It’s a breakthrough season for girls wrestling in the state of Washington.
After offering an exhibition girls wrestling tournament since 2004, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association will hold its first official girls state tourney Feb. 16-17 during Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome.
Girls qualify for state by advancing through sub-regional and regional tournaments scheduled for various sites on Feb. 3 and Feb. 10, respectively.
Participation is on the rise. Last season’s exhibition in Tacoma featured 156 girls, an event record, from about 80 teams. This winter about 375 girls from 125 schools are wrestling, according to the WIAA.
Local competitors like Tara Miller and Kellie Meakins of Jackson High School are leading the way.
On Saturday, Miller, a Jackson junior, placed first in the 103-pound girls division at the Jaguar Invitational at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup. She had a pin and won a 7-6 decision in the finals, picking up an outstanding match award for the latter effort.
Meakins, a sophomore, had two pins on Saturday and placed fourth at 125 pounds.
Both girls also performed well on Friday in a girls dual meet, also at Emerald Ridge.
The experience will help Miller and Meakins, who have won varsity matches against boys this season, gear up for qualifying meets, Jackson coach Gustavo Anaya said. “They were able to get to see some kids that they will probably see when the postseason comes along,” he said, “so I think that will pay huge dividends.”
Another bonus: the girls’ achievements could encourage others to try wrestling.
“Other girls at Jackson will see that these two can be successful,” Anaya said.
Heavy on heart
Lake Stevens sophomore Zach Teuber was several inches shorter and quite a bit lighter than his Snohomish opponent in the heavyweight wrestling bout on Thursday. But Teuber, who weighed in at 228 pounds for the 285-pound match, won an 11-5 decision. “That was a good performance by him. He’s just a sophomore and he showed a lot of heart,” Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes said. Teuber led 5-1 before his opponent tied it at 5-5, but Teuber finished it off in the final 1:06 with an escape, a takedown and a near-fall.
“That’s encouraging that he hung in there in that match,” Barnes said. “He’s gonna be a good heavyweight for us for a number of years.”
Taking flight
Sometimes Marelle Moehrle feels like a bird. The sensation strikes when the Meadowdale girls basketball player heats up on the court – like when she made four 3-point baskets last week in the first quarter against Jackson. “I feel like I can fly or something,” said Moehrle, a forward. “You get that adrenaline rush and you just feel like you can do anything and everything. It’s such a good feeling.”
The right stuff
Ashly Bruns doesn’t score the most points for the Jackson girls basketball team, but she makes a major impact for the 12-2 Timberwolves. Bruns, a junior guard, “is like the unsung hero of this team,” Jackson point guard Kristi Kingma said. “She never gets any credit. She doesn’t put up the biggest numbers but she’s so solid. She’s always going to guard the toughest (offensive) player. She’s always going to get the one (clutch) rebound. She does everything right.”
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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