Following a large amount of success on the mat during her middle school years, Philomath’s Sarah Robertson entered her first season of high school wrestling with high expectations.
She made her high school debut at the Warrior Classic and pinned a couple of opponents for first place. About a month later in the Benton County Championships, Robertson added another title by winning the 130-pound weight division at the Benton County Championships.
Then an injury ended her season.
Gallery: PHS wrestling at Benton County Championships (Jan. 8, 2026)
A collection of photos from the Philomath High wrestling team’s appearance in the Benton County Championships on Thursday.
“I tore my labrum in the front and the back of it and in that match, I dislocated a shoulder,” Robertson said Thursday after again taking first place in the Benton County Championships. “The doctors told me it’s super risky to go back into wrestling this year, especially since the labrum’s taking a lot longer to heal.”
Robertson underwent surgery nine months ago for the injuries. The labrum is cartilage that helps stabilize the shoulder joint.
“In practice, I really worry about it if it starts hurting but during tournaments, it’s the last thing I think of,” she said. “I just think about how I’m going to do.”
Robertson, a sophomore, had no issues while winning the 125-pound division in front of the home fans. Competing in a round-robin format since only three girls at the weight class participated, Robertson opened with a pin in 2:40 over junior Hanna Blakely of Corvallis. In her second match, she went up against a formidable opponent in Corvallis senior Joanna Alvarado, who has a 21-2 record this season.
Alvarado led 9-3 after the first period but would suffer an injury in the second period. After Alvarado tried to regroup during an injury timeout, Robertson seized the opportunity and ended up winning on a pin in 3:08.
“I definitely could have done better,” Robertson said about her appearance at the tournament. “I’ve improved since last year … a lot more technique and my mental stuff for this sport has definitely improved.”
Joining Robertson as champions in the girls’ portion of the tournament were freshmen Rielly Ellingsen and Makinzy Harrington. Those performances, along with a second-place finish by sophomore Addison Liddell, helped propel the Warriors to the team title by just a half-point over runner-up Corvallis.
Competing at 115, Ellingsen pinned all three of her opponents — two from Crescent Valley and one from Corvallis. Harrington, meanwhile, has been racking up a lot of wins this season and in the tournament, posted victories at 135 on a pin and by injury default. Liddell, sophomore, took two of three matches at 140.
Despite the setback because of the injury, Robertson appears to have regained much of the confidence that she showed over the first two months of last season.
“She doesn’t wear a brace hardly ever anymore and she’s kind of mentally gone over that hurdle,” PHS coach Troy Woosley said. “She’s vicious now, so that’s good.”
Robertson believes it can be a special season.
“Last year got cut short and it sucked a lot but this year, I’ve got more opportunities,” she said. “My goal for this year definitely is to make it to state and place this year.”
Philomath’s girls are scheduled to compete again on Saturday with a trip to the Lady Dragon Dual Tournament at Dallas.
Benton County Championships
Thursday, Jan. 8, at Philomath HS
Team scoring — 1, Philomath 49; 2, Corvallis 48.5; 3, Crescent Valley 22.5; 4, Monroe 8.5.
PHS Results
110 — Carsyn Pettit-Juvenal (0-2): Pinned by Janice Russell, Corvallis, 3:18; lost tech. fall to Janice Russell, Corvallis, 4:00 (17-1).
115 — Rielly Ellingsen (3-0, 1st): Pinned Madison Pool, Corvallis, 1:21; pinned Ryley Miner, Crescent Valley, 5:54; pinned Hayley Seal, Crescent Valley, 2:58.
125 — Sarah Robertson (2-0, 1st): Pinned Hannah Blakely, Corvallis, 2:40; pinned Joanna Alvarado, Corvallis, 3:08.
135 — Makinzy Harrington (2-0, 1st): Pinned Lettie Cochran, Corvallis, 3:52; inj. def. over Lettie Cochran, Corvallis.
140 — Addison Liddell (2-1, 2nd): Pinned Lillian Meyer, Monroe, 1:30; pinned Daphne Azhocar, Corvallis, 1:16; pinned by Isavela Escobedo, Corvallis, 1:07.