Girls state wrestling recap: Eagle back on top. Tri-Valley sophomore goes unbeaten
The Idaho high school girls state wrestling tournament has been around only since 2022.
But Eagle already has the makings of a dynasty.
The Mustangs won their third state championship, topping defending state champion Thunder Ridge by eight points, 116-108, on Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center. Eagle also won back-to-back titles in 2022 and ‘23, and was the state runner-up last season.
“I think everybody just pushes each other to be better, no matter what,” Eagle sophomore Keleigh Russell-Smith said. “Everybody always has a good attitude, no matter how hard it gets, just proving that if you have your team, you have (everything).
“Everybody always tries to go support each other, and it’s just like the best feeling when you walk off the mat and you see all your teammates.”
The Mustangs placed six wrestlers at the state tournament, led by senior Caddy Tverdy’s runner-up finish at 125 pounds.
“We’re all super close friends,” Tverdy said. “It’s just chosen family, chosen sisters.”
Senior Ella Elordi took third at 190 for the Mustangs, sophomore Gemma Lebeau (140) and Russell-Smith (235) each placed fourth, and senior Tommy Stone (110) and sophomore Shelby Butler (130) added to Eagle’s point total with sixth-place finishes.
“I think the culture that we created has kept pulling girls in, because obviously you have girls that keep leaving, but we keep reloading,” Eagle coach Mike Stone said. “I think because our wrestling culture is so fun, we keep the boys and girls in the same room, and the energy’s never been better.”
TRI-VALLEY SOPHOMORE GOES UNBEATEN
Growing up with two older brothers who loved wrestling, it was hard to keep Charlee Noah off the mat.
“She was just crawling out on the mat all the time, wanting to be there at practice,” said Tri-Valley coach Nathan Noah, who is also Charlee’s dad.
Charlee’s love for wrestling shined through Saturday, as she won the 125-pound title with a 4-0 decision over Eagle senior Caddy Tverdy to finish the season 43-0. As a freshman, Charlee earned a runner-up finish at state at 120 pounds despite coming from one of the smallest school co-ops in the state.
“It’s super, super meaningful to me, because last year, after getting second, it really wrecked me,” Charlee said. “I was super excited to win this year.”
Charlee’s championship match came with a bit of extra nerves. The scoreboard went out before the two wrestlers took the mat, leaving them to pace back and forth for about 10 minutes while the computers were fixed. Charlee jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period and led 4-0 by the end of the second.
After standing on the podium to receive her state medal, Charlee rushed over to the 3A mat to watch older brother Eli compete in the championship at 190 pounds. Eli, a senior and the defending state champ at 175, ended up finishing second to Soda Springs senior Elijah Dilworth.
Charlee’s oldest brother, Russell, is a sophomore wrestling at Eastern Oregon.
“Charlee’s a worker. She never gets intimidated,” Nathan said. “If she’s lost a match before, she always comes back, wants to wrestle tough, and she really works hard.”
MORE BOISE-AREA STATE CHAMPS
- Caldwell sophomore Maritza Medina was running cross country in middle school when an assistant coach suggested she give wrestling a try. That hunch about Medina’s athleticism turned out to be right. Medina won the 100-pound title with a third-round pin of Thunder Ridge senior Tayler Brown. Medina, a sophomore, finishes the season 43-7 overall. “I kind of thought about how much I’ve worked all season for this,” Medina said. “I knew that once I got that (pin), I wasn’t going to let it go because of how much I wanted it.
- Weiser junior Corianna Parsons pinned Middleton sophomore Alivia Lombardo at the 3:44 mark to win the 105-pound championship. Parsons wraps up the season 37-6 overall. “I know that anybody can beat anybody,” Parsons said. “So going into it I was like, ‘I just have to stay solid. I have to wrestle my best.’”
This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 9:51 PM.
