Angel Salas, left, and Bailey Womack won first-day matches to progress to compete on the second day of the Kelso “Braided 64” wrestling tournament.

Ilwaco’s girls squad traveled to the “Braided 64” tournament in Kelso last Friday hoping to win early matches to return to compete on the second day.

Two athletes achieved that goal at the event, one of the nation’s largest all-girls wrestling tournaments with brackets ranging from 16 to 128 competitors.

Angel Salas, at 235 pounds, went 1-2 for the tournament and Bailey Womack at 120 went 2-2.

Abigail Doan (115) and Emma Smith (190) lost both their bouts, competing in higher-than-usual weight classes. “Doan wrestled up a weight class, taking on some heavier girls, and performed amazingly,” said her coach, Frank Womack.

He was pleased with the progress of the young squad. “They all continue to surprise me, trying new techniques and pushing themselves.”

The boys, depleted by illness, headed to Castle Rock last week to face larger schools. Only three of the 21 teams were in Ilwaco’s 2B classification.

The 11 wrestlers faced what Coach Larry Kemmer called, “really tough competition all the way around,” with only four winning matches. The best results were posted by sophomore Jace Linthakhan, who placed third, and senior Xavier Smith, who finished fourth.

The Fishermen boys and girls host the first of two January home meets 4 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 10.