Little Cody, age 1, is the quietest observer in the stadium as Ilwaco head coach Frank Womack and Cody’s mom, assistant coach Kali Hood, yell encouragement to IHS sophomore Bailey Womack in her quarterfinal match at state.

TACOMA — East-side wrestling traditions run deep in Washington.

Just ask Bailey Womack, a leader on the Ilwaco girls’ wrestling squad who fell foul of two opponents from Okanogan and Omak.

That’s the old stomping ground of her father, Frank Womack, who coaches the Ilwaco girls’ squad and is an Omak Class of 2003 graduate.

“I have a lot of respect for them. I don’t know what they do, but it’s working for them,” Bailey said.

The composed sophomore’s comments came after she was eliminated in the consolation round of the WIAA 2B state championships at the Tacoma Dome at 135 pounds.

Qualifying as District 4 champion at Montesano last week, Womack had earned a bye for the first round at the Tacoma Dome and was able to observe her first opponent’s style as she won a first-round match.

As the last of the 10 Ilwaco wrestlers to actually take to the mat Friday, she spent more than three hours waiting for her moment. When the bout neared, she was bouncing on her heels.

When she squared off against freshman Natalie Stiltner of Seton Catholic, she took the score to 3-0 then earned an early pin.

But against Briana Barton of Okanogan in Saturday’s quarterfinal, she was unable to establish any rhythm against her senior opponent. Despite some solid defense, she was pinned with seconds remaining in the first period.

Some short while later, she bounced back to beat Haile James, a sophomore from Cashmere, winning with a pin.

Her last match saw her face Kinsey Christoph of Omak. Womack was first on the board with a takedown, but the junior scored a reversal and then started to accumulate points. Twice during the second period, Womack used strength and technique to avoid being pinned. But with the score at 14-3 in the third period and time running out, Christoph managed to pin her.

Afterward, Womack was keen to look forward. “It was really cool to be part of it all,” she said, mentioning the strength of the Eastern Washington contingent. “Those kids are tough. They have really good matches. I hope to wrestle them earlier next year.”

Dad and coach Womack was ready with a reassuring hug.

“She has had a great season and was the last one standing from District 4 in the bracket,” he said. “These east-side schools are so good. It was a good match and a good day for Okanogan and Omak.”

To emphasize that point, Christoph defeated Barton in the third-fourth place match. The 135-pound champion was senior Evelyn Phillips of Republic, who defeated another east-side senior, Lauren Jenks of Royal City. The only one of the six on the podium from the west side was sophomore Cheyanne Wolford-Henry from Klahowya (near Bremerton), who placed fifth.

In team scores, Okanogan placed fourth with Omak fifth. Team champion was Granger in a narrow victory over Royal with Zillah third; Castle Rock, at sixth, was the highest-scoring west-side team.

Womack is confident about Ilwaco’s hopes next year, as Bailey was one of a group of sophomores enthusiastic about continuing. They include classmate Ophelia Wise, who barely missed state qualification, and Dalilah Leibham. The coach said he hopes some Ilwaco eighth-graders will step up, too. Keowah Iyall contributed two years to the program, and Womack said he is disappointed he could not coach the promising senior for more seasons.

Prediction

Liylla Carlile also qualified to wrestle in Ilwaco colors at 100 pounds.

She made quite an effort to avoid being pinned by White Swan freshman Emma Espindola in her first match before succumbing in the first period. A day later, against Kinley Rondeau of Forks, she had a similar tough time getting settled and her state run was over with a pin with 39 seconds on the clock.

Carlile also is the daughter of a coach — Jerry Matzen, who is involved in youth and freestyle programs. Coach Womack commended her effort all season.

“She was a first-year athlete coming in. She started off kind of slow, as they all do, but she came a long way through the season,” he said. “There are a few moves that she has really mastered. We didn’t get to see them here at state, but she’s going to continue through in freestyle with her dad, Jerry, and hopefully get to test some of those moves and keep pushing it.”

Carlile was initially awed by the scale of the Tacoma Dome. “I was scared and nervous at first,” the sophomore grinned. “But it has been lots of fun. Next year, I’m going to place!”