Seniors Bryce Coulter and Ricky Yunke, junior Marissa Kurtz and sophomore Travis Thorpe were named the Pat Baxter Outstanding Wrestlers for Sweet Home at the team’s 22nd annual awards banquet Sunday evening, March 4.
The Huskies finished the season with a 33-5 dual meet record, as Linn County and Special District 2 champions, and with a third-place trophy from the state championships. Individually, Sweet Home wrestlers finished with 585 individual varsity wins, 393 of them by falls, 17 by major decisions and nine by technical fall. They scored 61 falls at the regional meet and 18 at state.
Kurtz also finished as the No. 1 girl in the state at 105 pounds, beating teammate Lexi Schilling in the state final.
“Every year is new and I’m very proud of what we accomplished,” Coach Steve Thorpe told a crowd of about 200 people who filled the high school cafeteria. “I’m so proud of the regional title and third at state. We have the opportunity to kick the door in next year. We are going to set our goal of winning the state tournament right now.”
The Huskies graduate five seniors, all of whom qualified for the state tournament – something Thorpe said he couldn’t recall ever happening in all his previous years of coaching.
Thorpe said that of the five – Bryce Coulter, Zak Fox, CJ Mitchell, Justin Kurtz and Ricky Yunke, “all of these young men I’ve raised, literally – all except for Zak,” who joined the program as a freshman.
He noted that Coulter, who placed third at state at 195 after a runner-up finish last year at 182, “waited to shave and cut his hair till after state. It was a Samson thing, I think.”
Coulter told the crowd that a freshman season “that was probably the worst year of my life” and blowing out his knee before his sophomore season, taught him persevere and to “value sports and other things, because you may not be able to do it.”
He said he was disappointed after being ranked No. 1 all season and then finishing third at state, but “if you leave it all on the mat, you can’t be upset about it.”
Thorpe noted that Kurtz finishes as a two-time placewinner at state, “this year in a pretty darn tough weight (138 pounds). I’m very proud of what he’s done.”
Thorpe teared up noticeably when discussing Fox, a talented athlete who made great strides in four years of wrestling after difficult family circumstances for much of his life.
“None of this has been about wrestling for Zak,” Thorpe said. “I’m very proud of Zak, what he’s become. He passes his classes now. He’s become a young man of integrity.”
Fox told the crowd that, early on, he “wasn’t a good kid” and “got into some bad things,” but Thorpe and Assistant Coach Tomas Rosa “really helped me through it. I haven’t really had a real family throughout life as much as I would like.”
Thorpe said the family atmosphere that occurs within wrestling programs is illustrated by Fox’s experience.
“(Legendary Sweet Home Coach) Norm Davis always talked about the ‘wrestling family,” he said. “More than any other sport I’ve been involved in, wrestling is family.”
Thorpe clearly expects to miss Yunke, a two-time state place-winner – second as a junior – and a team leader who functioned as “another coach.”
“He was so vital this year, getting the team ready, helping with Mat Club, taking charge of stuff.”
He noted that he’s known Yunke since the wrestler was an infant.
“None of my wrestling memories don’t involve Ricky,” he said. “When I lose guys, I don’t lose guys, but when they graduate it’s like having a member of the family move out.”
Mitchell said he couldn’t describe how thankful he was for wrestling, adding that it’s “not only a sport but a lifestyle. I don’t know where I’d be without Sweet Home wrestling.”
Thorpe said Mitchell, who qualified for state at 152 pounds by battling his way through the consolation bracket at the district meet, “worked his tail off to get there.”
“If you want to find something bad to say about his character, his work ethic, you’re going to have to lie,” Thorpe said of Mitchell.
Rookie of the Year went to freshman Treyson Smith, who finished the year with a 16-13 record and, Thorpe said, “showing great promise.”
The Iron Man Award, presented to wrestlers who overcome adversity – illness, injury or otherwise – went to junior Robbie Yunke, who wrestled with a broken hand during the last weeks of the season. Yunke also won the Most Falls award – with 38 after going the distance in only two of his wins during a 34-7 season.
Travis Thorpe and Ricky Yunke were second, with 34 each, Coulter had 30, and Jackson Royer 26.
The Work Horse Award, presented to a wrestler who pushes himself and teammates, went to Ricky Yunke – for the second time – and Boe Baxter.
Most Improved honorees were sophomores Connor Ford, who finished a 23-24 season on a high note by winning the district 113-pound title, and Lexi Schilling, who “did not stop wrestling from November to July,” Thorpe said, noting that the extra effort paid off in a berth in the state finals against teammate Marissa Kurtz.
The Norm Davis Scholar Athlete award, new this year, went to Travis Thorpe. The winner is determined by multiplying team members’ points scored during the season by their GPA. Thorpe finished with 1022.2 points, ahead of Ricky Yunke, who had 1003.2.
Thorpe also won the Most Takedowns award, with 68, ahead of Ricky Yunke (58), Nich James (55), Jackson Royer (52) and Hayden McDonald (47).
Thorpe also finished with the most wins this year, with 50, followed by Ricky Yunke with 45, Coulter and Royer 43, and James and Robbie Yunke 40.
Thorpe scored 269 team points, ahead of Ricky Yunke (264), Coulter (250.5), Royer (247) and Robbie Yunke (232).
Coulter, Justin Kurtz and Ricky Yunke all received their fourth letter.
Three-year letter winners were Fox, Mitchell, Baxter, Marissa Kurtz, Robert Watkins and Robbie Yunke.
Second-year lettermen were Hayden McDonald, Noah Moore, Damon Schocker, Katen Edwards, Ford, Nich James, David McMullen, Bryce Porter, Jackson Royer, Isaac Schaffer, Schilling and Travis Thorpe, along with statisticians Haley May and Katie Kurtz.
First-year letter winners were Levi Baird, Parker Lemmer, Madelyn Neuschwander, Iakona Howerton, Gavin Nichols, Tristan Saultz, Jessy Hart, Sicily Neuschwander, Smith, Tristan Spencer and Gavin Walberg, along with statisticians Sam Mitchell and Paige Goodwin.
Austin Oakley, Tristan Calkins, Jake Fanning, Chase Lopez, Logan Raborn, Hayden Stewart, Kenny Storms and Preston Sullrich received participation awards.