Oregon 4A wrestling: Champions, takeaways from district meets
The 4A wrestling district meets took place over the weekend, with the OSAA state championships scheduled for Feb. 22-23 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
Here’s a look at the champions and three takeaways from each of the four district meets. The top four finishers from each district meet advance to state.
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Special District 1 (at Estacada)
Team champion: Tillamook (338 points)
Most automatic qualifiers: Tillamook (14), Estacada (10), St. Helens (8), Astoria (8)
Individual champions
106 Braiden Grochowsky, So., Estacada
113 Bryce Haltiner, Sr., Tillamook
120 Jak Hopkes, Jr., Tillamook
126 Beau Sandberg, So., Molalla
132 Chance Fletcher, So., Tillamook
138 John Hayes, Jr., Molalla
144 Cohen Schleich, Sr., Estacada
150 Brayden Cooley, Fr., Seaside
157 Maverick Heimbuck, Jr., Scappoose
165 Derek Bond, Sr., Scappoose
175 Henry Davis, Jr., Astoria
190 Koi Smith, Jr., Tillamook
215 Cayden Baker, Jr., Scappoose
285 Matthew Evans, Sr., Astoria
3 notes
Tillamook claims sixth team title, sends 14 wrestlers to state
It wasn’t quite as dominant of a performance as a year ago for Tillamook, but the Cheesemakers still made it a half-dozen consecutive district titles by defeating host Estacada by 45 points.
Tillamook, which saw a streak of four podium finishes at the state meet snapped last winter, will send 14 wrestlers to Memorial Coliseum in two weeks.
The Cheesemakers’ title run was led by last year’s 106-pound state champion, Haltiner, who recorded three pins en route to the 113 district title. He was one of four Tillamook district champions, most of the eight schools in the field.
Estacada’s Schleich wins third district championship
Schleich earned a three-peat (he has lost only once in four district tournaments) with four consecutive pins to highlight a strong performance by the Rangers, whose second-place finish is their best showing since 2021.
Schleich, who finished fourth at state a year ago, has placed at state in his first three appearances. He will be part of a 10-wrestler contingent at the Coliseum in two weeks, including fellow district champion Grochowsky in his first season.
Molalla on the rise with third-place district finish
Just two years ago, Molalla finished seventh at district, with one district champion and two state qualifiers. This weekend, it matched its best showing in the standings (third) since 2018, with two district titlists and six qualifiers. Hayes repeated as district champion with a 9-3 decision against St. Helens’ Greg Hall and now hopes to reach the state podium after coming up one win short last year.
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Special District 2 (at Stayton)
Team champion: Sweet Home (472.5 points)
Most qualifiers: Sweet Home (18), Cascade (12), Philomath (9)
Individual champions
106 Jesse Landtroop, Fr., Sweet Home
113 Tytus Hardee, So., Sweet Home
120 Kyle Sieminski, Sr., Sweet Home
126 Jayce Miller, Sr., Sweet Home
132 Conrad Baxter, Jr., Cascade
138 Leonardo Michel, So., Stayton
144 Kyle Zajic, Fr., Sweet Home
150 Riley Barrett, So., Philomath
157 Luke Rosa, So., Sweet Home
165 Ethan Coates, Sr., Cascade
175 Ashton Swanson, Jr., Sweet Home
190 Matthew Hinkle, So., Cascade
215 Lynkin Royer, So., Sweet Home
285 Nicholas Lopez, Jr., Cascade
3 notes
A decade’s worth of championships for Sweet Home
Sweet Home put on an even more impressive performance this weekend as it did a year ago in earning a 10th consecutive district title.
The Huskies improved upon their overall point total (448.5 last year), had one more district champion (eight), put 14 of 18 state qualifiers in district finals — including all-Sweet Home finals at 120 and 215 — and advanced wrestlers in 13 of 14 weight classes, missing only at 138.
Sieminski, who will be going for a fourth state title in two weeks, won by default against sophomore teammate Dillan Davis for his third district title. Also repeating as district champions were Hardee and Swanson, and junior Colton Bennett moved up to 285 and lost to Lopez 3-1 in sudden-victory overtime in a matchup of returning titlists.
2 Cascade champions beat ’23 state placers among 12 qualifiers
Cascade put in a solid showing in finishing second again to Sweet Home and advanced 12 wrestlers to Memorial Coliseum in its bid to earn a state trophy for the first time since 2020.
Lopez, who won a second consecutive title, was among four Cougars who took home district championships. Coates posted an impressive victory over Sweet Home’s Ryker Hartsook (fifth at state as a junior) in the 165 final, and Hinkle defeated another returning state placer (Sweet Home’s David Steagall) in the 190 final.
Philomath’s Barrett remains undefeated heading to state meet
Barrett heads to Memorial Coliseum with his undefeated season intact after a 7-1 decision against Sweet Home junior Jacob Landtroop in the 150 final. Barrett improved to 44-0, including 31 pins and four technical falls. Only six of his matches have gone the full six minutes. Barrett bids to become the first Philomath wrestler to win an OSAA state title since 2007.
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Special District 3 (at Marshfield)
Team champion: Mazama (340 points)
Most qualifiers: Mazama (16), Marshfield (13), Hidden Valley (8)
Individual champions
106 Garron Castro, So., Marshfield
113 Christian Woodram, Fr., Marshfield
120 Trayton Forbes, So., Marshfield
126 Dylan Clark, Sr., Henley
132 Reese Hite, Jr., Marshfield
138 Kyle Nichols, Sr., Henley
144 Wyatt Smith, Sr., North Bend
150 Levi Hicks, Jr., Klamath Union
157 Zach Humphrey, Sr., Hidden Valley
165 Kris Baldwin, Jr., Mazama
175 Aryan Wright, Jr., Marshfield
190 Tyson Van Gastel, Sr., Mazama
215 Ty Bradbury, Jr., Hidden Valley
285 Armando Galindo, Sr., Mazama
3 notes
Mazama advances 16 to state, wins fifth district title in past six years
Mazama won a fifth district championship in the past six years, although it was a much closer battle with runner-up Marshfield than a season ago, when the Vikings won the title by 145 points.
This time, the margin was only 20 points as Mazama — seventh at state for the second year in a row last February — hopes to win a state trophy for the first time.
Van Gastel and Galindo repeated as district champions, joined atop the podium by Baldwin, who pinned Henley’s Estefan Muneton in 76 seconds to win the 165 title. They’re among 16 Vikings who’ll make the long trip from Klamath Falls to Portland for the state meet in two weeks.
Henley’s Clark keeps in-state win streak intact, claims third district title
Clark continued making his case as the state’s most dominant wrestler, breezing to a third district title with two pins and a technical fall over Mazama’s Hadyn Burk in the 126 final to improve to 52-1 this season.
Clark went undefeated as a junior in winning the 120 state title a year after missing weight by two-tenths of a pound at the district meet as a sophomore. He has not lost on the mat to an in-state opponent since December 2021 — his only loss this season was to Nicholas Bulanin of Elk Grove (Calif.) in the Sierra Nevada Classic final — and is 140-8 for his career.
Henley, Marshfield wrestlers earn third district crowns
Besides Mazama’s duo and Clark, four other wrestlers repeated as district champions. Nichols defeated another returning champion in Klamath Union’s Mathyis Horton in the 138 final, pinning the Pelicans senior in 4:57 for his third district title. Hite also won a third title, moving up three weight classes in doing so, and Hicks and Humphrey also repeated.
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Special District 4 (at Crook County)
Team champion: Crook County (440.5 points)
Most qualifiers: Crook County (18), La Grande (12), Pendleton (12)
Individual champions
106 Bragen Anderson, So., La Grande
113 Chase Hemphill, Fr., Crook County
120 Aldo Duran, Jr., Baker/Powder Valley
126 Chance Yancey, So., Crook County
132 Kai Carson, Sr., La Grande
138 Landon Lavey, Jr., Crook County
144 Tommy Belding, So., La Grande
150 Vance Nelson, So., Pendleton
157 Riley Krantz, So., La Grande
165 Ridge Kehr, Sr., La Grande
175 Ethan Lamphere, Jr., Crook County
190 Gavin Sandoval, Jr., Crook County
215 Tommy Ishida, Sr., Ontario
285 Kenai Huff, Jr., La Grande
3 notes
Crook County shows it’s still force to be reckoned with
Crook County saw a decade-long streak of finishing first or second at OSAA state meets snapped last season when the Cowboys finished a distant third behind Eastern Oregon rival La Grande at Memorial Coliseum.
The Cowboys then struggled to a sixth-place finish at last month’s Reser’s Tournament of Champions, with only four wrestlers making the podium. Their 116-point romp to a second consecutive district title announced they should not be forgotten in two weeks in the 4A title race.
The Cowboys won five district titles, advanced a district-best 18 wrestlers and qualified wrestlers in 13 of 14 weight classes. They got a boost with the return of Sandoval, last year’s 152-pound state champion who missed the regular season because of injury. He moved up three weight classes but didn’t miss a beat in his return, spending a cumulative 141 seconds on the mat in pinning three opponents.
La Grande sending 12 to Memorial Coliseum to defend state title
Two-time defending state champion La Grande didn’t have a bad district meet (except compared with its 2023 standard of seven titlists and 17 qualifiers), advancing six champions and 12 wrestlers for the state tournament.
Among the Tigers’ champions were Carson, a two-time state titlist who won a fourth district title, and Reser’s TOC champion Belding. Of their seven returning state medalists from last year, six earned returned trips, including district champions Anderson, Kehr and Huff.
Pendleton also qualifies 12 to state, finishes third at district
Pendleton posted its best finish at a district tournament in the past five years, finishing third in the team standings and advancing 12 wrestlers to state. Nelson improved upon a third-place district finish a year ago to win his first title, surviving in sudden-victory overtime in the semifinals and knocking off Jayden Lopez of Crook County in the final with a third-period fall.
