The Sweet Home wrestling team won its 10th consecutive district title Saturday night at Central.
The Huskies qualified 17 wrestlers for the state 4A championship tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 25-27, at Portland Memorial Coliseum.
Sweet Home dominated the district final round, as it has for the past five years in the Val-Co League, finishing with 14 finals qualifiers and eight individual champions.
The Huskies swept the first four weight divisions to get off to a roaring start in the finals, then added four more champions.
Sweet Home scored 414 points to win the title, while runner-up Philomath finished with 235, followed by Central (157),
Newport (112) and Taft (107.5).
Though the Huskies failed to qualify a couple of wrestlers who coaches hoped to get through to the state meet, Head Coach Steve Thorpe said his team competed well overall.
League champions were: Colton Schilling at 103 pounds, Mitch Grove at 112, Ty Harvey at 119, Tyler Cowger at 125, Kris Newport at 140, Brock Crocker at 152, Brad Pitts at 189 and Christian Whitfield at 285.
Crocker was named the meet’s Outstanding Wrestler for the upper weights.
A couple of Huskies suffered upsets, including Taylor Tagle, who was a state tournament runner-up last year, but got caught in a fall by Taft’s David Converse in their 130-pound match and finished second, though he is still the top seed going into the state tournament.
Not able to qualify for state this year was junior Kyle Hummer, whose season ended in a forfeit to teammate Nate Melcher in the fifth-place final of the 145-pound division.
“Obviously, there’s always a time when you want to get more through, but our kids competed hard like they always have,” Thorpe said. “We qualified 17 to state. We thought it might be a little more than that, but those we’re taking to state will score points for us.”
Balancing out some of the disappointments, however, were upset victories in the finals by Brad Pitts at 189 and Christian Whitfield at 285 pounds.
Pitts, who moved up to 189 and was noticeably lighter than his opponent, Philomath’s Henry Vaughn, spent most of the match underneath and trailing Vaughn, who led 6-1 with about a minute left in the bout. But patience paid off as Vaughn moved a little too high and Pitts suddenly was able to turn him and pin him in a bedlam of crowd noise.
“I felt him push really hard,” Pitts said. “That’s what we do in practice. I sat up with an arm bar and he rolled over me. Then it was just an adrenaline rush.”
Whitfield, a senior who hadn’t wrestled since the eighth grade until he came out for the team this season, faced seventh-ranked Tryston Nash of Philomath in the final, who had pinned Whitfield twice earlier this season.
The two spent the first few minutes of the match jockeying for position before Whitfield caught Nash with a head and arm and threw him to the mat, and pinning him in 3:15.
“Christian Whitfield getting a fall in the finals is really good,” Thorpe said. “Him doing what he did was incredible. The coaches have spent time working with him and it showed.”
Whitfield said he wasn’t really expecting to win.
“I was pretty nervous,” he said. “But I had nothing to lose. I did what I’ve been practicing.”
He said that after not wrestling for three years, things are starting to come together for him late in his senior season.
“It’s a lot better,” Whitfield said. “I’ve learned some moves. Things just clicked.”
He said he’s found wrestling as a heavyweight “a lot more different than any of the lower weights.
” You can’t do a lot of moves,” he said. “You can’t get stuck under a guy.”
Also qualifying for the tournament were sophomore Scottie Stockman at 103 pounds, senior Tyler Holly at 112, freshman Trevor Olson at 135, sophomore Hunter Bidwell at 119, Tagle at 130, senior David Rinehart at 135, senior Marshall Arndt at 140, and freshman Wade Paulus and junior Mike Harry at 171.
“The thing about it is we competed,” Thorpe said. “We did the same thing we’ve always done. Now our focus becomes the state tournament. This is where it become important now.”
Seniors on the team said that this year’s squad’s attitude has made it an extremely competitive team, winning five tournaments, including the Oregon Classic, and running to a 24-1 dual meet record.
Crocker noted that the Huskies beat Henley, the only team that defeated them €“ very early in the season before the football players arrived €“ handily in their next go-around.
“Our team started working together and working hard,” he said. “Everybody wants to go in there (to state) and wrestle tough. If some kids that aren’t supposed to win go out and win a mach they shouldn’t, that’s what it takes to win. We just need some good things out of ordinary people.”
Grove said that the big wins at the district tournament outweighed the disappointments and “showed what we’ve done in practice.
“We win as a team,” he said. “It’s the same thing we expect every year.”
Whitfield said he is just aiming to score some points.
“I just want to get a couple of wins,” he said. “I want to win the ones I’m not supposed to.”
Thorpe said he expects a very competitive tournament.
“The 4A is loaded,” he said. “Scappoose, Henley, Ontario, Cascade, Tillamook, Mac High €“ it’s anybody’s race. ,I don’t think a lot of points will separate first, second and third. It’s going to be a tight, tight race. ”
Wrestling at the state meet starts at 9 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the finals at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets for individual sessions are $8 for adults, $5 for students, with combined-day rates available. Admission to the semifinals and finals is $9 for adults, and $6 for students.
Sweet Home Val-Co
District Wrestling Results and State Early-Round Matches
103 €“ Colton Schilling had three byes before the final, pinned Scottie Stockman (SH) in 5:46 to win the championship.
Schilling, a freshman, is ranked first in his weight class in the most recent Oregon Wrestling Forum polls and will face freshman Paulo Valez of Tillamook in the pigtail round of the state tournament, with the winner of that round advancing to face freshman David Comish of North Valley in the 21-wrestler field.
Scottie Stockman pinned Zak Coltas (Taft) in :53 in the semifinals, lost by pin to Colton Schilling (SH) in finals, in 5:46, to take second. Stockman, a sophomore, will face freshman Travis Bledsoe of Cascade in the pigtail round at state, with the winner advancing to face junior Brian Middleton of Douglas.
112 €“ Mitch Grove (SH) won by forfeit over Alex Martinez (Newport) in the semifinals, pinned Blake Woosley (Philomath) in the finals, in 2:47, to win the championship. Grove, a senior, ranked third in the OWF poll, is seeded third and will face junior Steven Middaugh of Yamhill-Carlton in the first round at state.
Tyler Holly (SH) lost to Woosley in the semifinals, won by forfeit over Alex Martinez to take third. Holly, a senior ranked eighth by OWF, will face the winner of a pigtail match between junior Zach Valentine of Baker and sophomore Erick Nazario of La Pine in the first round at state..
119 €“ Ty Harvey (SH) pinned Jake Mikoleit (Taft) in the semifinals (:44), then pinned Hunter Bidwell (SH) in 1:15 to win the championship, Harvey, a sophomore, will face the winner of a pigtail between Francisco Hernandez of La Grande, a junior, and sophomore Gabe Miller,of Illinois Valley in the first round at state.
Hunter Bidwell (SH) def. Zach Leonard (Phil) 6-2 in the semifinals, was pinned by Ty Harvey (SH) in the finals in 1:15, to take second. Bidwell, a sophomore, will face the winner of a pigtail match between top-seeded Adam Hayner of Molalla, a junior, and Cody Van Epps of South Umpqua, a senior, in the first round at state..
125 €“ Tyler Cowger (SH) pinned Jarred Kienholz (Central) in the quarterfinals, pinned Drake Cashen (Phil) in the semifinals (1:22) and pinned Alan Neufeld (Phil) in the finals (3:25) to win the championship. Cowger, a freshman ranked third by OWF, will face the winner of a pigtail between third-seeded (and fourth-ranked) Wade Humphrey of Cascade and Kris Renfro of Phoenix at state.
Colby DeCleave (SH) pinned Dylan Rardin (Central) in the quarterfinals (5:31), lost 18-8 to Allen Neufeld (Phil) in the semifinals, pinned Jarred Kienholz (Cent) in the consolation semifinals, then lost 14-5 to Dylan Rardin (Cent) in the consolation final to take fourth.
130 €“Taylor Tagle (SH) pinned Rigo Soifakis (Newport) :47 in the quarterfinals, pinned Seth Faust (Phil) in 3:14 in the semifinals, then lost by a fall to David Converse (Taft) in 3:06 to finish second. Tagle, a senior and the top seed in the division, will face the winner of a pigtail between junior Ryan Dozler of Cascade and senior Tanner Tyler of Pleasant Hill in the first round at state.
Mandy Binks (SH) was pinned by David Converse (Taft) in 3:17 in the quarterfinals, then lost 19-3 to Frankie Guida (Central) in the consolation semifinals; did not place.
135 €“ Trevor Olson (SH) pinned Nolan Dean (Newport) in the quarterfinals, def. Skyler Thomas (Taft) 7-4 in the semifinals, then lostto Zach Trask (Philomath) 6-4 to finish second. Olson, a freshman, will face sophomore Isaiah Hartvigson of Elmira in the pigtail round, with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Chase Fields, an Ontario senior, at state.
David Rinehart (SH) def. Kevin Brant (Newport) 9-0 in the quarterfinals, lost to Zach Trask (Philomath) 17-2 in the semifinals, pinned Kevin Brant (Newport) in 3:36 to take third. Rinehart, a senior, will face the winner of a pigtail match between junior Eric Warren of Douglas and junior Jake Marshall of Molalla, who is seeded sixth, in the first round at state.
140 €“ Kris Newport (SH) pinned Matt Trask (Philomath) 1:24 in the semifinals, then beat Marshall Arndt (SH) 11-4 in the finals to win the championship. Newport, a junior, is seeded fourth and will face the winner of a pigtail between junior Nate Johnson of Henley and junior Bobby Apparichio of Tillamook in the first round at state.
Marshall Arndt (SH) pinned Dakota Benson (Philomath) 1:22 in the semifinals, then lost 11-4 to Kris Newport (SH) in the finals to take second. Arndt, a senior, will face the winner of a pigtail between senior Dakota Levine of Junction City and second-seeded Nico Martinez, a senior, of Ontario in the first round at state.
145 €“ Nate Melcher (SH) lost by a fall to Patrick Ryan (Taft) in the quarterfinals, pinned Joey Ritacco (Central) in :36 in the consolation quarterfinals, lost 5-0 to Braydon Calder (Philomath) in the consolation semifinals, won by forfeit over Kyle Hummer (SH) to take fifth.
Kyle Hummer (SH) won by forfeit over Matt Elliott (Taft) in the quarterfinals, lost 11-5 to Victor Perez (Central) in the semifinals, lost 4-2 to Levi Penter (Philomath) in the consolation semifinals, then forfeited to Nate Melcher (SH) for sixth place,
152 €“ Brock Crocker (SH) pinned Brandon Terrill (Taft) in 3:09 in the quarterfinals, pinned Sam Phelps (Philomath) in the semifinals, then pinned Troy Thurman (Philomath) in the final to win the championship. Crocker, a senior seeded third, will face the winner of a pigtail match between junior TJ Sandstrom of Banks and sophomore Steven Nemer of Sisters in the first round at state.
Chance Jucutan (SH) was pinned Troy Thurman (Philomath) in 1:01 in the quarterfinals, pinned Cody Cox (Taft) in 4:46 in the consolation quarterfinals, lost by a fall to Sam Phelps (Philomath) in 2:36; lost by a fall to Brandon Terrill (Taft) in 3:24 to take sixth.
160 €“ Jacob Jewell (SH) pinned Joe Whitaker (Taft) :51 in the quarterfinals; lost by a fall to Riley Watkins (Philomath) in 3:34 in the semifinals; lost to Joseph Swinehart (Central) to finish fourth.
Tyler Paulino (SH) lost by a fall to Joseph Swinehart (Central) in the quarterfinals, lost to Alex Grant (Newport) in the consolation quarterfinals.
171 €“ Wade Paulus (SH) won by forfeit over Guy Elliott (Taft) in the quarterfinals, pinned Zach Brown (Newport) in 3:00 in the semifinals, was pinned by Josh Erickson (Philomath) in 3:16 in the final to finish second. Paulus, a freshman, will face top-seeded Aaron Aguilera, a senior, of Scappoose in the pigtail round, with the winner moving on to face junior Pablo Grimaldi of McLoughln at state.
Mike Harry (SH) lost by a fall in the semifinals to Josh Erickson (Philomath) in 2:32; pinned Ted Vaughn (Philomath) in 3:15 in the consolation quarterfinals, def. Zach Brown of Newport 14-7 to take third. Harry, a junior, will face sophomore Cameron Robertson of Elmira in the pigtail round, with the winner moving on to face senior Devon Renrd of Gladstone at state.
189 €“ Brad Pitts (SH) pinned Aaron Laverdupe (Newport) in 1:01 in the quarterfinals, pinned Alec Miller (Central) in 1:07 in the semifinals, pinned Henry Vaughn (Philomath) in 5:30 to win the championship. Pitts, a senior, will face junior Marshal Lehman of Cottage Grove in the first round at state.
215 €“ Zach Gill (SH) lost 8-6 to Jake Robison (Newport) in the semi finals, pinned Kyle Hanson (Philomath) in 3:56 in the consolation semifinals, lost 5-0 to Curtis Minks (Central) in the consolation final to finish fourth.
285 €“ Christian Whitfield (SH) pinned Will Miller (Central) in 3:15 in the semifinals, pinned Tryston Nash (Philomath) in 1:42 in the final to win the championship. Whitfield, a senior, will face freshman Eli Noonan of Henley in the first round at state.