Sweet Home wrestlers’ dual meet against Cascade came down to one match Wednesday, Feb. 4, and it wasn’t a win for the Huskies.
Sweet Home, which fielded nine underclassmen, lost 45-35 to all-senior Cougars squad.
“Cascade’s been a great rivalry for Sweet Home for years,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “They are a well-coached team. They beat us. It could have gone either way.”
He said the dual gave all the Huskies a chance to wrestle and some stood out. JC Elder pinned the Cougars’ Jordan Kenline at 106 pounds and Tyler Schilling posted an 18-2 technical fall over Dillon Blythe at 126 followed by Tyrel Miller’s pin of Jared Riesterer, ranked seventh in the state, at 132 pounds. Miller has 30-plus falls this season.
“That was a big pin for us,” Thorpe said.
The Huskies came back Thursday evening with a 66-16 win over Cottage Grove, celebrating Senior Night in the process.
The program also honored Donna Davis, widow of longtime Coach Norm Davis, during the proceedings.
“That was special to us,” Thorpe said. “She is the first lady of Sweet Home wrestling. I thought that was something we could do for her. It ended up not being so much about honoring her, but for the 500 or 600 people who were there, who got to see her and talk with her.”
Thorpe said this year’s upperclassmen have been a “neat group of seniors whom I andf the coaching staff have gotten to work with.”
“We are dealing with some good young men who are nice young men. This is the kind of group that makes you a better coach.”
The Huskies got a big win from Gavin Bascom at 220 pounds, who pinned Elijah Farrell in 40 seconds.
“All of those big guys haven’t been doing it long,” he said of his wrestlers in the heavier weights, where Sweet Home generally has only two seniors wrestling at weights above 150.
“They keep improving. It’s going to make them better for football too.”
The Huskies wind up their dual meet schedule Thursday, Feb. 5, at Elmira in a final tune-up for the regional tournament Feb. 13-14 at Cascade. The Oregon Schools Activities Association has dictated that all 4A wrestling districts must hold their tournaments on the same weekend as the 5A and 6A divisions have, two weeks before the state finals, on Feb. 27-28.
Sweet Home 66, Cottage Grove 16
106 – JC Elder (SH) won by forfeit; 113 – Kobe Olson (SH) pinned Aaron Boitz (CG) 1:59; 120 – Anthony Hardee (SH) pinned Bryce Allen (CG) 0:26; 126 – Tyler Schilling (SH) pinned Anthony Arnold (CG) 1:26; 132 – Tyrel Miller (SH) pinned Rodney Chamberlain (CG) 1:19; 138 – Joe Rasmussen (SH) pinned Lucas Swearingin (CG) 0:15; 145 – Jake Porter (SH) won by forfeit; 152 – Joe Salsbery (SH) pinned Gage Herbert (CG) 1:33; 160 – Alan Bordeaux (CG) maj. dec. Travis Petersen (SH) 12-4; 170 – Jason Miller (SH) pinned Jayson Stalder (CG) 3:34; 182 – Daniel Rooney (SH) won by forfeit; 195 – Tanner Herbert (CG) pinned Cole Ashcraft (SH) 0:54; 220 – Gavin Baskin (SH) pinned Elijah Farrell (CG) 0:40; 285 – Adam Lamb (CG) won by forfeit.
Cascade 45, Sweet Home 35
106 – JC Elder (SH) pinned Jordan Kenline (C) 3:20; 113 – Kobe Olson (SH) pinned Chris Hernandez (C) 0:54; 120 – Logan Humphrey (C) dec. Anthony Hardee (SH) 5-0; 126 – Tyler Schilling (SH) TF Dillon Blythe (C) 18-2, 5:49; 132 – Tyrel Miller (SH) pinned Jared Riesterer (C) 5:49; 138 – Kade VanDeHey (C) pinned Joe Rasmussen (SH) 1:03; 145 – Jake Porter (SH) pinned Cole Cade (C) 1:34; 152 – Ronald Benton-Hayes (C) pinned Joe Salsbery (SH) 1:02; 160 – Jason Miller (SH) pinned Collin Brill (C) 5:21; 170 – Kuloly Tudela (C) pinned Brycen Denver (SH) 0:20; 182 – Spencer Crawford (C) pinned Daniel Rooney (SH) 0:36; 195 – Hayes VanDeHey (C) pinned Cole Ashcraft (SH) 1:32; 220 – Malachi Gonzalez (C) pinned Gavin Baskin (SH) 1:32; 285 – Seth Everetts (C) won by forfeit.