By Ryker Burr
For The New Era
After a state runner-up finish on the boys side last year, Head Coach Steve Thorpe is hungry for more than just his 11th straight state trophy.
“The expectation is that the boys bring home a state title,” Thorpe stated.
He continued: “(I want the boys to also be) regional champs and Oregon Classic Champs. I want the girls to trophy at state and be regional champions.”
The boys team did bring home the 4A Division crown at the Oregon Classic last year and were regional champions, but ultimately fell short at the state tournament to Crook County, which outscored Sweet Home 319 points to 284.5 in the final tally.
But the good news is that many of last year’s state qualifiers are back, including four champions, led by two-time state champion junior Jesse Landtroop; senior Tytus Hardee, who won his first state title after placing twice before, senior Dillan Davis, whose won his first state championship, and junior Riley Vaughan, who also won his first title last season.
The Huskies have lost some beef from last year’s team, which steamrolled their way to the state tournament, qualifying 18 wrestlers for state. Twelve of them were still alive on Day 2.
Gone are Colton Bennett, Russell Dickerman, Jacob Landtroop and Dylan Sharp, all of whom placed at state.
Also gone is senior Ashton Swanson, a state champion as a junior who was presumed to repeat, but was disqualified at the regional tournament due to a personal foul that suspended him for the state tournament, and whose absence cost the Huskies.
“I don’t want to talk about those guys,” Thorpe said. “We’ll talk about what I have this year.”
On the girls side, three-time state qualifier and two-time champ Bailey Chafin, now a senior, returns along with three other state qualifiers: junior Madi Looney, and sophomores Bella Rico and Lyla Ventura.
Chafin had to default out of the final last year with a badly injured knee, which gave out in the match, that she has worked to rehabilitate over the past year.
The Huskies add a new freshmen class, one that “has a lot of experience through the Mat Club,” per Thorpe.
Twenty of the 48 wrestlers on the boys roster are freshmen and four ninth-graders join the nine sophomores, three juniors and two seniors on the girls side.
“Kass Zajic is the leader and most experienced of these freshmen girls,” Thorpe said. “Cody Sieminski and Macen Rosa are the most accomplished on the guys’ side.”
In addition to the returning boys state champions, junior Kyle Zajic is back after a runner-up finish in last year’s finals; along with senior Luke Rosa, third last year and a two-time state placer; senior Jeremiah Steagall, third last year and a three-time state placer; junior Keegan Jefferson, third last year and a two-time state placer; and sophomore Eli Cruz, who was fifth last year at 175 pounds as a freshman.
For the girls team, the Huskies have added Kelsey Rush to their coaching staff. Rush is a Sweet Home graduate from 2003 and went on to wrestle at Linfield University.
Rounding out the boys roster are: seniors James Hearick, Jackson Knight and Lynkin Royer; juniors Zeek Gosnell, Zander Haggard, Liam Martin, Conner Spencer and Cael Stevenson; sophomores Gavin Banker, Thomas Bandy, Martin Chelstad, Zach Davis, Braden Eggers, Michael Eggers, Brodee Gay, Dylan Hartsook, Ean Tackett, Jasper Victor and Austin Weinman; and freshmen Waylon Campbell, Jayson Dickerman, Brayden Driver, Ryder Farris, Kaleb Fortune, Liam Foster, Ernie Hicks, Tatum Hoffman, Gage Miller, Landon Pruit, Kolton Reddington, Macen Rosa, Halen Salvador, Murphy Savolt, Jaicob Shaw, Cody Sieminski, Sam Sims, Brodie Starha, Talon Temple and Joey Velasquez.
Rounding out the girls roster are: senior Averi Temple; juniors Eturnyti Allison and Alizeah Weikel; sophomores Raelyn Andrews, Alexus Bernardi, Hailey Borromeo, Sydney Dominy, Natasha Marin, Bailey Newens and Kaitlin Steagall; and freshmen Hailey Ayala, Alexis Lee and Taleah Zacarias.
Thorpe said team culture will be critical to the Huskies’ success: “We expect to work hard and represent our town, community, and school. This culture is long-going. Mat Club teaches kids that they have to work hard and be coachable to be successful.”
Both teams competed Wednesday, Dec. 3.
Weikel led Sweet Home’s girls with a first-place finish at the Spartan Invitational at Corvallis High School Wednesday, Dec. 3, in their wrestling season opener.
Sweet Home finished fourth out of 16 teams from all over the Willamette Valley and the coast.
Dallas won with 215.5 points, ahead of North Salem (195.5), Woodburn (160) and the Huskies (159).
Weikel pinned her way through the 120-pound bracket, beating North Salem’s Diana Hernandez in the final (1:20).
Other placewinners for Sweet Home were: Rico, second at 130 pounds; Looney, second at 145; Ventura, third at 115 pounds; Temple, fourth at 100 pounds; Borromeo, fourth at 135 pounds; Newens, fourth at 190; Zajic, fifth at 110 pounds after beating sophomore teammate Marin in the fifth-place match; and Dominy, fifth at 145.
In their opening contest, the boys team dominated the Weisbrodt Invitational, smashing McKay 83-0, handling Dallas 50-21, and shutting down South Albany 81-0.
The Huskies will wrestle in front of their home crowd for the first time this season at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, squaring off with Cascade at the Sweet Home Duals.
