season and her future ambitions.
“This past season taught me a lot about myself,” Fongaro said. “I did not accomplish what I had wanted to but I am proud of the way that I responded to adversity. I am more motivated than ever.
“I am excited to get back in the room and work hard and get better. This offseason, I will be training at my club, Edge Wrestling. In the spring, I will be competing at local events and, in the summer, I am going to be competing at Nationals in Fargo, N.D.”
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