Mat Maidens

COLFAX – More teenagers are on the mat this season as part of the growing sport of high school girls wrestling.

On Dec. 15, girls teams from as small as Class 1B to as large as Class 3A competed in the first-ever girls league meet in Colfax.

Grace Jones and Hope Allen represented Colfax, both at 120 pounds.

And Laynie Southern represented Garfield-Palouse at 130.

Alexis Taylor represented Tekoa-Rosalia at 145 pounds.

The four wrestlers competed in nine total matches. Taylor, Jones and Allen had two matches each; Southern had three.

Jones pinned both her opponents - Anna Hungerford of Jenkins and Maelia Amen of Ridgeline.

"(What got me the wins) were being able to memorize some of the moves," she said. "Like the one where I threw the wrist over (in the second match). I was really impressed with myself on that one, actually. And in the first - sprawling, a lot. She probably could've got me on that one."

Allen won her first match over Emmalee Merker of Ridgeline with a first-round pin, but lost her second the same way to Clarissa Stensgar of Inchelium.

"(My mindset at the league meet) was, if I lose, just know that it's something I can fix and I can always come back to that and fix myself on it," Allen said. "And if I win, there's still always room for improvement."

Southern was the only wrestler in the meet to compete in three bouts. She pinned her first two opponents - Klara Lawrence of Newport and Cora Nicholson of Lake Roosevelt in the first round and her third opponent in the second.

"My shoulders are definitely tired," Southern said after her third victory. "I'm very shaky and exhausted.

"I haven't had three matches yet this season. So, it was really cool."

Southern talked briefly about her Dec. 17 victories.

"We've been working a lot on doing more underhooks rather than train to tie up," Southern said. "I think a lot of that has been working, and we've been able to get (opponents) to get their heads lower. So it's easier to snap them down.

"And I've been having a little more success in that route."

Tekoa-Rosalia's Taylor wasn't able to wrestle at the Dec. 8 league meet at East Valley after a variety of respiratory illness outbreaks in Tekoa postponed all Timberwolves athletics.

But the two-week layoff didn't show - Taylor pinned both her Lake Roosevelt opponents in the first round.

She pinned Addison "A.J." Cannon in 1:20 in the first match and then pinned Ayamae Duclos in 23 seconds.

"The girls were keeping their heads down a lot," Taylor said. "I used that to my advantage. And they were not covering their legs."

Her fastest pin came off a simple trip.

"In my second match, I just stepped on her foot because she was backing up and she fell right down," Taylor, whose undefeated in girls matches this season, said.

Girls leagues

With girls wrestling growing at breakneck speed, there are two divisions in Washington state.

Girls in 1B-2A schools will battle it out in the small school division; girls in 3A-4A are in the large-school division.

Despite the change in classifications, girls still compete in several all-classification events.

Taylor is happy to see the change.

Last year, she looked like she may be statebound, but ended up finishing as an alternate to regionals; with several large-school competitors taking the state allocations in her class.

She's hoping the change will make a difference for girls from schools like Tekoa-Rosalia, Garfield-Palouse and Colfax.

"In the past years, I had to wrestle all girls in my weight class," she said.

Larger schools tend to field enough wrestlers for their girls to travel to girls-only meets.

"So, it was harder for me because I was used to wrestling certain people and not going up to that next level," she said.

With the classifications being separated as they are this year, the performances of the Whitman County wrestlers might result in several girls going to regionals and possibly state.

"It's definitely an opportunity that I think a lot of girls don't really get," Southern said. "But it still tires you out."

Christmas tourney

The four girls all competed Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Pomeroy Christmas Tournament, as well.

Tekoa-Rosalia's Taylor took first in the 145-pound class, earning a gold medal and a "Champion" Santa hat.

It was her second time winning the title - she won it last year as a freshman.

Colfax's Allen and Jones tied for second place in the combined 115/120-pound weight class. Southern was second at 130 pounds.

Individual Christmas Tournament match results were unavailable.