Sweet Home lost a dual match with Tillamook Friday, but the Huskies bounced back Saturday to take third in the competitive Willamette Tournament, finishing ahead of 5A power Thurston and 6A Grants Pass.
On Friday, Jan. 2, the Huskies wrestled in a three-team dual match-up with South Albany and South Salem, as well as wrestling a “rogue” team of assorted wrestlers who failed to make weight or, in some cases, were Sweet Home teammates.
Sweet Home beat South Albany 63-12 and South Salem 60-17, before dropping its match to Tillamook 45-28.
“We wrestled OK in the duals,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “It was our first time on the mat in four weeks and it looked like it was our first time out. The next day we really responded. The kids competed better.”
Mitch Grove was outstanding at 119 pounds, Thorpe said. Grove won all four of his matches Friday by falls and then won the 119-pound championship Saturday at Willamette, beating Thurston’s Riley Omlid, who won a state championship for Crook County last season, 11-3 to win the title.
“Mitch just beat him,” Thorpe said. “Mitch just trains so hard. He just outworked him, outperformed him.”
At 130 pounds, Taylor Tagle finished second but only because he lost to Sprague’s Alex Kostenborder, a five-time All-American who was taken down for the first time this season by Tagle in their finals match, which Kostenborder won 6-2.
Also turning in a noteworthy performance, Thorpe said, were Matt Grove, who wrestled up a weight class and took third place at Willamette, and heavyweight Logan Clark.
“Logan Clark was down 8-1 in the quarters (at Willamette against Dayton’s James Benson) and he came back and pinned the guy,” Thorpe said. “Then, in the semis (against Sheldon’s Brendan Prentiss), the guy was pushing and he pinned him. He lost in the finals (to Corvallis’ Dustin Shear) but he wrestled his heart out.”
Thorpe said it’s the point in the season now when the Huskies are focusing on “the little things” and on wrestling in the Oregon Classic this weekend in Redmond.
“I thought the kids competed well (at Willamette),” he said. “I look for competition like this because I want the kids to get beat. We’re getting close. We’ve got a lot of wrestling this week with the kids at the Oregon Classic and the Best of the Rest here at home.”
Sweet Home 63,
South Albany 12
103 €“ Scottie Stockman (SH) pinned Andrew Buckle (SA) 1:07; 112 €“ Tyler Holly (SH) pinned Robert Duran (SA) 3:53; 119 €“ Mitch Grove (SH) pinned Adam Allen (SA) 1:26; 125 €“ Matt Grove (SH) pinned Devin Nietling (SA) :48; 130 €“ Taylor Tagle (SH) pinned Jesse Fox (SA) 3:57; 135 €“ Kris Newport (SH) pinned Tyler Cremer (SA) 4:54; 140 €“ Kyle Hummer (SH) pinned Josh McKibben (SA) :52; 145 €“ Brock Crocker (SH) pinned Thomas Sutick (SA) 1:07; 152 €“ Jack Perry (SH) dec. Marcos Zaraca (SA) 10-5; 160 €“ Charlie Morgan (SA) dec. Donnie Roberts (SH) 5-4; 171 €“ Marco Manzo (SA) dec. Colton Woody (SH) 9-5; 189 €“ Anthony Albright (SH) pinned Jesse Duke (SA) 1:50; 215 €“ Marc Callagan (SH) pinned Peter Mesa (SA) 2:36; 285 €“ Steven Gonzalez (SA) pinned Logan Clark (SH) 3:57.
Sweet Home 60,
South Salem 17
103 €“ Scottie Stockman (SH) won by forfeit; 112 €“ Tyler Holly (SH) pinned Sam Wilson (SS) :33; 119 €“ Mitch Grove (SH) pinned Ryan Wilson (SS) :19; 125 €“ Matt Grove (SH) pinned Drew Minnick (SS) :36; 130 €“ Taylor Tagle (SH) dec. Kambrel Cantanx 11-3; 135 €“ Kris Newport (SH) won by TF over Alex Shogger (SS) 15-0; 140 €“ Kyle Hummer (SH) pinned Matt Clark (SS) 1:34; 145 €“ Brock Crocker (SH) pinned Tyler Vookstool (SS) 1:28; 152 €“ Stephan Kuntz (SS) pinned Jacob Jewell (SH) 3:41;160 €“ Adam Shogger (SS) pinned Tyler Phillips (SH) 1:49; 171 €“ Stephan Wallace (SS) won by TF over Colton Woody (SH) 20-5; 189 €“ Anthony Albright (SH) pinned Shaz Sadle (SS) :39; 215 €“ Marc Callagan (SH) won by forfeit; 285 €“ Logan Clark (SH) won by forfeit.
Tillamook 45,
Sweet Home 28
103 €“ Tillamook won by forfeit; 112 €“ Tyler Holly (SH) dec. Christian Mallare (T) 8-0; 119 €“ Mitch Grove (SH) pinned Wade Hall (T) 1:26; 125 €“ Adam Smith (T) pinned Matt Grove (SH) 3:44; 130 €“ Taylor Tagle (SH) scored major decision over Ryan Greeson (T) 12-0; 135 €“ Kris Newport (SH) pinned Dru Stromberg (T) 1:27; 140 €“ Dustin Woosley (T) dec. Kyle Hummer (SH) 6-1; 145 €“ Brock Crocker (SH) dec. Dan Mickelson (T) 5-1; 152 €“ Tucker Cook (T) pinned Jacob Jewell (SH) 2:50; 160 €“ Harold Kottre (T) pinned Tyler Paulino (SH) 1:22; 171 €“ Bravo Elder (T) pinned Colton Woody (SH) 3:56; 189 €“ Ron Neie (T) pinned Anthony Albright (SH) 5:22; 215 €“ Aaron Baraco (T) pinned Marc Callagan (SH) 3:52; 285 €“ Logan Clark (SH) pinned JT Strang (T) 1:24.
Willamette Invitational Team Results
(1) Sprague 228, (2) Illinois Valley 185.5, (3) Sweet Home 183, (4) Grants Pass 148.5, (5) Thurston 124, (6) Crescent Valley 103, (7) Pleasant Hill 102, (8) North Salem 88, (9) McKay 83.5, (10) Corvallis 71, (11) South Eugene 52, (12) Roseburg JV 44, (13) Ashland 31, (14) Dayton 30, (15) Sheldon 16, (16) North Eugene 15.5, (17) Marist 15, (18) Willamette 11.
Individual
Sweet Home
Finishers
112 €“ Tyler Holly, second
119 €“ Mitch Grove, Champion
125 €“ Matt Grove, third
130 €“ Taylor Tagle, second
135 €“ Kris Newport, fourth
140 €“ Kyle Hummer, second
189 €“ Anthony Albright, third
215 €“ Marc Callagan, third
285 €“ Logan Clark, second