Sweet Home wrestlers have been busy this spring, producing five state champions in the state freestyle and Greco championships earlier this month and sending seven to the U.S. Open championships in Las Vegas April 23-27.
Jesse Landtroop made it the farthest for the Huskies, finishing 2-2 in the round of 32, where he lost to Ignacio Villasenor of Colorado, who competed in the U17 World Championships, Coach Steve Thorpe said.
“I’d say Jesse had our most success. He went to two wins, two losses in both Greco and freestyle in the U 17 division.”
Dillan Davis also went 2-2 in U17, and Tytus Hardee, a high school junior, was 1-2 in the U20 Division, which included college sophomores, he said.
Cody Sieminski wrestled as an eighth-grader in the U15 Division.
“He’s going to be in the U15 until he’s a sophomore in high school, because of when his birthday comes,” Thorpe said. “He’s just a kid, in a way, but he won two matches. He was 2-2 in freestyle.”
Also competing were Jasper Victor and Riley Vaughan, and alums Kobe Olson and Jayce Miler.
Olson, now an assistant for the Huskies, wrestled in the Masters A division, for 25- to 30-year-olds, and took third in Greco.
“You go there not to try to win that tournament,” Thorpe said of the tournament. “You’re trying to compete against, literally, the best wrestlers in the United States at that age group. And it’s incredible. That experience, it goes a long way in the winter time for us, and it gets kids exposed to some great wrestlers.”
State Freestyle/Greco Championships
At the Oregon Wrestling Association Freestyle and Greco State Championships held April 11-13 at Newberg High School, Sweet Home had state championships in five events.
State champions for the Huskies were sophomore Jesse Landtroop, who was first in both disciplines at 126 pounds, and junior Tytus Hardee at 132 pounds in freestyle. Cody Sieminski, representing the Sweet Home Mat Club, was first in both disciplines 105 pounds in 14-Under boys, and Boone Utter took first in Greco at 12-Under boys 108 pounds.
This, honestly, is the most successful spring I’ve ever had as a coach,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “With the number of kids we have involved in wrestling, we entered 38 kids into the freestyle and Greco state tournament. We had 31 at Reno and we had six at the U.S. Open.
“The level of commitment by these wrestlers – they know that success isn’t an accident. You have to earn it. We have kids who are doing multiple sports and who are learning to manage their time.
“We will be competing against people next year who have enjoyed their March and April (after the high school wrestling season) and who won’t do anything until next November.
“Right now, the level of commitment by wrestlers and coaches in Sweet Home is like nothing we’ve ever had. We came off some disappointment (after a second-place team finish at the OSAA state championships). Most people would be hanging a banner on the wall when they get second in the state, but it was kind of a disappointment for us. We went right back to work.”
Here are individual results for Sweet Home’s place-winners at the state freestyle/Greco championships for the Sweet Home High School boys: Keegan Jefferson, sixth in Junior Boys 113-pound freestyle, third in Greco; Riley Vaughan, second in 16U Boys 120 freestyle, second in Greco; Jesse Landtroop, first in 16U Boys 126 freestyle, first in Greco; Tytus Hardee, first in Junior Boys 132 freestyle, third in Greco; Cael Stevenson, fourth in Junior Boys 132 freestyle;
Jasper Victor, sixth in 16U Boys 138 freestyle; Dillan Davis, fifth in Junior Boys 144 Greco; Brodee Gay, sixth in 16U Boys 150 Greco; Kyle Zajic, sixth in Junior Boys 165 freestyle; Elijah Cruz, fourth in 16U Boys 175 freestyle, third in Greco; Dylan Hartsook, fourth in 16U Boys 175 Greco; Braden Eggers, fifth in 16U Boys 175 Greco; and Liam Martin, sixth in Junior Boys 285 Greco.
Sweet Home High School girls placewinners were: Averi Temple, fifth in Junior Girls 100 Freestyle, fourth in Greco; Lyla Ventura, third in 16U Girls 110 freestyle; Amelia Sullens, fifth in Junior Girls 115 Freestyle; and Alizeah Weikel, second in 16U Girls 125 freestyle, second in Greco.
Sweet Home Mat Club boys placewinners were: Sawyor Davis, third in 8U Boys 49 freestyle, third in Greco; Kartor Davis, fourth in 12U Boys 63 Greco; Amos Jorgensen, fifth in 10U Boys 71 freestyle, fourth in Greco; Liam Vaughan, fourth in 14U Boys 84 freestyle, third in Greco
4U Boys 84; Matthew Jorgensen, third in 14U Boys 84 freestyle, fourth in Greco; Jaxon Slayter, sixth in 14U Boys 84 Greco; Fletcher Utter, fourth in 12U Boys 86 freestyle; Cody Sieminski, first in 14U Boys 105 freestyle, first in Greco; Boone Utter, fourth in 12U Boys 108 freestyle, first in Greco; Xandor Davis, fifth in 14U Boys 110 freestyle, fifth in Greco; Zane Davis, third in 12U Boys 117 freestyle, second in Greco; Jayson Dickerman, third in 14U Boys Greco; and
Blake Rose, second in 14U Boys 174 freestyle, second in Greco.
Sweet Home Mat Club girls placewinners were: Kassidy Zajic, fourth in 14U Girls 100 freestyle, third in Greco; and Raylene Allison, second in 14U Girls 105 Greco.