Sweet Home opened its wrestling season Saturday with a sixth-place finish at the Perry Burlison Wrestling Classic at Cascade.
The Huskies finished behind winner Crook County (224 points), third-place Marshfield (173) and fifth-place North Marion (119) with 114 points among 4A teams. Dallas was second with 212 points and Lebanon was fourth (170) in the 18-team field.
“For us to finish sixth is pretty good right now,” said Coach Steve Thorpe. “We didn’t lose to anybody we shouldn’t have.”
Marshfield came into the tournament ranked first, ahead of No. 2 Crook County, the defending 4A state champion, in pre-season polls. Dallas was ranked No. 1 in the 5A division coming into the tournament, Thorpe noted.
Top finishers for Sweet Home were seniors Joe Rasmussen at 145 pounds and Tyrel Miller at 152, both placing second. Other placewinners were: Kobe Olson, fourth at 126; Ricky Yunke, fourth at 138; John Elder, fifth at 120; and Robbie Yunke, sixth at 120 – after losing to Elder.
“JC Elder and Robbie Yunke are going to make each other better by wrestling each other,” Thorpe said.
Miller lost to defending state champions Lane Stigall of North Marion in the finals and Rasmussen lost to Crook County’s Kurt Mode, who transferred from Banks after placing second last year.
“Both of them pinned their way into the finals,” Thorpe said of the two Huskies. “They both competed very hard and found a way to make it into the finals.
“I was very proud of the kids.”
The Huskies host Stayton, South Albany, Sutherlin and Churchill, one of the top teams in the 5A division, in their own five-way meet beginning at 4 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8. They will compete at the Rose City Championships Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, at Westview High School in Portland, where they will be in a field of 22 teams – 15 from Oregon, eight from Washington, two from Colorado and one each from Idaho and California, each entering up to two wrestlers per weight division.
Perry Burlison Wrestling Classic
Sweet Home Finishers
106 – Robert Watkins did not place. Pinned Matthew Morales (Siuslaw) (1:40); lost by fall to
Wyatt Richardson (Lebanon) (5:59); lost 15-2 major dec. to Dawson Barcroft (Dallas).
113 – Boden Petersen did not place. Lost by a fall to Ryan Logan (Evergreen High School) (3:29) and Willard Neary (Nestucca) (3:39.
120 – John Elder placed fifth. Lost by technical fall to Jesse Stuhr (Dallas)(4:32; pinned Triston Rostocil (North Marion)(4:09); dec. Ryan Bibler (Dallas) 5-1; lost 6-4 to Ryan Ninman (Stayton); pinned Robbie Yunke (Sweet Home) (3:03)
120 – Robbie Yunke placed sixth. Dec. Triston Rostocil (North Marion) (5-4); lost by fall to Cole Morgan (Crook County) (1:17); lost by fall to Jesse Stuhr (Dallas) (2:43; lost by fall to John Elder (Sweet Home) (3:03).
126 – Kobe Olson placed fourth. Pinned Justin Lacy (Lebanon) (3:11); lost 9-1 maj. dec. to AJ Lira (Marshfield); dec. Bryce Allen (Cottage Grove) 7-2.
126 – Dillon Stutzman did not place. Pinned Anthony Rath (Philomath) (2:15); lost by fall to Brawley Lamer (Crescent Valley) (1:37); pinned Darien Fagin (Cascade ) (1:25); lost by fall to Bryce Allen (Cottage Grove) (:49).
132 – Tyler Fincher did not place. Pinned Shane Tennis (McKay) (0:24); lost 7-1 to Noah Sickles (Dallas); pinned Bingham Murray (Siuslaw) (2:57); lost 10-2 major dec. to Mitchell Allen (Lebanon) .
138 – Justin Kurtz did not place. Lost by fall to Hayden Bates (Crook County) (2:30); pinned Matthew Schonbachler (Silverton) (2:13); lost by fall to Ean Woodruff (Dallas) (4:14).
138 – Ricky Yunke placed fourth. Pinned Ean Woodruff (Dallas) (3:50); lost 9-2 to Casey Roberts (North Marion); dec. Cameron Alley (Lebanon) 4-2; lost by fall to Isaiah Av (Evergreen High School) (1:51).
145 – Joe Rasmussen placed second. Pinned Scott Simmons (Siuslaw) (4:28); pinned Kevin Gonzalez-Montes (McKay) (1:13); pinned Rodrigo Gonzalez Hernandez (North Marion) (2:15); lost by fall to Kurt Mode (Crook County) (1:10).
152 – Oscar Hernandez – did not place. Lost by fall to Lane Stigall (North Marion) (0:52); won by forfeit over Darren DeLeon (Gervais); lost by 12-4 maj. dec. to James Howell (Philomath).
152 – Tyrel Miller placed second. Pinned James Howell (Philomath) (1:00); pinned Ryan Leslie (Nestucca) (3:09); lost 13-4 maj. dec. to Lane Stigall (North Marion).
160 – Jake Porter did not place. Dec. Cleveland Smith (Stayton) (7-1); lost by fall to Alan Bordeaux (Cottage Grove) (0:33); lost 10-9 decision to Dylan Goodpaster (Evergreen).
170 – Bryce Coulter did not place. Pinned Noah Geil (Nestucca) (1:43); lost by fall to Gary Jantzer (Marshfield) (2:22); pinned Zach Young (Crook County) (4:41); lost by fall to Braden Sinn (Silverton) (2:30).
182 – Bryson Denver did not place. Lost 14-5 maj. dec. to Jakeb Cripe (Lebanon); lost by fall to Adam Dryden (McKay) (2:37).
195 – Daniel Rooney did not place. Lost by fall to Clay Coxen (Dallas) (0:36); lost by fall to Honorio Colipano (Dallas) (0:41).
220 – Dalton Doerfler did not place. Lost by fall to Brogan Howard (Crook County) (1:46); pinned Hunter Olheiser (Sweet Home) (0:40); lost 4-1 dec. to Rueben Verdugo (North Marion).
220 – Hunter Olheiser did not place. Lost by fall to Arien Craggett (Lebanon) (0:35); Lost by fall to Dalton Doerfler (Sweet Home) (0:40).
285 – Gavin Baskin did not place. Lost by fall to Kainan Lane (Siuslaw) (1:41); pinned Zeb Kiggins (Dallas) (1:22); Lost by fall to Ruben Rojas (South Salem) (2:42).