Scott Swanson
Bobby Malloy had never wrestled someone from another country in actual competition before last week.
So when he found himself facing Siberian Erkhaan Makarov in a freestyle bout – albeit within the friendly confines of Sweet Home High School’s Main Gymnasium, he was stepping into unknown territory.
It didn’t take Makarov, long to show why he’d been selected to represent Sakha, Russia, on its regional all-star squad. He won handily, 7-2, 5-2 – but Malloy didn’t let him get away without some damage, scoring those two points in each period.
“The style was a lot faster,” Malloy said. “He was kind of a heavy weight. It was awkward to wrestle him, though it was what I expected.”
Sweet Home hosted Sakha’s international cultural exchange wrestling team last week, the second year in a row the Huskies have had an international match, after last year’s visit by Japanese national all-stars. The match against the Siberians, all Asian Russians, was held Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Since a sizable group of Sweet Home’s wrestlers, including Colton Schilling, who traveled to Russia last summer with the Oregon exchange team, are still playing football, only four Huskies wrestled Wednesday. None came away with a victory, but Tyler Cowger, who finished fourth in the nation in Greco-Roman last summer, was close, losing to Russian junior national champion Victor Malyshev 1-0, 4-0 in a match that was even tighter than the score indicated. The first period ended 0-0 and Malyshev won a clinch to get his point to win the period.
“I thought I did pretty good,” Cowger said of the match, which was his first since he wrestled in the Cadet National Championships at Fargo, N.D. in July. “It gives me a chance to see what’s out there and what I have to do. It was good experience, good competition.”
Freshman Tyler Schilling, wearing a Russian singlet his brother got on last summer’s tour, faced Timur Rasulov, one of the top three wrestlers in his 50-kilogram weight division in Russia, in Schilling’s first match as a high school student. Schilling didn’t score, losing 5-0, 7-0, but Sweet Home Head Coach Steve Thorpe said it was good experience for him.
“This is an experience,” said Thorpe, who is also chairman of the Oregon Wrestling Association. “That kid (Rasulov) did not lose in Oregon and he beat two-time state champions Eliezer DeLuca (of Phoenix) and Lucas Randall (of North Marion).
“Where else can you say you wrestled somebody from Japan or Russia or South Africa or Canada? And next spring we have a team from New Zealand coming. When you wrestled somebody from Albany, it’s not a big deal. But this is international.”
Justin Nicholson won the first period of his match against Petr Efimov, then lost the second and third periods to give Efimov the victory, 2-1 (3-2, 0-5, 0-6).
Ian Search, who has grown significantly since his freshman year, also lost to Malyshev – some of the Russians doubled up – 2-1, 6-0.
Oregon got four wins from its other wrestlers: Isaac Tobin of Silverton beat Aytal Okoneshnikov 3-2, 6-1 and Ergis Evertov; Travis Bledsoe of Cascade beat Makarov 3-0, 8-3; Shane Sheppard of Stayton pinned Malyshev for the only fall of the night; and Kyle Bateman of Sandy defeated Aleksander Sofronov 1-1, 3-0 after scoring last in the first period for the tie-breaker.
Also wrestling for Oregon were Joe Biddaugh of Yamhill-Carlton, Kyle Sether of Oregon City, Alex Rich of Crescent Valley, Jake Stegal of North Marion, Randall of North Marion and Tyler White of Sandy.
“All the other kids that were in that duel were kids I coach in the springtime or are in my camp,” Thorpe said. “They aren’t just kids I found somewhere. I know all these kids. I sit mat-side with all these kids.
“We did very well. These (Russian) guys train 10 months out of the year. Most of our guys haven’t been training yet.
The match was officiated by Alan Merrill, head of officials for the Oregon Wrestling Association, and Thorpe’s father Wayne and two-time state champion Bill Lynn stood in as elder statesmen of the Oregon wrestling community.
“We know the rituals and etiquette and we try to do it right,” Steve Thorpe said.
The Russian wrestlers went to first-period classes with their Sweet Home counterparts, then visited a private range for some skeet shooting – a new experience for many, Thorpe said. He also took the coaches to breakfast at Skyline Restaurant while the boys were at school.
“The coaches said they had never seen a breakfast that big,” he said.
Sam Adamov, a coach for the Russian team, said the visit gave his wrestlers a chance to experience a different culture as well as wrestle people they would never have a chance to at home.
“My guys are excited to be here – learning the language and going to classes with your students. It’s very interesting. We’ve had a great time here.”
Oregon wrestlers ham it up for a group photo with their Sakha, Russia counterparts after the match.