THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: The noise from the north is coming in girls wrestling

Wrestling has come a long way for the girls since the first state-sanctioned meet by the Idaho High School Activities Association in 2022.

Sure, there’s been some competitors like Cierra Foster of Post Falls and Alyssa Randles of Coeur d’Alene High. 

Randles became the first four-time state champion with a win in 2023. 

Now, it appears some of the other schools in the area are starting to catch up. 

ONE COACH described the girls state wrestling tournament as maybe tougher than the boys, because it involves every school in the state that offers girls wrestling in one division.

Sometimes, the numbers are just a lot. 

And in others, the girls — they’re really good. 

Two weeks ago, Timberlake senior Shelby Garten won her first state title at 130 pounds, beating Rocky Mountain senior Elyse Asaro by a 13-7 decision. Garten was second at 126 last year. 

“Shelby has grown over the last four years and the way she wrestles by leaps and bounds,” Timberlake coach Jason Jerome said. “She really has no offseason. She started folkstyle wrestling for the first time in ninth grade, and had a huge learning curve.” 

And, she worked at it. 

“She’s a gym rat for sure,” Jerome said. “Seth (Garten, her dad and a Timberlake assistant coach) has her in the weight room year-round and I don’t believe there’s a girl around that is as strong as she is.” 

Garten, who went 96-3 in her final two years at Timberlake, finished with a record of 168-33. 

“During the last two seasons, we really looked for tougher competition for her, sending her to tournaments in Washington and Montana, as well as going to Rollie Lane to get her seasoned for the state tournament,” Jerome said. “During the summer, and even during the season we had some setbacks with some physical injuries. But she came out mentally stronger having to deal with those and still wrestle at a high level.” 

Garten, wrestling at 125 at Rollie Lane, was third this year. 

At the state tournament, Garten pinned her first two opponents in less than a minute each, then beat Meridian’s Kiana Trudell by a 9-0 major decision in the semifinals. 

“She just went out and did her thing and wrestled a complete match, controlling every situation,” Jerome said. “Even when the girl in the finals got aggressive with head butts, Shelby managed to stay calm and controlled, kept wrestling and did not get rattled.” 

Timberlake had three girls wrestlers on its roster — two seniors and a freshman. 

“The best part about being part of Shelby’s journey is seeing how she is passionate about growing women’s wrestling and the community of wrestling in general,” Jerome said. “I know she will give back to the sport over her lifetime. Wrestling is a sport that is for everyone and you can get as much out of wrestling as you are willing to put in. Shelby is a prime example of hard work and dedication to the sport. She is continuing with freestyle this spring and hoping to get to Fargo this summer to see how well she does against national competition.” 

THE GROWTH in the girls program at Post Falls High was also on display throughout the season, even to the point where the Trojans had separate girls duals along with the boys during the course of the season. 

Led by sophomores Kassie Voss, who won the state title at 235 pounds, and Kahli Brown (second at 135), the Trojans finished eighth out of 67 teams in the girls tournament. 

Coeur d’Alene senior Brooklyn Anderson also advanced to the championship match at 190 pounds, but finished second. 

Brown lost by a 5-2 decision to Blackfoot’s Kenna Conrad in the finals. 

“Kahli had to wrestle maybe the top pound-for-pound wrestler in the state of Idaho in the finals,” Post Falls girls coach Abel De La Rosa said. “And Kahli took her to the brink. Kassie, she’s only wrestled for two years and now she’s a state champion. After Kahli’s match, a lot of coaches came up to me and told me how well she wrestled and didn’t know that was coming.” 

The kids from the north are getting closer. 

And I don’t think they’re going to sneak up on anyone again. 

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.