With a patchwork line-up and one wrestler so ill he had to bow out after his first match, Sweet Home’s wrestlers came away with a third-place finish at Reser’s Tournament of Champions Saturday night in Hillsboro.
The Huskies had 12 wrestlers in their line-up behind loaded teams from Hermiston and Crook County, which brought full varsity and JV line-ups, and still managed to score 144 points behind first-place Hermiston’s 221 and Crook County’s 148½ in second and ahead of Redmond in fourth with 126. The tournament featured 24 teams, including the top 11 6A-Division schools, most of the top 5A t and three of the top four 4A teams.
“This is a tough, tough tournament,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “This is a Who’s Who of Oregon wrestling.”
The Huskies had two first-place winners in Colton Schilling (132) and Zach Gill (285), a second from Tyler Cowger (152), two thirds from Tyler Schilling (106) and Wade Paulus (195), and points from Trever Olson (145), Ben Terry (182) and David Skeen (220), though none of them placed.
ZACH GILL works to turn Derick Turituri of Crater in the 285-pound final at Reser’s
“Trever Olson was one match away from placing,” Thorpe noted.
Also competing, but not scoring, were Anthony Hardee (120), Brandon Keenon (138), Brian Malloy (160) and Nate Melcher (170).
Schilling won his third straight TOC title, winning the Gragorian Award for the wrestler who spent the shortest time on the mat – 10:22 in five matches, including the final in which he went the distance to defeat Beau Gleed of Hermiston 7-1.
“These aren’t bad wrestlers,” Thorpe noted. “These are state placers. You’ve got to wrestle with who you have and that’s what we did.”
The Huskies were coming off four duals and the Oregon Classic tournament over the past 10 days prior to the TOC.
“We’re really tired now. We have guys fighting the flu. Brian Malloy was sicker than a dog. They’re fighting this, fighting that. It’s tough.”
He credited both Tyler Schilling and Paulus for coming back after losing in the winner’s bracket.
Schilling pinned No. 3 Seed Cody Bibler of Dallas, who had pinned him in the Lebanon tournament in December, to take third.
Gill won his final match by pinning No. 3 seed Derick Turituri of Crater after pinning No. 4 seed Jake Batease of Hermiston 1:03 into their semifinal match. Batease transferred this year after winning two straight 3A state titles at Grant Union.
Cowger got to the 152-pound final by decisioning No. 2 seed Wyatt Passantino of Dallas, last year’s state 5A runner-up, 3-2, before losing 9-3 to Roseburg’s Reed Van Anrooy, last year’s state 6A 145-pound titlist. Thorpe noted that it was Cowger’s third time in the TOC finals and his fourth-straight year as a place-winner in the tournament.
“He competed very well,” Thorpe said.
In the junior varsity tournament, JT Weld was the highest Husky place-winner, taking third at 138 pounds. Ty Kirkland was fourth at 126, Troy Hazelton was fifth at 220 and Tyrel Miller was sixth at 113.
“Crook County entered a full line-up and a second full squad of JVs,” Thorpe said. “They have great numbers and their kids are spread out right. They are well coached. They’re a great team. It’s the same with Hermiston.
“One of the things we work for is to beat good teams and that’s what we did in this tournament.”
The Huskies will make their final appearance of the season at home Thursday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. with dual matches against Cottage Grove and Stayton. Cascade will also wrestle, but they and the Huskies won’t face each other till next week.
The match will also be Senior Night for the Huskies and those activities are expected to begin about 7 p.m.
Reser’s Tournament
of Champions
Team Results: (1) Hermiston 221; (2) Crook County 148.5; (3) Sweet Home 144; (4) Redmond 126; (5) Roseburg 124; (6) 6. David Douglas 122; (7) Crater 121; (8) Hillsboro 109.5; (9) Glencoe 105; (10) Sprague 103; (11) Oregon City 100.5; (12) McNary 97; (13) Dallas 93.5; (14) Sandy 90; (15) Canby 82.5; (16) Grants Pass 73; (17) Pendleton 67; (18) Cascade 63; (19) Culver 59; (20) West Albany 57; (21) Barlow 42; (22) Lebanon 37; (23) Willamina 29; (24) Newberg 23.5.
Sweet Home Varsity Results
106 – No. 4 seed Tyler Schilling (SH) pinned Trevin Bailey (Grants Pass) 3:41; won by forfeit; dec. No. 5 seed Matt Peterson (Hillsboro) 8-6; lost 9-2 to eventual champion Trayton Libolt (Crook County)in semifinals; in consolation bracket, pinned Andy Wagner (Hermiston) :48; in consolation final pinned No. 3 Seed Cody Bibler (Dallas) 3:30.
132 – No. 1 seed Colton Schilling (SH) pinned Hector Maldonado (McNary) 4:16; pinned T.J. Hancock (Pendleton) :52; pinned No. 4 seed Parker Folliard (Oregon City) 1:46; dec. No. 2 seed Beau Gleed (Hermiston) 7-1 to win championship.
145 – Trever Olson (SH) lost 8-0 to Ricky Molinari (Douglas); in consolation bracket, pinned Beau Brock (Hermiston) 3:30; dec. Alex Hada (Hillsborough) 10-2; dec. David Holmquist (Dallas) 3-2; lost 5-2 to No. 3 seed Spencer Crawford (Cascade); did not place.
152 – No. 3 seed Tyler Cowger (SH) pinned Troy Dunn (Sprague) 3:03; dec. No. 6 seed Colby Winneth (Barlow) 4-3; dec. No. 2 seed Wyatt Passantino (Dallas) 3-2; lost 9-3 in title match to Reed Van Anrooy (Roseburg) to place second.
182 – Ben Terry (SH) lost 17-5 to Jeremy Funk (Sandy); in consolation bracket, dec. Tim Ferrell (Lebanon) 8-7; lost 4-0 to No. 5 seed Zach Hammerschmith (McNary); did not place.
195 – No. 3 seed Wade Paulus (SH) pinned Joe Bliss (Pendleton) 1:18; pinned No. 6 seed Casey Gates (Redmond) no time reported; lost by fall to Ihoghama Odighizuwa (David Douglas) 5:10; in consolation bracket, pinned No. 5 seed Gunner Crawford (Crook County) 3:14; in consolation final pinned No. 4 seed Jackson Soto (West Albany) 3:27.
220 – David Skeen (SH) lost by fall to No. 1 seed Steely Smith (West Albany); in consolation bracket, pinned Kyle Rademacher (Canby) :40; lost 7-2 to Tyler Kailiuli (Roseburg); did not place.
285 – No. 1 seed Zach Gill (SH) pinned Tyler Hoerauf (Lebanon) 1:02; dec. Alejandro Sandoval (Canby) 6-0; pinned No. 4 seed Jake Batease (Hermiston) 1:03; pinned No. 3 seed Derick Turituri (Crater) to win championship.