Parowan High among first schools to host a UHSAA-sanctioned girls wrestling event

Wrestlers compete in the girls division of the Paul Williamson Invitational in Parowan, Utah, Dec. 11, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Richard Thatcher, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Approximately 40 female wrestlers representing nine high school teams participated in an invitational tournament held at Parowan High School last weekend.

Wrestlers compete in the girls division of the Paul Williamson Invitational in Parowan, Utah, Dec. 11, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Richard Thatcher, St. George News / Cedar City News

Parowan wrestling coach Scott Mackelprang told Cedar City News the girls portion of the tournament, which was staged on Friday, was held on the first day of UHSAA-sanctioned high school girls wrestling in Utah. 

“Depending on the start times for the matches, we very likely could have wrestled the first (sanctioned) high school girls match in the state of Utah,” Mackelprang said.

Previously, female athletes who wanted to wrestle in high school had to participate under the boys’ program; however, the Utah High School Activities Association has officially sanctioned girls wrestling as a separate sport starting this school year.

“With them sanctioning girls wrestling, we wanted to be on the front end,” Mackelprang said. “We want to promote the sport. The more people that get involved, the better it is for everybody.” 

He added that when they found out it was sanctioned, they immediately decided they wanted to host a tournament at Parowan High School as part of the school’s annual Paul Williamson Memorial wrestling tournament.

Unsurprisingly, the three schools that had the most wrestlers finished 1-2-3 in the standings for the tournament. Pleasant Grove, with nine wrestlers, took first overall with 110 points, while Maple Mountain, with eight wrestlers, took second with 96. Coming in third place was Canyon View High, whose 10 wrestlers scored 81 team points.

Pleasant Grove wrestlers after winning the girls division of the Paul Williamson Invitational in Parowan, Utah, Dec. 11, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Richard Thatcher, St. George News / Cedar City News

Individually, Water Canyon’s Merci Jessop took first place in the 115-128 pound bracket, winning all three of her matches by first-round pins. One of just two wrestlers on Water Canyon’s team, Jessop was also named outstanding wrestler of the tournament for the lower weights. 

“It went well,” Mackelprang said of the tournament. “I was happy with the turnout we had. It was a little bit smaller than we had anticipated, but a lot of that was to COVID.”

He noted that there were a couple of teams and a few individual players who were unable to compete due to COVID-19 protocols and concerns.

Due to the newness of the sport, the UHSAA has not yet finalized the girls weight classes or the logistical details related to how regional and state tournaments will be staged, such as how many classifications will there be and how they will be grouped. 

Mackelprang says there is only one female Parowan student participating in wrestling this year; she has joined up to practice with Cedar High’s team, which has 15 girls on its roster.

“She’s going to be wrestling with them so she’s not flying solo,” Mackelprang said of junior Hayley Mobley.

“Even though we don’t have a girls team of our own this year, we’re still going to push and try to support and build it, because Southern Utah doesn’t have near as many girls (participating) as there are up north,” he added. “We’ve got to get involved and put more effort into wrestling just like we have with the boys.”

“We are super excited to watch the sport grow and want to do anything we can to grow,” he said. “Having it so the girls are only wrestling girls, I think, that’s a big piece of what helps girls get out and get involved in wrestling.”

Wrestlers compete in the girls division of the Paul Williamson Invitational in Parowan, Utah, Dec. 11, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Richard Thatcher, St. George News / Cedar City News

Mackelprang added that the separation of sexes helps level the playing field, due to the inherent differences in male and female bodies in terms of strength and flexibility. However, he said, one of the appeals of wrestling for both genders is the mental toughness required to compete.

“Of the experiences that I had when I was young, the things that I’ve taken with me, the most valuable lessons that I learned from wrestling were discipline and mental power,” he said. “Because to be effective in wrestling, you’ve got to be committed to your your workouts, you’ve got to be committed to your strength routines, the technical side of it, the discipline with your diet, all of that. Now you’ve got to have all those pieces to peak and get everything that you’re you’re capable of getting.”

He said being dedicated to something like this for three months is no small feat, adding that the rewards and benefits will likely extend to other aspects of the athletes’ lives.

Several Southern Utah schools will be staging girls wrestling tournaments and dual matches throughout this winter season, sometimes in conjunction with boys’ events. On Saturday, several girls teams are scheduled to compete in a tournament hosted by Canyon View High.

Attendance at all wrestling matches this season is being restricted due to UHSAA COVID-19 rules, with each participant being allowed to have up to two family members in attendance and masks being required for all spectators.

Paul Williamson Memorial Invitational, Parowan High School

Girls team results, Dec. 11

  1. Pleasant Grove 110
  2. Maple Mountain 96
  3. Canyon View 81
  4. Union 50
  5. Providence Hall 35
  6. Water Canyon 33
  7. North Sevier 29
  8. American Leadership 24
  9. Kanab 11

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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