WATERBORO — Sophie Grunhuvd enjoyed a dominant senior season and lifted the Massabesic girls wrestling team to its first New England title.
In six possible matches in the 145-pound division at the Maine girls wrestling championships and the New England championships, Grunhuvd allowed a total of five points and won each match by pinfall. She claimed her second second straight titles at both tournaments.
Despite the success, Grunhuvd is soft-spoken when it comes to her feats.
“It was pretty cool,” she said.
For her accomplishments this season, which included an undefeated record against girls competition, Grunhuvd is the Varsity Maine Girls Wrestler of the Year. Hannah Perro of Noble, who became the first four-time girls state champion this year, was also considered.
Grunhuvd entered the season confident after winning the 138-pound girls title at the state and New England meets last season. Along with her sister Nevaeh, she helped the Mustangs win their first girls state title last winter. Still, Grunhuvd knew she could improve.
“I definitely came in trying to work on moving from bottom (position) and getting better on my feet,” Grunhuvd said. “I think I definitely improved on that. My top game (is my strength).”
“She’s strong all the way around. When you’re a two-time New England champ, you have to be,” said Massabesic coach Ken Hall. “She’s very good on top, definitely a hammer. She pins a lot of people. With the girls championship, I was definitely confident she was going to win it.”
Hall said Sophie Grunhuvd kept wrestling fun, and that paid off.
“State finals matches, or New England finals matches, she’s kind of joking around, ‘Hey, what moves should I hit?’” Hall said. “She’ll look for an unconventional, fun move and just keep it light. I think that contributes a lot to her success. She doesn’t get wrapped up in the hype, she doesn’t get worried about it.”
During the regular season, Grunhuvd won her weight class at the Noble Girls Invitational, the Skowhegan Open and the Belfast Girls Invitational.
At the state meet, none of Grunhuvd’s matches lasted longer than 1 minute, 35 seconds. She pinned Madeline Leyhane of Maine Central Institute in 47 seconds to win the 145-pound crown.
Her two longest matches at New Englands both were over in 1:50. She pinned Gabriella Kiely of Stratford, Connecticut, for the New England championship.
“I was tired (by the championship match) but I was feeling pretty confident,” Grunhuvd said.
Massabesic, which also got a second-place finish at 138 by Nevaeh Grunhuvd, secured the New England team championship with 52 points, topping Salem High School of New Hampshire (48 points) and Woburn Memorial High School of Massachusetts (42).
“I knew we were one of the top teams, but I really didn’t think we’d win it,” Sophia Grunhuvd said.
Grunhuvd’s success was not limited to girls competition. She went 8-0 record against boys during the regular season, finished fourth at 144 pounds at the Class A South regionals and sixth at the Class A championships.
“She was in our (co-ed) starting lineup at 144,” Hall said.
Grunhuvd earned podium finishes at the Montana girls championships before transferring to Massabesic before the 2024-25 season. The Grunhuvd family has loved wrestling for a long time.
“I’ve been wrestling since I was about five,” Grunhuvd said. “Wrestling has just always been a part of our lives.”
Grunhuvd has yet to decide which school she will attend after graduation, but said she will continue her wrestling career.