Oregon 6A/5A girls wrestling: Champions, takeaways from district meets
The 6A/5A girls wrestling district meets took place over the weekend, with the OSAA state championships scheduled for Feb. 23-24 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
Here’s a look at the champions and three takeaways from each of the three district meets. The top four finishers from each district meet advance to state.
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Special District 1 (at Century)
Team champion: Southridge (167 points)
Most qualifiers: Forest Grove (5), Hillsboro (5), Southridge (5), Liberty (4)
Individual champions
100 Maria Caudillo, Fr., Cleveland
105 Desirae Martinez Castanon, So., Aloha
110 Wren Mena, Sr., Sunset
115 Layla Morris, Jr., Mountainside
120 Abbeline Richard, So., Barlow
125 Zorina Johnson, So., Ida B. Wells
130 Kailea Takahashi, Jr., Forest Grove
135 Gracee Grenfell, Sr., Liberty
140 Kennedy Blanton, Jr., Forest Grove
145 Gracie Boer, Sr., Beaverton
155 Joanna Interian, Sr., Hillsboro
170 Isabel Herring, Jr., Cleveland
190 Arianna Boyd, Sr., Sunset
235 Bianca Miranda, Jr., Liberty
3 notes
Southridge edges defending champion to win first district title
Southridge dethroned Hillsboro by four points to win a tight district championship race for its first title, with third-place Forest Grove amassing 158 points. The Skyhawks didn’t have a qualifier in any weight class lighter than 135 pounds and didn’t have a district finalist but had nine wrestlers make the podium and five advance.
The Vikings, with two district champions among four finalists, might be the team poised to make the most noise in the team race at the state meet.
Aloha among 4 schools with first-time champions; Wells sophomore dominates
With 10 of last year’s 14 district champions having graduated, the door opened for plenty of fresh faces. Sunset, Aloha, Beaverton and Barlow had first-time winners, with the Warriors qualifying three wrestlers to state.
One of the returning champions was Johnson, who reached the state final at 115 last season and exited the weekend 20-0 and ranked No. 23 in the country at 125 — although Forest Grove sophomore Renae Cook was the first wrestler this season to last all six minutes against Johnson, losing a 7-0 decision in the final.
Takahashi ready to win another state title after pinning way to 130 district crown
Last year’s state finalists at 125 pounds, Takahashi and Grenfell, are in separate brackets this season and won their brackets in dominant fashion. Takahashi, who defeated Grenfell 6-2 at the Coliseum last February, pinned all four opponents over the weekend, including Grant’s Lillian Courtnage-Dyke in 5:31 in the final.
Takahashi’s teammate, Blanton, also repeated as a district champion, as did Mountainside’s Morris. Grenfell also had three pins and a technical fall before defeating Westview’s Paige Carrier 8-4 in the final.
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Special District 2 (at McKay)
Team champion: Dallas (244 points)
Most qualifiers: Dallas (9), North Salem (7), McNary (6), McKay (5)
Individual champions
100 Sarahi Chavez, Jr., McKay
105 Paisley Conway, Fr., Newberg
110 Polly Olliff, Jr., Dallas
115 Ivy McIntosh, Jr., Dallas
120 Mariko Sonis, Sr., North Salem
125 Jazlin Tavares, Sr., North Salem
130 Cadence Payton, Fr., Nelson
135 McKenna Unger, So., McNary
140 Karina Yoder, Sr., Clackamas
145 Reese Lawson, Sr., West Salem
155 Natalie Wilhoit, Jr., Tigard
170 Jasmine Brown, Sr., Wilsonville
190 Ali Martinez, Sr., McNary
235 Madison Kidwell, Sr., Canby
3 notes
District championship a first for wrestling powerhouse
Dallas has been a wrestling hotbed for years, but this year is the first time the Dragons girls have joined the fun and brought home a district title. They moved from District 3 to District 2 and led by two-time district champion McIntosh and last year’s 105 state champion Olliff, they knocked off 2023 champion McKay (216½ points), with McNary (213) close behind in third.
Nelson's Payton wins school's first district wrestling title
Payton made history for Nelson’s program by becoming its first district champion (boy or girl) with an 8-2 decision against Dallas senior Savannah Roblin in the final.
Payton entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and pinned No. 2 seed Kiara Rios of McMinnville in the semifinals and top-seeded Roblin in the title match. Payton has lost only once to an Oregon wrestler this season and will enter state with a 19-3 record.
Tigard, Clackamas wrestlers record program firsts
Junior Sydney Knipe became the first Tigard girl to qualify for state by making the 140-pound final, where she lost to Yoder, Clackamas’ first district champion. Two matches later, Wilhoit became the Tigers’ first girls district titlist, pinning Woodburn’s Emily Grassham in 89 seconds.
Alongside the first-time champions were several returning title-winners, including three-time champion and two-time state finalist Chavez and four reigning state champions — Sonis, Lawson, Brown and Martinez.
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Special District 3 (at North Eugene)
Team champion: Thurston (298 points)
Most qualifiers: Thurston (11), Redmond (9), North Medford (5)
Individual champions
100 Rubie Winterburn, Sr., Thurston
105 Skyler Hall, So., North Medford
110 Jennifer Russell, Jr., Corvallis
115 Valerie Bowman, So., Bend
120 Mia Pedersen, So., Redmond
125 McKayla Bonham, Jr., Silverton
130 Sadie Hall, Jr., North Medford
135 Reina Barnes-Rubio, Jr., Redmond
140 Kristal Zamora, Jr., Thurston
145 Isabella Jaime, Sr., North Medford
155 MacKenzie Shearon, Jr., Redmond
170 Olivia Froehlich, Sr., North Eugene
190 Alixia Hernandez, Jr., Eagle Point
235 Reagan Alvernaz, Sr., South Albany
3 notes
Colts romp to fourth district championship, eye first state title since ’21
Thurston won a fourth consecutive district title, besting Redmond by 58 points, as the Colts look to secure their first state championship since going back-to-back in 2020-21. They’ll send a meet-best 11 wrestlers to Memorial Coliseum, including three — Winterburn, Zamora and 125 district runner-up Kassidy Hadden — who placed at state last season.
State champions Hall, Shearon breeze through district brackets
Two state champions punched their repeat tickets to Memorial Coliseum this weekend with commanding performances as neither Hall (100 titlist in ’23) and Shearon (140) had to work past the second round in any of their matches.
Silverton’s Bonham among 3 first-time champions for their schools
Wrestlers from three schools won the first district girls championships in their program’s histories this weekend.
Bonham, who placed fourth at 125 at the state meet last season, pinned Hadden in 1:16 in the district final. The two also wrestled in the placing rounds at state, with Hadden taking third with a 7-4 decision.
Froehlich and Alvernaz, like Bonham, were No. 2 seeds who toppled No. 1s in their respective finals — Froehlich with a third-round pin of North Medford’s Lalaine Chan, and Alvernaz with a 3-1 decision against Crater’s Katelyn Klingler.
