Washougal family storms away with girls Clark County title

All of the Washougal wrestlers train together. They are instructed by the same coaches. They share the wrestling room, at the same time.

All of them.

At Washougal, there is no girls team and no boys team. At least during practice.

“We are one team,” senior Erin Locke said. “We are Washougal wrestling.”

So when they are split up for competitions and tournaments, well, they are competing for the entire program.

The Washougal Panthers are champions again, taking the girls team title at the Clark County Wrestling Championships for the third consecutive season.

“We don’t plan on losing it anytime soon,” Locke said. “We have a great sense of camaraderie and family. I’m blessed to be a part of that. I’m definitely proud to be from Washougal.”

Locke was one of six Panthers to win individual titles Saturday night at Mountain View High School. She pinned her teammate Morgan Ratcliff in the 130-pound finals. She became the only repeat winner in the girls tournament this year.

“I remember as a freshman I went two-and-out here,” she recalled. “I worked and worked. I got stronger and stronger every year, just like my team.”

Oh yes, the team. It is not about individual results for the Panthers, not in this tournament anyway.

“For us, Clark County is about the team title,” Locke said. “Being an (individual) champion just means I got more points for my team.”

There were certainly a lot of Washougal points. The Panthers totalled 183. Second-place Skyview had 79. Host Mountain View finished third at 62.

Joining Locke as Washougal winners were: Yaneli Martinez, Christina Murray, Abby Lees, Jessica Biron, and Katelyn Purkeypyle.

Murray got an overtime pin to defeat Keiana Tocalino of Mountain View at 137 pounds. Lees pinned Haley Horrocks of Skyview at 155 pounds. And Purkeypyle also won by pin, stopping Madelyn Weyer of Mountain View in the second period. Martinez (100 pounds) and Biron (170) got to have their hands raised in victory. No other wrestlers were in their weight classes.

Prairie’s Quinn O’Bryant pinned Washougal’s Jessica Eakins at 106 pounds. O’Bryant finished second in this event last year, while Eakins was a two-time Clark County champion at another weight class.

“We have a friendly relationship. I really like her and her coaches,” said O’Bryant, who said this tournament is not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.

“I’m more worried about state,” she said. “Clark County is a small step in the right direction.”

Caitlin Horrocks of Skyview topped Bailee Wright of Washougal 7-1 at 118 pounds. This was a matchup of wrestlers who finished second last year.

“I didn’t want that feeling of letting somebody else beat me and take first again,” said Horrocks, who moved down a weight class this year.

She is proud of her Clark County title.

“It kind of shows me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it,” she said. “I can keep progressing.”

Battle Ground freshman Sierra Joner won the 112-pound title with a pin over Emily Alder Storm of Washougal. Joner, already being talked about in wrestling circles as a special talent, was named the most outstanding wrestler of the girls tournament.

Katlyn Bigley of La Center topped Jordan Harrop of Columbia River 4-2 in overtime of the 124-pound match. Bigley was the only Class 1A winner in either tournament.

Fort Vancouver’s Lisa Spangler, who did not wrestle last year after battling an illness, pinned Romney Kellog of Washougal for the 145-pound title.

2014 CLARK COUNTY GIRLS WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Mountain View High School

Team champion: Washougal

Team scores

Washougal 183, Skyview 79, Mountain View 62, Fort Vancouver 44, Battle Ground 24, La Center 21, Prairie 20, Ridgefield 18, Columbia River 16, Union 10.

Individual championships matches and placers

100 pounds

Champion: Yaneli Martinez (Was).

106

Championship: Quinn O’Bryant (Pra) p. Jessica Eakins (Was) in 3:45.

112

Championship: Sierra Joner (BG) p. Emily Alder Storm (Was) in 3:47. 3, Cailee Martin (Rid); 4, Alexis Flores (Was); 5, Kelsey Lein (MV); 6, Shelby Greer (LC).

118

Championship: Caitlin Horrocks (Sky) d. Bailee Wright (Was) 7-1.

124

Championship: Katlyn Bigley (LC) d. Jordan Harrop (CR) 4-2 OT. 3, Foster Scott (Sky); 4, Megan Hemphill (MV).

130

Championship: Erin Locke (Was) p. Morgan Ratcliff (Was) in 3:11. 3, Natasha Williams (Sky); 4, Sara Angelo (MV).

137

Championship: Christina Murray (Was) p. Keiana Tocalino (MV) in 6:17 OT. 3rd-place match not reported: Kyle Branaugh (Sky) vs. Kialee Loughney (U).

145

Championship: Lisa Spangler (FV) p. Romney Kellog (Was) in 3:15. 3, Gilary Lopez (Sky); 4, Haylea Rich (Sky); 5, Naomi Garcia (FV); 6, Taylor Dedrick (MV).

155

Championship: Abby Lees (Was) p. Haley Horrocks (Sky) in 2:31. 3, Lindsey Fuller (FV); 4, Melissa McBean (MV).

170

Championship: Jessica Biron (Was).

190

Championship: Katelyn Purkeypyle (Was) p. Madelyn Weyer (MV) in 2:40.