A pair of Nyssa High School grapplers made history on Friday, Feb. 28, at the OSAA state championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
Lorien Bowns, a sophomore, and Abigail Mardock, a senior, became the high school’s first female state champions.
Bowns won her 100 weight division, while Mardock won her 125 weight class.
Nyssa’s wrestling program has a long history and a rich tradition of success, according to Bobby DeLeon, Nyssa’s head wrestling coach.
DeLeon said Bowns and Mardock worked hard all season to make it to the state championship.
Bowns, who started wrestling three years ago, said she put in a lot of time on the mat this season and felt like she improved. However, she admits she was nervous ahead of her championship match on Friday, having faced the same opponent at the state championship the year before.
Bowns pinned her last year in the final round of the contest to take fourth in her weight class.
She said her coaches told her not to worry about the outcome and instead focus on wrestling well.
She took her coach’s advice and pinned her opponent in the early going.
“I stayed calm,” she said. “And I was in control.”
DeLeon said that is the characteristic of a champion.
“You have to wrestle well on the day of the tournament,” he said. “Anything can happen,” he said.
Mardock, who was making her second appearance at the state tourney, said that, as a senior, the experience was “bittersweet.”
“It was my last hurrah with the team,” she said. “I’m going to definitely miss them.”
Mardock, who, throughout her high school career, has competed nationally at women’s tournaments, said she credits her success to Nyssa’s coaching staff.
“They’ve worked so hard with the program,” she said. She said that’s why wrestlers return to the program every year.
Next year, Mardock said she plans to attend Treasure Valley Community College to wrestle.
DeLeon said Bowns and Mardock weathered many “ups and downs” this season and hung in there to make it to state.
As for being the program’s first females to win state titles, DeLeon said it’s important to recognize the girls who “paved the way” and helped to make the sport “acceptable” for girls to participate in.
“There’s been a handful of girls that came up before them to set that path for them to have a wrestling team,” he said.
DeLeon said only in recent years has OSAA sanctioned girls wrestling. Before, he said, girls competed alongside boys.
He said the two titles solidify the program’s future, showing what’s possible.
“We’re definitely an up-and-coming team,” he said
As a team, the Nyssa girls placed fifth out of 70 teams and scored more than 60 points.
Meanwhile, the Nyssa boys team placed ninth out of 34 schools, with 69 points.
Nyssa’s Jose Jimenez, a junior, took second in his 106 weight category.
Vale
Vale’s Gunnar Tamez, a sophomore, won his 165 weight category. Senior Kase Schaffeld and Wyatt Cox took second in their 175 and 190 weight divisions.
As a team, the Vale boys took eighth out of 34 schools, scoring 71 points.
For the girls, the Vale team finished 15th out of 70 other schools. Four Rivers girls scored 13 team points.
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