Tyler Cowger, Wade Paulus and Colton Schilling were named Sweet Home’s Most Outstanding Wrestlers at the wrestling team’s awards potluck Friday, March 8.
The three were selected after winning individual state championship titles in February, Coach Steve Thorpe said.
“To have three state champions was special,” Thorpe said, noting that it was the first time since 1998 that he has had three individual state titlists and that this was the third title for Schilling, who joins Clint Sieminski as the only Sweet Home wrestlers to achieve that.
Schilling finished his high school career with school records for most falls in a season – 45 – and in a career, 145.
Cowger set the school record for most career victories – 192.
Freshman Tyrel Miller was named Rookie of the Year.
Sophomores Cole Ashcraft and Jason Miller were named Most Improved, while the Iron Man Award, which goes to the wrestler deemed to have overcome the greatest adversity during the season, went to senior Trever Olson.
Thorpe recounted how Olson came out of a state tournament match with Henley’s Calvin Tillery with pieces of Tillery’s teeth in his head, then got raked in the eyeballs and had his nose broken by a head butt in a 2-1 overtime loss to Jacob Davidson of Estacada. He then injured his shoulder, while wrestling for fifth place with Dawson Barber of Crook County, and finished sixth.
Thorpe said the injury delays in the match with Davidson, during which he and trainers repeatedly were forced to work to keep Olson’s nose from bleeding, made the difference.
“If we could have stopped the bleeding, he wins,” Thorpe said.
The Extra Mile Award, honoring the person or persons “who go the extra mile” for the team, went to the parents of the senior wrestlers – the three sate winners and Olson, along with Bob and Brian Malloy, Nate Melcher, Quin Wise, David Skeen and Zach Gill.
Several gag awards were also presented.
Sophomore Tyler Schilling was presented the “Can’t Pin Award” for scoring the most technical falls during the season – four.
The Best Quote Award went to junior Justin Nicholson, whom Thorpe quoted as saying, “I don’t know why they always call my cross-face unsportsman-like. They should know it’s coming. They signed up to wrestle me.”
The award for Most Weight Gained went to sophomore Ryan Adams, who added 18.7 pounds since the district tournament three weeks ago.
Best Nickname went to Zach “Big” Gill, the team’s 285-pound consolation state champion.
The Heart Attack Award went to Ben Terry, who occasionally would lose his grip on an opponent as he attempted head-and-arm throws, usually winding up underneath the other wrestler and having to fight his way out.
First-year letters went to freshmen Brandon Keenon, Tyrel Miller and Aaron Blanchard, sophomores Cole Ashcraft, Sam Woosley and Jason Miller, and juniors Troy Hazelton and Nick Dadey.
Second-year lettermen were sophomores Tyler Schilling, Anthony Hardy and Ryan Adams, juniors Ben Terry, Dylan Elder, JT Weld and Ty Kirkland, and seniors Bob Malloy, Brian Malloy, David Skeen and Quin Wise.
Junior Justin Nicholson was a third-year letter winner and four-year lettermen were seniors Tyler Cowger, Colton Schilling, Zach Gill, Wade Paulus, Nate Melcher and Trever Olson.
The senior class got the spotlight for most of the evening and Thorpe said it was a group he will remember.
“It was very special to have a group like this that trophied four years,” he said, then added to the younger wrestlers in the audience: “I don’t care that we’re graduating 10 guys. We can still trophy next year. It won’t be easy. But that’s what we know how to do here.”
He noted that preparation for next year has already begun.
“Freestyle and Greco wrestling is at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” he told the crowd.