Megan Peterson makes history for Hidden Valley: Oregon wrestling 165/145 small-school roundup
A year ago, Megan Peterson was the final wrestler to face Vale’s Ava Collins as Collins completed an undefeated season with her first OSAA state title.
Friday night, Peterson met Vale’s other returning champion — senior Jessica Williams — in the Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls 145-pound final at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
And for one period, it looked as if Williams would again deny Peterson of becoming Hidden Valley’s first girl to win a state title — and her school’s first since Dan Vidlak went back-to-back in 1986-87.
Then, with one sudden move, the Mustangs senior turned the tables on Williams, pinning the Vikings senior with 5 seconds left in the second round to bring on a rush of cheers and tears in her corner.
“It was my weird Peterson pin, sort of,” she said. “I got lucky in that way. It wasn’t really a move. I’d been nervous all day, but it worked out.”
As Peterson departs the program after making history, she hopes her title inspires the next group to come along.
“It’s growing a lot,” she said. “We have a lot of girls on the team now. I grew up in that room. This is great. It’s pretty awesome.”
2A/1A: Two mats down from where Peterson made history, Camas Valley senior Owen Koegler made some of his own, becoming the first state champion in his program’s four-year history by pinning Sam Platz of Union/Cove with 4 seconds left in their 165-pound final.
“It means a lot,” said Koegler, who finished 38-1. “I’ve been working for it my whole life, since I was like 5 years old. That was crazy.”
The small charter school in Douglas County, which previously was in a co-op with nearby Douglas, won its first team trophy by finishing third.
4A: La Grande senior Ridge Kehr, who reached the 152 final last year after placing fourth as a sophomore, won his first title with a 10-2 major decision over Pendleton’s Aidan Perkins in a rematch of their district final two weeks earlier.
3A: Harrisburg sophomore Brody Buzzard is halfway to becoming a four-time state champion after winning his second title with a 4-0 decision against Rainier’s Derek Katon.
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