It was a bittersweet ending last year at the state wrestling championships for two of Oregon’s top female wrestlers.

Mackenzie Shearon, Redmond High’s first-ever girls wrestling state champion in 2023, saw her chances of repeating her title dashed in the semifinals and finished third. Mia Pedersen, a Redmond junior, reached the state title match each of the last two seasons but finished second both times.

“I think about it every day,” Pedersen said. “It’s always in my head, I’m always thinking about it. I just think about what I did wrong in that match and how I can fix it.”

“It was a reality check,” Shearon said. “People are all trying to catch up to you. I got to keep working hard to stay ahead.”

The aspirations are simple for the two Panther wrestlers this season. For Shearon, a senior, it’s reclaiming the title. And for Pedersen, it’s finally breaking through and becoming a champion.

“I really want to win another state title,” Shearon said. “That’s the goal. It is my last chance to take the title back. I got the title taken away from me last year, and this is the last chance to win it.”

So far this season, both Shearon and Pedersen have continued to win consistently.

According to Flowwrestling.org, Shearon has won 19 of her 20 matches in mostly the 145-pound weight class, including 18 matches by pin. Her only loss came in the finals at the Rollie Lane Invitational in Idaho. Pedersen, primarily wrestling in the 120-pound weight class, has won 22 of her 24 matches, with 20 pins.

“They have been doing this all their lives,” said Redmond girls wrestling coach Scott Lawrence. “They know the drill and how to work. You can always depend on them to come out on top.”

“They are consistent in their work ethic in the mat room and in tournaments, and they know what they need to do to win,” said Redmond boys wrestling coach Kris Davis. “They are great leaders on and off the mat. They have a different mindset. They aren’t your normal run-of-the-mill high school girl. They don’t mess around. They are tough girls.”

Since the end of last season, both Shearon and Pedersen have taken steps to achieve their goals.

Shearon wrestled in the Western State Championships in Pocatello, Idaho, in June. She then competed for Team Oregon at the Junior Women Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, in July.

“There is just bigger competition,” Shearon said. “Of all the tournaments that (the Redmond team) goes to, I might get one good match that goes all three rounds and are tough. But in these bigger tournaments, every single one of the matches is a battle. It just makes me better. Even if I lose, it makes me better.”

Pedersen has begun doubling up her daily training sessions this season. She’ll practice with the girls team, go home, rest, then come back and wrestle with the boys teams to help hone her skills.

“I need a good practice partner,” Pedersen said. “And it is not always a girl who can be a good partner. I just want to really be as good as I can right now. I’m working as hard as I can to prove to myself that I worked the hardest for this.”