Maysville’s Sandobal Continues to Write HERstory on the Wrestling Mat
SOUTH ZANESVILLE, OH
She’s making believers out of everyone as she writes her story in the Maysville wrestling record books. Only in 8th grade, Presley Sandobal is dominating the competition, both girls and boys, on the wrestling mat.
“When I first started, when I was like seven years old, I started wrestling boys, like, I wrestled boys my whole life” says Sandobal. “My dad, yeah, he kind of introduced it to me, and I just really like the sport when I grew up, like, as I did it.”
“I started actually training my son, her brother, when he was about seven. And some kids wouldn’t show up to practice, so I pulled her off the bench and told her, stand there and let a kid take him down, take her down” says Ben Sandobal, her coach and father.
“As practice was going on, I just kept letting the kids take her down. And then she finally asked, when’s my turn to take him down? And so I said, okay, go ahead, try. And she did it, and I just kept putting her in practice after that, and she kind of just fell into the sport.”
Presley has done the unthinkable, winning the MVL boys championship in a difficult weight class, and if you ask her, there is a difference between wrestling boys and girls.
“Girls wrestling is definitely like, since it’s just starting, girls are just starting to get into it and then boys, they’re more challenging.”
Ben adds: “This year was definitely one of the goals for her to be, junior high MVL champion and not so much just to be the first girl, just for her to be an MVL champion in general. It’s just something we worked for, and she went out and got it done.”
Whether it’s at Rough House Wrestling in Zanesville, or at the “MAC” outside Maysville High School, wrestling just comes naturally to the Sandobals.
“I always kind of coach them as if they’re just another kid in the room. I’m coach when I’m here and then I’m dad when we walk out the door” says a very proud coach and father.
Presley’s wrestling journey continues on Sunday, March 16th when she heads to Youngstown, looking for another medal in the OAC tournament.
