Brad Pitts tries to gain control against Brett Carder of Phoenix.

Coach Steve Thorpe celebrates as the referee awards Crocker the two winning points.

Coach Steve Thorpe hugs Brock Crocker after Crocker won the 4A state 152-pound championship Saturday night at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

Freshman Colton Schilling celebrates after pinning Estacada senior Garrett Heinetz to win the 103-pound title.

Tyler Cowger gets the win against Lamont Hook of Henley on his way to third place in the 125-pound division. Photo by Carissa Swanson

Showing off their 4A state championships second-place trophy are Husky coaches and wrestlers.

Mand Binks of Sweet Home was the 125-pound winner in exhibition girls wrestling held Saturday during breaks in the boys tournament. Binks, above, pins Tatum Viens of Springfield in her first match. She then went on to defeat Gorretti Pham of Cottage Grove

Mitch Grove gets a reversal on Jesse Orndorff of Illinois Valley in the consolation final, in which he blanked Orndorff, the top-ranked wrestler in the division and a state champion last year as a freshman, 7-0. Photo by Scott Swanson

Kris Newport works for a takedown against Jackson Hicks of Estacada in a 140-pound consolation semifinal. Newport went on to place fourth. Photo by Carissa Swanson

Scottie Stockman tries to hold on to Cascade’s Travis Bledsoe in the 103-pound consolation final. Stockman lost 9-5 and finished fourth. Photo by Carissa Swanson

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It may not have been the trophy they were aiming for, but the Sweet Home wrestlers’ second-place finish at the state 4A wrestling championships was a masterful piece of work last weekend.

Two Huskies won individual state titles as the team amassed 182 points – the most Sweet Home has ever scored – to place second to Scappoose, which put five wrestlers in the finals, won with 195. North Marion was third (146), followed by Phoenix (141) and Cascade (127).

Sweet Home freshman Colton Schilling pinned Estacada senior Garrett Heinetz to set a school record for pins in one season (33) and take the 103-pound championship.

Husky senior Brock Crocker defeated Brady Lee of Molalla 6-4 in overtime to win the 152-pound title.

The double titlists were the first for Sweet Home since 1998, when Kevin Lummus and Clint Sieminski both won.

Taylor Tagle finished second at 130 pounds when he lost 8-7 to Taft’s David Converse in a rematch of their district championship match the week before, which Converse also won.

Tagle took Converse down quickly and led 5-2 at the end of the first period, then extended his lead to 7-3 after Converse escaped and Tagle responded with another takedown. But Converse scored a reversal in the third period and then scored a three-point nearfall with 45 seconds left and Tagle was unable to score again.

Coach Steve Thorpe said he had few regrets.

“We scored more points in this state tournament than we’ve ever scored,” he said. “And we’re second place. But I’m proud of second place. I’m very proud of what these boys have accomplished this season and I’m proud of what they did at this tournament. From top to bottom, three guys in finals matches and two champions – it’s incredible.”

He noted that Tagle has suffered from an injured shoulder since the Reser’s Tournament of Champions.

“Taylor Tagle, what do you say about that guy? He has sacrificed and wrestled with pain and he made it into the finals of the state tournament without anybody knowing how hurt he is,” Thorpe said. “That is sacrifice. That is wanting something so bad,
not only for himself but for our team.

“It’s hard to comment on the level of respect I have for him in that. Taylor didn’t get what he deserved tonight. But we’re a better wrestling team and those freshmen look up to him and admire him.”

Thorpe said that Crocker’s appearance in the final was “deserved” after a stellar high school career in which Crocker has never missed a practice.

“Brock Crocker is fortunate in life tonight. He got what he deserved. He got the right call. And to win in overtime. I’m not surprised by it. Brock Crocker’s an overtime guy.”

Crocker trailed 4-0 in the second period after a first-period takedown and then a reversal by Lee in the second period. But he then reversed Lee near the end of the period to cut the lead to 4-2. In the third period, Crocker started in the down position and reversed again to tie the score.

Crocker then took a visibly tired Lee down close to the edge of the mat 23 seconds into the one-minute overtime period. As the two wrestlers hit the mat Thorpe and Sweet Home assistant coach Tim Boatwright jumped to their feet and shouted that it was a takedown.

Molalla coach Mike Campbell argued that the wrestlers were out of bounds and that it wasn’t a takedown but the officials decided that Lee was on his back and Crocker was in control when they hit the mat and confirmed the points.

Crocker said he “felt great” after a career in which his previous finishes at state were two thirds and a fourth place.

“My plan was to take it into third (period) and wear him down,” he said of Lee. “I wanted to come back and win it in the third. I didn’t expect overtime but that made it a little better.”

He said it was the first time he had wrestled Lee, though “I’ve seen him wrestle all my life. He’s always been heavier than me.”

Crocker said his plan worked as Lee got tired near the end of the second period when he scored a reversal on Crocker.

“When I reversed him, then he got reversal, as soon as he got that reversal I felt him die,” Crocker said.

Thorpe said he was “so proud” of Schilling, who was the lone wrestler to pin all five of his opponents in the tournament and was named the Quest Wrestler of the Meet after scoring 34 team points.

Schilling said he’d wrestled Heinetz, his finals opponent, once before and pinned him that time too. But he wasn’t assuming anything going into this match, he said.

“I thought it might have been a lucky break,” he said of his first win. “He’s a senior and he’s a little bigger than me.”

But Schilling took control early in the match, with a quick takedown and “I did what I do best,” he said of the pin that followed soon after, in 1:13.

“I prayed to God and said ‘Help me do my best, whatever happens’ and I went out and did my best and it worked,” he said.
Besides the Huskies’ three finalists, Sweet Home had five other medalists.

Senior Mitch Grove won the 112-pound consolation final to take third, shutting down Illinois Valley sophomore Jesse Orndorff, top-ranked wrestler in the division and last year’s 103-pound state champion, 7-0. In the championship bracket semifinals Grove lost an overtime heartbreaker 14-9 to North Marion sophomore Jake Stigall.

“It’s not what I wanted, but like Coach says, it’s best to finish on an odd number,” said Grove, who finished fourth at 119 pounds last year. “I was hoping for state champion, but it didn’t work out.”

Thorpe praised Grove for bouncing back after the loss to Stigall.

“Mitch Grove had a heartbreak overtime loss, then comes back to get third,” he said. “He beats the number one-ranked kid in the state to get third.”

Freshman Tyler Cowger won his consolation 125-pound final against sophomore Ryan Bullock of McLoughlin 6-5 over second-seeded Ryan Bullock, a McLoughlin sophomore. Cowger’s consolation bracket win came after he lost 9-0 to Siuslaw senior Jacob Graber, who ended up second, in the championship quarterfinals, which earned him appreciation from Thorpe.

“Tyler Cowger loses a heartbreaking quarterfinals match, then comes all the way through the back door to score third,” Thorpe said. “He’s been wrestling injured too. He’s having knee surgery next month. That’s sacrifice.”

Junior Kris Newport, who missed the entire football season last fall while recovering from shoulder surgery, finished fourth at 140 pounds after being edged 2-1 by Cascade’s freshman Cody Crawford in a bout in which there were no takedowns.

“I think I performed pretty good,” said Newport, who won a state title at 119 pounds as a freshman, then failed to place last year. “I got about what I deserved.”

Newport said he’s made changes in his behavior this year that he hopes will pay off in the long run.

“I think I’ve changed, turned my life around,” he said, noting that part of that change came after his parents split up. “It was really hard. I had shoulder surgery and got in trouble in school. I almost got kicked off the team.

“With my parents going through a divorce I had to focus on wrestling. Sweet Home wrestling was the reason I did not quit. I kept on holding on.

“I’m not getting in trouble any more. I’m not getting kicked out of classes any more. I think if I keep on doing what I’m doing, I’ll be back on that podium again.”

Sophomore Scottie Stockman finished fourth with a 9-5 loss to Cascade freshman Travis Bledsoe in the 103-pound consolation final – an “incredible” finish for him, Thorpe said.

Senior Tyler Holly was down 14-4 with 42 seconds left in his seventh/eighth-place match against Jacob Fowler of Tillamook, then threw a head-and-arm move on Fowler, took him down and pinned him with seven seconds left on the clock.

“I thought it was good,” said Holly of his finish. He placed eighth as a junior after being edged out of a trip to the tournament by two teammates as a sophomore.

“I wanted to be a bit higher than that but that was how it worked out.”

After helping to lead the Huskies to the Division 4A quarterfinals as a quarterback, Holly said he had high hopes for this year, aiming for the top three.

“I struggled at times,” he said. “Placing at state is still a good accomplishment.”

Senior Brad Pitts led Logan Cheshier of Estacada in the 189-pound seventh/eighth-place match 3-2 with literally two seconds left, when Cheshier took Pitts down to win 4-3.

“Brad Pitts moved up a weight class to wrestle here,” Thorpe said. “He comes away with a state place.”

Pitts actually weighed 175 pounds in the tournament, he said.

Thorpe credited the Huskies’ big finish to uncommon teamwork and sacrifice he said his team has shown all season.

“I think this team is as unselfish a team as I’ve ever coached and I think it’s one of the best leadership groups I’ve ever had.”

He said of the 17 wrestlers Sweet Home took to the tournament, 14 won matches.

“Trever Olson, Ty Harvey, Hunter Bidwell,

David Rinehart, Marshall Arndt –they were all one match away from placing,” Thorpe said. “Those guys score you points. That’s important to have in this tournament.”

Scappoose dominated the upper weights, putting wrestlers in the finals of the top four divisions, along with Gabe Goodrich, who won the 119-pound championship. Aaron Aguilara was the Indians’ other champion, at 171 pounds.

All of Scappoose’s finalists were seniors.

Thorpe said the fact that three of wrestlers who made the finals for the Indians transferred to the school last fall stung a little, but he said he was happy with the Huskies’ outcome.

“It’s a state tournament and these guys have been with me and we’ve trained them and everything,” he said of his team. “And I can’t help if somebody else puts kids in.

“I’m proud of these guys. This second-place trophy, you know, people are going to say ‘What happened to you guys?’
Nothing happened. We wrestled the same way we did all year long. We overachieved, we came from behind and we scored more points than we ever have here. We had three guys in the finals.

“Their (victory) is going to have an asterisk by it.”

It was the Huskies’ fourth top-three finish in four years and Thorpe credited his “very good coaching staff” of Tim Boatright, Steve Hummer Eric Tagle, Steve Schilling, Kyle Temple, Rob Martin, Trevor Tagle and Clint Sieminski for their role in bringing the Huskies to that level.

After a break this week, he said, many of his wrestlers will be back on the mat, preparing for the freestyle and Greco seasons.
“We’ll take a break, then we’ll get back to it,” he said.

State 4A Championships

Sweet Home Results

103 – Colton Schilling pinned Paulo Valez (Tillamook) 1:25; pinned David Cornish (North Valley) :26; pinned Steven Pinto (Estacada) 3:29; pinned Tim Thao (LaPine) :28; pinned Garrett Heinetz (Estacada) 1:13 to win 4A championship.
103 – Scottie Stockman lost to fourth-seeded Travis Bledsoe 15-1; in consolation bracket pinned Wyatt Tarditti (South Umpqua) :56; pinned Eric Rayo (McLoughlin) 1:49; def. Brandon Parker (Illinois Valley) 8-6; lost 9-5 to Travis Blesoe (Cascadia) to finish fourth.
112 – Third-seeded Mitch Grove pinned Steven Middaugh (Yamhill-Carlton) 3:36; pinned Tyler Holly (SH) 2:59; lost to Jake Stigall (North Marion) 14-9 (OT); in consolation bracket def. Pete Peterson (Brookings Harbor) 6-2; def. Jesse Orndorff (Illinois Valley) 7-0 to finish third.
112 – Tyler Holly pinned Zach Valentine (Baker) :47; was pinned by Mitch Grove (SH) 2:59; in consolation bracket def. Jonathan Fall (North Bend) 15-6;lost 5-3 (OT) to Jesse Orndorff (Illinois Valley); pinned Jacob Fowler (Tillamook) in 4:53 to finish seventh.
119 – Hunter Bidwell lost by TF to top-seeded Adam Hayner (Molalla) 2:39; in consolation bracket def. Zach Leonard (Philomath) 7-5 in OT; lost 11-0 to fourth-seeded Jesse Sargent of McLoughlin; did not place.
119 – Ty Harvey lost 16-3 to Gabe Miller (Illinois Valley); in consolation bracket pinned Max Maeda (Ontario) :44; lost 13-1 to second-seeded Zorg Loustalet (Henley); did not place.
125 – Tyler Cowger def. third-seeded Wade Humphrey (Cascade) 12-5; lost 9-0 to Jacob Graber (Siuslaw); in consolation bracket pinned Kris Renfro (Phoenix) 4:15; pinned Jesse Sinclair (Junction City) 2:42; def. Lamont Hook (Henley) 2-0; defeated second-seeded Ryan Bullock (McLoughlin) 6-5 to finish third.
130 – Top-seeded Taylor Tagle def. Ryan Dozler (Cascade) 6-2; pinned Seth Sotelo (Hidden Valley) 3:56; pinned Trinity Castner (Douglas) 3:04; lost 8-7 to David Converse (Taft) to finish second.
135 – Trever Olson pinned Isaiah Hartvigson (Elmira) 1:22; lost by TF to top-seeded Chase Fields (Ontario) 3:48; in consolation bracket pinned Talon Haga (North Bend) 2:08; lost 12-0 to Robby Blubaugh (Phoenix); did not place.
135 – David Rinehart lost by fall to sixth-seeded Jake Marshall (Molalla) 4:44; in consolation bracket pinned Austin Wolff (Phoenix) 2:54; lost to Dillion Schieno (Tillamook) 4-3; did not place.
140 – Fourth-seeded Kris Newport def. Nate Johnson (Henley) 14-6; def. RJ Gonzalez (Ontario) 7-5; lost 9-5 to top-seeded Eleazar Deluca (Phoenix); in consolation bracket pinned Jackson Hicks (Estacada) 1:22; lost 2-1 to Cody Crawford (Cascade) to finish fourth.
140 – Marshall Arndt lost 10-6 to second-seeded Nico Martinez (Ontario); in consolation bracket def. Nick Ough (Siuslaw) 14-3; lost 8-6 in OT to David Berg (Cottage Grove); did not place.
152 – Third-seeded Brock Crocker pinned TJ Sandstrom (Banks) 4:34; def. sixth-seeded Emmet Hettum (Phoenix) 6-0; def. second-seeded Frank Lopez (Ontario) 8-6; def. Brady Lee (Molalla) 6-4 (OT) to win 4A championship.
171 – Wade Paulus lost by fall to top-seeded Aaron Aguilera (Scappoose) 2:20; in consolation bracket lost by fall to Trevor Terry (North Valley) 4:17; did not place.
171 – Mike Harry lost 17-8 to Cameron Robertson (Elmira); in consolation bracket lost by TF to Cameron Wharton (Ontario) 4:18; did not place.
189 – Brad Pitts pinned Marshal Lehman (Cottage Grove) 2:32; lost 11-9 to Brandon Foraker (Illinois Valley); in consolation bracket pinned Garrett Searcy (LaPine) 3:32; lost 5-4 to Brett Carder (Phoenix); lost 4-3 to Logan Cheshier (Estacada) to finish eighth.
285 – Christian Whitfield lost by fall to Eli Noonan (Henley) 1:04; in consolation bracket lost by fall to Will Miller (Central) 3:37; did not place.

Team Scores: (1) Scappoose 195.0; (2) Sweet Home 182.0; (3) North Marion 146.0; (4) Phoenix 141.5; (5) 5. Cascade 127.0; (6) McLoughlin 115.5; (7) Estacada 102.0; (8) Ontario 98.5; (9) Henley 95.0; (10) Tillamook 83.5; (11) Cottage Grove 68.0; (12) Douglas 66.0; (13) Illinois Valley 66.0; (14) Molalla 64.5; (15) Stayton 62.0; (16) Philomath 49.5; (17) Siuslaw 45.0; (18) La Grande 42.5; (19) Baker 42.0; (20) North Bend 35.0; (21) Astoria 34.0; (22) Sutherlin 32.0; (23) South Umpqua 30.5; (24) Taft 27.0; (25) North Valley 22.0; (26) Elmira 21.0; (27) Brookings-Harbor 20.5; (28) Gladstone 20.0; (29) Yamhill-Carlton 17.0; (30) Junction City 13.0; (31) La Pine 12.0; (32) Banks 8.0; (33) Central 6.0; (34) Hidden Valley 5.0; (35) Marist 3.0; (36) Pleasant Hill 3.0; (37) Sisters 1.0; (38) Newport 0.0.