by Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Woo-woo.
Great job by girl wrestlers, Cecilia Vu, and, Lisa Nguyen, young ladies on the Evergreen Wolverines wrestling team, who made it all the way to state, with Vu, taking fifth-place at the Washington State Mat Classic for 2A held inside the Tacoma Dome on Friday and Saturday's action.

And, Nguyen didn't make it to the second day of competition, so, she didn't get chance to compete for being a state placer, like, teammate, Wu.

But, this is state and Nguyen made it this far, and, that's a great accomplishment in itself, and, Vu said, as far as goals go, that one akin to 'just being there,' so to speak, is the one that Wolverines; coach, Hip Nguyen, wanted achieved for Lisa Nguyen and Vu.

"I know, our coach wanted to see me and Lisa get to state this year," said Vu, smiling, after her final match at state, a win, 6-2, over a wrestler from Davis, in Yakima, across the mountains, as, wrestlers, for this one, come from all over Washington, all locales, east, west, north, south.

So, goal made, mission accomplished for Vu and Nguyen.

And, coach Nguyen echoed that goal reached.

"Love it," said Nguyen. "We are at state. Best 16."

Also, boy wrestler on the team, Daniel Huynh, made alternate. 'Alternate' for state means this: if anyone had got sick, or, couldn't wrestler for injury, or, another reason, in his weight class, Huynh would fill that vacancy. But, no one did come forward with that kind of good news for Huynh's sake. So, Huynh did not wrestle at state for the Wolverines, which was a co-op team, combined with the Tyee Totems, to note.

But, wow, what about the girls. Forget Deniece Williams' title of her hit 1980s song, 'Let's hear it for the boy.'
Let's hear it for the girls! Evergreen's.

Vu is a senior, she made state last year, too, but, it wasn't the same as this year.

"I went two and out last year," said Vu, who started off the state championships in her 105-pound, weight class, with a win, at that, a pin, 5:16 into the match, which, in wrestling terms, since matches are three, two-minute rounds, means Vu pinned her foe, Robin Hernandez, of Arlington, one minute, 16 seconds into round three. Matches are six minutes, if they go all three rounds without a pin or technical fall, which is ending the match when one wrestler is ahead of another by 15 points in the match.
Nice start for Vu, a pin win.

"I know that when I first go in, I have to get the first takedown," said Vu. If I have bottom (position) to start a round, I have to get out."

And, Vu got more than just take-down points, she flattened her opponent to the mat.
Next match, the quarterfinal, Vu lost, in a very tough way to wrestle with--by one point. Vu lost, 5-4, to a wrestler from Forks.

But, Vu came back strong, and, in her first consolation match, she pinned Nicole Whittern, from Nooksack Valley, a fall at 3:18. Then, Vu went against a really tough wrestler, Jeniya Guillen, from Sunnyside, losing, 8-1.
"She was really strong," said Vu, adding, "She was just a better wrestler."
But, there were times Vu, almost, could have turned the tide she said, had her chances to beat Guillen, who ended up third place at state.

"At some point, she was almost on her back. I didn't finish the move correctly."
Could have been a pin?
"Yeah," said Vu.

Then, Vu wiped that loss right off her brow by going in and getting a win in the fifth-sixth place consolation match, beating the aforementioned Davis' wrestler, 6-2.

That was a good comparative win, as, Coach Nguyen explained.
"Her first loss of the tournament, Cecilia lost to a girl who had lost to a girl that Cecilia just beat," said Nguyen.

"It's state. On any given day, anyone can lose. Comes down to who wants it more."
So, 6-2 win for Vu a good finish to state?
"Good way to end her career," said Nguyen.

Vu enjoyed this experience and her game plan got her a nice state-placer reward at the T-Dome with around 5,000 eyes in the stands watching her, plus, with six mats going on at one time, down on the floor, others, there, watching, too.

"My goal was to place at state," said Vu. "Senior year. So I have to go all out."
And, of Nguyen, her teamate, who wrestled at state, too.

"She's my wrestling partner," said Vu. "We've been at practice every day. We worked really hard."
Both are senior, captain, leaders, on this Tyee/Evergreen co-op team, too. So, that kind of respect to be named captain by peers is quite special.

And, coach Nguyen, and, assistant, John Schey?

"They've been doing a great job, making sure I'm wrestling at my highest potential."
So, the lights, the people, 10,000 of them, or, so, watching as Vu gets her fifth-place medal, what's that like?
"Pretty cool knowing I was top eight in the state," she said.

10,000 people, like, all eyes on Vu, as she gets her medal, standing on the podium with the best wrestlers her weight class in the state, and, other classiications, 1/2B, 1A, 3A, 4A, for the boys, that's got to feel different, special.

"Yeah, it does," Vu said.