Philomath's Hill, Corvallis' Christianson back for another run at a state wrestling crown

A chance to win a state wrestling championship is rare.

Few win one, let alone two.

Matt Hill of Philomath High and Bo Christianson from Corvallis are in for a second go-round at the state meet this weekend.

Hill won the 4A title at 160 pounds last year and Christianson took the 5A title at 152. They're both top seeds in the same weight classes this year.

Hill was not a bright blip on the radar going into the meet last year. He upset No. 2 seed Anthony Miller of Illinois Valley on his way to the title match, where he defeated North Marion's Grant Koutny, 10-7.

"Last year I kind of snuck in," Hill said. "No one really knew who I was, but now I've got the number one seed this year, so people are going to give me their best match every time."

It won't be easy.

Hill admits to being nagged by the thought of going through an upset loss, but said he needs to take a clear mind into the tournament.

"You have to think you're going to win, because if you don't think you're going to win, then you shouldn't be out there," he said. "Just going in with a clear mind, knowing that I'm capable of winning the tournament, I think I should be fine."

He said it's important to go in with a game plan for each match.

"If you go in knowing that you can do your moves with confidence, it's a lot easier than going, 'Can I do this move on this kid?'" Hill said.

Koutny has graduated, but Hill doesn't have the luxury of expecting an easy tournament. There are no seeds on his side of the bracket (only three wrestlers are seeded at state), but to let up would be disasterous.

Hill knows third seed Caleb Pendleton of Scappoose is a strong wrestler and Hill lost to No. 2 seed Jesse Swift of Illinois Valley earlier this season.

"The kid who got the number two seed has already beat me once this year," Hill said. "So it would be nice to get back to the finals and wrestle him and maybe get a little revenge."

Hill's secret to success is his conditioning. He is aggressive on the mat, but not wild. He waits for an opening and then goes for a move.

If he's in a close match, Hill is confident that he will have more gas left in the third period than his opponent.

"My style's more of I'll take what opens up and usually I'm better conditioned than most of the wrestlers, so I'll take what I can get in the first couple rounds and then I'll grind my style in the third round when they're more tired than me. If it's a good wrestler, it will be 2-1 going into the third round and then I'll work my stuff," Hill said. "I condition to the point where I think I can take anybody to the third round and win, no matter what the score."

It worked in the title match against Koutny. Hill scored four points late in the match to take the win.

"I'm not sitting back, I'm not waiting for them to shoot, but if they're not opening up real well, I'll just kind of bury inside and see what I can get," he said. "I know if I can take them to the third round, I can beat them."

Christianson has the power and technique to methodically take apart an opponent. He can win quickly or wear down his opponent with a barrage of takedowns.

The latter was the difference in Christianson's 10-5 win over West Albany's Billy Goldsberry for the Mid-Willamette Conference title last Saturday.

Christianson patiently waited for an opening, then took Goldsberry, who is the second seed at state, down time and again.

Christianson was the third seed last year when he won the state title by defeating Ryan Barton of Hermiston 5-1. Christianson said that experience will give him an advantage this year.

"It's definitely an advantage because since I did reach that top tier last year, I know where I'm at and I know what I'm capable of," Christianson said. "Last year was the best that I could do in the state of Oregon and if I wrestle right and do things better, it should come out the same way."

Mental approach to the meet is a key for Christianson. He has wrestled in many national tournaments during his youth and said he always gets excited about the prospect of wrestling a big match.

Nerves don't have a place in his preparation.

"I approach it the way all champions do, with 100 percent confidence," he said. "But I don't go out there cocky and I don't go out there with any doubt. I just wrestle my match."