Sweet Home’s boys will open the state championship tournament late Friday afternoon, Feb. 22, in a bid for their second team championship in three years.
“We’re ready to go,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “We’re ready to get after things, ready to start wrestling.”
The Huskies have 19 qualifiers for state, their highest number in years. Thorpe said his team is focusing on their opening matches.
“There’s no reason to look at seeds, at the bracket if you don’t win the first one,” he said.
Seedings are based on regional finishes and Sweet Home has two No. 1 seeds: Robbie Yunke at 145 pounds and Travis Thorpe at 152. Four of their other district titlists, Tristan Spencer at 120, Jackson Royer at 132, Hayden McDonald at 160 and Nich James at 182, are seeded second, and heavyweight David McMullen is seeded fourth at 285.
Based on how the season has shaped up thus far, Sweet Home is in a race with Tillamook and La Grande for the title, with Cascade and Baker also in the mix, Steve Thorpe said.
Tillamook has 21 wrestlers going to state, La Grande has 17, Baker has 14 and Cascade has eight qualifiers.
“One of the things I’m very, very, very sure of is that we are going to worry about what we can do,” Thorpe said. “I am only looking at our team. We can control our own thing. We can’t control other people.”
In addition to the boys, Sweet Home has two girls qualified for the first official OSAA-sanctioned girls championship finals on Saturday: Lexi Schilling at 105 pounds and Marissa Kurtz at 110. Kurtz is a defending state champion, having beaten Schilling last year at 105 pounds, when the finals were held as a demonstration event.
Practice has gone well and the Huskies are healthy, Thorpe said.
Sweet Home is bringing experience to the tournament. Ten of its qualifiers were at last year’s state tournament and Travis Thorpe was a finalist in 2017.
Yunke, a senior and four-time qualifier and he expects the Huskies to do well.
“I expect if everybody shows up, we’re going to win it,” he said. “But we’ve got to have kids show up and be prepared and be wrestling solid. Give it your all in your match.”
Royer, a junior who has qualified three times, said he’s aiming for both an individual and a team title.
“I think we’re in a really good spot to win state,” he said. “We’re taking 19. I think we have a lot of potential and it gives us position up there.”
“Personally, I hope to win the title. I’ve had state on my mind for the past four weeks, all day, every day. I hope to win state. That’s my goal.”
Robert Watkins, also a senior who has qualified four times, said he’s looking forward to state after dealing with season-long injuries last year.
“I’m ready for state. I think we’ve got it,” he said.
The late-afternoon start referenced above isn’t a misprint. The tournament is using a staggered start this year, with 6A and 5A starting in the morning and the lower divisions starting at 4 p.m.
“I like the idea of a staggered start,” Steve Thorpe said. “I think that does it pretty well.”
He said the Huskies are prepared.
“I feel pretty good about what we have going on her, what we’ve done. I’m pretty darn excited. It’s kind of fun to feel this way this time of the season.
“Now we need to have some guys win a couple of matches.”
Sweet Home Qualifiers and First-Round Matches
106 – Sophomore Treyson Smith (35-16) opens against No. 4 seed Kyler Pemberton of Mazama (25-14), a junior.
106 – Freshman Kyle Watkins (33-12) opens against No. 7 seed Bradley Rieger of Tillamook (28-11), a freshman.
113 – Junior Connor Ford (20-13) opens against No. 8 seed Isaac Wood of McLoughlin (18-13), a sophomore.
113 – Freshman Christian Gregory (22-20) opens against No. 3 seed Ezra DeLuca of Phoenix (35-5), a senior.
120 – Sophomore Keegan Fox (13-9) opens against Kietz White of McLoughlin (15-11), a sophomore.
120 – Sophomore Tristan Spencer (34-12), seeded second, opens against Dalton Ford of Sisters (22-8), a senior.
126 – Freshman Brayden Newport (31-10), seeded sixth, opens against Justin Ivy of Mazama (22-12), a junior.
126 – Senior Robert Watkins (38-9), seeded fourth, opens against Caleb McDonald of Estacada (21-18), a freshman.
132 – Junior Bryce Porter (22-10), seeded sixth, opens against Blake Fritz of Klamath Union (16-14), a junior.
132 – Junior Jackson Royer (39-9), seeded second, opens against Chance Ralston of Cottage Grove (26-13), a senior.
138 – Sophomore Gavin Walberg (22-14), opens against No. 4 seed Casey McCall of La Grande (25-11), a sophomore.
145 – Senior Robbie Yunke (40-9), seeded first, opens against christ Silveira of Tillamook (16-10), a senior.
152 – Junior Travis Thorpe (45-4), seeded first, opens against Konrad Hoyer of Marshfield (13-13), a sophomore.
152 – Senior Boe Baxter (37-10), seeded fifth, opens against Israel Paniagua of Woodburn (25-27), a senior.
160 – Freshman Jesse Jamison (23-7), seeded eighth, opens against Fisher Bastian of Hidden Valley (24-18), a sophomore.
160 – Senior Hayden McDonald (43-8), seeded second, opens against Johnathan Dudley of Banks (29-16), a junior.
182 – Junior Nich James 39-11), seeded second, opens against Dylan Adcock of Estacada (14-11), a senior.
195 – Senior Austin Olin (7-11) opens against No. 4 seed Lance Moser of Estacada (30-3), a senior.
285 – Junior David McMullen ((23-21), seeded fourth, opens against Kenny Clark of Estacada (3-6), a senior.
Girls Finals Qualifiers
105 – Junior Lexi Schilling (18-4), seeded first, opens against Century’s Nimo Sheikh (18-3), a junior.
110 – Senior Marissa Kurtz (23-1), seeded first, opens against Scappoose’s Emma Jones (18-6), a junior.