The Sweet Home Mat Club had three youth wrestlers earn All-American status last week at the ASICS Kids FS/GR National Championships held June 25-27 in Orem, Utah.
Sweet Home sent seven wrestlers to the Western Regionals, held June 17-22 in Pocatello, Idaho, all of whom qualified by placing in the state tournament: Jackson Royer (70-pound Novice), Robert Watkins (75-pound Novice), Damien Shocker (112-pound Novice), Robbie Yunke (85-pound Novice), Travis Thorpe (95-pound Novice), Ricky Yunke (98-pound Schoolboy) and Brayden Newport (70-pound Intermediate). Also making the trip was a Lebanon wrestler, Austin Dalton (75-pound Intermediate).
Thorpe was fifth in folkstyle and freestyle at Pocatello, and Newport finished sixth in Greco, a tournament that included qualifying wrestlers from Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, California, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Arizona, in addition to Oregon.
But when the team got to Orem, they took it up a notch against national competition.
Shocker placed sixth in Greco, Newport was eighth in both Greco and freestyle, and Thorpe was fourth in Greco and eighth in freestyle.
“I was very proud of them,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “That was my first experience at the national tournament with a team. In some cases you wrestle the best kid in the United States.
“It was quite an accomplishment for them this far in their wrestling careers.”
Dalton, the Lebanon wrestler, was a national champion in Greco and second in freestyle. He placed fifth in folkstyle at the regional tournament, third in Greco and second in freestyle.
Steve Thorpe noted that Royer, Newport and Travis Thorpe have played a full schedule of youth baseball this spring in addition to regular training for wrestling.
“We took almost all of May off, then went to work again,” he said. “It’s not by accident that they’re this good. They had success because they prepared for it.”
Sweet Home is hosting its annual summer wrestling camp this week, ending Wednesday.
“We have kids coming to this camp this week because they want to be better,” Steve Thorpe said. “I have guys on my team who aren’t here because they don’t feel like it. They will underachieve in their high school careers.”
The camp will include dual meets with teams from Canada and South Africa that are open to the public. They will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Main Gym. Admission is free.