All-Region girls wrestling: Abby Lees is maven of the mat

For Lees, wrestling has always been about family.

The daughter of a wrestling coach, Lees has been involved in the sport since she was 8.

By middle school, she was hanging around high school practices and sparring with older wrestlers. She honed her skills at Southwest Washington Wrestling Club under longtime coach Merle Crockett.

Lees was a familiar face when she entered Washougal’s vibrant girls wrestling program, which had the most Mat Classic qualifiers (seven) of any school in Clark County.

“She’s like a little sister,” Washougal coach Heather Carver said. “A little sister with really good skills.”

At first, Lees didn’t have the confidence to match her advanced skills. She was “scared out of her mind” before early season matches.

“Where Abby has really improved is overcoming her self-doubt,” Carver said. “It was mostly being a young wrestler going against upper classmen.”

It didn’t take long for Lees to find her groove. She won her weight class at the Clark County Wrestling Championships in January. Her momentum continued to build through the district and regional tournaments.

There was only one wrestler who Lees couldn’t figure out. Three of her four losses came to Tumwater senior Megan Johnson.

The pair faced off in the state championship match. It was the closest of their three meetings, with Johnson holding on for a 6-2 victory.

With Johnson out of the picture next year, Lees has her sights on a state championship.

And why not? By Mat Classic, Lees had grown from a nervous newcomer to a maven of the mat.

“She sure hid (the nerves) well,” Carver said. “If they say they don’t feel the pressure, they’re crazy.”