Scott Swanson
Quality, if not quantity, will be the watchword for the Sweet Home wrestling team this year as the Huskies take aim at yet another state trophy – hopefully a championship plaque.
With three state runner-ups, a third- and a fourth-place finisher back this year, Sweet Home has the veterans among its 11 seniors.
“We have a unique class – a lot of athletes,” said Coach Steve Thorpe. “We are not a young team team. We’re a veteran team.”
Back are seniors Tyler Cowger, Zach Gill, Bobby and Brian Malloy, Nene Mauer, Nate Melcher, Trever Olson, Wade Paulus, Colton Schilling, David Skeen and Quin Wise.
Cowger (138 pounds), Paulus (195) and Schilling (120) all finished second in last year’s state finals. Gill was third at heavyweight.
This is a special group for the coaching staff, Thorpe said.
“This group of seniors, having a daughter that’s a senior, I’ve grown up with these kids. I’ve held them when they were babies, a lot of them. I’ve played with them in Mat Club. This is very very special group of seniors, but there are 25 other kids on the team that we’re relying on – not just the Pauluses and the Cowgers and the Gills and the Schillings.
“We need to have some young guys step up to do some good things and help us achieve our goals.”
Olson missed the medal rounds in the 152-pound division at state, but Thorpe said he expects more this year.
“We expect some big things from Trever and both the Malloy brothers,” he said. “They’re doing well. We need to have some good things happen from everybody.”
Also returning are junior Justin Nicholson, who placed fifth at state, sophomores Tyler Schilling and Anthony Hardy, and junior Dylan Elder – all of whom qualified for state, though they didn’t reach the medal round.
What’s missing thus far are freshmen. The Huskies only have six – which, Thorpe said, is the lowest he can remember in his 17 years as head coach.
“We don’t have a lot of freshmen out, but of the 36 guys I have on my team, only one has never wrestled before,” Thorpe said. “I think we’re running into a generation of video gamers and people saying that they’re going to lift to make themselves better at competing.
“You’ve got to compete to get better at competing. I really think the kids should be doing multiple sports. We’re just running into a generation that doesn’t think that.”
The rest of the team is composed of juniors Nick Dadey, Troy Hazelton, Ty Kirkland, Ian Search, John Sims, Ben Terry, JT Weld and Cody Hall, sophomores Ryan Adams, Cole Ashcraft, Jason Miller, Travis Petersen, Colyn VanEck and Sam Woosley, and freshmen Gavin Baskin, Aaron Blanchard, Kevin Corrington, Brandon Keenon, Tyrel Miller and Joseph Rasmussen.
“We’ll see how things work out this year,” Thorpe said. “We may have some holes in our lineup for a little while because guys are between weights. Everything we do for a long time here will be preseason. My focus is at the end.”
In addition to Thorpe, the coaching staff will include 32-year veteran assistant Tim Boatwright, Steve Hummer, Steve Schilling and Tomas Rosa, along with former three-time state champion Clint Sieminski, ex-champ Bryan Coulter and Christian Whitfield.
Last year’s champion, Cascade, is a favorite again this year, he said, along with Henley, which placed second, ahead of the Huskies, and Crook County.
But Thorpe said he’s looking forward to this season.
“I’m excited about this year. I like the direction of Sweet Home wrestling.”
Sweet Home will open its schedule at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, with a four-way meet with Lebanon, Rainier and Junction City.
They will also host a tournament on Dec. 11, hosting Siuslaw, Molalla, Stayton and North Marion, and an endowment dual on Jan. 3 against Glide.
Their final home meet will be Jan. 31, crossover duals against Stayton, Cottage Grove and Cascade.
The rest of the schedule includes two trips to Cascade, the Lebanon Duals, the Oregon Classic and Reser’s Tournament of Champions, which all feature some of the most competitive programs in the state.
“We’re going to wrestle a tough schedule again,” Thorpe said. “We need to keep people healthy, and keep them eligible and train them right to get them ready for the regional and state tournaments, the ones that matter.
“Right now we’re focusing on getting in good shape. We’ll start worrying about the wrestling end of things later. It’s tough to try to learn and train when you’re not in shape. We’re just trying to get in shape to wrestle.”