Aberdeen girls use depth to take Hoquiam to the mat

It took just less than six minutes for the Aberdeen girls wrestling team to secure victory over rival Hoquiam in a dual match on Wednesday at Sam Benn Gym.

With Aberdeen filling 13 of the 14 weight classes and Hoquiam forfeiting seven matches, The Grizzlies needed to score a pin in all six contested matches to even tie the match. However, Aberdeen’s Alex Wilson made sure the Bobcats would emerge victorious. The senior came close to pinning Hoquiam’s Eva Ortiz at the end of each of the first two rounds of the 130-pound bout before sticking Ortiz to the mat at 5:32.

Aberdeen would win just one more of the contested matches with Eleanor Machowek pinning Emily Lash in the third round of the 170-pound contest, but the Bobcats topped the Grizzlies, 54-28.

“Being a former Bobcat, it is always the best when you get ahead of the Grizzlies,” Aberdeen coach Craig Yakovich said. “I knew that we definitely had the point advantage coming and it went pretty much the way I thought it was going to go. We know where they are strong at and where we are strong at. Some of my best wrestlers didn’t get a chance to wrestle.”

Hoquiam’s Alexis Delahanty (110), Mercedes Pinnell (120) and Jenna Doll (155) each earned pins in their matches, while Elyse Goulet topped Aberdeen’s Maya Kuhl 14-0 in the 125-pound bout.

“Because we don’t have the numbers, we just go at it with the strategy of ‘We have to pin to win,’ ” Hoquiam coach Buck Giles said. “For tonight, it was pins or nothing. We may be small in numbers, but we are pretty strong and knowledgeable on the mat and it showed tonight.”

Pinnell stuck her opponent in the quickest time of the Grizzly wrestlers, pinning Alexi Darst in 1:02.

Doll needed two rounds to get the pin over MacKayla Waltee. Doll and Waltee went back and forth early with Doll getting a takedown and Waltee earning a reversal, but Doll was able to reach back and get control for a reversal in the second round and get the pin.

Delahanty battled with Bailee Green through three rounds until Delahanty earned an escape and pin in the third.

While Hoquiam may have won more contested matches, Aberdeen’s depth was the story of the night.

“I started here six years ago on the boys side because there wasn’t even a girl in the wrestling room,” Yakovich said. “It has just grown each year and now we can fill a whole lineup and have some spares. The sport of girls wrestling at Aberdeen is coming up.”

130 — Alex Wilson (A) pinned Eva Ortiz, 5:32. 135 — Cierra Skelly (A) won by forfeit. 140 — Amanda Bradt (A) won by forfeit. 145 — Camryn Cook (A) won by forfeit. 155 — Jenna Doll (H) pinned MacKayla Waltee, 3:35. 170 — Eleanore Machowek (A) pinned Emily Lash, 5:19. 190 — Karli Heikkila (A) won by forfeit. 235 — Emily Wharton (A) won by forfeit.

100 — Faith Cardenas (A) won by forfeit. 105 — Bianca Lopez (H) won by forfeit. 110 — Alexis Delahanty (H) pinned Bailee Green, 5:48. 115 — Lexie Portmann (A) won by forfeit. 120 — Mercedes Pinnell (H) pinned Alexi Darst, 1:02.