SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Both the girls and boys wrestling teams of South Tahoe High School came back from the Nevada State Wrestling Tournament with high rankings. The girls team came away with a Team 6^th place finish and individual rankings of top 6 in the state, while the boys team’s qualifiers both walked away with the State Champion title.

The girls team experienced some losses in their matches, but rebounded from those, all placing 3^rd in their weight classes. Diem Johnson and Alice Lilly both lost their first matches, but then won three in a row, and both placed 3^rd. Lillia Verduzco won her first match—and though she lost her semifinal to the eventual number 1 seed and two-time champion from the Southern Region, she won 3^rd place and placed 4^th in the state as a sophomore.

Coach Gary Whitehouse also shouted out the other girls on the team: Kailani Higgins, Sydney Birkholm, Nayeli Jimenez, and Maya Burkett.

“The team had an incredible performance and showed a lot of grit and determination to battle back, win matches, and place in the state tournament,” said Whitehouse. “But the team’s success was really how they came together to support each other throughout the, laying the foundation for women’s wrestling in South Tahoe.”

For their third year, the girls team qualified far more wrestlers than before—a good sign for the team’s momentum.

On the boys team, they qualified Kash Hendrick and Theodore “Charlie” Berquist. Last year, they both placed 3^rd in the state tournament.

Berquist won the quarterfinal match by technical fall, then won the semifinal over the #1 seed from the Southern Region by 11-5. In the championship final, Berquist beat Rene Magana from Mater Academy East by 10-6. According to Coach Robert Hook, Berquist benefitted from exceptional top wrestling and scrambles to turn his opponent to his back.

Hendrick won his quarterfinal by a 23 second fall and pin, and won his semifinal by technical fall. In the championship final, Hendrick faced off against Treagan Hansen from Elko, who he’d faced in the regional finals. He secured victory with a 22-14 score, finishing on top as a champion for his senior year. In previous years, Hendrick placed 3^rd as a freshman and 2^nd as a sophomore.

Hook said, “Both Charlie and Kash dedicated themselves to the goal of a state championship after coming up short last season.  It was inspiring to see them work so hard toward and achieve their goals.  We hope their example will inspire the next generation of South Tahoe wrestlers.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.