This year the Huskies may have their work cut out for them at the district wrestling meet. Coach Steve Thorpe doesn’t think it will be like the last couple of years when they have won by over 100 points.
Last week, Sweet Home faced another stern test from Molalla in a league match, barely getting by the Indians, 42-34, to complete their undefeated Capital Conference season. But it wasn’t necessarily their best effort against what Thorpe considers one of Molalla’s better lineups in years.
“It’s nice to not wrestle your best match and still win,” said Thorpe. “It shows how far we have come this year.”
The real test, however, will be at the district match where the Huskies will enter 24 wrestlers, down from the usual 28 they send. But that doesn’t affect Thorpe’s optimism.
“I like where we are right now going into district,” emphasized Thorpe, who said that anything less than a team title would be a disappointment to his wrestlers. “But more so than winning as a team, we’re trying to qualify guys through to the state tournament. That’s the most important thing right now.”
The Huskies have five wrestlers seeded number one: Bryan Corliss, 135; Tomas Rosa, 140; Brian Lindsay, 152; Jesse Aitken, 215; and Rob Martin, 275. One of the more interesting matches will be at 112 pounds where Shane Vandehei, rated number two, will lock up with Cascade’s Phillips, a match that Vandehei lost just 5-3 in their dual meet.
Besides Vandehei, Trevor Tagle, 119, and Tom Helfrich, 130, are ranked number two. Colt Campbell, 145, Hance Woody, 170, and Brandon Martin, 215, received three seeds while Jon Farris was ranked 4th. The Huskies have three weight categories in which they did not have a top 4 seeded wrestler.
The district meet begins at noon on Friday at North Marion. On Saturday, the semifinals will be held at 11 a.m. with the consolation rounds following that. The finals will begin at 5 p.m.