MAT CLASSIC XX: Baker girls best in state

Phy’s pin has Mountaineers celebrating title

JOE SUNNEN

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TACOMA — More than anything, Mount Baker senior Ashlee Phy wanted to leave something behind for the rest of the wrestlers in the Mountaineers’ girls’ wrestling program to aspire to. Well, how about greatness.

The Mountaineers won the school’s first girls’ wrestling team state title on Saturday, using Phy’s first-round pin of Skyline’s Alexis Willcher in the 145-pound championship match to edge Hoquiam 77-76 in total points at Mat Classic XX.

It was part of a mostly triumphant night for Whatcom County wrestlers at the state wrestling tournament that included three individual state champions, three runner-up finishes, and 21 top-eight placers.

| DANNY GAWLOWSKI THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Wrestling State Tournament

“I wanted to help leave something for the girls to live up to,” Phy said. “I feel like I did that.”

Trailing the Grizzlies 76-71 in team points with only Phy left to wrestler, Mount Baker needed a pin to wrap up the team title or a technical fall victory to tie. The Mountaineer standout delivered, stopping Willcher in 35 seconds to set off a Mount Baker celebration filled with tears and cheers as the team claimed its first title at the second annual girls’ state wrestling tournament.

It’s the second state team title for the program in the last eight years. The girls’ team joins the 2000 boys’ team in the Mount Baker record books.

“I told her before the match there wasn’t anyone else I would want out there,” Mount Baker coach Ron Lepper said. “She’s our best girl. She’s only

had one match that she didn’t win by pin. She asked me before the match what she had to do. I told she just had to keep doing what she’s been doing.”

Phy’s pin was a culminating point for the young Mountaineers girls’ program. Started in part three years ago by Lepper’s daughter, Alex Lepper, after she watched girls compete in an exhibition tournament at Mat Classic XIIIV, Mount Baker has quickly become one the top programs in the state. The Mountaineers finished third last season and

brought eight girls to state this year. Senior Katie Newgard was a runner-up at 130 pounds

and Kristen Fogg finished sixth at 119 pounds.

“When we first started we didn’t know what we were going to have,” Alex Lepper said. “This year we really worked hard. We never really put winning a team title into words as a goal, but it was there, the expectation. When we got down here, we knew we wanted it.”

In some ways the state tournament’s competition among the girls’ programs, both for the team title as well as individual titles, helped solidify a developing sport in its second year with state-sanctioned championship. All eyes in the Tacoma Dome were watching the girls’ 125-pound championship as it reached its third overtime in a match that would have won the team title for Hoquiam had the Grizzlies won. And the cheers for Mount Baker’s girls’ team were just as loud as anyone else.

“I hope this is good for the sport,” Lepper said. “We’re to the point now where we don’t have one or two girls that just come out and whip everybody’s butts. It was a close race like the boys’ (Class) 3A race was close and the boys’ (Class) 4A was close. If we can keep building on this it would be great.”