Scott Swanson
With no Sweet Home wrestlers in state finals matches this year, the Huskies still finished with eight placewinners, who secured a third-place team finish at the OSAA state championships held Feb. 16-17 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
“I’m very proud of them for bringing home a third-place trophy,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “A top-four finish in the state of Oregon is a great accomplishment. We set a goal of coming home with hardware and we did.”
Crook County, whom Sweet Home beat by half a point last year to take the championship, regained its dominance as top dog in the 4A, with an 83-point win over second-place Marshfield, 238.5 to 155.5.
Sweet Home finished with 146 points, with Cascade fourth at 132 and Tillamook, a pre-tournament favorite, slipping to fifth with 131.
Thorpe credited his wrestlers’ propensity for scoring falls for their winning margin. Only Crook County, with 24, posted more pins than did the Huskies, who finished with 23 – worth 46 bonus points.
“We didn’t put anybody in the finals, but we took third by placing eight,”he said. “Of the 15 kids we entered, 13 won matches. Every one of those wins scores advancement points. We were one of the leaders with falls. That’s one of our big things, constantly trying to get bonus points.
“Hats off to Crook County for winning, but they were the favorite the entire time. They had the numbers.”
It will be a last hurrah at the 4A level for the Cowboys, who will move up to the 5A Division next fall, along with Cascade. Crook County put seven wrestlers in the finals and Marshfield had five, which helped drop the Huskies from second to third in the finals round.
Senior Bryce Coulter was Sweet Home’s top place-winner, taking third at 189 pounds. Coulter pinned his two consolation-bracket opponents Saturday after losing to No. 1 seed James Ellis 8-4 in the semifinals.
“It was a back-and-forth match,” said Coulter, who placed second last year. “I knew it was going to be tough. That kid’s really good.
“I didn’t get what I wanted. I wanted that championship.”
He said he thought he could have beaten both finalists, including Ellis.
“If I’d won that match, it’s my state title to win. It is what it is. I left it all on the mat, even that one I lost.”
Thorpe noted that a last-minute decision to go up a weight class paid off for Coulter.
“It was a better fit for him,” Thorpe said. “He finished it off with a fall and, with the exception of that loss, pinned his way through the state tournament. He’s a two-time state placer. It was good for him to finish that way.”
Sophomore Jackson Royer at 126, sophomore Travis Thorpe at 138 and senior Ricky Yunke at 145 all placed fourth. All were in the finals last year.
“I wrestled hard,” said Yunke. “I didn’t necessarily get what I wanted or what I came here for. I wrestled hard but I didn’t really put it together.”
He said facing wrestlers from eastern Oregon, whom the Huskies had not seen before, “presented some challenges.”
“At the same time, two-day tournaments wear hard on people and certain match-ups weren’t the best for us. Other than that, I think everyone performed well. It’s nothing to shrug your shoulders at, but it’s not what we came for.”
Steve Thorpe praised Yunke’s team leadership “both in the practice room and in this tournament” as “invaluable.”
“He wrestled as good as he could wrestle. I’m proud of Ricky and everything he stands for. I know he would have liked to finish higher, but when he lost he didn’t wallow in self-pity. He won his next match with a fall.”
Royer, who finished third at 106 last year, lost a tough 7-1 decision in the semis to Crook County’s Zachary Mauras, then battled back for fourth.
“Quite honestly, 126, 132, 138, 145 – you could argue any of them were toughest weights in tournament,” Thorpe said. “For Jackson, two years on the podium, that’s fantastic.”
Travis Thorpe, who moved up two divisions from his freshman year, when he faced then-teammate Kobe Olson in an all-Sweet Home 126-pound final, said this year’s 138-pound class was “tough.”
After losing his quarterfinal match 10-8 in overtime to Tyler Fioravanti of Crook County, he faced Foravanti again in the consolation final, falling again by even a closer margin, 6-5.
“I knew I had to come back and try to place,” Thorpe said of his first loss. “I knew I could set out to do something like that. I feel all right about my finish. I could have done better, but you can always do better.”
Steve Thorpe said the initial loss to Fioravanti was “unexpected,” but Travis Thorpe “battled back,” winning his next three matches by falls until the close loss to Fiorvanti in the consolation final. The first of those, against Tillamook’s Miquel Niemi, was also a barnburner in which Thorpe trailed 8-1 before pinning Niemi in 3:50.
“That shows the work he has put in,” Steve Thorpe said. “He collected falls. Getting falls is what you need to do in this tournament. Then he lost a heartbreaker to the same kid who beat him in the quarters.
“I’m proud of him as coach and I’m proud of him as a father.”
Junior Boe Baxter at 152 pounds, and sophomores Bryce Porter at 126 and Nich James at 170, all placed fifth.
“Boe Baxter was not even in the tournament last year,” Steve Thorpe said. “He was fifth in district. This year he goes to make regional champion and a placer at the state tournament. His two losses were to the guy who got second and the guy who got third. Boe will use that next year.”
James and Porter both said they were happy to finish on an odd number, which is a goal for the Huskies in every tournament.
Porter finished with an 8-7 decision over Banks’ Jack Wick, who had earlier ended Husky teammate Robert Watkins’ run through the tournament.
“I was pretty nervous because everyone was saying he was pretty strong,” Porter said. “He beat Robert. But I went out there and gave it my all. He was beating me in the first couple of rounds, then I got a couple of throws. He started quitting at the very end of the match. After those couple of throws I think I might have shut him down a little bit.
“I’m pretty proud of myself. I didn’t ever think I would have made it this far. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to place here.”
Thorpe said Porter improved noticeably as the tournament progressed.
“Bryce came on very strong in the end. He started wrestling with confidence and he came in the back door.”
James, who missed the tournament last year, fell out of the championship bracket Friday with a 6-1 loss to Baker’s Hon Rushton, but decisively beat Rushton in a rematch, for fifth place, 8-2.
“I just tried to keep pushing and pushing,” he said of the final match. “I knew if I kept pushing he’d give up. It never fails. I think I could have done better, but I’m happy I placed and I’m happy I finished on an odd.”
Thorpe said James earned his way to a medal.
“It was nice to see him get on the podium because he puts in lots of time. He stepped up how he trained. He got fifth, and he beat the kid who beat him earlier.”
Senior Justin Kurtz wound up his high school career with a sixth-place finish at 138. He expressed regret about one loss, a 7-4 decision to Zach Crisman of McLoughlin in the second round whom, Kurtz said, he had a chance to pin and didn’t, then lost by a technical fall, 18-2, to Crisman in a rematch for fifth place.
“I probably could have wrestled a little harder in my last match, but it is what it is,” he said.
Thorpe said Kurtz’s second appearance on the state podium was significant.
“Justin finished as a two-time state placer, which is a pretty good accomplishment, especially at that weight class. All those points add up. Not many people get to see the podium twice.”
Thorpe also recognized the Huskies who didn’t place: freshman Tristan Spencer at 106, sophomore Connor Ford at 120, Watkins at 126 pounds, junior Robbie Yunke at 132, senior Zak Fox at 145, senior CJ Mitchell at 152 and Hayden McDonald at 160.
He said Spencer competed at a “tough, tough weight” but the experience will pay off for him in the future.
“He scored a fall for us. He lost to really good kids. He’ll come into this tournament next year with experience, which means a lot.”
Ford, he said, also scored falls and missed the podium by one match.
“He didn’t even place at districts last year,” Thorpe said. “He has improved in a great way.”
He said he “could not be more proud of Robert Watkins” for the “kind of leadership, the kind of determination” the junior displayed, competing with a severe hand injury.
Watkins was out eight weeks this season, five with his hand in a cast and three more in a brace before he was cleared by doctors to compete, immediately prior to the district tournament.
“He fought with every ounce of his being,” Thorpe said. “He was in pain and he didn’t complain. He wasn’t a distraction to anybody. All he did was compete; not once did he make an excuse.”
Yunke got caught in a “bad bracket” at 132 pounds, in which five of the top seeds were in the upper half of the frame, Thorpe said.
“By not fixing it, they screwed things up,” he said. “He lost to a returning state placer, then had to come back to meet Noah Thompason (of Cascade, who had beaten him in districts) in the consolation quarters.
“Robbie wrestled his guts out. He always wrestles hard. For Robbie, it’ll fuel him next year.”
Fox and Mitchell didn’t win matches, but they got the experience of competing at state, he said.
“I’m sure Zak would have wanted to have a better tournament. CJ Mitchell is one of the ultimate examples of perseverance. He gets to be in the photo, holding the trophy. He deserves that.”
McDonald, a junior who joined the team midway through the season, missed the podium by one match, but was “a great addition to the team,” Thorpe said.
“He beat good kids and got falls for us. When you’re a pinner, it adds points.”
Yunke said he thought the Huskies “did really well.”
“We wrestled hard the whole time. But, again, we had tougher matches than we expected. We fell a little short of the goal.”
Thorpe acknowledged that “it would have been nice to get a few guys into the finals, but it happens. You lose matches.
“You always know you’re not going to place everybody, but when you place over 50 percent of the ones you’ve entered, that shows you the character of our kids.”
OSAA 4A Wrestling Championships
Sweet Home Results
Team Scores – (1) Crook County 238.5; (2) Marshfield 155.5; (3) Sweet Home 146.0; (4) Cascade 132.0; (5) Tillamook 131.5; (6) La Grande 124.5; (7) Baker/Powder Valley 111; (7) Junction City 74; (8) Banks 60.5; (9) North Marion 56; (10) Molalla 52.5; (12) McLoughlin/Weston McEwen 43; (13-tie) Henley, Scappoose 39; (15) Gladstone 36; (16) Estacada 34.5; (17) Cottage Grove 34; (18) Ontario 31; (19) Madras 28; (20-tie) Mazama, Siuslaw 24; (22) Philomath 18; (23) North Bend 17; (24) Klamath Union 16; (25) Phoenix 15; (26-tie) Sutherlin, Yamhill-Carlton 14; (28-tie) Hidden Valley, North Valley 13; (30) Douglas 12; (31) Newport 9; (32) Elmira 7; (33) South Umpqua 4; (34) Sisters 2; (35) Astoria 0.
Sweet Home Tournament Results
106 – Tristan Spencer lost by fall to Kiez White (McGloughlin) 4:41; pinned Brycen Johnson (Mazama) 1:26; lost by fall to Keegan Hagerty (Tillamook) 2:26; did not place.
113 – Connor Ford pinned Marcos Grijalva (Ontario) 1:32; lost by fall to Tannon Joyner (Crook County) 1:27; pinned Zane Shadrick (Junction City) 1:44; lost to Johnny Niehaus (Baker) 8-2; did not place.
120 – Bryce Porter pinned Cole Wiles (Newport) 0:15; lost 11-0 maj. dec. to Isaiah Franco (Klamath Union); pinned Elijah LaCosse (Siuslaw) 2:11; dec. Frankie Harlow (Marshfield) 8-1; dec. Jack Wick 8-7 (Banks); placed fifth.
120 – Robert Watkins lost 8-7 to Isaiah Franco (Klamath Union), pinned Cole Wiles (Newport) 0:48; lost 6-2 to Jack Wick (Banks); did not place.
126 – Jackson Royer pinned Nick Blair (Baker) 0:52; dec. Nakai Sinohui (S. Umpqua) OT 4-2; lost 7-1 to Zachary Mauras (Crook County); maj. dec. Colton Anderson (Baker) 14-3; lost 11-1 maj. dec. to Maximus Tate of Mollala; placed fourth.
132 – Robbie Yunke pinned Ian Feldmeier (Baker) 3:30; lost 14-5 maj. dec. to Coltyn Ringen (North Bend); pinned Peyton Forbes (Marshfield) 0:37; lost 4-0 to Noah Thompson (Cascade); did not place.
138 – Justin Kurtz pinned Kaden Wood (Mazama) 3:59; lost 7-4 to Zach Crasman (McGloughlin); dec. Jacob Dunn (Cottage Grove) 7-1; pinned Tanner Thompson (Banks) 2:50; lost by TF to Zach Crisman (McGloughlin) 18-2, 4:50; placed sixth.
138 – Travis Thorpe pinned Keith Oswald (La Grande) 1:34; lost to Tyler Fioravanti (Crook County) OT 10-8; pinned Miquel Niemi (Tillamook) 3:50; pinned Jorge Duran (Baker) 3:34; lost 6-5 to Tyler Floravanti (Crook County); placed fourth.
145 – Zak Fox lost by TF to No. 3-seed Ryan Mount (Molalla) 3:33, 15-0; lost 11-8 to Dalton Samis (Pheonix) 11-8; did not place.
145 – Ricky Yunke maj. dec. Antonio Chacon (Tillamook) 15-3; maj. dec. Bowen Browder (Mazama) 10-0; lost 11-7 to William Jantzer (Marshfield); lost 4-2 to Ryan Mount (Molalla); placed fourth.
152 – Boe Baxter pinned C.J. Mitchell (SH) 0:52; dec. James Howell (Philomath) 6-5; lost 9-0 maj. dec. to Parker Robinson (La Grande); dec. James Howell (Philomath) 12-8; placed fifth.
152 – CJ Mitchell lost by fall to Boe Baxter (SH) 0:52; lost by fall to Elijah Santana (Phoenix) 2:47; did not place.
160 – Hayden McDonald pinned Ulises Maldonado (N. Marion) 5:35; lost by fall to Caleb Werner (Tillamook) 1:12; pinned Tabor Magnuson (Yamhill-Carlton) 4:51; lost 8-3 to Braydon Wright (Mazama); did not place.
170 – Nich James maj. dec. Alex Werner (Tillamook) 9-1; lost 6-1 to Hon Rushton (Baker); pinned Elijah Galatioto (Phoenix) 4:39; maj. dec. Thomas LeClaire (Madras) 10-1; dec. Hon Rushton (Baker) 8-2; placed fifth.
195 – Bryce Coulter pinned Gabe Shuckle (La Grande) 0:43; dec. Zachary Lepre (Sutherlin) 1-0; lost 8-4 to James Ellis (Banks); pinned Jacob Wanlass (Gladstone) 0:47; pinned Tyler Morris (Junction City) 1:58; finished third.