Sweet Home’s wrestlers had their best performance ever at the Oregon Wrestling Association’s Freestyle and Greco State Championships April 22-23 in Central Point.
Sweet Home’s wrestlers finished with 15 individual state titles and 22 top-places, by far their best showing at that competition.
“To have those kinds of results is incredible,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “We had 15 state individual titles. To do that you have to beat kids that you probably hadn’t thought you could beat.”
That success has continued a trend that has seen Sweet Home finish second in both the boys and girls state OSAA team competitions, Huskies Jacob and Kyle Sieminski both match their father Clint’s record three high school individual titles, and four Sweet Home wrestlers win Eagle Awards at the prestigious Reno Worlds Tournament in April.
Individual champions for Sweet Home at the OWA tournaments were:
Cody Sieminski, Macen Rosa and Kassidy Zajic, who were first in Greco and freestyle in the 12 and Under division, Jesse Landtroop and Riley Vaughan, who were first in Greco and freestyle in the 14U division, Bailey Chafin, who was first in Greco and freestyle in the 16U girls division, Jacob Landtroop, who was first in Greco at 16U, Jacob Sieminski, who was first in freestyle and fifth in Greco in the Juniors division, and Kaylene Zajic, who was first in Greco in the girls Juniors division, as well as placing third in freestyle.
Sieminski placed second in Greco after he was head-butted in the final, Thorpe said, and was nearly knocked out.
Cody Sieminski, Rosa, Kassidy Zajic and Jesse Landtroop all finished the season as triple crown winners, which means they won state titles in folkstyle, freestyle and Greco.
Other placewinners for Sweet Home were: David Steagall, who was second in Juniors Greco and third in freestyle; Archer Lindsey, who was second in 8U Greco and fourth in freestyle; Luke Rosa, third in 16U Greco; Dillan Davis, third in both 16U Greco and freestyle; Matthew Jorgensen, third in both 12U Greco and freestyle; Kyle Sieminski, fourth in 16U freestyle; Colton Bennett, fifth in Juniors Greco; Jayce Miller, fifth in Juniors Greco and sixth in freestyle; Kyle Zajic, fifth in 16U Greco; Tytus Hardee, fifth in both 16U Greco and freestyle; Oliver Lindsey, fifth in 10U Greco; Amos Jorgensen, fifth in 8U Greco; and Harrison Kegler, sixth in 16U freestyle.
Thorpe acknowledged that Sweet Home “put a lot of kids into that tournament,” and that some of the brackets were “different sizes.”
“But some were big numbers, loaded with talent,” he added.
He said the wrestlers who have continued following Mat Club and the high school seasons are his “overtime crew.”
“They came after their other sports were done, and they kept going till we had our culminations,” he said. “These kids practice two or three nights a week.
“This is one of those things where you put yourself in situations, come to practice, do the right thing, and you create some pretty good luck for yourself.”