America Morris
Apparently the first female high school wrestler to record a pin at the varsity level, America Morris of Clairemont High School (San Diego) made national news when, on December 30, 1985, she pinned Russell Cain of Madison High School in the second period while leading the match 9-4 in the 107 pound division. Both were sophomores at the time. Morris's victory earned her press in the San Diego Union Tribune (December 31, 1985 and January 1, 1986); Orange County (California) Register (January 3, 1986); the Los Angeles Times Sunday edition (January 12, 1986) and the Los Angeles Times San Diego edition (March 12, 1987); Sports Illustrated (January 27, 1986); and People Magazine (sorry we do not have the edition citation). She also appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, where they showed a video clip of her match.
Does anyone have a videotape of this match or information as to whether Ms. Morris otherwise had a successful high school wrestling career? Let us know.
Afsoon Roshanzamir
If America Morris was the first female high school wrestler to record a pin in a varsity match, we believe that Afsoon Roshanzamir was the first female high school wrestler to record a winning season at the varisity level. Afsoon wrestled in the late 1980s in either the San Francisco or San Jose area and continues to be a successful wrestler for the U.S. Women's National Freestyle Team.
We welcome more specific information on Ms. Roshanamir's high school record and any videotapes of her matches.
Miyuu Yamamoto, a champion wrestler from Japan, spent two years as an exchange student at an Arizona high school. She qualified for the state tournament and ended up placing 6th at the 103 lb. class her senior year. Yamamoto, 18, won her first match, pinning Mesa Westwood's Nate Berry at 3:35. Reports on Miyuu can be found at the February 12 and 13, 1993 Arizona Republic.
The 5-foot-tall Yamamoto made history by becoming the first young woman in Arizona to capture a regional wrestling championship - and without any byes or forfeits. She earned it by beating three youths, two of them with relative ease, in the 103-pound weight division to qualify as the top seed from the Central Region at the Class 5A state tournament. In the opening round of the regional, she pinned Chandler's John Kempton and then knocked off top-seed Brandon Natchman of Mesa, 4-2. In the final, she beat the No. 2 seed, Gilbert's Preston Stapley, in an 11-0 decision.
Yamamoto, who had a 7-1 record and lost her only match her senior year in overtime, grew up with wrestling in Japan, where her father, Ikuei Yamamoto, was a highly rated Greco-Roman wrestler during the 1970s. There, she became a national heroine after capturing a world championship in women's freestyle at 103.5 pounds. Shy of the "celebrity status" forced on her by the Japanese media, she moved to Tempe in fall 1991. At the state meet her junior year, she surprised everyone by winning her first two matches and getting to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Shadow Mountain's Tyson Rondeau, the eventual champion and one of Arizona's top wrestlers of recent years. Rondeau, like so many wrestlers have this year, gained an immediate appreciation for Yamamoto. "I was talking to Tyson the other day, and he said he looked at her like any other wrestler," Shadow Mountain Coach John Bayless said. "He has a lot of respect for her. I think it's great how she's succeeded."