Huskies knock off Tillamook for sixth wrestling championship

By Jesse Sowa

Albany Democrat-Herald

SALEM - A loss in the finals put only a small damper on the Sweet Home High celebration that would take place later in the evening.

The Huskies locked up the 4A state wrestling team title Saturday afternoon with a strong performance in the consolation rounds.

The fact that their only competitor in the finals -112-pound junior Danny Johnson - was pinned couldn't take away what Johnson and his 20 teammates had accomplished the previous three days.

"We have been an underrated team all year, and my guys were the only ones who didn't believe it," said coach Steve Thorpe, who won his third team state title, the sixth in the school's history. "I'm proud of all the guys and how they competed."

Sweet Home finished with 154 points. Tillamook was second with 140.5, followed by La Grande and Scappoose (125 apiece) and Phoenix (124).

Sweet Home won the 3A state tournament in 1998 and 1999 and the large-school tournament in 1958, 1960 and 1976.

In all, nine Sweet Home wrestlers placed Saturday.

The Huskies got important points during the day, especially from freshman Brock Crocker and senior Rob Helfrich (189), who finished third.

Crocker won four consolation matches after losing in Thursday's first round.

Helfrich won two matches Saturday after losing in Friday's semifinals.

"That's just big. That's a lot of points right there," Thorpe said.

Sweet Home's Andrew Knight (152) was fourth; Nick Pitts (145) was fifth; Jake Smith (119) sixth; Jack Perry (119) seventh; and Joe McCaslin (130) and Sawyer Anderson (152) were eighth.

Thorpe was named the 4A coach of the year by the state's coaches.

His assistants are Tim Boatwright, Eric Tagle, Steve Hummer and Joe Rosa.

Johnson was pinned in the second round by Tillamook freshman Dustin Woosley, who had defeated Johnson earlier in the year.

"I gave it my all," Johnson said. "I want to come back next year and take state."

Johnson said it didn't bother him that his team was underrated coming into the tournament. It provided some motivation.

"I didn't see us as underdogs, but people didn't see us as good as we were," Johnson said. "I see us as the best."

5A

Corvallis junior Bo Christianson almost waited too long Saturday, but the points and a state championship still count the same.

Christianson got a takedown with seven seconds remaining in his 152-pound final with top seed Ryan Barton of Hermiston to pull out the 5-1 upset victory.

"I just stayed mentally tough and wrestled through the pain and got it," said Christianson, the third seed.

With the match winding down, there was no time to wait.

"I don't even remember," Christianson said when trying to recall what he did. "It just came naturally. I saw it and I took it."

In the 160 final, West Albany senior Wayne Stearns fell behind top seed Ryan Smith of Crook County and couldn't recover, falling 13-1.

Smith was the aggressor against Stearns, going ahead 7-1 after one period.

The loss completed an improbable run through the tournament for Stearns, the Mid-Willamette Conference champion.

In matches earlier Saturday, West Albany's Josh Sim defeated Chris Brace of The Dalles-Wahtonka 7-5 for third place at 140. Teammates Billy Goldsberry (145) and Jered Whitson (189) were fourth.

Greg Alexander of Corvallis (119) and Daniel Glenn of West Albany (140) placed sixth.

Lebanon sophomore Amy Bloom became the first girl from one of the state's larger schools to place when she finished eighth at 103.

Last year, Waldport's Misty Corwin became the first Oregon girl ever to place in the state tournament when she took fifth in the 2A/1A 103-pound bracket.

West Albany's Jacob Richard (135), Daryl Watkins of Corvallis (145) and Lebanon's Darby (171) were seventh.

4A

Philomath junior Matt Hill made up for some lost time Saturday night.

Two previous trips to state ended in no medal for placing.

Hill came up with four points late in his 160-pound final to stun top seed Grant Koutny of North Marion 10-7.

"Placing wasn't going to be good enough. I had to get to the top of the podium," said Hill, a three-time district champion who jumped into the arms of Philomath coach Troy Woosley at the conclusion of the match.

"Determination, heart, just the will to win," Woosley said summing up the final period, which saw Koutny trail by three points only to tie it 6-6.

Woosley said it was the better wrestler on his feet that was going to win. Hill agreed.

"If he can't stop you on your feet, there's really nothing you can do," Hill said.

Hill was the underdog the second night in a row after knocking off second seed Anthony Miller of Illinois Valley on Friday.

3A

Harrisburg sophomore Deven Dawson said the game plan was to keep his feet in motion and keep them away from the opponent.

The 125-pound top seed made it work, pinning second seed Patrick Mills of Burns in 2:51. "Don't stop moving," Dawson said of his strategy.

Dawson got a takedown in the first period and a reversal in the second before putting Mills to his back.

"He can wrestle with anybody," Harrisburg coach Desmond Bennett said of Dawson. "He's got some great hits. He just hates to lose."

Harrisburg's Anibal Vasquez, the top seed at 160 pounds, bounced back from a loss in the semifinals Friday to finish third.

Josh Bittner of Jefferson was fourth at 130.

Jefferson's Jory Gross (140) and Juan Yzaguirre (285) and Harrisburg's Travis Wood (145) were fifth in their respective brackets. Tyler Davison (130) was sixth.

2A/1A

Travis Parazoo used a sub-par performance as motivation to make himself a better wrestler.

A disqualification from a state tournament match - and subsequently, the tournament - last season provided plenty of motivation.

Parazoo, who finished 35-0, pinned 171-pound top seed Shane Campbell of Glendale in 68 seconds to get what he was after.

"The only thing I could do was work harder, get back to practice, get an undefeated season and win a state championship," said Parazoo, whose win helped the Loggers finish second in the team standings and bring home a trophy.

Parazoo said he played the match over in his head prior to going out on the mat, and it turned out just like he hoped.

In the 135-pound final, it would have been hard for Central Linn's Tyler Sloan to find a tougher way to lose.

The senior and 135-pound top seed was close to getting a reversal in the closing seconds of his match with second seed Jake Kennedy of Elgin/Imbler.

Sloan was on top of Kennedy but apparently wasn't in the proper position to get the two points and lost 14-13.

"He's the hardest working wrestler in our (practice) room by far," Central Linn coach Mike Day said. "I'll take 10 of him anytime."

Scio's Kyle Ring lost a 12-4 decision to top seed Jake Boyd of Oakridge at 140 pounds.

Ring, a junior and the third seed, got within 4-3 on an escape early in the second period, but it was all Boyd from there.

"We didn't wrestle our best in the final," Scio coach Matt Parazoo said.

Despite the disappointment Saturday, Parazoo said Ring has reason to be proud and look ahead.

"It's a good accomplishment for him," Parazoo said. "He's just a junior. He'll get another shot next year."

Scio's Mike Kennison (160) lost an 11-3 decision to Caleb Cardwell of Lowell.

Monroe senior Dusty McCord lost a 6-5 decision to Andrew Hennings of Lakeview in the 215-pound final.

In earlier matches Saturday, Central Linn's Joe VanEpps (112), Scio's Brock Crocker (171) and Monroe's Chris Carter (285) were fourth.