TACOMA — The Royal Knights girls squad showed out at the Mat Classic, finishing in the top 10 and sending nine wrestlers to the podium by the end of the weekend. Girls head coach Seth Weeks said what they were able to accomplish was nothing short of impressive.

“It meant everything,” Weeks said. “Being a first-year coach with these girls, I've worked with a lot of them over the last few years. I've been coaching at the middle school so a lot of those girls have wrestled for me in the past, and so to tie it all together and let the girls see that hard work translate to (success) was awesome.”  

Of the nine medalists, four reached the finals of their respective weight classes. This performance as a team was enough for Royal to take first place in a bracket that included 1A, 1B and 2B schools. By the end of the tournament, three Royal wrestlers — Hali Christensen, Reese Prescott and Sophia Garza — earned state championships.  

“I'm very happy and thankful for all my coaches and my teammates getting me here,” Garza said. “All of my hard work and just having fun and believing in myself and having faith in God and in myself, feeling that I can be strong and undefeatable.”  

Sharon Arroyo was also a state finalist, pinning Abby Starr from Republic-Curlew in the first round of their semifinals match. The win gave her a feeling of redemption after falling short in the semis last season, she said.   

“I'm just really excited. I still can't believe it. I'm in shock. I worked really hard, and I just can't believe it. Finally, it paid off after last year; losing in the semis in the last 40 seconds was hard,” Arroyo said.   

Assistant coach Jerry Villa was overcome with emotion after Arroyo secured her spot in the state finals.   

“She started with my brother (Jesus Carlos Villa) and just to see her go through the ebbs and flows of wrestling and overcome all the trials and tribulations that she's had to go through to get here ... she’s one of the leaders of this team,” Villa said.   

From there, Arroyo faced Vanessa Torres from Granger in the 100-lb finals. While she was competitive, Torres ultimately earned a pinfall victory in the second period of their match.   

Up next was Garza, who faced Olivia Myers from Goldendale in the 110-lb class. After scoring a takedown in the first minute of the first period, Garza tied up Myers for a pinfall victory and claimed the state championship.   

Prescott came next and did not waste time on the mat. She scored a pinfall victory over Karalyn Cook from Mount Baker in the first 13 seconds of the first period to become the 1A state champion in the 115-lb class.   

“I fell short my freshman and sophomore years by one point, so it's kind of crazy, but I'm super blessed,” she said. “I started the season a little late and it was hard coming back from an injury. I just had to flip the switch, because I was like, ‘It's my senior year, no one's going to slow down. They're only going to keep getting better, and I have to do the same.’”

Weeks was proud to see Prescott culminate her time as a Knights wrestler with a state title after overcoming several obstacles in the last few seasons.   

“I just know that it was the emotional roller coaster for her this season, and she just wanted that state title so bad. It was awesome to have her go out like she did,” Weeks said.  

Christensen brought home a third state title for the Knights after pinning Emmaline Snyder in the second period of their 135-lb state finals match.   

At the end of the night, Dana Yorgesen, Elizabeth Jenks, Heaven Parker, Isabelle Barajas and Leah Christensen joined the finalists at the podium as they received their medals for placing in the top seven of their brackets.   

For the Knights, the loss of former Head Coach Jesus Carlos Villa was certainly on their minds throughout the Mat Classic. Villa passed away as a result of a car accident in July 2025.  

One coach brought a cutout of Villa making a silly face as a way to keep his presence with the team throughout the weekend. Weeks said he is confident Villa was there in spirit, cheering them on.   

“I've had lots of my buddies that knew Carlos really well, and at his celebration of life and different times, you hear people speak of Carlos. Everybody would say you could hear Carlos if he was in the gym, you could hear him. I know he was yelling and screaming from heaven, looking down on the girls, proud as heck,” Weeks said.   

With the strong performance this season, Weeks said he is confident the Knights have a bright future ahead as they pursue more success in the coming years. As a final note on the season, Weeks expressed his gratitude for the Royal City community's support throughout the year.   

“I just want to thank the fans. Royal City is an extremely supportive community, and I just want to thank the fans and the community for all the support they've given us this year and going forward,” he said. 

    The Knights’ Reese Prescott, in black and gold, ties up her opponent in a cradle during her state finals match. Prescott pinned her opponent in the first 13 seconds of the match to become state champion.
  

    Jerry Villa, seated, smiles with a cutout of his late brother Jesus Carlos Villa as Sophia Garza, left, warms up for her finals match. Garza went on to earn a pinfall victory to become a state champion.
  

    Hali Christensen, front, hip-tosses her opponent in her state finals match. Christensen later pinned her opponent to become a state champion.
  

    Sophia Garza, right, and Jerry Villa, left, celebrate her state title win with a celebratory hip toss.
  

    The Knights’ Head Coach Seth Weeks, in gold, congratulates Hali Christensen, in black and gold, after she became a state champion at the Mat Classic.