Sweet Home finished 11th out of 24 teams, with three individual placewinners at the Resers Tournament of Champions Friday and Saturday at Liberty High School in Hillsboro.
“It was a good week of wrestling for us,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. He said the Huskies got hit with a flu bug, but “we saw kids respond.
“We got to see what kids were made of. They did what they needed to do.”
Crook County, which has been a powerhouse all season, won the team title with 303 points, putting a full team of 14 wrestlers on the mat. Roseburg was second with 244.5 points, followed by Hillsboro (141.5).
Scappoose, the only other 4A team that finished ahead of Sweet Home, was ninth, with 98 points (11 wrestlers), while the Huskies, who entered nine wrestlers, finished with 92.5.
Senior Tyler Schilling placed second at 126 pounds, battling his way to the final with a pin of Alek Purtzer of Canby (5:04), a 7-6 decision over Zachary Wigzell of Sandy, an 8-1 decision over Austin Rystedt of Redmond and a 6-3 win over Glencoe’s Nate Johnson before losing 13-4 to Crook County’s Trayton Libolt in the final.
It was the second time in the finals for Schilling at Reser, considered the most competitive high school tournament in Oregon. He won his division last year.
“Ty making it to the finals twoi years in a row is a great accomplishment,” Thorpe said.
Junior Tyrel Miller was fourth at 132 pounds, beating Michael Phelps of McNary 10-5, then losing to Logan Holmquist of Sprague 7-5. In the consolation bracket, Miller pinned Levi Pomery of Eagle Point in 51 seconds, decisioned Steven Patton of Sandy 9-2, decisioned Century’s Brennan Baccay 10-9, and then losing to Holmquist again in the consolation final, 9-2.
Sophomore Kobe Olson placed fifth at 113 pounds, his only losses coming at the hands of Noah Sickles of Dallas (13-6) and Liam Tarvin of Hermiston (Fall 4:09). Olson decisioned Austin Doescher of Redmond 7-4 in the fifth-place match.
Wrestlers who did not place were: freshman JC Elder, who won his first match at 106 pounds; senior Anthony Hardee at 120; junior Joe Rasmussen at 138; sophomore Jake Porter at 145; senior Jason Miller at 152 – after battling through a tough bracket and losing 11-4 to Lebanon’s Tanner Sallee in his fourth consolation bracket match; and Cole Ashcraft at 182.
“Jake Porter and Jason Miller were one match away, only a few points away from placing,” Thorpe noted. “Every guy in the varsity line-up won matches, scored points. That’s not bad. I’m really proud of what they accomplished.”
In the junior varsity tournament, Ricky Yunke was the top place-winner for Sweet Home, taking the 113-pound title and leading the Huskies to an eighth-place finish out of 24 teams.
Thorpe said Yunke put on a display of determination, coming from behind in his semifinal match to pin his opponent, then, seven points down in the final, doing it again.
Tyler Fincher placed second at 120 pounds, Boden Petersen was fourth at 106, Bryce Coulter was sixth at 145, and Brycen Denver was sixth at 182.
Crook County won the JV tournament also, scoring 250.5 points. Sweet Home had 116.
Thorpe said he has “great leadership” on the team and the Huskies are “where we need to be” with the Special District 4 Regional Tournament approaching, on Feb. 13-14 at Cascade.
On Thursday, Jan. 22, the Huskies rolled over Sutherlin 63-18 in a league dual.
The Huskies will wrestle Wednesday, Jan. 28, at Cascade and will host Cottage Grove Thursday, Jan. 29. Both matches start at 6 p.m.
Sweet Home 63, Sutherlin 18
106 – JC Elder (SH) dec. Dallyn Ritchie (Suth)6-3; 113 – Ricky Yunke (SH) won by forfeit; 120 – Kobe Olson (SH) pinned Cole Johnson (Suth) 0:18; 126 – Anthony Hardee (SH) pinned Tyler Cross (Suth) 0:52; 132 – Tyler Schilling (SH) pinnned Stuart Hainey (Suth) 3:22; 138 – Tyrel Miller (SH) pinned Branden Carrillo (Suth) 4:55; 145 – Joe Rasmussen (SH) pinned Michael Eastwood (Suth) 0:32; 152 – Jake Porter (SH) pinned Conner Grauf (Suth) 1:17; 160 – Jason Miller (SH) pinned Mike Smith (Suth) 1:49; 170 – Justin Crum (Suth) pinned Brycen Denver (SH) 1:47; 182 – Cole Ashcraft (SH) pinned Christian Beauregard (Suth) 1:54; 195 – Andrew Smalley (Suth) won by forfeit; 220 – Gavin Baskin (SH) pinned Alex Kennedy (Suth) 1:20; 285 – Thomas Smalley (Suth) won by forfeit.