MHS sophomore already among state’s top grapplers

By Chris Villani

Amelia Hough was not afraid to set ambitious goals for herself at the start of her sophomore season wrestling for Milford High. She wanted to win the prestigious Lowell Invitational Tournament and capture state divisional and all-state titles.

Hough won at Lowell — the first MHS girl to do so — and nearly took home both state titles with a pair of runner up finishes.

“I fell a little bit short,” Hough said, noting the competitor who beat her moved into the 107 lb division just before states. “But, being a finalist in both tournaments at that level is just as good as the goal I set for myself before the season.”

Competing primarily against boys during the dual meet campaign, Hough posted a 29-12 record overall and earned a second straight trip to the New England meet, where she finished 5th as a freshman. Hough was also a finalist in the co-ed division at the sectional meet.

With two years still to go in her high school career, she still has her sights set on becoming the first female state wrestling champ in a program that has won four team state championships over the past five years.

“My goal is to be a state champion and an all-state champion, I am not giving up on that goal regardless of what happened the past two weekends,” Hough said. “My goal is always to win the biggest tournaments.”

Hough has been wrestling since she was seven years old and got into the sport because it was something her older brother and his friends participated in. She took to it immediately, and said she enjoys both the challenge and how the sport forces an athlete to control their emotions. Hough also said she started to believe in herself even more this winter.

“I feel like I improved a lot since last year,” she said. “One big thing that helped me improve in my wrestling was my confidence. I would be really nervous before I would wrestle and it affected how I did on the mat. I learned how to trust my training, and that allowed me to compete in the bigger tournaments.”

Hough said she has grown used to being one of the few girls in a male-dominated sport, but she has noticed that there are more girls wrestling at the high school level and in youth divisions compared to when she started just a few years ago. She is hoping that her winning a state title someday could inspire other girls to take up the sport.

“I think it would be one of my biggest accomplishments yet,” Hough said. “I want to keep making history and seeing a path for other girls who are in youth wrestling.”

Amelia Hough. Photo by Grayson Fries