Sweet Home’s Robert Watkins won a Schoolboy state title at the Kids State Greco and freestyle championships April 25-26 at Mountain View High School in Bend.
Watkins was one of seven Sweet Home Mat Club wrestlers to place at the tournament, Coach Steve Thorpe said.
Other placewinners were: Damian Shocker, second in freestyle and fourth in Greco; Jacob Sieminski, fourth in freestyle; Robbie Yunke, third in freestyle and second in Greco; Kyle Sieminski, third in freestyle; Jackson Royer, second in freestyle and fourth in Greco; and Travis Thorpe, fourth in freestyle and third in Greco. Watkins also placed fourth in freestyle.
Justin Maynard and Bridger Royer also competed at the tournament but did not place.
“He’s had great workout partners and he’s been committed,” said Steve Thorpe of Watkins’ achievement. Thorpe noted that he’s had a very dedicated group of wrestlers, numbering from 25 to 40, gather three nights a week in the wrestling room to drill in freestyle and Greco.
“I’m very proud of what they went out and did.”
Thorpe also had nine of his high school wrestlers place in the Cadets and Juniors tournament May 2-3 at Crescent Valley High School.
Kobe Olson placed second in both Juniors freestyle and Greco; Jake Porter was fifth in Juniors Greco; Anthony Hardee was third in Juniors Greco; Ricky Yunke was fourth in Cadets freestyle; Bryce Coulter was second in Cadets freestyle and fourth in Greco; Justin Kurtz was second in Cadets Greco; Tyler Fincher was fourth in Cadets Greco; and Tyler Schilling was fifth in Juniors freestyle and third in Greco. Jason Miller did not place.
Some of the wins were “key,” Thorpe said.
Royer, for instance, beat two wrestlers whom he had never defeated.
“That’s pretty cool when all your hard work, your persistence, pays off,” Thorpe said, noting that Schilling and Hardy and Miller, all graduating seniors, didn’t stand to gain anything by wrestling in the tournament, but did anyway.
Placing in the top two at state is an automatic qualifier for the ASICS/Vaughn Cadet and Junior Nationals July 18-25 in in Fargo, N.D., but Thorpe said will remain to be seen who decides to go.
“These guys haven’t taken a break, other than maybe a week off here and there,” Thorpe said. “They’ve been wrestling, focused on what they need to do, for a long time. For me, as a coach, this is motivational and keeps me focused on what I need to do. This is the reason I keep coming back, during this extra during the spring, for the kids.”