The summer tournament attracted youth and adult wrestlers from across the US, featuring freestyle, Greco-Roman and collegiate (folkstyle) wrestling.

ILWACO — School buses stretched across the parking lot, with cars filling every available space in between. Inside, a standing-room-only crowd filled the Ilwaco gymnasium and spilled into adjacent hallways, where four separate wrestling mats featured simultaneous matches.

In the summer heat, the atmosphere felt like a fall playoff.

“I was really happy with the turnout,” said Ilwaco youth wrestling coach Jerry Matzen following the first day of the inaugural summer Beach Brawl wrestling tournament last Saturday, Aug. 3, at Ilwaco High School, where more than 500 youth and collegiate-age wrestlers from Idaho, Iowa Oregon, Washington, California and Canada attended the two-day tournament.

“It’s kind of like the Field of Dreams, ‘If you build it, they will come.’”

Matzen, 38, was among the architects behind arranging the new summer tournament, which attracted youth and adult wrestlers from across the West, featuring freestyle, Greco-Roman and folkstyle-style wrestling.

“There never was a youth one before now,” Matzen said regarding the youth-heavy divisions, with five dedicated 16-and-under age groups, as well as classifications for USA Junior, WSWA Open, girls 3rd-5th grade, 6th-8th grade, 9th-12th grade, and open women’s freestyle.

Matzen alternated between coach and referee during the tournament, where four mats were hosting matches simultaneously from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day.

Wrestling popularity, opportunity grows

High school wrestling participation grew more than 15% during the 2022-2023 school year, reaching a 45-year high with 205,593 participants nationwide, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

High school girls participation numbers have been increasing in recent years, as more states seek to officially sanction girls wrestling, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (NWHF).

In 1990, there were 112 girls who participated in high school wrestling. In 2023, the number has grown to include more than 50,000 across 6,500 schools.

Currently, 46 states have officially sanctioned girls high school wrestling championships, including Washington joining in 2007. The latest states to sanction girls high school wrestling include Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York and New Hampshire all in 2023, representing a growing interest in wrestling nationwide. The only remaining states without sanctioned high school girls wrestling include Delaware, South Carolina, Mississippi and Vermont.

High school girls wrestling has experienced a significant surge in recent years, going from 31,654 participants in 2021-22 to more than 50,000 in 2023, according to NFHS. The wave of women in wrestling has also been felt on the local level, beginning with increased enrollment in youth wrestling.

“Girls wrestling has really grown over the last 20 years,” Matzen said.

“Washington has been a leader in women’s wrestling for a long time. I love to see it. There’s been an influx of girls, we now have five practicing.”

In college, the University of Iowa became the first Power Five school to start a women’s wrestling program in 2023, and the NCAA has plans to elevate women’s wrestling to a championship sport beginning in 2026, including DI, DII and DIII divisions.

2024 summer Beach Brawl results:

The Ilwaco youth wrestling club finished 10th overall out of 56 teams represented at the Beach Brawl, including several top-five winners among their respective age groups:

Greco-Roman:

1st: Angel Mendoza

1st: Olivia Eakin

2nd: Samuel Eakin II

2nd: Alyson Lopez Mendez

3rd: Brayden Bond

3rd: Lilly Matzen

3rd: Carlos Silva-Villa

Freestyle:

2nd: Samuel Eakin II

3rd: Alyson Lopez-Mendez

3rd: Brayden Bond

3rd: Angel Mendoza

3rd Olivia Eakin

3rd Carlos Silva-Villa

4th: Lilly Matzen

4th: Bradlee Jacobs

Folkstyle:

2nd: Olivia Eakin

2nd: Samuel Eakin II

3rd: Lilly Matzen

3rd: Eli Marteeny

3rd: Brayden Bond

3rd: Angel Mendoza

3rd: Dean Schauer

4th: Alyson Lopez-Mendez

4th: Carlos Silva-Villa

4th: Isiah Taylor

4th: Bradlee Jacobs

For those interested in the Ilwaco youth wrestling program, parents/guardians are encouraged to contact wrestling coach Jerry Matzen at 503-741-1714 (Matzen.jerry@yahoo.com). Matzen, a former three-time state qualifier, teaches free style, Greco-Roman and folkstyle (collegiate) wrestling.