Tyler Cowger and Zach Gill swept their opponents, but the Sweet Home wrestlers fell to Henley 46-24, Crook County 52-18 and Lebanon 37-33 Friday in their season-opening matches.
The four-way dual meet event featured the top two-ranked teams in the 4A division going into the season, along with Lebanon, ranked fifth in the 5A on Friday.
“For opening up with the teams, the quality, that we did, we know where we’ve got to go,” Coach Steve Thorpe said.
Several Huskies are still recovering from some wear and tear from football, he said, particularly Scottie Stockman and Ty Harvey, who both are recovering from wrist injuries and did not wrestle in practice until mid-week last week. Two-time state champion Colton Schilling did not wrestle at all Friday.
“There are reasons but there’s no excuses,” he said. “We know where we need to be. We will focus on getting better as the season progresses.”
He said Crook County wrestled especially well. “I could have mixed some things up to help us do better, but we wanted to get our guys mat time,” he said.
Freshman Tyler Schilling got off to a good start at 106 pounds, pinning Henley’s Trevor Kuhlman, then lost to No. 4-ranked Trayton Libolt of Crook County in his second high school match, 7-6.
“Tyler Schilling stepped into his first varsity competition and he wrestled really well,” Thorpe said.
Cowger, wrestling at 145 pounds, pinned two of his opponents and won a technical fall, 15-0, over the third, freshman Brendan Harkey of Crook County.
“I thought Tyler Cowger looked particularly tough,” Thorpe said. “He’s put in a lot of time over the summer. He beat a couple of good kids, pretty soundly.”
He said Gill also “wrestled controlled” in pinning his first two opponents, then decisioning Lebanon’s Keaton Scavone in overtime, 2-1.
Trever Olson bet Crook County’s Cody Pfau in a 4-3 match at 152 pounds, scoring in the final seconds.
“That was a good win for Trever,” Thorpe said. “It’s always a good win when you can beat somebody in the last seconds.”
He said that although individual wrestlers did well, “I don’t believe we competed as a team. That’s on the coach. When, as a group, we don’t compete, I need to evaluate what I’m doing. I’ve done that.”
Coming up Saturday for the Huskies is the Perry Burlson Invitational at Cascade, described by Thorpe as a “meat-grinder” of a tournment.
“We’re focusing on our next event,” he said.
Henley 46, Sweet Home 24
106 – Ty Schilling (SH) pinned Trevor Kulman (H) 5:30; 113 – Tyler Scott (H) maj. dec. Justin Nicholson (SH) 5-0; 120 – Ronnie Bresser (H) pinned Dylan Elder (SH) 1:24; 126 – Zechariah Bresser (H) dec. Scottie Stockman (SH) 8-4; 132 – Lindsey (H) pinned Nick Dadey (SH) 3:56; 138 – Ty Harvey (SH) pinned Rosales (H) 1:27; 145 – Tyler Cowger (SH) pinned Calvin Tillery (H) :45; 152 – Carlos Hernandez (H) dec. Trever Olson (SH) 10-4; 160 – Tanner Hardenbrook (H) dec. Raul Hernandez (SH) 13-7; 176 – Harmon Heater (H) dec. Alex Armstrong (SH) 13-7; 182 – Peck (H) pinned Chance Jucutan (SH) :52; 195 – Phillip Morgan (H) dec. Wade Paulus (SH) 7-4; 220 – Drake Dow (H) pinned David Skeen (SH) 2:36; 285 – Zach Gill (SH) pinned Michael Skidmore (H) 5:35.
Crook County 52, Sweet Home 18
106 – Trayton Libolt (CC) dec. Ty Schilling (SH) 7-6; 113 – Erik Martin (CC) pinned Justin Nicholson (SH) :59; 120 – McKennan Buckner (CC) pinned Dylan Elder (SH) 3:04; 126 – Colbran Meeker (CC) maj. dec. Scottie Stockman (SH) 12-0; 132 – Ryder Shinkle (CC) won by forfeit; 138 – Ty Harvey (SH) TF Dawson Barber (CC) 11-2; 145 – Tyler Cowger (SH) TF Brendan Harkey (H) 16-0; 152 – Trever Olson (SH) dec. Pfau (CC) 4-3; 160 – Tyler Rockwood (CC) maj. dec. Raul Hernandez (SH) 13-2; 176 – Dean Smith (CC) pinned Alex Armstrong (SH) 1:44; 182 – Lucas Smith (CC) maj. dec. Chance Jucutan (SH) 14-2; 195 – Bryson Martin (CC) pinned Wade Paulus (SH) 5:46; 220 – Rhett Smith (CC) pinned David Skeen (SH) 2:50; 285 – Zach Gill (SH) pinned Williams (CC) No time recorded.
Lebanon 37, Sweet Home 33
106 – Ty Schilling (SH) won by forfeit; 113 – Bryan Lacey (L) pinned Justin Nicholson (SH) 3:17; 120 – Dylan Elder (SH) pinned Nelson (L) :28; 126 – Charlie Vandetta (L) maj. dec. Scottie Stockman (SH) 10-0; 132 – Newport (L) won by forfeit; 138 – Austin Kleint (L) def. Ty Harvey (SH) 7-6; 145 – Tyler Cowger (SH) pinned Sallee (L) 1:03; 152 – Tamen Privratsky (L) dec. Trever Olson (SH) 6-2; 160 – Kiante Davis (L) dec. Raul Hernandez (SH) 7-3; 170 – Alex Armstrong (SH) won by forfeit; 182 – Daniel Aranda (L) pinned Chance Jucutan (SH) 1:21; 195 – Wade Paulus (SH) won by forfeit; 220 – Ferrel (L) pinned David Skeen (SH) :35; 285 – Zach Gill (SH) dec. Keaton Scavone (L) 2-1 (OT).