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Maya Blackman Leaves Her Mark

by Daniel Pursell

March 2nd at Fresno High has officially become Maya Blackman Day. Maya is a senior wrestler in her third year of the sport. With this being her last year, she wasn’t all about winning, she cared about her doing her best. “That’s considered winning in my eyes,” she explained. Little did she realize just what a triumphant season she would have. 

At the beginning of the season, the team was dealing with setbacks like having to take breaks every two weeks because of positive COVID tests/exposures. There was a point in the season where Maya wanted to quit and stop wrestling, but then she had thought that if she quit then there would be the regret, and the “what if’s” started to present themselves. Then her coach stepped in and told Maya, “You may not have the best cards, but you have to play with the cards you are deal.”  

As the season grew closer to an end, the vision of placing at state was becoming a realistic possibility. Maya qualified as the Central Section Masters champ, becoming Fresno High’s first girls Masters champ and first since 1987. Maya ended up placing seventh in the state, and though she didn’t enter the season focused on winning, she most certainly is a winner.