Sweet Home opened its league wrestling schedule Thursday, Jan. 10, at Cascade with wins over Taft (81-0) and Junction City 77-3.
Though a lot of the Huskies’ wins came by forfeit, Coach Steve Thorpe said it was a good start for Sweet Home, which finished second Cascade in last year’s regional tournament.
“Taft had some kids that are not bad wrestlers,” he said, noting particularly the Tigers’ Brandon Terrill, who lost 9-6 to Brandon Keenon. “That kid is a good wrestler. It was a good start to the league.”
On Wednesday, the Huskies traveled to Churchill, where they faced the third-ranked team in teh 5A division, exiting with a 51-20 win.
“We got on a roll with Churchill,” Thorpe said. “The kids wrestled hard. They wrestled kind of out of their heads. When you get on a roll like that and start beating people, you get some momentum going. To take a win away from somebody else’s place is always very helpful.”
He said the match showed how his wrestlers are progressing.
In the 106-pound match, Tyler Cowger pinned Derick Tollen, who was ranked second in the 5A division going in. The two have met several times over the years and matches have always been close. Then, at 113 pounds, Justin Nicholson decisioned Jorrin Ishihara 11-9 two years after Ishihara beat him by a technical fall, Thorpe noted.
Keenon, a freshman, lost by a fall to Houston Ezell, the top-ranked 5A 145-pounder, but Keenon was trailing by only six points before he got pinned – at the 5:52 mark.
At 160 pounds Trever Olson decisioned Gavin Carroll in a match in which he showed “emotion and heart,” Thorpe said.
Then, in the heavyweight bout, Zach Gill continued to show confidence, pinning defending state 5A champion and top-rated 5A heavyweight Will Dawson – in 20 seconds.
They weren’t the only ones.
“Nate Melcher has heart,” Thorpe said of his 170-pounder, who pinned his opponent. “He always is trying to win. He was behind. He kept going after the kid, hit his shot, came up and pinned him. It was nice to see him get some of what he deserved.
“Anthony Hardee wrestles hard every time he steps on the mat,” he said of the 120-pound sophomore who lost 4-0 to sixth-ranked Gabriel Blough. “He’s a kid who’s getting better and better for us.”
The Huskies are now on the home stretch, Thorpe said, with two big tournaments coming up, starting with this weekend’s Oregon Classic in Redmond.
“Now our plan of attack is getting ready for the regional and state tournaments,” he said. “We’re not where we want to be, but we’re getting closer to that spot.”
Sweet Home 51, Churchill 20
106 – Tyler Schilling (SH) pinned Derick Tollen (CH) 4:54; 113 – Justin Nicholson (SH) dec. Jorrin Ishihara (CH) 11-9; 120 – Gabriel Blough (CH) dec. Anthony Hardee (SH) 4-0; 126 – Riley Jaramillo (CH) pinned Ty Kirkland (SH) :51; 132 – Colton Schilling (SH) pinned Tielar Murray (CH) 1:15; 138 – Max Earp-Thomas (CH) TF Ryan Adams (SH) 15-0; 145 – Housten Ezell (CH) pinned Brandon Keenon (SH) 5:52; 152 – Tyler Cowger (SH) pinned Johnathon Moran (CH) 5:14; 160 – Trever Olson (SH) dec. Gavin Carroll (CH) 3-2; 170 – Nate Melcher (SH) pinned DJ Ishihara (CH) 4:54; 182 – Ben Terry (SH) dec. Benjamin Parks (CH) 10-9; 195 – Wade Paulus (SH) pinned Francisco Lopez (CH) 0:20; 220 – Troy Hazelton (SH) pinned Brandon DeShaw (CH) 1:43; 285 – Zach Gill (SH) pinned William Dawson (CH) 0:20.
Sweet Home 77, Junction City 3
106 – Tyrel Miller (SH) won by forfeit; 113 – Tyler Schilling (SH) won by forfeit; 120 – Justin Nicholson (SH) TF Joseph Goodwin (JC) 6:00 17-2; 126 – Jeremy Goodwin (JC) dec. Anthony Hardee (SH) 8-7; 132 – Colton Schilling (SH) won by forfeit; 138 – Ryan Adams (SH) pinned Michael Long (JC) :38; 145 – Brandon Keenon (SH) won by forfeit; 152 – Tyler Cowger (SH) won by forfeit; 160 – Trever Olson (SH) won by forfeit; 170 – Nate Melcher (SH) won by forfeit; 182 – Ben Terry (SH) won by forfeit; 195 – Wade Paulus (SH) won by forfeit; 220 – Troy Hazelton (SH) won by forfeit; 285 – Zach Gill (SH) won by forfeit.
Sweet Home 81, Taft 0
106 – Tyrel Miller (SH) won by forfeit; 113 – Tyler Schilling (SH) pinned Zac Coultas, (T) 2:43; 120 – Justin Nicholson (SH) won by forfeit; 126 – Anthony Hardee (SH) pinned Joe Salsbery, (T) 2:53; 132 – Colton Schilling (SH) pinned Keaton Fisher (T) 1:00; 138 – Ryan Adams (SH) pinned Sergio Velazquez (T) 1:40; 145 – Brandon Keenon (SH) dec. Brandon Terrill (T) 9-6; 152 – Tyler Cowger (SH) pinned Seth Steere (T) 2:59; 160 – Trever Olson (SH) pinned Kevin Kovachevich (T) 1:01; 170 – Nate Melcher (SH) won by forfeit; 182 – Ben Terry (SH) won by forfeit; 195 – Wade Paulus (SH) pinned Michael Parker (T) 0:37; 220 – Troy Hazelton (SH) won by forfeit; 285 – Zach Gill (SH) won by forfeit.