Sweet Home’s wrestlers found out Friday, Jan. 8, how they match up with the rest of Linn County: pretty well.
The Huskies placed second behind host Lebanon in the first all-county wrestling championship in recent years.
Sweet Home Coach Steve Thorpe said his team’s finish “showed our depth.”
“We only got to score one guy per weight and we had to name who that was before it started,” he said. The Huskies entered 24 wrestlers, of whom 18 placed in the top six, including four champions: Kobe Olson at 126, Joe Rasmussen at 138; Tyrel Miller at 145, and Jake Porter at 152.
Runner-up finishers were freshman Robbie Yunke at 120 and Gavin Baskin at 285. Other placewinners were Robert Watkins, third at 106; Dillon Stutzman, third at 126; Ricky Yunke, fourth at 132; freshman Hayden McDonald, fourth at 145; Bryson Denver, fourth at 170; Daniel Rooney, fourth at 195; and rookie Josh Rice, fourth at 285; Tyler Fincher, fifth at 138; Oscar Hernandez, fifth at 152; Kaden Peterson, sixth at 160; and Dalton Doerfler, sixth at 220.
Kobe Olson at 126, Joe Rasmussen at 138; Tyrel Miller at 145, Jake Porter at 152;
Runner-up finishers were Robbie Yunke at 120 and Gavin Baskin at 285,
Other placewinners were Robert Watkins, third at 106; Dillon Stutzman, third at 126; Ricky Yunke, fourth at 132; Hayden McDonald, fourth at 145; Bryson Denver, fourth at 170; Daniel Rooney, fourth at 195; and Josh Rice, fourth at 285; Tyler Fincher, fifth at 138; Oscar Hernandez, fifth at 152; Kaden Peterson, sixth at 160; and Dalton Doerfler, sixth at 220.
“It was a great tournament,” Thorpe said. “I was really proud of them.”
Miller was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the day after pinning his way through the tournament, “a great and deserving honor,” Thorpe said.
There were other notable achievements, too. Watkins beat Lebanon’s Wyatt Richardson 7-1 in the consolation final, avenging a loss by a fall to Richardson in his tournament of the year, Perry Burlison at Cascade.
Robbie Yunke, though not named as a scorer, didn’t let it stop him on his way to second place – and wrestled up a weight class to do it.
Olson scored a notable 4-3 victory over Lebanon’s Justin Lacy, fifth-ranked in the 5A division, to win the 126-pound title.
Rasmussen got off to a slow start against Lebanon’s Alec Lathrop in their opening match, trailing badly until he suddenly recovered and pinned Lathrop, then went on to come from behind against the Warriors’ Mitchell Allen in the final.
Also pinning his way through was junior Jake Porter, who had “his best tournament this entire year,” Thorpe said.
He also credited Hernandez, McDonald, Denver