Oregon wrestling 126/115 small-school roundup: Henley's Dylan Clark wins 2nd OSAA state title
For the past two years, Henley senior Dylan Clark proved himself one of the most dominant wrestlers pound-for-pound in the state regardless of classification.
And in Friday’s Class 4A 126-pound final at the OSAA wrestling state championships, Clark showed off one last time for the crowd at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Clark toyed with Cascade freshman Hans Kamm for more than four minutes, taking him down nine times and reversing him once in a 23-8 technical fall to win his second consecutive title and improve his record during that run to 103-1.
“Before my matches, I always like to say that I want to get like 15-2, 15-3, then try to pin them,” Clark said. “Even if you get a tough kid like that, try to put up 23 points and go from there, just keep scoring, keep attacking. You never want to settle. You just want more.”
Clark’s two-year reign followed what might have been the lowest point in his career — when he missed weight by two-tenths of a pound at the Skyline district meet as a sophomore, ending a season during which he went undefeated against in-state competition.
“That moment sophomore year really just made me rethink life in general,” Clark said. “It actually grew my faith in God, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. Like, of course, it’s unfortunate, but it’s God’s timing.
“So, I’ve got to give all thanks to Him, my coaches, my parents, grandparents, everyone that supported me. I’m so very thankful, and hopefully, I can just keep becoming an even better version of myself.”
Clark went undefeated at 47-0 last season, and his only loss this season was to Nicholas Bulanin of Elk Grove (Calif.) in the Sierra Nevada Classic final.
“This was just like the exclamation point on so many people doubting me,” Clark said. “But it’s kind of hard to beat last year, too, because that was my first one, especially having freshman year losing in the finals, then sophomore year, missing weight, and that one last year was kind of proving to myself that I could do it.
“So, just the people who were by my side, I can’t thank them enough.”
3A: Burns junior Kale Cornell won his third state title with a 5-0 decision over Harrisburg freshman Jackson Peterman. Cornell, who is 134-13 in his career, will try to become the school’s third four-time champion next year.
2A/1A: Sophomore Taylor Parsons of Grant Union/Prairie City is halfway to becoming his school’s first four-time champion after pinning Knappa’s Corbin Roe with 1 second left in the match.
4A/3A/2A/1A Girls: Junior Lyndie Isaacson won La Grande’s only individual title with a first-round pin of Crook County’s Taylor Echeverria to put the finishing touch on the Tigers’ first team championship.
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