In her first varsity match Nov. 28, the Northwest junior lost to Lafayette’s Emma Cole at 143 pounds. Since then, she’s unbeaten. Murphey improved to 12-1 after scoring an 18-10 major decision against McCluer North sophomore Natalie Schaljo in the 136-pound championship of the Mehlville tournament on Dec. 21.
“It’s a great workout. I love it. I’m excited and nervous every time we have a match or dual,” Murphey said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been nervous and excited at the same time.”
Although she’s a novice, Murphey views wrestling as an avenue to a college education. Teammate Keegan Newhouse talked Murphey into joining the Lions.
“It’s a great opportunity to get a scholarship,” Murphey said. “One of my friends (Newhouse) comes from a wrestling family and said, ‘You’ve got to do it.’”
Murphey, who transferred to Northwest from De Soto her sophomore year, also plays forward for the Lions’ soccer team in the spring. She’s won three tournament titles on the mat in the first year that the female grapplers have been separated from the boys by the Missouri State High School Activities Association.
The girls at Northwest, making up one of the larger female squads in the area, are learning the same moves as the boys under co-head coaches Bob and Ron Wilhelm. Murphey already has a go-to move -- the double-leg takedown -- to score points.
“Everyone is getting the hang of this so fast,” Murphey said. “Our coaches are good at starting slow and working us faster and faster.”
Buffalo won the Mehlville women’s tournament with 135 points. Northwest (103 points) came in fifth, De Soto (67.5) was 11th, Fox (34) 18th and Windsor (29) and Hillsboro (25) were 21st and 22nd respectively.
“There’s a lot of great women’s wrestlers in the area,” Ron Wilhelm said. “When we went up against (these other schools) we realized there was a gap there.
“I was hoping, with our numbers and depth, we could be in the top three. The bigger the tournament, the (more) elite wrestlers score big points. We beat Lafayette earlier, but they had three or four girls make it to the final (at Mehlville) and we had one.”
Against Schaljo, it was the first time Murphey wrestled all six minutes of a match. She had to dig deep for the endurance it takes to complete a match in which 28 points are scored.
“I had to keep saying in my head, ‘I want first place,’” Murphey said. “She wanted it just as bad. I could tell. When I shot my double leg, it got me the points I had. She had me on my back for two or three seconds. I thought, ‘I have to try harder.’ I’ve got to learn what to do when I’m exhausted. I’m not going to give up.”
Ron Wilhelm was glad Murphey had to go the limit.
“She experienced that total exhaustion after a six-minute match,” he said. “I told all of the girls, there will be a time where you can’t feel your arms and legs and can’t breathe.
“Taylor’s just so gifted and does so many things naturally for a wrestler. I couldn’t be more excited for her. You let her work off her strengths (and) put her in athletic situations. Don’t make it too complicated and (just) let her do the things she’s good at.
“She might have the best double-leg in the program. She’s determining her own destiny, (with) a competitive spirit that’s hard to teach. She has the will not to lose.”
Three other wrestlers from Jefferson County won titles at Mehlville. Fox senior Hailie Terry pinned Fulton freshman Rylee Baker in 1:46 to win the 103-pound title. At 131 pounds,
De Soto junior Hunter Bullock won by fall in 26 seconds over Washington sophomore Mckenna Deckelman and De Soto sophomore J.C. Foeller (undefeated at 14-0) captured the 167-pound championship with a 16-1 technical fall over Hancock sophomore Nancy Licea.
Bullock and Foeller, who is ranked nationally, both said wrestling has empowered them, helping them be more assertive in everyday life. Both wrestled with the boys last year.
“I was scared of a lot. I didn’t want to go out of my comfort zone,” Bullock said. “I didn’t like me as a person. Now I have so much confidence. I’m ready to go out there and try my best.”
Foeller said she was “really shy” before she took up wrestling. “This sport taught me to be confident in myself,” she said. “You want to be yourself in this sport. So many girls are realizing this isn’t just a guys’ sport.”
Bullock said she likes to watch Foeller on the mat.
“She has this blank expression on her face,” Bullock said. “You don’t know what she’s thinking, but she’s ready to wrestle.”
Foeller said she’s inspired by De Soto wrestlers Landon Porter and brothers Connor and Logan Zimmermann, all Class 3 state qualifiers in 2018. Porter finished second at 285 and is the top-ranked heavyweight in the state.
MSHSAA is still working out some kinks as the calendar turns to January and the district tournaments are only five weeks away. Perhaps state officials weren’t prepared for such an influx of girls. From what I’ve seen and heard, girls wrestling packs as much excitement as the boys version.
It’s a brave new world for these pioneering athletes. Going up against boys, the girls never produced a state champion. That will change on Feb. 16 at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Foeller has blinders on to keep her focus on the next match.
“I’m going to go where the road takes me,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to worry about who I’m wrestling in districts. I want to worry on now, not later.”