HERMISTON, Ore.-Hermiston High School’s Girls Wrestling team currently sits atop the Mid-Columbia Conference (MCC) standings with a 3-1 record and look poised for a dominant season.
The Bulldogs fast start includes a 60-24 win over Pasco, a 70-12 victory against Southridge and a 65-16 triumph over Sageview.
“We don’t keep track of our record,” said Hermiston Head Coach Al Davis. “If you get caught up with how many wins you have, you lose the focus to get better and grow.”
If the intensity on display at a recent practice is any indication, with bodies thudding against mats in a full wrestling room over winter break, Davis doesn’t need to worry about the Bulldogs staying hungry throughout the season as they look to bring home some hardware come tournament time.
Early Season Lessons
Hermiston’s lone loss on the season came in a close 48-36 decision against Sunnyside, a defeat that Davis is using as a learning experience.
“I wish we could wrestle them again with where we’re at now,” said Davis. “We made some adjustments in the lineup early on that didn’t necessarily work, but every meet and tournament is more practice to test lineups and find that winning combination.”
The Bulldogs season has also included team wins in Rainier and at the Best of the West in Pasco on December 20, as well as two wins and a runner-up finish at tournaments over Christmas Break.
“We’ve had some good competition already, and some tough tournaments are coming up that will be good practice for state,” said Lily Formean, a Senior who wrestles at 105 pounds and currently has a 12-4 record for the Bulldogs.
Early in the season, Hermiston has also dealt with injuries and illness, with several wrestlers out with the flu.
“Injuries are always a part of sports, and we’ve had to deal with some illnesses,” said Davis. “We take on those challenges and do what we have to do to get better and move on.”
According to Davis, Hermiston’s strength on the mat is due to the depth of the Bulldog roster and the camaraderie of the Bulldog wrestling program, which has become a community.
A Deep, Talented Roster
While Hermiston didn’t bring home any state titles last season, 16 Bulldog wrestlers qualified for the state tournament, and 12 of those grapplers are back this year, including Foreman, and junior Kianna Gutierrez-Munoz, who finished fourth at state a year ago.
“The season’s going really good so far,” said Gutierrez-Munoz, who wrestles at 145 pounds. “I’m wrestling with more confidence, always finding ways to improve and get better every day, with the goal of doing even better at state this year.”
There are currently 47 wrestlers on the Hermiston Girls’ roster, which allows Davis the opportunity to send the team’s ones and twos to compete at separate tournaments, something he did over Christmas Break.
“If our ones and twos can both stay in the top 5 at Varsity Tournaments, you know you have depth,” said Davis. “That experience for our twos will help when the State Tournament rolls around. You still count on your starters, but if the twos can score at state too, team placing will come.”
A Wrestling Community
“I’ve always said Hermiston is a wrestling community,” said Davis. “Our girls have sisters and other people watching, waiting for their turn, then when they get to high school, and it’s their turn, we’ve got athletes that want to work.”
Andy Hall started Girls wrestling at Hermiston eight years ago, and the program has experienced steady growth ever since, with Davis and Assistant Coach Rochelle Meyers now leading the program.
“We’re a relatively new program,” said Meyers, who got involved about six years ago, when her daughter, Laura, started wrestling in the seventh grade, with the goal of making the high school team. “We went from 18 girls our first year, to 29 the next year, then 41, and now 47 this year.”
Meyers, who is also a teacher at Hermiston High School, tracks and logs information for the team and keeps roster and weigh-in information organized, while also serving as a go-to for the needs of wrestlers throughout the day.
“Hermiston wrestling is a community,” said Meyers. “We’re here to support and facilitate, but it’s about their success and these girls being able to advocate for themselves and each other.”
Hermiston wrestlers show up to tournaments to support their teammates even when they aren’t wrestling, and the team came together for a polar plunge over Christmas Break.
“You’ve got to learn to bond before you can battle,” said Davis. “This team looks out for each other. They work hard, play hard and represent Hermiston.”
Working Hard, Staying Hungry
“You win tournaments through depth and backend work,” said Davis, whose team remains hungry as it prepares for the remainder of the season before the new WIAA Dual Championships at the end of January, followed by Districts, and ultimately, the State Tournament at the Tacoma Dome in February.
For Foreman, the experience of losing in the “blood rounds” at state last season (where a wrestler places with a win or goes home with a loss) has given her the motivation to make it back to state this season.
“I loved the challenge of a big competition like that,” said Foreman. “I’ve taken that loss into consideration; it gave me insight into how hard I need to work this year.”
The Bulldogs are putting in the work together, and with a talented, experienced roster, should find themselves back in the Tacoma Dome in February.
“I love the hard work and the grind of wrestling, of coming every day even when you’re hurting and don’t want to,” said Gutierrez-Munoz. “We’re all best friends, this team feels like family, we live through pain together.”
Hermiston Girls Wrestling’s next home match is January 8 at 6 p.m. against Kennewick.
