All-American Girl

Ciana Sonberg earns sixth Folkstyle Nationals certificate, hopes to make Comets’ varsity squad next season

John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The novelty of girls wrestling in high school likely wore off before Ciana Sonberg was born.

Nonetheless, girls are still vastly outnumbered. And in Sonberg’s case, it’s roughly about 40 to one.

“There were a couple of girls on the team when I was a freshman,” Sonberg said, “but they didn’t stick with it that long.

“I’m the only one left.”

The Charles City sophomore mostly wrestled junior varsity for the Comets this past season. Sonberg did see some varsity postseason action after the Comets — by way of winning their sectional — qualified for the Regional Team Dual. Up against regional host and favorite New Hampton, the outmanned Comets had Sonberg wrestle the 145-pound match, where she battled gamely and even scored a takedown before being stuck late in the second period.

“My goal is to make varsity next year,” said Sonberg, who credits some of her state-qualifying teammates for not going easy on her in practice.

“They taught me how to be scrappy, and that you’ve got to want it more than the other guy,” she said.

At the USAW Girls Folkstyle National Championships held March 24-27 at the Freede Center in Oklahoma City, Sonberg placed fifth in the Junior 139-pound bracket. With four previous first-place finishes — including one last year in the same bracket — and another fifth-place showing, Sonberg has earned six All-American USAW certificates.

Sonberg has been wrestling since pre-school when she followed her older brother, Chay, into the sport.

“I was always hanging out at the YMCA practices, and they eventually let me get out on the mat,” she said.

Sonberg wrestled for her middle school team from sixth to eighth grade.

“So they knew who I was when I got to high school,” she said.

This spring and summer, Sonberg plans to wrestle in several freestyle tournaments, which will be new ground for her.

“I want to wrestle as many tournaments as I can,” she said, “and keep lifting weights.”

Though some high schools on the West Coast have included girls wrestling programs, Sonberg doesn’t see that happening around here in the near future. Not that she’s complaining.

“If I had a choice to wrestle on a girls high school team if it were offered, I would probably still wrestle with the boys,” she said. “It would be more of a challenge.”