Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland is the site for the 2023-24 OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union Wrestling State Championships presented by the US Army. For three days, starting tomorrow, wrestlers will grapple with the possibility that they might become state champions in one of 70 boys brackets across five classifications and one of 28 girls champions across two.
Let’s start by reviewing what happened last year:
Boys
2023 team state champions
6A – West Linn
5A – Redmond
4A – La Grande
3A – La Pine
2A/1A – Illinois Valley
Returning individual state champions in 2023
6A
106 – Max Blanco, McNary* (wrestling at 113 for Clackamas in 2024)
113 – Jeremiah Wachsmuth, Clackamas (126)
120 – Isaac Hampton, Newberg (126)
126 – Oscar Doces, West Linn (138)
132 – Zachary Keionen, Newberg (138)
145 – Charles Spinning, West Linn (165)
152 – Henry Dillingham, West Linn (157)
Keionen is a three-time state champion.
Hampton is a two-time champion.
5A
106 – Kanoe Kelly, Thurston (wrestling at 113 in 2024)
120 – Scout Santos, Mountain View (132)
160 – Jackson Potts, Mountain View (175)
182 – Preston Echevarria, Hillsboro (190)
4A
106 – Bryce Haltiner, Tillamook (wrestling at 113 in 2024)
113 – Kyle Sieminski, Sweet Home (120)
120 – Dylan Clark, Henley (126)
126 – Kai Carson, La Grande (132)
152 – Gavin Sandoval, Crook County (190)
285 – Matthew Evans, Astoria (285)
Sieminski is a three-time state champion.
3A
106 – Carter Dawson, Roseburg (wrestling at 113 for 6A Roseburg in 2024)
113 – Luke Cheek, Harrisburg (120)
126 – Kale Cornell, Burns (126)
132 – Landyn Philpott, La Pine (138)
138 – Devon Kerr, La Pine (144)
145 – Brody Buzzard, Harrisburg (165)
160 – Tag Deluca, La Pine (190)
170 – Easton Kemper, Burns (175)
220 – Mishael Mauck, Banks (190)
285 – Brett Highburger, Elmira (285)
Cheek, Philpott, Kerr and Kemper are two-time state champions.
2A/1A
106 – Mike Miller, Illinois Valley (wrestling at 113 in 2024)
113 – Micah Martinho, Illinois Valley (120)
120 – Harley Hardison, Lowell (120)
126 – Taylor Parsons, Grant Union / Prairie City (126)
132 – Logan Gerding, Toledo (132)
152 – Ryan Griffin, Illinois Valley (150)
170 – Thomas Bischoff, Regis (215)
195 – Ash Blomstrom, Toledo (190)
220 – Logan Clayburn, Myrtle Point (285)
Miller is a three-time state champion.
Martinho and Blomstrom are two-time state champions.
Girls
2023 team state champions
6A/5A – North Medford
4A/3A/2A/1A – La Pine
Returning individual state champions in 2023
6A/5A
100 – Skyler Hall, North Medford (wrestling at 105 in 2024)
105 – Polly Olliff, Dallas (110)
120 – Mariko Sonis, North Salem (120)
125 – Kailea Takahashi, Forest Grove (130)
140 – MacKenzie Shearon, Redmond (155)
145 – Reese Lawson, West Salem (145)
170 – Jasmine Brown, Wilsonville (170)
190 – Ali Martinez, McNary (190)
4A/3A/2A/1A
100 – Vanessa Keller, Oakridge (wrestling at 105 in 2024)
110 – Macali Lade, Siuslaw (110)
120 – MaKenna Duran, Crook County (120)
125 – Bailey Chafin, Sweet Home (125)
135 – Sariah Zepeda, Gervais (135)
140 – Ava Collins, Vale (140)
145 – Jessica Williams, Vale (145)
190 – Mallory Lusco, Grant Union / Prairie City (235)
235 – Brianna Meek, North Valley (235)
Cottage Grove’s Allison Palluck, a state champion last year at 115 pounds, will miss the state tournament this year due to a knee injury.
Lusco is a two-time state champion.
Who will win?
Newberg, with 18 wrestlers, is a clear favorite to take home its third boys 6A title over the past four years. The Tigers have two top seeds and five other second choices.
Dallas finished as the No. 1 boys 5A team and has 20 wrestlers at state. The rest of the final top five, Thurston, Redmond, Crater and Mountain View, could fight their way to the top, with Thurston perhaps rating a slight edge.
Sweet Home and Crook County each has 18 wrestlers in boys 4A. Three-time defending champion La Grande has two-thirds that many. It’s going to be close but Sweet Home should send Kyle Sieminski out as a team state champion as well as a four-timer individually.
Defending 3A champion La Pine is sending nine wrestlers to state. Harrisburg has 17, including defending state champions. The Eagles should win overwhelmingly.
Illinois Valley is the pick to win again in 2A/1A. Willamina has three more wrestlers entered, but Illinois Valley’s 10 includes three defending state champions.
On the girls’ side, look for Thurston to overwhelm with numbers to take 6A/5A, with Dallas and Redmond in the mix.
La Grande looks like the favorite in 4A/3A/2A/1A/, though Sweet Home might have a say in the outcome.
Toughest bracket?
Any bracket that has Roseburg’s Gage Singleton as a 3-seed. The 6A boys bracket at 113 pounds includes freshman sensation Archie De La Rosa of Forest Grove, returning state champion Max Blanco as the 2-seed and Singleton, a 2022 state champion and 2023 runner-up, as the third seed. Carter Dawson, also of Roseburg, a state champion last year at Glide, is the fifth seed. Yup, that’s the one to watch for sure!
News and notes
Canby junior Jackson Doman will take a 42-0 record into the 5A state tournament. Doman is seeded first at 215 for the Cougars, who will send 17 to the Coliseum after winning the NWOC league over the weekend. Canby had nine champions, including Outstanding Wrestler Matthew Young, who pinned his way through the tournament at 144.
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Two other undefeated wrestlers, Domonic Mason of Nelson and Zorina Johnson of Ida B. Wells, will try to join Doman in completing perfect seasons.
Mason is the No. 5 seed at 285 in boys 6A. Johnson is the top choice to win at 125 in girls 6A/5A.
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Lebanon brothers Josiah Wynn and Seth Wynn both won 5A district championships last week. Josiah, a senior, is 20-5 on the year and will be the third seed at 175. Seth is 44-7 at 150 pounds and the fourth seed at State.
“Lebanon is excited to put their names on our district champion wall in our wrestling room for the 2023-2024 season,” said girls coach Brooklyn McElroy. “We are excited to see how they do at the OSAA/OnPoint State Championships in Portland this weekend!”
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Redmond won the IMC District Championship for the first time since 2017. The Panthers had 10 wrestlers in the finals with seven individual champions.
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De La Rosa of Forest Grove isn’t the only freshman kingpin in this year’s tournament. Leif Larsen of Bend is 39-3 in his first varsity campaign and seeded first in the 5A 165-pound bracket.
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Rex Putnam has had a tough year without any seniors and only 21 boys out for the team. Often in duals, the Kingsmen could fill only 8-9 weight classes. They won just one dual. 36-30.
Putnam was set to enter 14 in Saturday’s District tournament but lost two to illness, one to injury and one to a no show the day before. The coaches were amazed when the remaining 10 wrestled out of their minds and four qualified for State, including three-time qualifier Jesse Hernandez and freshman Dean Kost.
Junior Nakodah St. Germaine also made it to the state tournament for the first time. St. Germaine lost to teammates in the blood round the previous two seasons, but this year beat a teammate at the same stage to qualify.
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Senior Hannah Hernandez is Ontario’s lone girls entrant at State. Hernandez got there in style, capturing her 100th career win last weekend at Districts. She will be the No. 3 seed at 140 bounds in the 4A/3A/2A/1A division.
johnt@osaa.org
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