Sweet Home’s wrestlers got a taste of the big time and came away without any place winners in the varsity division Friday and Saturday at Reser’s Tournament of Champions in Hillsborough.
The Huskies were up against 25 of the best wrestling teams in Oregon in what Coach Steve Thorpe called “one of the toughest tournaments in the nation.” Teams are allowed to compete by invitation only.
Six varsity wrestlers came up one match short of placing for Sweet Home: Mitch Grove, Matt Grove, Kris Newport, Taylor Tagle, Kyle Hummer and Brock Crocker. The Huskies palced 23rd overall with 40.5 points, behind Scapoose (41) and ahead of Cascade (40). Roseburg took the varsity title with 201 points, ahead of Newberg (151) and Hermiston (145).
“We had a lot of close matches,” Thorpe said. “Over the next few weeks we need to learn how to win some of those close matches.”
Newport, he noted, was in a bracket that included five state champion wrestlers. Newport beat Hermiston’s Brad Thomas 3-1 in the opening round of the varsity 125-pound division, but lost to fourth-seeded Tyler Lander of Roseburg, a 6A state champion, to drop into the consolation bracket, where he pinned Jay Masterson of Burns (124), then lost to top seeded Mike Rodriguez of Hillsboro, the defending 5A state champion, 10-1, before Rodriguez went on to take third place.
In the junior varsity tournament, Sweet Home had seven wrestlers and placed eighth with 113 points, four behind Redmond. Roseburg took the JV title with 286 points, followed by Hermiston (187).
Tyler Holly won the 112-pound individual title, getting a through the first three rounds on forfeits, then pinning Fabian Lopez of Oregon City (3:20) in the semifinals and Austin Rogers of Hermiston (1:53) in the finals to take the JV championship at 112 pounds.
Marshall Arndt and Kyle Sorenson were third at 125 and 145 pounds respectively.
Arndt pinned West Salem’s Andrew Wright in the opening round of the 125-pound division, then lost 11-6 to Doogie Harer of Hillsboro, the eventual JV champion, in the semifinals but defeated Thomas Iverson of Canby 5-0 and then pinned Culver’s Stephen Krueger in 2:36 to take third.
Sorenson lost his opening match at 140 pounds to Roseburg’s Hector Mandera, but bounced back to win four matches in the consolation bracket, pinning McNary’s Isaiah Webber in the final (4:57) for third.
Scottie Stockman was the other placewinner for the Huskies, taking fifth at 103 pounds and winning four matches to get there.
Thorpe said the JV wrestlers finished strong.
“All of those guys, every one of those guys, pinned their guy in the place match,” he said. “That was very impressive. I was really proud of how they competed.”
The Huskies will be at home Thursday to face Taft and Central in a Val-Co match. The visiting teams will square off at 4:30 p.m. and then will face Sweet Home, probably beginning about 5 p.m., Thorpe estimated.
Sweet Home will then wrestle Saturday in the 31-team Cottage Grove Tournament.