Sweet Home’s girls won the team title Saturday, Feb. 2, at the inaugural OSAA South Regional state championship qualifying tournament, held at Thurston High School.
The Huskies qualified two wrestlers, senior Marissa Kurtz at 110 pounds and junior Lexi Schilling at 105, for the state championships, which will be held Feb. 23 during the boys championships tournament at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Portland.
Girls wrestling is in its first year of official sanctioning by the OSAA. Previously, the sport was considered a demonstration event, with unsanctioned qualifying the last few years, and finals held on a demonstration basis at the boys state championships. Kurtz is the defending state champion at 105 pounds, after winning a decision over Schilling in the final last year.
Sweet Home entered nine girls, six less than Thurston, which had won the unsanctioned event the previous two years.
The Huskies finished with 145 points, to 138 for Thurston. Bend was third with 116.
“We were behind going into Day 2,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “They had 11 (wrestlers) left and we had seven.”
Sweet Home got all its wrestlers through the “blood round” of the 16-person brackets, in which consolation-bracket wrestlers are eliminated, he said, and “we pinned people.” The Huskies finished with the most pins in the tournament – 23.
“That Day 2, we showed up ready to wrestle,” Thorpe said.
Paige Chafin (115), Jessy Hart (125) and Katen Edwards (155) placed third and Madelyn Neuschwander (120) and Kailey James (135) both placed sixth. Also competing, but not placing, were Sicily Neuschwander and Dyanna Arnold.
Both Kurtz and Schilling pinned their way through their brackets, but Thorpe noted that it was the girls who lost in the semifinals and wound up in the consolation bracket who didn’t mail it in.
“The one thing that shows the character of these young ladies is that in the consolation-round semifinals, Paige, Jessy and Katen were behind on points and got a fall. Those points just add up.” Neuschwander and James both scored falls in the blood round, which gave the Huskies bonus points.
Thorpe attributed Sweet Home’s performance to hard work and seeking out tough competition, such as at the Hood River tournament the weekend before, where the Huskies saw wrestlers who competed in the North Regional.
“Those were quality matches,” he said. The importance of quality matches at this point is so vital.
“It was just incredible effort. We went into it not wanting to just have a good experience. Our goal was to win the tournament.
OSAA South Regional
Qualifying Tournament Results
Team Scores – (1) Sweet Home 145; (2) Thurston 138; (3) Bend 116; (4) Grant Union 95; (5) La Pine 92; (6) Elmira 61; (7) Mountain View 58; (8) North Medford 58; (9) Cottage Grove 52; (10) Douglas/Camas Valley 46; (11) Eagle Point 42; (12) West Salem 40; (13) Central Linn 38; (14-tie) McKay, Reedsport Charter 31; (16) Grants Pass 30; (17) Phoenix 29.5; (18) Pleasant Hill 28; (19) Creswell 26; (20) Henley 25; (21-tie) Brookings-Harbor, Mazama 24; (23) Gilchrist 22; (24) Churchill 21; (25-tie) Bonanza, Madras, Scio 20; (289-tie) Dallas, North Salem 19; (30) Myrtle Point 18.
Sweet Home Individual Results
100 – Sicily Neuschwander lost by fall to Olivia Flack (La Pine); lost 5-0 to Hannah Erz (Central Linn); did not place.
105 – Lexi Schilling pinned Anybeth Valenzuela (West Salem) (3:30); pinned Madison Shearer (Henley) (4:59); pinned Riana Martin (Scio) (1:07); placed first.
110 – Marissa Kurtz pinned Isabelle Schering (Willamette) (0:56); pinned Analise Smith (Bend) (3:52); pinned Richelle Rolfe (Cottage Grove) (0:48); pinned Kyleigh Cuevas (Bend) (3:58).
115 – Paige Chafin won by inj. def. over Alexis Woodley (North Salem); pinned Stephanie Miller (La Pine) (2:42); pinned Linda Cline (Elmira) (1:09); lost by fall to Kyleigh Lopez (North Medford) (0:26); pinned Jordan Taylor (Bend) (4:52); dec. Cheyanne Kester (Springfield) 9-2; placed third.
120 – Madelyn Neuschwander lost 12-0 maj. dec to Dakota Alewine (North Medford); pinned Mariah Morgan (Thurston) (4:24); pinned Arleth Serratos-Hernandez (Cottage Grove) (1:00); pinned Rio Jensen (Philomath) (0:52); lost 7-0 to Shayla McNulty (Eagle Point); lost by fall to Yesenia Velazquez (Reedsport Charter) (1:45); placed sixth.
125 – Jessy Hart pinned Tyler Patterson (Sisters) (0:34); pinned Summer Bertrand (Ashland) (5:02); lost 7-3 to Cailee Hallett (Thurston); pinned Divinity Farris (Reedsport Charter) (4:36); pinned Reagan Davis (West Salem) (5:13); placed third.
135 – Kailey James lost by fall to Sarah Conner (Central Linn (3:05); pinned Alexandra Stanton (McNary) (0:06); pinned Leila Dopp (Thurston) (2:39); lost by fall to Brielle Brick (Creswell) (5:01); lost by fall to Sasha Smith (Bend) (2:44); placed sixth.
145 – Dyanna Arnold lost by fall to Kara Davis (Eagle Point) (1:05); lost by fall to Adelle Kent (Cottage Grove) (0:39); did not place.
155 – Katen Edwards pinned Bella Lucia (Phoenix) (5:49); dec. Erica Simmons (Scio) 10-7; lost by fall to Trinity Hutchison (Grant Union) (4:58); pinned Jayd Martin (Klamath Union) (1:53); pinned Alaina Zamudio (Thurston) (5:55); placed third.