State wrestling preview: Quartet of Rogers girls hope to inspire future generations of burgeoning sport
Inside the wrestling room at Rogers High School, a large pirate mural is surrounded by names of boys state placers going back decades.
But at the rate the Rogers girls are racking up state appearances, the need for more construction inside the Ken Pelo Memorial Sweat Box is becoming a question of when, not if.
The Pirates are sending four girls to this weekend’s Mat Classic XXXIV at the Tacoma Dome, led by two-time state placer Ellabelle Taylor.
She will be joined by fellow regional champion Viktoriya Dovhoruka, along with regional runners-up Savannah Taylor, Ellabelle’s younger sister, and Yadira Covarrubias.
The four state participants are the most of any girls team in the region, which Rogers girls wrestling coach Whitney Bowerman credits to the road paved by the team’s upperclassmen.
“It all starts with the work of our seniors,” Bowerman said. “As freshman, we had a team of eight and it has grown every year to the point now where we have a full team. And that really is because of that core of girls and the hard work they have put in.”
Ellabelle and Dovhoruka are two of those seniors, both of whom are making a return trip to Mat Classic.
Ellabelle finished third in 2021 and sixth in 2022. Dovhoruka did not place in her first visit last year.
“It would mean so much for me to add my name next to Ellabelle’s as a state placer,” Dovhoruka said. “I’ve been working really hard this year, so to see that accomplishment would just prove that all these years of hard work have paid off.”
The pair of regional champs also earned first-round byes in the new 12-wrestler bracket for 2A/1A/2B/1B girls. This is the first year the girls tournament has been broken into big- and small-school classifications, which Bowerman said shows how much the sport is growing.
“It’s making us look at things like trying to get more girls team duels throughout our league and how can we mix and match some smaller schools together so we can get that team format,” Bowerman said. “We are the only school in our region from 4A down to the B schools that have a full girls team, so we want to find ways to get more of that team atmosphere that we see in places like Toppenish and Sunnyside.”
While Dovhoruka is seeking her first state medal, Ellabelle is hoping to end her prep wrestling career by earning her third. What she said would make this one special, though, is that she’s sharing the spotlight with her freshman sister.
“It means a lot to see Savannah reach state, because she’s worked so hard this year and she’s my sister, so I love her and want to watch her do well,” Ellabelle said. “It’s gonna be fun to watch her wrestle at her first state while I’m at my last one.”
Bowerman said that although Ellabelle isn’t the loudest person in the room, what makes her so special is her ability to lead by example.
“During the summer, she’s in the weight room just as much as the football guys,” Bowerman said. “So for the other girls to see that and see the work that she puts in, it shows that she didn’t just wake up one morning and say ‘Hey, I’m gonna wrestle,’ but that she’s committed every day she shows up.”
Rogers’ participants are four of the 19 girls from around the region making the trek for Mat Classic, which takes place Friday and Saturday.
One of those girls is University sophomore standout Libby Roberts, who is going for her second state title. On Tuesday, Roberts was named to Scorebook Live’s “25 best pound-for-pound girls wrestlers in the nation.”
Among boys, 146 area wrestlers earned a spot at Mat Classic, with 3A leading the way with 44 . Mead leads all 3A teams with 13 wrestlers, followed by U-Hi with nine and Mt. Spokane with eight
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Below is a list of local Mat Classic qualifiers:
4A boys (11)
106: Joseph Meyers (Central Valley). 113: Yousuf Rahimi (CV). 120: Isaac Muniz (Gonzaga Prep), Omid Mohammad (CV). 126: Blaine Beard (CV). 132: Bennett Hendrickson (Lewis and Clark). 138: Terran Manson (CV). 160: Bayden Beard (CV). 170: Danner Smith (CV). 182: Bridger Cloninger (LC). 220: Mario Rivera (GP).
3A boys (44)
106: Czar Quintanilla (U-Hi), Tanner Crosby (MtS), Kaysic Lundquist (Mea), Ben Jamie (Mea). 113: Billy Weisgerber (Mea), Isaac Rigsby (U-Hi), Amadis Sang (U-Hi). 120: James Mason (Mea), Jeison Ingram (Ferris), Tristan Zaragoza (North Central). 126: Taylor Daines (U-Hi), Jayson Bonnett (MtS), Max Dillon (U-Hi). 132: Josh Neiwert (Mea), Joe Showalter (Cheney), Braxton Smith (Mea), Jackson Syron (Fer). 138: Hudson Buth (MtS), Sam Arai (Mea), Gavin Shoemaker (Ridgeline). 145: Q’veli Quintanilla (U-Hi), Tyson Ramsey (Rid), Tommy Elliot (NC), Xzavier Elgee Sanders (U-Hi). 152: Dalton Taylor (Che). 160: Samuel Thomas (U-Hi), Austin Justice (Mea), Jack Neale (Fer). 170: Trenton Moore (Che), Cooley Conrad (U-Hi), Mason Knigge (Mea). 182: Brendan Hughes (MtS), Jackson Hale (MtS). 195: Jarom Liljenquist (MtS), Braeden Harvey (Mea), Nicholas Alexander (U-Hi), Keemani Benavides (Mea). 220: Chris Grosse (Mea), Daren Airey (MtS), Austin Frederick (Mea), Preston Wentling (Rid), Ochirtmisheel Caldwell (Fer). 285: Jesse Weiland (MtS), Markus Fetcho (Mea).
2A boys (23)
106: Lucas Horner (Shadle Park), Nam Pham (Rogers), Kalob Riccelli (East Valley). 113: Joseph Stahl V (SP). 120: Gabe Weza (Clarkston), Gavin McCloy (Pullman). 126: Dawson Bailey (Cla). 132: Logan Utecht (West Valley), Aydin Peltier (Pul), Cohen Clark (WV). 138: Israel Acosta (Pul). 145: Ivan Acosta (Pul), Corbin Jaurez (SP). 152: Braydon Flinders (Cla). 160: Blaise Cross (Rog). 170: Devin Pierce (EV), Brayden Burgener (SP). 182: Andrew Royston (WV). 195: Samuel Sears (Pul), Josh Moreau (WV). 220: Orlando Morales (EV). 285: Alonzo Vargas (EV), Cotton Sears (Pul).
1A boys (26)
106: Konnor Spradling (Lakeside). 113: Hudson Raulston (Medical Lake), Preston Kremer (Newport). 120: Derek Dunlop (Lak), Tomio Yamada (Lak). 126: Brock Berger (Deer Park), Hunter Hawk (Freeman), Myles Christen (Lak). 132: Gavin Carnahan (DP), Blake Berger (DP). 138: Chase Smith (Fre), Shadrach Mason (ML). 145: Connor Goff (Colville), Brooks Proctor (Riverside). 152: Ivan Bogle (DP), Bryce Scarpelli (Riv). 160: Aaron DesRoches (Riv), Hayden Blank (Lak), Jonah Orndorff (Fre). 170: Ethan Frank (DP), Liam Bogle (DP). 182: Tristian Davis (Riv). 195: Bryon Newby (DP), Brock Martin (Riv). 220: Cache Hatch (Lak). 285: Gavin Chaffee (ML).
2B/1B boys (41)
106: Preston Neufeld (Reardan), Spencer Duty (Selkirk), Joey Matusik (Rea). 113: Jaxson Chantry (Sel), Kevin Moehnke (Springdale), Moxon Strobel (Liberty). 120: Cooper Phillips (Colfax), Sam Drake (Kettle Falls), Seth Finley (Spr). 126: Owen Prince (Lib), Malachi Hoff (Davenport), Carson Kline (Rea). 132: David Phillips (Republic-Curlew), Kyler Kuehne (Wilbur-Creston/Keller), Glen Eggelston (Chewelah). 138: Maddex Strobel (Lib), Troy Routh (Rea) Jameson Davis (Sel). 145: Ashton Strobel (Lib), Tristen Wood (Almira/Coulee-Hartline), Dakota Katzer (Che). 152: Jared Haden (Che), Everett Wood (ACH), Brody Schillinger (Dav). 160: Nolan Jeanneret (Che), Dekota Acosta (Che), Matthew Wines (Dav). 170: Conner Kline (Rea), Clae Holling (Lib), Clay Jeanneret (Che). 182: Jeshua Cwik (Lib), Brock Gustaveson (Dav). 195: Sam Schneider (Dav), Gabe Smith (Lind-Ritzville/Sprague), Carson Durbin (Rea). 220: Tristin Burril (Rea), Aaron Roberts (Lib), Treven Houston (WCK). 285: Tyler Pettigrew (Che), Kaden Hippler (KF), Brock Tracy (LRS).
4A/3A girls (3)
106: Libby Roberts (U-Hi). 145: Kilee Callaghan (NC). 190: Baylie Connor (Mea).
2A/1A/2B/1B girls (16)
100: Abby Starr (R-C), Joshua-Lynn Jager (R-C). 106: Savannah Taylor (Rog). 110: Yadira Covarrubias (Rog). 115: Ellabelle Taylor (Rog), Vaea LaMoureaux (Rea). 120: Serenna Swiger (Spr), Naomi Haden (Che). 125: Evelynn Phillips (R-C). 135: Addy Rippy (Lak). 140: Arianna Waters (LRS). 155: Emilia Klewin (LRS). 170: Viktoriya Dovhoruka (Rog). 190: Myra Miller (LRS). 235: Madisen Pillers (New).