Skyline sophomore wrestler Molly Olague overcomes broken leg to achieve All-American status

IDAHO FALLS — Molly Olague entered her sophomore year at Skyline High School last year with high hopes for the pending wrestling season. But before the season ever started, she suffered a major injury.

During an Oct. 8, Molly’s foot got caught under her as she went down, resulting in a broken bone near the ankle joint. But she recovered from the injury to finished what was a highly successful sophomore season, capped with an All-American honor and No. 24 national ranking.

Molly was given two options as far as treatment plans: she could either allow it to heal and miss up to six months, or have a metal plate surgically attached to the joint and be back in the mat in as little as six weeks.

After much consideration and lengthy discussions with her family, Molly chose to go the surgery route.

“I was really nervous,” she told EastIdahoSports.com. “I’d never been in surgery ever, that was my first time, so I didn’t really know what to expect. … I just remember coming out and thinking, ‘Man, this is terrible, being in a boot.’ But it was a fast recovery process — it wasn’t too bad for a first surgery.”

Just over three months after suffering the injury, Molly returned to the competition mat for the the Tiger-Grizz Invitational, where she finished as the runner-up after dropping the 165-pound championship match to Corner Canyon’s (UT) Clarion Fager.

“That was her first tournament back and she made it to the finals. Pretty wild,” said Molly’s father, Anthony Olague. “It was amazing. She’s come a long way.”

Molly has been wrestling “since she was in diapers” according to Anthony. She has always trained hard, going max effort during every training session. But, she said, she couldn’t do that when she returned to from the injury.

“I couldn’t do it, there was just too much pain,” she said. “I had to slowly work into the process of going full again. But once I started being able to practice again, I started to get the motion back — it felt good, it wasn’t too bad.”

Molly has since settled in, though she does wear a brace over a taped ankle, and gone on to complete an incredible season.

According to Anthony, Molly placed in 15 tournaments — local, regional and national — this season, including seven championships, a 4th-place finish at state and an 8th-place finish at the Marine Corps Nationals in Fargo, ND. Molly’s success, Anthony added, saw her crack the national rankings, finishing the year as the No. 24-ranked wrestler in her division.

The coup de grace of Molly’s season was the Fargo Nationals.

“Fargo is like the Super Bowl of high school wrestling. That’s what everybody works for,” said Anthony, a former wrestler and current wrestling coach. “You get the status of Fargo All-American, it’s pretty cool.”

Molly believes she could have wrestled much better in Fargo, but was pleased with her ability to step her game up in big scoring spots.

“I didn’t wrestle my best — I wrestled when it mattered, but I was, kind of, disappointed in myself. I expected myself to wrestle a lot better,” she said.

When the tournament was done though, and she had the 8-place medal hung around her neck, Molly, just 16, realized the magnitude of her success.

“I was actually super-excited, because that’s a huge accomplishment,” she said. “Now people are going to know that I’m an All-American. … That’s super-cool.”

While she has, in 10 months, overcome the pain brought on by the injury, Molly does still battle with the nerve damage it caused.

“Two times, I’ve hit it pretty hard and it’s like my whole foot goes numb for about 10 or 15 minutes,” she said.

Still, she has continued her difficult workout schedule, practicing five times a week and lifting three times a week.

Having spent her entire life around the sport, Molly knew she wanted to wrestle in high school. She didn’t know “what (she) wanted from the sport,” but knew she would not be complete without that competition. Now, she knows what she wants: to be a college wrestler. And she is willing to do what it takes to achieve that goal.

“I’ve developed a love for the sport,” she said. “I’ve always done it, and I never want to stop.”