Toledo dedicates 2A/1A wrestling title to late coach Rick Russell: ‘It was always his dream’
To this generation of Toledo wrestlers, Rick Russell is the godfather.
The beloved pastor resurrected the program several years ago and served as their coach, friend and mentor until his passing on New Year’s Eve in 2021.
Friday night at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Russell’s vision became reality. He’d hoped one day to bring the Boomers a state championship, and his boys delivered with a dominant second-day performance to win the program’s first title.
“This is absolutely everything to us,” said senior Cody Vance, who put the finishing touches on the 2A/1A team title by becoming Toledo’s fourth state champion of the evening with a 3-1 overtime decision against returning champion Thomas Bischoff of Regis in the 215-pound final.
“It was always his dream to have a state title as a team, so it means absolutely everything to us, to the town of Toledo, Lincoln County, to have a state championship wrestling team. It has never been done before, and it’s a super cool thing.”
Vance joined three-time champion Ash Blomstrom (190), two-time champion Logan Gerding (132) and undefeated 144 champion Christian Retherford atop the podium. All four are seniors, as is third-place finisher Sterling Buckley at 150.
Only junior Kolby Coxen (third at 285) is a nonsenior among the group of six Boomers who medaled, lifting them to a 16.5-point victory over Willamina.
“We’ve got six guys who’ve been doing this our whole life, and it’s just one of those things that we finally got it done,” Retherford said.
The Boomers made the podium for the first time two years ago when they placed fourth, then came back last year and took third.
“When we took third, that’s when we thought that we actually have a chance at it,” Retherford said.
Willamina’s chances of winning a first state title since 2018 took a hit in the placing round before the finals, when the Bulldogs went 2-4 — including Coxen pinning Willamina senior Rhyne Nelson late in the second period of their heavyweight match.
Their lead fell to 3.5 points with Coxen’s victory, and when the unseeded Gerding earned a 4-2 decision against top seed Zak Chatelain of Nestucca to win his second title, that sealed the championship.
Camas Valley, which broke off from Douglas four years ago to start its program, placed third by one point over Illinois Valley to win the Hornets’ first trophy, with senior Owen Koegler’s pin of Union/Cove’s Sam Platz with four seconds left in the 165 final providing the bonus points needed to move past the defending champion Cougars.
Illinois Valley’s evening was punctuated by senior Mike Miller becoming the school’s first four-time state champion, pinning Pine Eagle’s Hunter Buck 27 seconds into the third period of the 113 final.
“I’d say this was the toughest one,” said Miller, who trailed 6-2 late in the first round.
Sophomore James Conn, who lost to Miller in last year’s 106 final, came back to win that weight class, and senior Ryan Griffin won his second title at 150.
Also repeating as state champions were Lowell’s Harley Hardison (120), Grant Union/Prairie City’s Taylor Parsons (126) and Myrtle Point’s Logan Clayburn (285). Vernonia’s Trevor Wolf (138), Oakridge’s Kayden Tiller (157) and Elgin’s Ty McLaughlin (175) became first-time titlists.
