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Wrestler takes girls’ state championship
ful and, on March 4 her journey hit its latest high point when she pinned As Shellitha Collins stood upon Lakeland’s Caroline Biegel in 2:15 the peak of the podium and fans to become the first state wrestling at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall champion in EHS history for either applauded her effort, none were boys or girls. After a standstill first aware of just how much this year’s period that produced no points, NJSIAA 235-pound girls’ state wres- Shellitha planted Biegel 15 seconds tling champion once despised chal- into the second. lenging competition. “I won the coin flip and took bot“I started wrestling in second tom, and I got the reversal on her grade because my brother (fourth- and swung her on her back,” said place state finisher Lavitsky Col- Collins, who finished fi fth in last lins) wrestled,” the Ewing High year’s states. “After I won, I feel like junior recalled. “I was in my follower I looked silly the way I was, like, runstages in life and wanted to be like ning in place. But I was really happy. my brother. I lasted until third grade, My dad jumped 10 feet into the and I felt like I was horrible. I only air. My grandpa was crying in the Football team members Isaiah Harrison and Zaire Lowe, both seniors, read to Parkway Elementary School wrestled boys, and I just got my butt stands. Lavitsky couldn’t be there, students as part of the Read Across America program. whupped. but he was proud of me.” “It was like, ‘I don’t want to comAs was the entire EHS commupete.’ I didn’t ever stop practicing. I nity; knowing it finally had a state know my stuff now. But back then I champion on the mat. gave up because I kept getting beat “I’m honored to be the first,” Coland I didn’t like it at all. I don’t like lins said a week after making history. being overpowered and I don’t like “I know my name is going to be up losing. So I didn’t like it with the there as the first one to have this boys.” accomplishment.” And yet, something about the It wasn’t easy, as Shellitha came a And how did the players feel students from kindergarten sport itself gripped Shelitha and she long way from those second-grade By Rich Fisher about that? through 2nd grade. would continue to wrestle at home whuppins she used to take. When Ross Maddalon inter“Once coach Maddalon Pretty darn good, in fact. with her brothers and attend camps. After retiring from competition for One of Maddalon’s first proj- approached us with the question of By the time she returned to the four years, she returned to the fray viewed for the job as Ewing High sport, boys still presented the com- in seventh grade “because I didn’t football coach, he stressed that, if ects was to participate in the Read whether we wanted to read to the petition but she was more prepared. have anything to do in the winter. I hired, one of his goals was to do Across America program, where elementary school, with no hesitaThus, when itWelcome came to wrestling knew I couldn’t play basketball. I’m community outreach programs members of his team would read tion we all signed up for the task,” to Capital Health. See CHAMP, Page 8 See READING, Page 6 with his team. from books to elementary school girls Collins felt even more powerWhen someone you care about is sick, you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they get the best care. And so do we.
By Rich Fisher
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