Two Sweet Home girls qualified for the state wrestling finals Saturday, Jan. 27, to end a week of schedule changes that left the Huskies with a league title.
The wrestling team’s Senior Night was postponed when Sisters didn’t make the trip to Sweet Home due to snow on the passes, and the Huskies will host Cottage Grove at 6 p.m. Thursday for that event.
Meanwhile, six girls competed in the Women’s High School State Qualifier tournament Friday and Saturday at Thurston, with junior Marissa Kurtz and sophomore Lexi Schilling qualifying for the semifinals of the girls state championship, which will be held Feb. 17 during the boys championship tournament at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. Kurtz placed third at 105 pounds and Schilling was fourth.
This year’s qualifying tournament at Thurston swelled to 277 participants, from the 180 girls who wrestled last year. Several weights had 64-wrestler brackets, Coach Steve Thorpe said.
Also competing in the qualifying tournament were freshman Jessy Hart at 125 pounds, sophomore Katen Edwards at 135, freshman Sicily Neuschwander at 100 and junior Madelyn Neuschwander, al so at 100 pounds, none of whom placed.
“We had six girls,” Thorpe said. “I’m incredibly proud of how they competed, how they represented Sweet Home High School.
“It takes a lot to get yourself ready to go to a tournament with bracket sizes like that,” he added. “They earned it. They earned the right to be there.
Kurtz will make her third straight trip to the girls state wrestling championships after she placed third at the state qualifying tournament Saturday, Jan. 27, at Thurston High School.
Kurtz placed second in state last year at 106 pounds, to Thurston’s Macie Stewart.
Her only loss last weekend was to another Stewart – Charli Stewart of Bend, who finished as the top seed in the qualifying tournament. Stewart decisioned Kurtz 5-3 in the semifinals, then went on to pin Ranier’s Allie Ocain in the final.
Kurtz major decisioned Nimo Sheikh of Century 9-0, then pinned Emerald Koeppel of Liberty (3:58) before losing to Sterwart. She then pinned Isabella Rodolf of Pleasant Hill (3:41) before scoring a major decision over her teammate, Schilling, in the consolation final, 9-0.
“Marissa had a big target on her back after placing in the state tournament two years,” Thorpe said. “I think maybe that got to her a little bit. Lexi is one of the most improved wrestlers in our women’s program. She beat a couple of good girls.”
“I don’t know how the seeding will shake out, but I wouldn’t count anybody out,” he said of the state finals. “Anybody can win that bracket.”