It is uncommon for a wrestler to have a perfect season. The sport is as grueling as they come and defeat is behind every wrong turn.
Dominique Parrish, an eighth grader at Scotts Valley Middle School, has earned this high honor in the middle school Central Coast Athletic League, winning all 14 of her matches and winning 11 of those by pin.
That’s right, “her matches”.
Parish is a 14-year-old girl wrestling in the 114 pound weight class and has won every match this season, beating every one of the best boys in the area.
“She is a truly remarkable young lady with a huge heart,” coach Ken Kannegaard said. “She is a wrestler who knows the price of winning and is willing to pay it. I have never seen someone so unwilling to lose.”
Parrish is becoming a well known force in the local wrestling scene. At the CCAL championship meet at Harbor High, Parrish walked over her opponents, winning her first match in 12 seconds and pinning her second opponent in the first round.
“She is an absolute animal” one parent said. “Nobody wants to be in her weight class, girl or boy it doesn’t matter.”
“I think it is more awkward for the boys,” Parrish said about the possible gender issue. “I feel like it makes me want to win more that I am a girl. I love the fuzzy feeling I get when I win.”
Head Coach Waseem Lutfi helps coach both the middle school and at the high school wrestling teams and has nothing but praise for his champion.
“She is a scrapper who works hard every day,” Lutfi said. “She has loads of potential being both quick and strong, and she uses that potential in every match.”
Parrish’s father Mike Parrish was a collegiate wrestler at San Jose State and West Valley College. He has coached wrestling for 25 years and noted that his daughter is using moves that he wasn’t introduced to until his freshman year in college.
Parrish has an invitational meet for the United States Girls Wrestling Association in San Jose on March 27, and another on April 9 in Vallejo for the California Interscholastic Federation. The CIF meet is for girls only.
