Braves' Boetsch captures Girls Wrestling MVP

There was plenty of young talent across the Valley girls wrestling scene during the 2025-26 season. However, one newcomer stood out among the crowd.

Shikellamy freshman Finley Boetsch had high expectations even before she competed in a high school varsity match. She put on a dominant first season that culminated with a fifth-place finish at the PIAA tournament.

After becoming the first girl in program history to win a state medal, Boetsch is this season’s Daily Item Girls Wrestler of the Year.

Wrestling at 170 pounds, Boetsch opened the state tournament with an 11-0 major decision loss. She then pinned four of her next five opponents to ascend to fifth place on the podium.

Boetsch ended the season 38-5 with 36 of her wins coming by fall. Three of her losses came to Brockway’s Elysabeth Myers, who took third in the state.

“It really shows me what my competition will be,” Boetsch said in March. “A lot of them are actually graduating, so I probably won’t see a lot of them, but next year I’ll be able to know their tactics and know what they are best at, and I can work off that.”

Boetsch started the season 17-0 before she was pinned by Myers for her first loss of the season on Jan. 17. Boetsch also won a District 4 title and finished fourth at the Central Regional tournament.

Even before her varsity career started, Boetsch had been in the spotlight. She took second at 150 in the U14 girls tournament at the Keystone State Championships last year. Boetsch, who has been wrestling for five years, also made the U14 Junior All-Tournament team during the Women’s National Duals in June.

In order to achieve more success at the state level, Boetsch wants to focus on her shots ahead of next season, especially against girls who are bigger than her.

“I used to wrestle with the boys, and so it kind of just shows all my hard work paid off,” Boetsch said. “I’m gonna keep working and try to get first place. And it just shows to our school that there is a great program, and that if you even think about it, you should come and try it. It’s just amazing.

“I just think next year I’ll come in much stronger. I’m gonna try to get bigger in the weight room, and come back and actually try to be a solid 170.”