Dec 20, 2024
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montgomery’s Zoe Furman is declared the winner after pinning Hughesville’s Alaina Hicks in the 148-pound bout at Montgomery Tuesday night.
Last year was more than disappointing for Zoe Furman. The Red Raider only competed in one match before she suffered an injury that would sideline her the remainder of the year.
But Furman never let it get her down. She went to duals and tournaments and acted as an additional coach, helping her teammates get better and cheering them on and giving advice. While Furman couldn’t physically train and compete against opponents, she was doing so mentally from the sidelines until she got cleared by doctors.
And once doctors gave her the OK to compete, train and lift weights, Furman got back to working to get back on the mat. The Red Raider junior is using last year’s lost season as motivation to compete and be the best she can be and so far, she’s more than proven that.
Furman is 10-0 this year after Tuesday’s victory against Hughesville in a dual meet. Furman, wrestling at 148 pounds, battled Hughesville’s Alaina Hicks and had a late offensive push in the first period to take Hicks down and secure a fall with 32 seconds remaining in the period.
Ten wins, nine bouts competed in, nine falls.
Not a bad start to the year for Furman.
“That really is personal motivation. She took last year instead of crumbling with her injury she had succumbed to to better herself. She was actually coaching along with us as well. She was in the room every single day, not physically doing it, but in her mind doing it,” Montgomery coach Jodi Furman said. “The time she could be cleared, she was full force and you can tell how much she just enjoys this sport.”
She definitely enjoys wrestling, and it’s evident by her results.
All nine of Furman’s wins this year in contested bouts have come by fall, and not a single competitor has taken Furman into a second period. The Red Raider has floated between 142 and 148 pounds in competition.
She earned a fall to open the year against Pocono Mountain East’s Kamora Gilbreath in 1 minute, 23 seconds, a returning District 11 competitor.
She beat returning Southcentral Regional qualifier Liana Samuel of J.P. McCaskey in 1:41 in what would be her longest match to date.
Furman’s other wins come against Pennsbury’s Sophia Santiago (fall in 41 seconds), Northern York’s Caidence Cline (43 seconds), Gilbreath for a rematch (37 seconds), Carlisle’s AnnaBellle Stoermer (31 seconds), Central Columbia’s Macy Gearhart (15 seconds) and Towanda’s Lylah Bride (40 seconds).
Furman may not have been able to make a run last winter into districts, regionals or states, but she’s on a path this year to prove she’s among the best in the district so far. That’s a credit to the offseason work Furman put in following her clearance by her doctor to once again compete.
“As soon as her doctors were clearing her for certain things she was able to participate in different sports in spring. Even though her injury didn’t allow her to be fully cleared for certain things, she was able to compete in track in the spring and soccer in the fall,” coach Furman said. “So all that in general and getting in the weight room completely changed her mindset to just get better when she did get the opportunity to get on the mat.”
If you had any question if Furman got better over the year, just watch her compete and you’ll quickly see the results.
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