Clarke Central High School girls varsity girls wrestlers Moon Uriostegui (left) and Lila Sloan (right), both seniors, pose at the ODYSSEY Media Group’s 2025 Winter Media Day on Nov. 9, 2025. Uriostegui and Sloan, have been a part of the program for four years, are the only girls in program history to qualify for the Georgia High School Association Traditional Wrestling State Championships under standard rules, with Uriostegui competing the 2024-25 season and Sloan to compete on Feb. 13. “It’s an emotional feeling, and it was just really good to see Lila (move on to state),” CCHS varsity wrestling head coach William Lance said. “Moon and Lila set the tone for the girls’ program, and so for her to get her shine meant a lot to me.” Photo by Iliana Tejada
CCHS varsity girls wrestler Lila Sloan is the second-ever girl to qualify for the GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Championships in program history.
Clarke Central High School varsity girls wrestler Lila Sloan, a senior, will compete at the 2025-26 Georgia High School Association Traditional Wrestling State Championships at 9 a.m. on Feb. 13 at the Clayton County Schools Arena in Morrow, Ga.
Sloan qualified for state competition after winning two out of four matches at the 2025-26 GHSA AAAAA Traditional Sectionals on Feb. 6. Her fourth-place finish made her the only CCHS wrestler to move on to the state level this season.
“(Sloan) lost her first match, and when you lose that first one, it’s an all-or-nothing feeling,” CCHS varsity wrestling head coach William Lance said. “She won (the second match), and then she had a match where it could have gone either way, and Lila won with essentially 30 seconds on the clock. So, it was a really good feeling.”
“If other girls are thinking about wrestling and see that there are people that are placing, then they’re going to want to join as well. If I place, or if I win a match, then other people might be interested in joining.”
— Lila Sloan,
CCHS varsity girls wrestler
Sloan is the second-ever CCHS female wrestler to qualify for state under standard rules. The first was fellow CCHS varsity girls wrestler and Moon Uriostegui, a senior, who competed at the state competition during the 2024-25 season. Sloan and Uriostegui are the only current female wrestlers who have participated in the program for four years, which made advancing to state more impactful to Sloan.
“It was a reaction of gratitude. I was thankful for Lance helping me out and being by my side,” Sloan said. “I was just super excited, because qualifying for state means I get a plaque on the wall (in the wrestling room) next to Moon. We both started freshman year as the only girls, so now we’re going to be the first two girls to be on the wall, which is cool.”
Clarke Central High School varsity wrestling program trophies and awards from past years are shown in the CCHS wrestling room on Feb. 12. While the program has found success in the past, with 54 wrestlers placing in the Georgia High School Association Traditional Wrestling State Championships between 2005 and 2018, CCHS varsity wrestling head coach William Lance aims for current wrestlers to live up to the same standards. “When you look at the wall and the history of Clarke Central wrestling, you see (success), but (current wrestlers) don’t know those kids, and they didn’t get to practice with them,” Lance said. “So, you want somebody in-house to do it sooner rather than later. It’s a way to get kids really invested and seeing that it’s achievable, rather than just something that they see on a wall.” Photo by Cooper Jones
Last year, Uriostegui did not place at the state competition. So, if Sloan places, she will be the first girl in program history to do so, but she will first have to face difficult competition, Lance says.
“It’s just tough. Everybody that places there has earned it,” Lance said. “If you place, that’s years of hard work and sacrifice (and) you are literally one of the best in the state, so it’s a huge deal. Just to get there is a huge deal.”
With four out of six of the current CCHS varsity girls wrestlers being graduating seniors, Sloan hopes that if she places at state, her success will help inspire more female wrestlers in coming seasons.
“This is my senior year, (so) obviously, I’d be happy, but it’s more than that,” Sloan said. “If other girls are thinking about wrestling and see that there are people that are placing, then they’re going to want to join as well. If I place, or if I win a match, then other people might be interested in joining.”
