Taylor Tagle won the state high school Roman-Greco championship Sunday at Roseburg, the top finisher among nine Sweet Home wrestlers who competed in the tournament.
Tagle, who trained “intensely” after finishing fifth in a Cadet tournament two weeks earlier, according to Coach Steve Thorpe, also finished fourth in freestyle over the weekend.
“I was very proud of the way they wrestled,” Thorpe said of the Sweet Home effort.
Jake Smith, “wrestled out of his head,” Thorpe said, to finish fourth in both freestyle and Greco at 125 pounds. Also finishing fourth was Rob Helfrich, in both freestyle and Greco, at 189 pounds.
Fifth-place finishers were Danny Johnson in Greco at 119 pounds, Jack Perry in freestyle at 130 pounds, and Daniel Smith in freestyle at 152 pounds.
Casey Johnson (125), Brock Crocker (135) and Brandon Lawson (160) did not place.
Kids Championship
Five Sweet Home Mat Club wrestlers competed April 21-22 in Hermiston for the Oregon Kids State Greco and Freestyle Championships.
Colton Schilling took the state championship in Greco and was runner-up in the Kids 75-pound freestyle division.
Schilling, who had already won the state folkstyle championship, just missed a triple crown by placing second in freestyle, Coach Steve Thorpe noted.
“I had people this weekend at (another) tournament tell me how classy he conducted himself and how great he represented Sweet Home,” Thorpe said.
Brandon Keenon was eighth in Greco and fourth in freestyle; Trever Olson was eighth in Greco and sixth in freestyle; Ian Search was fifth in Greco and sixth in freestyle; and Tyler Schilling placed seventh in freestyle.
All five placers are now qualified to wrestle representing Oregon in the Western Regionals tournament, which will bring together competitors from the 11 western states who will be aiming to qualify for the National Championships. The regional tournament is set for June 22-27 in Klamath Falls.
Thorpe praised the wrestlers for their dedication, as they have been training since November and are now playing baseball.
Cadet State Tournament
Brock Crocker, Brad Pitts and Kris Newport were the highest placers among eight Sweet Home wrestlers who competed in the Cadet state tournament held April 14-15 in Tigard.
Crocker was third at 130 pounds in both freestyle and Greco, Newport was fifth in freestyle and third in Greco at 119 pounds, and Pitts was third in freestyle and fifth in Greco at 160 pounds.
Other placewinners for Sweet Home were: James Meyers, fifth in freestyle at 98 pounds; Taylor Tagle, fifth in both freestyle and Greco at 105 pounds; and Jack Perry, sixth at 135 pounds in freestyle.
Mitch Grove wrestled at 112 pounds and Matt Grove at 119 pounds, but neither placed.
Taylor, Crocker and Newport qualified for the ASICS Cadet national tournament in Fargo, N.D. in July.
Trever Olsen wrestled in the schoolboy tournament in Tigard at 95 pounds, but did not place.