Rancho Bernardo’s Penelope Pepperdine-Le was leading her girls Master’s Championship wrestling opponent 14-0. Dominating. In control. Until she wasn’t.
“She reversed me and then pinned me,” said Pepperdine-Le of the 2025 Master’s Championship match. “The next day I was back at practice to learn how to fight off something like that. It was my mistake.”
On her 18th birthday last Saturday, Pepperdine-Le, who goes by Penny, made certain there would be no repeat of that disaster when she pinned all four of her opponents at 125 pounds to capture the section Division 1 crown.
She only needed 43 seconds, 1:17, 3:34 and then 2:39 in the title match, stopping Eastlake’s Karell Rascon, before making her way to the top of the victory stand and a berth in the section Masters meet a week from Saturday at Eastlake High.
Rancho Bernardo’s Penelope Pepperdine-Le pinned all four of her opponents at 125 pounds to capture the section Division 1 crown on her 18th birthday on Feb. 6. (Janell Chavez Riley)
This, despite being seeded No. 3.
“I looked at the bracket and thought to myself, ‘I can win CIF,’” said Pepperdine-Le who, is looking to garner one of the top four seeds in her quest to qualify for the state championships in Bakersfield by placing in the top four.
“It was my birthday, so I thought ‘that’s the best birthday present ever.’
“Traveling to a lot of hard tournaments this year, I’ve become a much better wrestler. I used to get very nervous before a tournament but now I go in with confidence.
“I believe Aleia Apostol, a freshman at Poway, will be favored. She beat one of our best wrestlers, Chloe Peace, in the dual meet but I’m looking forward to qualifying for state (the top four from Masters advance) because I’ve never been.”
Another highlight will be that for the first time, the girls have their own championship after sharing the spotlight with the boys since the girls were added in 2012.
Pepperdine-Le actually gave a moment’s thought to not even competing this season.
“I started thinking of all the senior activities I’d miss,” said Pepperdine-Le, who is waiting to see if she’ll get into Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she’d major in sociology with a minor in landscape architecture. “But then my mom (Sophia) said, ‘Penny, you can make it to state, you have a good chance.’ She and my dad (Christopher) have been my biggest supporters.”
That goes back to when Pepperdine-Le was an 8-year-old and got involved in jiu-jitsu and judo. It seemed like a natural move on to become a wrestler in high school.
RB Coach Joe Terribilini said the senior made great strides between last year and this season.
“She’s a fighter,” said the veteran coach. “When she gets down, she’ll come back and win. Although she was only seeded third, she knew she was the best wrestler there. She has a good chance at Masters if she can put it together.”
Penelope Pepperdine-Le, a 5-foot-6 senior at Rancho Bernardo High, has a 27-8 overall record. (Janell Chavez Riley)
Pepperdine-Le, who has a 27-8 overall record, said she and Peace (who won Division 1 at 130 pounds) battle in practice and since each of them knows the other’s weakness, it’s an even test.
“I’m 5-foot-6, which is a little taller than a lot of my opponents,” said Pepperdine-Le. “I’m quicker but not as strong as some of the others. Quickness is what I got from jiu-jitsu and judo.”
As for what she can expect provided she does qualify for state, there are few better at giving her tips than Mary Snider, who finished second in Bakersfield a year ago and is heavily favored this year at 155 pounds.
“She told me it’s surreal, it’s crazy with the arena packed,” Pepperdine-Le said. “They have a spotlight on just one mat at a time. At the Division 1 championships they wrestled the championships on one mat, third place on another and fifth on another, all at the same time.
“I’m really looking forward to wrestling in the Masters meet and then state.”