Mission Veterans Memorial’s Olga Betancourt, left, and Raymond Rodriguez will compete this weekend at the UIL Wrestling State Championships in Austin.
News Page
Patriots shine in wrestling regional
Jason McDaniel
February 20, 2007 - 12:33AM
|
Mission Veterans Memorial’s Olga Betancourt, left, and Raymond Rodriguez will compete this weekend at the UIL Wrestling State Championships in Austin. |
Maybe Mission Veterans Memorial was saving its best for a bigger stage.
After watching La Joya sweep the District 31 team titles and send 17 boys and girls to the regional tournament, the Patriots came up large in San Antonio, qualifying a district-high five wrestlers — including regional champion Raymond Rodriguez — for this weekend’s 2007 UIL Wrestling State Championships in Austin.
“I don’t know how to take that,” Mission Veterans coach Ben Yzaguirre said. “It’s just one of those situations. What I always look at is, you have no idea how strong one weight class is going to be to another throughout your region. That’s the only thing I can attribute that to, as to who’s going to take who to the next level.
“(La Joya’s) a district champion, so you’re expecting, OK, they’ll do better than the rest of the teams, but it doesn’t work that way.”
Three of the Patriots’ qualifiers are making their second appearances at state, 215-pound regional gold-medalist Rodriguez, silver-medalist Pedro Raya (140) and fourth-place qualifier Olga Betancourt (119). Rodriguez (20-1) finished second and Raya (22-1) finished third at 130 pounds in Region IV last season.
“It was great,” Betancourt said of her first trip to Austin. “It’s a good experience. It was fun.”
Also making the trek north are 95-pounder Naema Roura (10-2) and 128-pounder Samantha Salinas (15-2). Each wrestler finished fourth and is making her first trip to the state tourney. Last season, Betancourt (8-2) was the first and only girls state qualifier from Mission Veterans.
“You have someone to talk to, someone to be pump you up, someone that can be there and be supportive,” Salinas said of going to Austin with her teammates.
Rodriguez earned regional gold by avenging an earlier loss to Weslaco High’s District 32 champion, Nick Garza, who entered the regional event as the top-seeded 215-pounder.
“It felt pretty good,” Rodriguez said. “All I wanted was another chance of wrestling Nick. I didn’t care if it was for the championship. It just turned out that way, and it’s cool it turned out that way.”
Things didn’t turn out well for Rodriguez at state last season as he injured his shoulder during his first match and had to withdraw from the tourney. But Yzaguirre has high hopes for his big man this time.
“When you get to that level anything can happen,” Yzaguirre said. “I’m looking at him placing in the top six for sure. Now, you have to have a lot of things that have to fall in place to win the gold medal. You’re talking about, hopefully, no injuries, colds … it’s all those types of things that have to be set at the right time, and, if it’s meant to be, Raymond could win it.”
Similar bad luck befell Raya this season. After securing regional silver, Raya dislocated his elbow during practice last week. The injury required surgery, so Raya likely won’t travel to Austin.
Still, Yzaguirre’s excitement couldn’t be dampened. Only Weslaco High and La Joya are sending more wrestlers to state, but five of their combined 12 are alternates. Mission Veterans also is the only school that boasts two boys regional champs in the last two years, Rodriguez this year and 140-pounder Jason De Leon last season.
“We’ve been in existence for five years, and I’m counting all the state qualifiers, and we’ve had 10 state qualifiers within the five years, all 10 within the last three,” Yzaguirre said. “Three years ago we had one, then we had four last year and five this year.
“It’s been unbelievable.”
------------------------------------------------------
Time is now for female grapplers
Todd Mavreles
February 20, 2007 - 12:38AM
RIO GRANDE CITY — Professional football coach Bill Parcells was once captured saying, “This is why you lift all them weights,” to his players during a tense game. Parcells essentially was saying all of the body soreness and sweat lost during anonymous offseason workouts are necessary to realize the ultimate prize.
This weekend at the UIL State Wrestling Championships in Austin is why the competitors adhere to strict diets and train their bodies to exhaustion. It’s time to seize the moment.
Rio Grande City’s Krystal Montalvo and Jenny Garza along with La Joya’s Janet Escalante, all regional silver medalists, put the results of all of their hard work to this point on the mat Friday and Saturday at the Delco Activity Center.
“They’re dedicated to the sport,” Rio Grande City coach Ronald Pratt said. “They’re one-sport studs. They just get after it year-round.”
Montalvo, a junior 102-pounder who is 23-4, is returning to state. Last year she went 1-2 while gaining experience that should prove valuable this year. She faces Southlake Carroll junior Jordan West (21-4) who finished fourth in 2006 at state in the 95-pound weight class.
“Now I’m going to know the competition, and I’ve already seen it before,” Montalvo said. “I know how fast it is now. It won’t be much easier, but I’ll be more confident.”
Garza, who will be wrestling in the 95-pound class, went 23-3 as a sophomore this year. She will be making her first state tournament appearance when she faces Houston junior Maribel Ramirez (21-18) in her first-round match.
“I dedicated myself to the sport,” Garza said. “I run more. I eat healthy. I don’t eat junk food. I’m nervous, and I’m praying that I win the match. I expect to win. I want my school to be recognized.”
Escalante, a senior, will make her first trip to state. She had won 22 straight to open the season before dropping the regional final. The 148-pounder hopes to begin a new winning streak at state when Escalante, 22-1, faces Katy freshman Julie Stayton (28-10) in her opening-round match.
“She’s very determined. She hates to lose. She’s determined not to lose. She’ll do whatever it takes,” said La Joya coach Mario Montelongo, who also will take freshmen Clarisa Navarro (128 pounds), Stephanie Oviedo (138) and sophomore Rosa Rivas (185) as alternates. “I think she’s in the best shape of her life. She’s a senior. She’s strong. She’s very coachable. She’s excited, so that in itself and the fact that she wants to compete and do something, is kind of driving her right now.”
For Montalvo, Garza, Escalante and perhaps Navarro, Oviedo and Rivas, this weekend affords them the opportunity to see how far all of their hard work has taken them. They hope it’s enough to produce a state medal.
“I want to stand on the podium,” Montalvo said. “I want to be top six.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on February 17, 2007
UNCASVILLE, Conn., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Boys outnumber girls by at least 50-to-one in U.S. high school wrestling programs, but girls' wrestling is getting bigger, The New York Times reported.
About 5,000 high school girls wrestled last year, the National Federal of State High School Associations reported. That's a five-fold increase from 1995, and it probably understates the true number since many states did not report girls' wrestling participation, the newspaper said.
In any case, it doesn't come close to matching the number of high school boys -- 250,000 -- who participate in the sport.
Women's wrestling has been added as an Olympic sport and some colleges have added it as well.
One impediment to growth for girls' wrestling is a shortage of girls' teams. Without girls' teams, the sport may have trouble attracting girls to participate, and without girls' participation there won't be many girls' teams.
In a few cases, the Times reported, courts have ruled that girls should be permitted to join boys' teams if there are no girls' teams available to them.
Girls have teams in Texas and Hawaii, and in some California schools, the newspaper said.
----------------------------------------------------------
Girls wrestling 2/20/07
Jackson junior Tara Miller finished second in the 103-pound division at the state wrestling tournament. Miller dropped a 3-2 decision to Sarah Rowen of Columbia River. Rowen is ranked ninth in the nation.
----------------------------------------------------------
Blythe Peterson wins a match at state's first all-girls wrestling tourney.
By Kitsap Sun Staff and Associated Press
February 17, 2007
Tacoma
|
Steve Zugschwerdt | Kitsap Sun
|
Blythe Peterson stood on the mat, faced the crowd and raised her fist in victory.
The North Kitsap junior had just won a 135-pound consolation match Friday at Mat Classic, using an escape with 30 seconds remaining to beat Kayla Keeler of Hockinson 7-6.
The win moved Peterson into today’s matches. Another win and she’ll take home a medal (top-four finish). Peterson is one of 72 girls representing 53 schools competing at the inaugural girls state wrestling tournament.
The girls tournament is run on two mats, front and center among the 24 mats placed on the Tacoma Dome’s football turf.
On those two mats, Washington became just the third state in the country to hold a sanctioned high school state wrestling championship for girls, joining Hawaii and Texas.
While invitationals and exhibitions of girls wrestling are prevalent around the country, Washington officials beamed with pride Friday when whistles blew for the first sanctioned matches at 10 a.m.
"Four years ago, we saw the need to do something," said Jim Meyerhoff of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, and the director of the Mat Classic tournament. "We were having more and more girls participate at the high school level in boys wrestling. Our ultimate goal was to get girls wrestling girls, and guys wrestling guys as quick as we can."
The girls tournament hasn’t been met with overwhelming approval. Some are unhappy that girls will no longer wrestle boys, taking away an avenue for tougher competition. Only two girls, one being Olympic’s Camie Yeik, were grandfathered into the boys tournament as they competed at state last year.
"I think it’s good for most girls," said Peterson, who has been wrestling for three years. "They’re good wrestlers, and they deserve to be in the guys tournament. I think it gives us a fair shot."
Washington’s numbers parallel the growth in the sport nationwide. According to surveys from the National Federation of State High School Associations 2,361 girls nationwide participated in girls’ wrestling in 1999 when Texas sanctioned girls wrestling.
Last year, the number had jump to almost 5,000, and Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling says those numbers should be higher as some states failed to report. Washington’s state tournament also comes the week that Oklahoma City University announced it’s adding women’s wrestling as an intercollegiate sport, becoming the fifth college in the country.
Women’s wrestling was also an Olympic sport for the first time in 2004.
"Girls wrestling is no longer some sort of unique thing. It’s everywhere and known," Abbott said.
Junior Sarah Rowen of Columbia River in Vancouver had the distinction of being the first match winner, giving her opponent, Sandy Nguyen, a bloody lip, before recording the pin in 2 minutes, 22 seconds.
Rowen just started wrestling four years ago, but is already ranked No. 9 in the country in the 100-pound class by the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association.
She competed in the last two girls’ invitationals held alongside the boys state tournament, but those matches were relegated to gaps in the hectic schedule on whatever side mats were available.
"We’re usually shoved in the back and put in wherever we can," Rowen said. "It’s good they’re bringing it out a lot more. They’re starting to show a lot more respect for it."
Other states might not be far behind Washington. California, which has the most girls participating of any state, has sanctioned Northern and Southern California championships for girls.
Kent Bailo, USGWA director, believes a number of states may be headed toward sanctioned state tournaments for girls in the near future.
"It’s phenomenal, as a matter of fact," Bailo says of the growth. "We’re not such an unusual commodity anymore."
---------------------------------------------------------
Ladies first in wrestling gold rush
Dave Winer
Feb 19, 2007
Mississauga wrestlers held their own when it came to pinning down gold medals in junior and women's competition at the recent Peel high school championships.
However, it was all-Brampton in the men's division.
Only Meadowvale's Adam Argue and Oshanny Price in the 61 and 72 kilogram weight classes managed to break the domination of northern schools, as athletes from Brampton schools captured 14 of the 16 available gold medals.
The women gained a modicum of revenge for Mississauga schools, winning seven of the 13 available gold medals.
St. Francis Xavier was responsible for three of those gold medals.
Jamillah Mensah (64 kg), Latacha Smellie (72 kg) and Megan Treglia (83 kg) won their respective weight classes.
Jade Pike (47.5 kg) and Lucy Yordanou (61 kg) struck gold for the Port Credit Warriors.
Lincoln Alexander's Jennifer Thompson (67.5 kg) and Meadowvale's Anna Yazden (44 kg) also came away winners.
Mississauga's biggest medal haul came in the junior classification, where the Meadowvale Falcons showed great promise for the future by winning six of 16 available gold medals.
Winners included Farhan Saqib (41 kg), Dylan Williams (54 kg), Adam Argue (61 kg), Brian Seo (67.5 kg), Ryan Brown (77 kg) and Manrir Gill (89 kg).
Also winning their respective divisions were Ameed Lakhani (38 kg) of Mentor College, Shekhar Saxena (64 kg) of The Woodlands and Jordon Gardiner (95 kg) of Lincoln Alexander.
In the overall combined team standings, Brampton's Turner Fenton placed first, followed by Brampton Centennial and Mississauga's Meadowvale, St. Francis Xavier, Port Credit and Mentor College.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pair of local wrestlers win section titles
Gibson, Azarias 1st; two girls move on
Times-Herald staff report 2/20/07
Two local wrestlers garnered first place honors at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships in Bella Vista Saturday.
Bethel High's Matt Gibson won the 191-pound title, while Hogan junior Justin Azarias captured the 125-pound title with one tech fall and two pins, including a pin in the final match.
"He (Justin) pretty much dominated, he looked really good and sharp," said Hogan coach Ric Manibusan. "It was kind of nice to see."
Wrestlers who finished among the top five also qualified for the Masters tournament next Friday and Saturday in Stockton.
Two of them happened to be females, accomplishing a feat that both Manibusan and Vallejo coach Mike Minahen agreed is a first in this section (to their knowledge, at least).
Vallejo junior Jennifer Fernandez took third at 103 pounds. Fernandez finished 4-1, and won with a 16-1 tech fall in her final match.
Krystalle Alcantara finished fifth at 103 a couple hours after Fernandez qualified, also advancing to Masters.
Hogan's Kevin Young finished second at 135 pounds, and the junior had a great showing against some of the state's best competition. He dropped the final match, 11-5, but the first two rounds were very competitive.
"I think that (the final) was the most entertaining match of the tournament," Manibusan said.
Junior Ray Hoover and senior Antonio Chappell each placed third for the Spartans, at 140 pounds and heavyweight respectively. Senior Nick Sanchez took home fourth place at 154 pounds, battling through intense pain after tweaking his knee in the first match.
"He couldn't walk, but he was all heart," Manibusan said. "He came through, but when he got to fourth place he stopped there."
Senior Earl Joseph rounded out the Hogan contingent, finishing sixth at 173.
Vallejo had a strong showing, but failed to produce a first place finish. Senior Ronnie Tsutsui Jr. finished with the same result as last year, earning second place at 140 pounds after a 10-6 decision in his final match.
"He was just not on his game," said Minahen.
Charles Rodriguez also earned second place, at 160 pounds. The Apache senior won three matches before falling 14-8 to a solid wrestler in the final.
"He had a very impressive performance," Minahen said.
In third place was Vallejo sophomore Boomer Tuico at 119 pounds.
Sophomore Joey Avelino captured fourth place at 112 pounds, and junior Angie Miller finished 1-2 on Saturday at 145 pounds. She wrestles at 140 when facing girls.
Bethel wrestlers Devin Bryant and Josh Cruz each settled for fourth place at heavyweight and 127 pounds respectively. Justin Espena still has yet to determine his fate, and will wrestle on Monday trying to qualify for the Masters.
------------------------------------------------------
By DAN NIED/Times-Herald sports writer
Article Launched: 02/20/2007 07:44:23 AM PST
• In more than 20 years of wrestling tournaments, Hogan coach Ric Manibusan has never seen a girls wrestler advance any further than the section tournament. Vallejo coach Mike Minahen hasn't seen it either. Except, of course, for this year. Minahen and Manibusan will coach girls - Jennifer Fernandez for Vallejo and Krytalle Alcantara for Hogan - in this weekend's Masters Tournament in Stockton. Both qualified last week at 103 pounds by finishing the Sac-Joaquin Section Tournament in third and fifth, respectively.
"If they can win one or two matches, that would be a great accomplishment." Manibusan said. "It's a good thing for wrestling right now."
---------------------------------------------------
Juhre among girls wrestling pioneers
Dave Trimmer
Staff writer
February 17, 2007
TACOMA – Although she is the lone Greater Spokane League wrestler in the first girls Mat Classic XIX wrestling championships, Emily Juhre isn't competing to make any particular statement.
"I don't care if I'm the best wrestler or the worst wrestler, I just want to get better," the Central Valley sophomore said Friday between matches at the Tacoma Dome. "I wrestle because it keeps me in good shape. I love learning the techniques and it's fun."
Juhre, who wrestled here last year when the girls brackets were an exhibition, won her first match at 119 pounds with a pin but lost her second 10-5 to senior Kyra Butler of Hoquium.
It was her first loss in 10 all-girl matches this season. She was 2-3 against boys.
"I was hoping to (win state), that's my goal," she said. "If I don't, that will be my goal next year."
Her biggest frustration is not in losing but in finding competition, especially considering several small schools have larger contingents. Springdale and Chewelah have four girls competing, Hoquiam, which has 54 points to lead Kentwood by 19 and Kelso by 20, has six.
"Eastern Washington is pretty conservative," Juhre said. "I think a lot of people don't think girls should be wrestling. I think people are beginning to see girls can wrestle. (Boys) have the strength, but girls have the flexibility."
Juhre started wrestling in seventh grade at Greenacres Middle School because she was heavy. She said one coach tried to discourage her, but he changed his mind when she started winning matches for him. Now she said the majority of her teammates are supportive, except for the jerks "nobody likes," and her coaches have been "wonderful."
Wrestling against boys, and any awkward moments that might come from it, don't bother her.
"It's like acting," she said. "They might have a love scene, but it doesn't mean they have a relationship."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sibling act
Lynnwood's Taneal and Tanner Detschman place at Mat Classic XIX.
By Mike Cane
Herald writer 2/20/07
|
Tanner Detschman was in a real squeeze. The wrestler from Lynnwood High School struggled to fight off an opponent, whose legs clamped around Detschman's head, squishing it like a grape in a vise.
As Detschman fought to escape, something snapped.
Fortunately for Detschman, it wasn't his head. The Lynnwood junior's headgear, however, was demolished.
The match, which took place Friday during Mat Classic XIX at the Tacoma Dome, was stopped so that Detschman could strap on new headgear.
One problem: He didn't have another one.
So Detschman gazed up into the stands, hoping someone could help. It was too noisy for Lynnwood fans to hear him over the buzz of cheers and the booming voice of the public address announcer, so Detschman raised his hands to his head and anxiously mouthed, "Headgear! Headgear!"
Only one person understood his request.
Lynnwood senior Taneal Detschman, Tanner's sister, immediately jumped into action. She looked around, grabbed her headgear, sprinted down the stairs and tossed the safety device onto the mat.
Problem solved.
It was one of many special moments over the weekend for the Detschman siblings at the state wrestling championships.
Taneal Detschman placed third in the 112-pound weight division in Washington's first-ever sanctioned girls state tournament (an all-classification event), and Tanner Detschman finished seventh at 152 pounds in the Class 3A boys tourney.
Tanner has wrestled longer than Taneal, but they've both become accomplished competitors.
Over the past three seasons, Taneal placed first once and second twice in her group in girls exhibition tourneys at the Tacoma Dome. She has wrestled for Lynnwood's varsity boys team since her freshman year.
Lynnwood coach Carl Wilkins called her a steady, hard-working kid who "doesn't take a step back from anybody."
Last season Tanner barely missed a trip to the Mat Classic, finishing as an alternate. He was thrilled to join his sister as a state qualifier last weekend. "It's really cool," Tanner said, "because I see her here every year and it's just a different feeling being here with her (as a wrestler)."
The Detschmans both won regional tourney championships on Feb. 10. Their regional events, which determined who went to state, were at different sites - Tanner was in Bellingham and Taneal was in Renton.
They phoned back and forth all day, sharing updates between bouts. When Tanner returned home that night, he discovered that Taneal had decorated his car with messages that read something like: "Going to state! Watch out! 152 pounds!"
The Detschmans share a bond that stems from obvious family ties, but also a shared passion for wrestling.
"Basically, it's not even really a brother-sister (connection). It's really almost a best-friend relationship," Tanner said.
The Detschmans help each other with math homework, hang out with many of the same pals and rarely argue, Tanner said.
"We help each other out," said Taneal. "We pick up food for each other at the store and get each other our favorite drinks if one of us has a match."
Sometimes their wrestling achievements overlap in eerie ways. One time last season at a dual meet they pinned their opponents in the same amount of time, down to the second, Taneal said.
The Detschmans have been valuable team leaders, coach Wilkins said. They stay so focused on wrestling that sometimes "you wouldn't even know they're brother and sister at all. They don't have a whole lot of conversations about it."
In fact, for a while Wilkins thought the Detschmans were cousins.
The Detschmans, and Lynnwood coaches, attributed much of their success to teammates. Taneal praised workout partners like Anthony Henderson (a state qualifier at 103) and Rodson Ubungen. Tanner and Blake Forrest, Lynnwood's other 152-pound state qualifier, were aided by Taylor Bisset, Samuel Springhower, Luke Ulke, Jordan Ingalls, and Ryan Crow.
Many Lynnwood wrestlers who didn't qualify for Mat Classic still made the trip to Tacoma to root for teammates.
It definitely helped the Detschmans.
"I'm just glad that our whole team came down to support us," Taneal Detschman said, "so we have more reason to win."
----------------------------------------------------------
CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune
2/20/07
Hoover's Ana'i Novoa makes San Diego Section history, reaching Division II
wrestling finals, while Imperial junior Priscilla Caldera becomes the
first junior to win a title.
------------------------------------------------------------
High Schools / DIVISION IV / Imperial girl's win is a first
By Glae Thien
SPECIAL TO THE UNION-TRIBUNE
February 18, 2007
VALLEY CENTER – Imperial junior Priscilla Caldera has followed a family line of fine wrestlers, but in her own way she became a trailblazer last night in the Division IV championships.
Caldera became the first female in the state to win a section title against boys competition with a pin at 1:55 against Santana freshman Brent Wilson in the 103-pound weight class at Valley Center High.
Advertisement“I'm just ecstatic right now, Caldera said. “I hope this shows if any girl tries hard enough, it's possible.”
Her grandfather, Joe Guizar, once competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Her uncle, James Guizar, won a state high school title in 1998 for Imperial.
“They were always doing it and I was around it,” said Caldera, who divides her time competing against boys and girls. “I just wanted to be a part of that as well.”
The top-seeded Caldera won all three of her tourney bouts by pin, including two in the first period. Not one opponent scored a point against her. In the final, she held a 2-0 lead with an early takedown before the pin.
“I just wanted to go out and do my best, hoping that would be good enough,” Caldera said. “I thought the final was going to last a little longer, but it was kind of a relief, too, because then the pressure was off.”
Defending masters champion John Mossy of Santa Fe Christian repeated as section titlist by pinning San Dieguito's Max Maisle in 3:55 at 135 pounds.
Valley Center, which had three finalists, won its second team championship in a row with 198 points. Santa Fe Christian and Santana tied for second at 150½.
Imperial suffered a setback in the 119-pound bout when Frankie Rios suffered a jarring injury as the result of a takedown by Royce Barber of San Marcos. The preliminary diagnosis was a hyperextended elbow, according to Tigers coach Tirso Lara.
The Tigers, who placed fourth with 148½ points, earned five finals berths to share the tourney high with Santa Fe Christian.
---------------------------------------------------------
UNION-TRIBUNE
February 20, 2007
Priscilla Caldera
Wrestling
Imperial
The junior became the first female wrestler in California history to win a section championship competing against males. As the top seed at 103 pounds, she had three pins in the Division IV tournament, including a first-period fall in the title bout.
------------------------------------------------------
Washington: A Tournament of Their Own
The first state girls wrestling tournament kicks off a busy weekend of state events;
By Nathan Joyce 2/20/07
MaxPreps.com
Mat Classic just got even bigger.
The state wrestling tournaments in Washington have always been a spectacle. What else can you call 27 mats running concurrently? This year, along with the boys tournament, a girls state wrestling tournament will be held for the first time.
Since 2004, there has been an invitational girls tournament held during breaks in the boys action, but this is the first year the girls will have a sanctioned state tournament. Only two other states, Texas and Hawaii, offer a tournament like this.
Mat Classic is set for Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
The new tourney has brought girls out in droves. According to figures from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, 376 girls from 119 schools turned out.
This new tournament has started Washington down a path where girls will wrestle only girls; it’s something that not everybody wants to see.
"I grew up wrestling against guys," Jolene Crook-Meyers, whose 21-5 record this season includes five wins — and all five losses — against boys, of Kentwood told the Seattle Times. "I like the competition."
In college and the Olympics, girls wrestle only girls, something that Jim Meyerhoff of the WIAA points out. The girls tournament was Meyerhoff’s brain child.
"The goal is to get girls wrestling girls as soon as we can," he told the Times. "I don't have a crystal ball, but I'd be shocked in five years if we don't have enough girls for at least two different state tournaments [by classification]."
Two girls – Camie Yeik of Olympic and Megan Martin of Willapa Valley – will be allowed to compete with the boys as they were grandfathered in; they competed at the boys tournament last year.
Mat Classic won’t be the only state event this weekend. The state gymnastic meet will be across the hall at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall. And the state swim meet will just up Interstate-5 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where the tough girls are
Emerald Ridge welcomes Chief Leschi, others for state’s first girls wrestling tri-dual
Sean Janssen / of the Herald,Jan. 25—
The Hanford boys wrestling team was running late for its scheduled arrival on the eve of the Jaguar Invitational at Emerald Ridge High School.
When the Falcons made it in, they would have to practice upstairs rather than on the mats laid out on the gymnasium floor at the school, announced Jaguars coach Jim Meyerhoff.
“It’s ladies’ night,” Meyerhoff said.
And so it was.
While the guys would be going head-to-head (with a few girls’ grapplers sprinkled in) on Saturday, Jan. 20, the mats belonged to the so-called fairer sex the previous night as Emerald Ridge hosted the first-ever tri-dual meet for girls in state history.
There would be no sugar, spice or niceties, however, because these girls came ready to compete.
“With the state tournament this year, it’s a chance to help promote (girls wrestling),” Meyerhoff said. “What we’re looking for was to get girls mat time.”
Girls have wrestled here and there in years past. Whitney Conder of Puyallup and Camie Yeik from Olympic of Bremerton even qualified for boys state last season, with Conder claiming seventh place. However, the story goes mostly along the line of Meyerhoff’s experience at Emerald Ridge, where he said he has had “a couple girls off and on” in years past.
That will probably not be the case in coming years. After 160 girls wrestled at an exhibition invitational during the Mat Classic in the Tacoma Dome a year ago, this time around there will be a WIAA-sanctioned girls tournament in the Dome, as Meyerhoff said girls’ participation numbers have more than doubled to about 350 competitors.
“There’s only a few, usually at the lower weights, that want to wrestle against the boys,” he said.
Meyerhoff credits the increased opportunity for girls to wrestle each other instead of the boys for the boost in numbers. At Emerald Ridge, a team of eight girls began the season and five suited up for Friday’s matches.
“Those girls get out and scrap,” Meyerhoff said.
The Jaguar girls are able to wrestle each other in practice while the boys are there to encourage them and lend tips to the first-year wrestlers.
“The boys help out if we ask them,” said Madeline Hyatt, an Emerald Ridge junior who wrestles in the 125-pound division. “Getting to know all the guys, they’re so nice. You build such good relationships with your coaches when you’re with them all day, on the bus and in a gym for 12 hours at a tournament.”
Hyatt became a wrestler when friend and now teammate Samantha Caldwell, a junior who grapples at 119 pounds, pointed out a poster on the wall during school one day asking for girl wrestlers to join the team.
“She asked me ‘Want to wrestle?’ and I said, ‘Are you nuts?’” Hyatt recalled.
“I like sports that are weird to some people,” Caldwell said.
The chance to wrestle also came with an opportunity to be involved in something entirely new at their school, the inaugural girls wrestling team.
“I think it’s great to be a part of something that’s the first at Emerald Ridge,” Hyatt said.
Hyatt said the response from schoolmates is generally positive about girls competing in wrestling.
“At first, you say you’re on the wrestling team and they assume you’re a manager. Then they find out you wrestle and they think that’s so cool,” she said. “There are people that laugh but we get a lot of support.”
The girls say they get a chance to prove themselves on the mat.
“I think girls want to show guys that they can do it,” Caldwell said.
“Society is based on competitiveness,” Hyatt agreed. “We like to show that I can do what you can do.”
The Jaguar girls have formed an interesting dynamic in practice.
‘The girls, we’re really competitive with each other but we’re all best friends,” Caldwell said.
Except, she said of Hyatt, “once we’re on the mat, I don’t like her anymore.”
Hyatt showed no love for her opponents in the duals, pinning Tiffany Adams of Franklin Pierce in 1 minute, 37 seconds and then getting a 45-second pin of Elyse Glahn from Fife after a six-minute marathon with White River’s Kim Lind, ending in a 9-5 decision in the Hornet senior’s favor.
“It would be really cool to go to regionals,” Hyatt said after her strong performance.
The fact that she can even aim for such a goal is what excites Caldwell.
“It’s great that we get that chance,” she said.
While Hyatt earned the only victories for Jaguar wrestlers in the meet, Caldwell also had some strong finishes, taking her opponents from White River and Franklin Pierce into the third round before succumbing to falls. Krysta Perozzo of the Jaguars also went the distance when she lost an 11-6 decision against Kristen Schumacher of Fife in the 145-pound weight class.
The Jags came away from the event glad to have the experience after competing only in a pair of tournaments coming into the night’s competition.
“It was really good because it was the first time I’ve wrestled two matches in one day,” Hyatt said. “Tournaments are the only way we can really get mat time and experience.”
Chief Leschi’s Tamara Wright and Cassandra Lezard have garnered plenty of experience wrestling against boys with the often-outnumbered Warriors varsity team.
In her first try against a girl, Wright pinned Perozzo and later gave Kylie Bishop of Washington High School a run for her money.
“They need to get used to wrestling girls because they’ll be wrestling them in subregionals and regionals. I wanted to get ‘em a chance to see what it’s like,” Warriors coach Bart Brewer said. “My girls have only wrestled guys so far in tournaments and dual meets. Hopefully, it’ll spread the word out and we might get more girls next year coming out.”
While the girls on the mats are enjoying the first go-around of wrestling, so is Kelso coach Erinn Morton. Her squad dwarfed the others at the Emerald Ridge event in terms of numbers.
“Girls wrestling goes hand-in-hand with the reputation of our wrestling program in Kelso and so the girls’ enthusiasm just naturally came out of that,” Morton said. “It’s just what we do down there.”
Morton said she “was in the right spot in the right time” to become the girls coach at Kelso. Boys coach Bobby Freund needed some help with the girls and Morton was able to step in.
Lacking experience as a wrestler herself, she credits Freund and the other coaches at her school for teaching her the ropes. She also picked up instructional videos and has learned on the job, with Kelso entertaining 21 teams and 93 girls for a tournament earlier this year.
“It’s been phenomenal, I’ve really enjoyed it,” Morton said. “I wish there would have been (girls wrestling) when I was in school because I so would have done it.”
Future generations will not have to wish.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Olympic’s Yeik creates history
ERIC D. WILLIAMS; The News Tribune
Published: February 17th, 2007 01:00 AM
She’s become an unofficial spokesperson for girls high school wrestling.
Now she’s part of the Mat Classic record books.
Olympic 103-pound wrestler Camie Yeik became just the second female wrestler in state history to earn a spot on the podium competing against the boys.
And she did it in convincing fashion by dominating a wrestler from one of the state’s most storied programs.
Yeik defeated Sedro-Woolley sophomore Trent Morgan. 5-0, to stay alive in the consolation bracket.
“She pounded my guy,” Sedro-Woolley coach Jay Breckenridge said. “She’s physically tough. She’s a great wrestler. I wish some of my guys were as tough as she was.”
Puyallup’s Whitney Conder placed seventh overall last season at 103 pounds.
Yeik, who also scored a 9-1 victory against Enumclaw’s Kyle Young, can top Conder’s feat today by continuing to win and grabbing third place, which would give her the highest placing for any female state wrestler competing with the boys.
Yeik said the accomplishment is important because of her family’s philosophy of looking past gender and skin color. It’s what makes her upset about the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s ruling to not allow girls to compete in the boys tournament anymore because of the creation of the girls tournament. Yeik was grandfathered in because she competed in the state tournament last season.
“Whoever steps out there on the mat, he’s your opponent,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s white, black, a girl, purple, green or a boy. That’s why wrestling is so unique because anybody can wrestle. But they’re taking that uniqueness away from wrestling.”
Yeik advanced to state last season but failed to make the podium, losing two straight matches, including a hotly contested battle with Conder that put her out of the tournament.
Ford has look of champ
River Ridge 135-pound wrestler Marques Ford threw his opponents around with a tenacity that belies his year in schooling as a freshman.
Ford moved quickly through the bracket, pinning Mount Baker’s Eli Jacoby in 2:59, then handling Washington’s Artie Goras 8-2 to reach the semifinals.
Ford seemed unaffected by competing under the bright lights of the Tacoma Dome for the first time.
“I just wrestle like it’s any other tournament,” he said. “So I don’t get nervous or anything. I feel really good right now. And I’m hoping to make it to the finals.”
Ford is following an impressive family legacy of top-notch wrestling. Older brother Gerald Ford, Jr., was a state champion. And his father, Gerald Ford Sr., was an NAIA national champion.
Ford is 28-3 overall, including two losses to Yelm’s Mason May.
“He going to be a terror,” River Ridge coach Sanders Freed. “And four-time champion isn’t out of the picture.”
3A semifinalists
Peninsula and White River both qualified a pair of wrestlers for 3A semifinals. Seniors Zach Martin (140) and Ehli Keel (145) led the Seahawks, who are in sixth place in the Class 3A team competition.
“The goal is to remain in the top 10,” coach Cris Turner said. “I’m real proud of them.”
The Hornets qualified Justin Purvis (103) and Jake Williams (130), while Leif Woldseth (160) of Franklin Pierce and Jeremy Godfrey (215) of Sumner rounded out the local semifinalists.
Lena Tibbelin contributed to this report.
--------------------------------------------------------------
!!Photo Gallery!! - Mat Classic boys, Day 1 Camie is in photo #1:
!!Photo Gallery!! - Mat Classic girls:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tustin wrestlers are breaking barriers
The Tillers Gaby Flores and Atu Faleola have laid out the foundation for future female wrestlers after defying the odds in their first year of competition.
By TANYA LYON
For The Tustin News 2.14.07
There's a first year wrestler that has managed to set a new standard at Tustin High School and in the process has forced people to question their own stereotypes. That's because this wrestler isn't your typical wrestler and the biggest difference between this wrestler and others on the team is that this wrestler is a girl.
By competing on the wrestling team this year, senior Gabby Flores became the first female on what was an all boys team and it wasn't long before another girl, junior Atu Faleola, followed Flores lead and joined the team. But Flores wasn't just trying to break down barriers and make a statement. Flores, who wrestles in the 235 pound weight class, came to prove to the world that she could compete and she did so with an exclamation point.
In just her first year of competitive high school wrestling, Flores placed fourth in the CIF Southern Regional Girls Wrestling Championship and was the first female in Tustin Unified School District history to place in the championship. The win qualified Flores for a trip to the California Invitational Tournament, wrestling's unofficial state meet. There Flores entered the meet ranked seventh in the entire state and came within one win of placing and qualifying for the national championship tourney. Not bad in just your first year.
"It would have been great if they placed in the state tournament," said Tustin wrestling coach Ramon Diaz.
"I was proud of them since it was their first year wrestling and to see how much they have both grown in their character."
In her first year Flores has not only proven she could compete with the boys, she has helped break down barriers and has made wrestling more of a socially acceptable female sport. In fact, a full season had not passed before Flores was able to recruit another girl junior Faleola to join the wrestling team as well.
"I thought 'Yay I'm not the only girl.' A lot of guys treat you like one of the guys but it was great to have another girl out there," said Flores.
Like Flores, Faleola also had a successful rookie wrestling season and qualified for the state meet. But being one of the only girls on the wrestling team has been difficult for both girls. Joining the team didn't only mean becoming a pioneer, it has also meant that both girls have to routinely wrestle against the boys.
"Sometimes it can be [intimidating to wrestle guys] but it was a girl who hurt me. A lot of girls are tougher than guys. Wrestling guys has never hurt me," said Flores.
Faleola also admitted that joining the wrestling team was intimidating.
"Most girls when they look at me they think I'm just another dude. A lot of my friends and other girls say 'that's really cool but I would never join.' Most girls would give up and I almost did," admitted Faleola.
As intimidated as Flores and Faleola may have been, they didn't allow fear to stop them. Both girls pursued their dream of wrestling and excelled in just their first season.
Their personal success has undoubtedly inspired others to go for their goals and has inspired other girls to join the team next year.
Coach Diaz admitted that the girls' success has made wrestling all the more popular for Tustin High.
"There are now ten girls that want to go out for wrestling next year."
While it is obvious that Flores' success helped make wrestling more popular throughout the entire community of Tustin, Flores believes that wrestling has helped her achieve a better balance in school.
"Wrestling helped my grades out! Other years my grades weren't as great but to compete if you don't have the grades, you don't wrestle. So this year, I did all my work and my grades are better than they've ever been," said Flores.
Now with the grades and the wrestling accomplishments under her belt, Flores is looking to continue competing at the collegiate level.
"I am planning to go to college and wrestle," said Flores. "I'm still looking for the right school and I want to see where [wrestling] takes me."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Time is now for female grapplers
Todd Mavreles
February 20, 2007 - 12:38AM
RIO GRANDE CITY — Professional football coach Bill Parcells was once captured saying, “This is why you lift all them weights,” to his players during a tense game. Parcells essentially was saying all of the body soreness and sweat lost during anonymous offseason workouts are necessary to realize the ultimate prize.
This weekend at the UIL State Wrestling Championships in Austin is why the competitors adhere to strict diets and train their bodies to exhaustion. It’s time to seize the moment.
Rio Grande City’s Krystal Montalvo and Jenny Garza along with La Joya’s Janet Escalante, all regional silver medalists, put the results of all of their hard work to this point on the mat Friday and Saturday at the Delco Activity Center.
“They’re dedicated to the sport,” Rio Grande City coach Ronald Pratt said. “They’re one-sport studs. They just get after it year-round.”
Montalvo, a junior 102-pounder who is 23-4, is returning to state. Last year she went 1-2 while gaining experience that should prove valuable this year. She faces Southlake Carroll junior Jordan West (21-4) who finished fourth in 2006 at state in the 95-pound weight class.
“Now I’m going to know the competition, and I’ve already seen it before,” Montalvo said. “I know how fast it is now. It won’t be much easier, but I’ll be more confident.”
Garza, who will be wrestling in the 95-pound class, went 23-3 as a sophomore this year. She will be making her first state tournament appearance when she faces Houston junior Maribel Ramirez (21-18) in her first-round match.
“I dedicated myself to the sport,” Garza said. “I run more. I eat healthy. I don’t eat junk food. I’m nervous, and I’m praying that I win the match. I expect to win. I want my school to be recognized.”
Escalante, a senior, will make her first trip to state. She had won 22 straight to open the season before dropping the regional final. The 148-pounder hopes to begin a new winning streak at state when Escalante, 22-1, faces Katy freshman Julie Stayton (28-10) in her opening-round match.
“She’s very determined. She hates to lose. She’s determined not to lose. She’ll do whatever it takes,” said La Joya coach Mario Montelongo, who also will take freshmen Clarisa Navarro (128 pounds), Stephanie Oviedo (138) and sophomore Rosa Rivas (185) as alternates. “I think she’s in the best shape of her life. She’s a senior. She’s strong. She’s very coachable. She’s excited, so that in itself and the fact that she wants to compete and do something, is kind of driving her right now.”
For Montalvo, Garza, Escalante and perhaps Navarro, Oviedo and Rivas, this weekend affords them the opportunity to see how far all of their hard work has taken them. They hope it’s enough to produce a state medal.
“I want to stand on the podium,” Montalvo said. “I want to be top six.”
------------------------------------------------------------------
