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    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

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    WEHT/WTVW employees rally for their union

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    Good News: Habitat breaks ground on another build; future owner ‘overwhelmed with joy’

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    Pittsburg uses new construction process to build a new type of water storage tank

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    Pitching ace Kemp uses bat to send Lady Cols to state again

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    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

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    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

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    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

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    Executive director says this year’s arts alliance lineup gives people what they want

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    2000 baseball Cols remember fondly state championship season a quarter century later

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    Summer Sunset Series, SummerFest ratchet up Henderson festival season this week

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    May the summer blockbuster season begin!

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    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

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    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

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    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

    BRIEFS: HCPL hosts Veterans Resource Fair; City High class of ’75 reunion; HPD wants help finding car thieves

    WEHT/WTVW employees rally for their union

    WEHT/WTVW employees rally for their union

    Good News: Habitat breaks ground on another build; future owner ‘overwhelmed with joy’

    Good News: Habitat breaks ground on another build; future owner ‘overwhelmed with joy’

    Pittsburg uses new construction process to build a new type of water storage tank

    Pittsburg uses new construction process to build a new type of water storage tank

    Pitching ace Kemp uses bat to send Lady Cols to state again

    Pitching ace Kemp uses bat to send Lady Cols to state again

    Trending Tags

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    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

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    Henderson joins West Kentucky Film Commission with hopes of luring movie makers here

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    Executive director says this year’s arts alliance lineup gives people what they want

    Executive director says this year’s arts alliance lineup gives people what they want

    2000 baseball Cols remember fondly state championship season a quarter century later

    2000 baseball Cols remember fondly state championship season a quarter century later

    Summer Sunset Series, SummerFest ratchet up Henderson festival season this week

    Summer Sunset Series, SummerFest ratchet up Henderson festival season this week

    May the summer blockbuster season begin!

    May the summer blockbuster season begin!

  • Lifestyle
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    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    No Kentucky Home, Part 4: A missing bench comes to symbolize missing solutions to homelessness

    No Kentucky Home, Part 3: A church called its vision for housing a ‘Beacon of Hope.’ The mayor had concerns.

    No Kentucky Home, Part 2: After living outdoors for weeks, she got a place to sleep, a shower — and a job

    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

    Flying through ATL this travel season? Lucky you

    Flying through ATL this travel season? Lucky you

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Home Entertainment Sports

Naomi Santiago, first HCHS female to sign to wrestle collegiately, is a “trailblazer”

Donna B. Stinnett by Donna B. Stinnett
January 20, 2024
in Sports
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After a match earlier in the season, Naomi Santiago poses with HCHS Wrestling Coach Jermaine Poynter. (Photo courtesy of Santiago's Facebook page)

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A few falls ago when the call went out announcing the start of practice for the Henderson County wrestling team, Naomi Santiago immediately thought of WWE videos she’d watched while recuperating from a dance team injury.

She said she’d always been drawn to the energy and presentation of WWE competitions while watching with her family, so she showed up for the first practice taking place in the HCHS auxiliary gym.

It didn’t take long for her to reach a conclusion, though.

This was not the WWE.

But in the end that didn’t really matter. Undaunted, Naomi became the first female to wrestle for HCHS, and five years later is the first HCHS female signed to wrestle collegiately, which she will do next year at Campbellsville University.

Leaving competitive dancing behind, Naomi made wrestling a year-round focus with disciplined work, even in the off-season. That paid off not only with a chance to compete at the next level but with a No. 2 statewide ranking in her weight class leading into the regional and state competitions in early February.

Surrounded by family and coaches, Naomi Santiago signs a letter of intent to wrestle at Campbellsville University on Jan. 8. (Courtesy Santiago’s Facebook page)

“It’s exciting to have the first female wrestler at the college level,” said Head Wrestling Coach Jermaine Poynter. “She is a trailblazer, a pioneer.”

Just this year, girls wrestling became a Kentucky High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sport, but Poynter said the HCHS program knew sanctioning was on the way and got a head start by forming a team one year early.

Because the 2022-23 season was the first time HCHS had a girls wrestling team, Naomi started her journey competing against boys in a co-ed environment.

In the first year for the HCHS team, 10 girls from grade 7 (allowed to compete at the varsity level) through grade 12 came out for the sport. This year there are 18 competitors spread across various weight classes. With only two seniors on the team (Naomi and Claudia Mendez), 16 experienced wrestlers will return for the 2024-25 wrestling season.

“Girls wrestling is the fastest-growing sport in the state,” Poynter said. He said HCHS is in a tough region against schools that put wrestling programs in place early. He cited competition against such schools as Union County, Madisonville Central, Apollo, Fort Campbell and southern Indiana schools as opportunities to make HCHS stronger.

“We’ve done a lot to grow the wrestling program and we’ve done really well (at tournaments this year) to put Henderson County out there as a wrestling school,” Poynter said.

Naomi said forming a girls team has been “a game-changer” though competing against boys has benefits.

“Getting pinned by a boy makes you feel weak, but you learn,” she said, noting that it’s a sport in which an athlete can discover a lot about themselves and how to control emotions. “Wrestling is more mental than physical.”

Naomi said wrestling also has given her a purpose for hard work. “It’s helped me become a better person and helped me grow,” she said.

Poynter noted that the HCHS program “preaches” wrestling as a total discipline, not only on the mat but in life as a whole. He said he’d rather see youth development through the sport rather than win all the trophies, though he noted with a grin that winning titles is also nice.

He said Naomi has been successful because she has demonstrated the “heart, discipline and the will to succeed.”

The coach said that, unlike some other sports, wrestling offers an opportunity for any and every young person. There have been successful wrestlers who possess physical challenges including limited size and loss of limbs.

“It’s a great sport for building confidence and self-esteem,” he added.

Some of that comes from strong coaching and family support.

Naomi said her mom, Marcela, has been a big supporter. “I can always hear her at tournaments yelling in the background.”

The coach said that Naomi has been an important leader by helping middle school and youth wrestlers and as a role model for those coming along behind her.

“They look up to her,” he said.

That includes within her own family. She has four younger siblings, and all but the youngest are already wrestling competitively in their age groups.

At her signing as a Campbellsville University Tiger, Naomi reflected publicly on how the program has grown.

“You know, whenever I started, I was the only girl. We had three girls that came to the first practice and then never came back. To see … that we have so many girls now, it really just shows how much the sport has grown,” she said.

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