HELENA — For the second time in three years, Helena Capital wrestler Taylor Lay stood proud with her hand raised in victory following a state championship match.
“It just felt unreal, I don’t know,” Lay said when reflecting on her state title in the girls 130-pound weight class earlier this month in Billings. “It felt great to experience that again. You know, especially after last season.”
Last season was the only of Lay’s three varsity seasons so far that didn’t culminate in a state title as the then-sophomore finished runner-up. However, Lay said last year’s loss fueled her quest for redemption at this year’s state tournament.
“I don’t think I even had a break from wrestling. I wrestled from the moment it ended, all the way up until now,” said Lay. “I did so much post-season stuff, and I was just doing extra reps. And I was just working as hard as I could to try and achieve that again.”
And achieve that again she did — something Capital head wrestling coach Shawn Graham said he was happy to see.
“You’ve seen firsthand the amount of work they put in to be in that position,” said Graham. “And sort of the hardships that come with being in that position — they're cutting weight, and maybe they don’t feel good, something’s banged up — it's just a lot.
“It takes a lot to get to that point to win that last match of the season. And it doesn’t always work out. But when it does, you’re super excited.”
Capital’s wrestling room features a wall with the name and picture of every Bruin state wrestling champion dating back to 1976. Lay already has one picture on the wall from her 2023 state title at 120 pounds. But a second state championship means a second picture on the wall of fame.
“Oh, absolutely I think that it’s going to inspire the next generation of wrestlers, and when you’re talking high school, that’s every four years,” said Graham. “Even our camps that we hold here in Helena — we hold quite a few young girls that attend those camps.
“And for them to be able to see her picture on the wall a couple different times — and she has a chance for a third time next year — it’s going to really inspire them to want to be there. I know it inspires the young boys who come into the camps, so I guarantee it’ll inspire the girls.”
Lay said she hopes her presence on Capital’s wall inspires future Bruin girls wrestlers.
“I would love that because, honestly, I’ve been wrestling for so long and I know I have had an impact on girls wrestling,” said Lay. “Because when I first started I used to wrestle boys. There wasn’t even a girls bracket. There was just two-people brackets. So, it’s just a good feeling to help it grow. Especially because it’s so much bigger than when I started.”
