The top-ranked Thunder Ridge girls looking to shine at the Tiger-Grizz Invitational

IDAHO FALLS — The Thunder Ridge wrestling room has a new look that’s been years in the making.

Well, maybe only three or four years, but the change is unmistakable.

“We went from four or five girls to about 20, and then last year to about 30,” Thunder Ridge wrestling coach Jody Webb said after a recent girls practice. “This year we have about 40.”

The growth of girls wrestling has been well documented.

According to the National Federation of High Schools, 40 states held girls state wrestling championships last year, with 8,100 schools offering the sport and more than 74,000 girls competing nationwide.

Webb has been a big proponent of girls wrestling and has embraced the growth of the sport since its infancy when a few girls came out for the wrestling team four years ago.

The Tiger-Grizz tournament, which takes place Friday and Saturday, was one of the events that was ahead of the curve, adding a girls bracket years ago. Boys and girls championship matches are held side-by-side under the spotlight.

The state championships have also added a girls mat and have increased the competition by adding two more weight classes this year.

Gone are the days of girls having to compete against boys at tournaments and having to practice against boys because there weren’t enough girls to field teams or tournament brackets.

Shauna Anderson was one of the early wrestlers that came out for the Thunder Ridge team as a freshman.

She admittedly surprised herself that year, advancing to the state tournament and finishing runner-up. Anderson has since won back-to-back state titles and is a favorite to win a third this season.

Anderson won the 185-pound state title last year with a first-round pin in the championship match and finished 50-2.

She won the 2024 state title with a first-round pin as a sophomore to help lead the Titans to a state team championship with 130 points.

Thunder Ridge was fourth at the state meet last season, and is currently ranked No. 1 in the state this year, adding a team championship from the prestigious Rollie Lane Invitational as proof the Titans are again challengers for the state championship trophy.

“I expect us to be great as a team,” said Anderson, now a senior. “Me personally, I want to get better technically.”

Anderson comes off a rare loss in the finals at Rollie Lane, and looks to bounce back this weekend at the Tiger-Grizz, which is another strong showcase for area wrestlers.

“I think I was being desperate and that’s what caused me to lose that match,” she said. “I need to keep calm and wrestle like I know how I can.”

Like most growing programs, Thunder Ridge now has a big enough girls roster that the girls and boys hold separate practices.

“What’s really nice is that our girls do a really good job of recruiting friends,” Webb said. “They have a good experience and invite their friends to have fun with them on trips and tournaments … they’ve done a great job of helping grow our program here.”

Junior Gracie Price said her interest was piqued when her brother brought home a flier about the girls wrestling team at Thunder Ridge.

She wrestled about the half the season as a freshman and then finished fifth at 120 as a sophomore in last year’s state meet. This year Price is ranked No. 2 in the state in the latest IdahoSports.com poll.

“I wasn’t really expecting to be that high, that quick,” Price said, adding the hard work is starting to pay off.

Price finished second at Rollie Lane.

“We’re working as a team and it’s really shown,” she said. “We’re able to push each other in the practice room.”

Not to look too far ahead, but Webb is optimistic about his team’s chances at the state tournament in February.

The Titans didn’t win an individual title at Rollie Lane, but seven wrestlers placed to earn enough points to earn the team title with 196 points, besting more than 90 other teams.

That’s a pretty good formula for success in a big meet like the state tournament.

“Obviously, they’re going to have to wrestle well to win another state title,” Webb said. “But I think the opportunity is ripe for us and we have as good a chance as anybody to pull it off. Success here has helped grow (the program) and kids want to be a part of something good going on, and that’s helped us grow our girls program.”

But first up is the Tiger-Grizz tournament.

The tournament begins Friday at 1 p.m. at Skyline and Idaho Falls High Schools. The Saturday session begins at 9 a.m., with the championship round scheduled for 2 p.m.