Sweet Home wrestlers opened their 2017-18 campaign at the Perry Burlison Invitational Tournament Saturday, hosted by Cascade and featuring some of the top teams in the 4A and 5A divisions.
Sweet Home’s top varsity place-winners on the boys side ware seniors Ricky Yunke, third at 152 pounds and Bryce Coulter, third at 182.
The Huskies were well-represented on the awards stands, but nobody made it through unscathed.
Crook County won the boys tournament with 183 points from its 13 wrestlers, with Cascade fourth (nine wrestlers, 132 points) and Sweet Home’s 17 wrestlers fifth (123), ahead of North Marion (10 wrestlers, 102 points) and Marshfield (eight wrestlers, 95 points).
“These are some of the toughest wrestling teams in the state,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “We get to see some great local talent, the guys we’ll be seeing at regionals.”
On the girls side, junior Marissa Kurtz won a loaded bracket at 117 pounds, pinning all three opponents.
Sophomore Lexi Schilling went 2-1 to finish third at 117 pounds, and freshman Sicily Neuschwander was fourth at 105 pounds and sophomore Katen Edwards went 2-2 to finish fourth at 160 pounds.
Junior Madelyn Neuschwan-der and freshman Jessy Hart, at 125 pounds, did not place.
Thurston won the girls tournament with 243 points from its 20 wrestlers. Sweet Home was second with 77 points, with Cottage Grove third (37), Banks ninth (14) and Philomath 10th (10).
Rounding out he place-winners for the boys, sophomore Bryce Porter was fourth at 126, sophomore Travis Thorpe was fourth at 145, junior Robert Watkins was fifth at 126, junior Robbie Yunke was fifth at 138, senior Zak Fox was fifth at 152, sophomore Connor Ford was sixth at 120, sophomore Jackson Royer was sixth at 132 and sophomore Nich James was sixth at 170.
In the junor varsity brackets, Hayden Stewart was first in a special division at 95 pounds, Christian Calkins was first at 138 and Justin Kurtz was champion of his bracket at 152.
“Overall, we wrestled well, but we have a lot of things we need to get better at,” Steve Thorpe said.
“Right now we’re getting those matches in, wrestling every chance we get.”
The Huskies host South Albany and Stayton Tuesday evening, Dec. 5, and will spend Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8-9, at the Rose City Tournament at Westview High School, which features top teams from Oregon, Idaho, California and Washington.
“It’s a barn-burner,” Thorpe said.