Twelve boys and girls wrestlers put the final touches on a triple crown in the Oregon Wrestling Association freestyle and Greco-Roman championships last weekend at Newberg High School.
Of the six boys that added freestyle and Greco-Roman titles to their high school championships, four were from Newberg in seniors Isaac Hampton (126 pounds) and Dillon Le (144), junior Gus Amerson (157) and sophomore Gavin Rangel (132). The others were Hillsboro senior Preston Echeverria (190) and Lake Oswego junior Lusiano Lopez (215).
Six girls accomplished the feat in Dallas junior Polly Olliff (115), Mountainside junior Layla Morris (120), Crook County senior Makenna Duran (130), North Medford junior Sadie Hall (135), Harrisburg senior Hannah Henderson (155) and Cleveland junior Isabel Herring (170).
The three-day event had nearly 1,400 entries in boys and girls divisions from age 6 through high school.
Host Newberg, which won the 6A boys tournament in February by 123 points, also dominated the OWA championships. The Tigers boasted six champions in each of the freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments, getting two titles each from Hampton, Le, Amerson, Rangel and seniors Zachary Keinonen (138) and Trae Frederick (165).
Hampton, a three-time 6A champion, faced off with Sweet Home senior Kyle Sieminski, a four-time 4A champion, in the finals for both styles at126 pounds. Hampton won both matches by pin.
Hampton and Sieminski are good friends who have competed against each other since they were six years old. Sieminski stayed at Hampton's house during the weekend.
“There's some familiarity there,” Newberg coach Neil Russo said. “I shudder to think how many times they've wrestled.”
Hampton plans to leave for the Naval Academy in late June. He will not compete at Junior Nationals this summer.
“Isaac just continues to progress,” Russo said. “I feel really good about where Isaac is and his future in wrestling.”
Amerson and Rangel, who held their opponents scoreless in the 6A tournament, also did not allow a point in the OWA championships.
Amerson was motivated by last year, when he lost in the 6A finals and was unable to compete in the OWA championships due to illness.
“He didn't dwell on it necessarily, but he went right back to work,” Russo said. “He's just a grinder. He was rewarded with that success.”
Russo said it is difficult to score on Amerson because he is “stingy” on his feet and 'very, very good” on top.
“A lot of people are willing to let people go and wrestle on their feet, and Gus doesn't do a whole lot of that,” Russo said. “He gets on top, and you're going to be fortunate if you don't get turned, let alone get away.”
Rangel's style is much different than Amerson's.
“Gus is a bull and Gavin is a bullfighter,” Russo said. “Gavin is slippery and does some unorthodox things. He's really hard to wrestle.”
The boys 120 division featured finals showdowns between Roseburg senior Gage Singleton and Clackamas senior Jeremiah Wachsmuth.
Singleton, the 6A champion at 113, beat Wachsmuth 3-1 in the freestyle final. Wachsmuth, who defeated Singleton in the 113 final in the 6A tournament last year but lost to Hampton in the 126 final at state this year, defeated Singleton 10-2 for the Greco-Roman title.
Other boys claiming freestyle and Greco-Roman titles were Clackamas freshman Caleb Enoch (113) and David Douglas senior AJ Wedge (285).
Other than the triple crown winners, three other girls won two titles each last weekend in St. Helens senior Katelynn Leonard (110), Forest Grove sophomore Renae Cook (125) and Irrigon senior Stephanie Romero (235).
The girls tournament had 230 entries in the 16U and high school divisions, up from 150 last year.
