Oregon (OSAA) wrestling state championships: 10 finals we’d love to see
Over the course of this weekend’s OSAA wrestling state championships, 98 title matches will take place. Each match will be highly anticipated for the participants, and as we look ahead to Friday and Saturday nights, there are 10 potential matchups that could turn out to be epic.
Tournament previews: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls
Friday
2A/1A 120 - Harley Hardison, Lowell, Jr., vs. Micah Martinho, Illinois Valley, Jr.
The two were slated to wrestle in the district final two weeks ago, but Martinho — a two-time state champion who has battled injuries this season — defaulted to Hardison, who won the 120-pound title last year. Here’s hoping these two get through the bracket again to see if Martinho could take one more step toward becoming a four-timer.
3A 190 - Mishael Mauck, Banks, Sr., vs. Tag Deluca, La Pine, Jr.
Deluca won the 160 title last year as a No. 3 seed. This time, he’s a No. 2 seed after moving up two weight classes to meet Mauck, last year’s 220 titlist who’s dropping a weight class this season.
3A 285 - Brett Highburger, Elmira, Sr., vs. Carl Orchard, Corbett, Soph.
Highburger and Orchard were surprise finalists in this weight class last season, when Orchard — the No. 4 seed — knocked off the top seed in the semifinals, only to lose to third-seeded Highburger in a second-round fall in the final. The two also met last month at the Dayton Invitational, where Highburger again won by fall. Could the third time be the charm for Orchard?
4A/3A/2A/1A Girls 140 - Ava Collins, Vale, Sr., vs. Hannah Hernandez, Ontario, Sr.
Hernandez won the Rollie Lane Invitational title at 145 pounds this season, but in the past four weeks, she has lost three times to Collins — twice by decision and last weekend by second-round fall in the district final. This Malheur County rivalry now moves across the state to the Coliseum, where a fourth meeting should be a doozy.
4A/3A/2A/1A Girls 235 - Breanna Meek, North Valley, Jr., vs. Mallory Lusco, Grant Union/Prairie City, Jr.
If this matchup of reigning state champions — Lusco a two-time champion who won at 190, Meek at 235 — takes place, it would be the rubber match after Lusco won at the Oregon Classic and Meek avenged the defeat in the district final last weekend.
Saturday
5A 126 - Jose Romero, Dallas, Sr., vs. Aidan Godley, Crater, Fr.
The two met in a classic final at last month’s Reser’s Tournament of Champions, when Romero pulled out a 2-1 overtime victory. They also wrestled at a dual meet at Crater in early January, with Romero also winning that match by a 5-2 decision. You know what they say about how difficult it is to beat someone three times in one season …
5A 285 - Brash Henderson, Silveton, Jr., vs. Ashton Fields, Redmond, Sr.
Henderson would be seeking to finish an undefeated season if he were to meet Fields in a matchup of 2023 state runners-up — Henderson at 220 and Fields at 285. The two met in the quarterfinals at the Reser’s TOC, where Henderson won 5-2 en route to the title.
6A 126 - Isaac Hampton, Newberg, Sr., vs. Jeremiah Wachsmuth, Clackamas, Sr.
These two returning champions are two of the top wrestlers pound-for-pound in the state. Hampton has finished second, first and first in his previous three state meets, and Wachsmuth won his first title last year after reaching the final as a sophomore.
6A 138 - Oscar Doces, West Linn, Jr., vs. Zachary Keinonen, Newberg, Sr.
Keinonen would be shooting to join the four-time state champions club if he were to earn a rematch with Doces of their exhilarating Reser’s TOC final, which Doces won 6-4 in overtime. Both are moving up from the weight classes they won last year — Doces at 126 and Keinonen at 132.
6A 157 - Henry Dillingham, West Linn, Sr., vs. Trae Frederick, Newberg, Sr.
Dillingham called Frederick his “good buddy” after his 8-7 decision in the Reser’s TOC final. They were slated to meet at last year’s state meet before South Medford’s Bridger Foss knocked off Frederick in the semifinals. Frederick would love to avenge his TOC loss, deny Dillingham a second state title, and earn a critical win in Newberg’s quest to reclaim the team championship.
