PORTLAND – Newberg has had plenty of years when it ran laps around the competition in the state wrestling tournament.
But what the Tigers accomplished Friday in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum was just as satisfying for them.
Despite graduating much of its dominant championship team from last year, and being plagued by injuries to top wrestlers, Newberg once again rose to the occasion on the big stage. Trailing West Linn by two points after Friday, the Tigers rallied past the Lions, outscoring them 229.5 to 202.5 to capture another blue trophy.
“We thought it was possible,” coach Neil Russo said of the title. “We had some ups and downs all year. But at every turn our kids answered the bell. On paper coming in, I don't know if we should have won it. But you don't wrestle on paper.”
It's the fourth official state title in the last five state tournaments for Newberg – five of six if the culminating tournament of 2021 is counted. It's also the 15th official championship for the Tigers, giving them the most in state history, one more than Culver and Lowell.
“We've won a few, and they're all special,” Russo said. “This one was a little bit different. It wasn't in the bag. It wasn't just a matter of by how much. The consolation morning, our kids competed as well as anybody could ever ask.”
Newberg got titles from junior Kiah Worthington (106 pounds), sophomore Sawyer Keinonen (126) and senior Gus Amerson (157). Amerson finished 47-1 in repeating as champion.
“A lot of people were doubting us, but as a team, we got it done,” Keinonen said. “We work really hard, I think harder than any team here. And I think that showed.”
It was redemption for Keinonen, who was runner-up last year, when his brother, Zachary, also lost in the final in his bid to become a four-time state champion.
“Leaving here feeling good is definitely way better than leaving here on a bad note,” Sawyer Keinonen said. “Just finishing the season strong, it feels great.”
West Linn, which won the team title in 2023 and was second last year, had a strong tournament but couldn't overcome Newberg. Senior Oscar Doces (144) and freshman Darion Johnson (113) won titles for the Lions.
Doces put the final touches on a three-peat by routing Century sophomore Jorge Rodriguez 23-7 in the final.
“He got me at first, but I knew he couldn't hang the rest of the match,” Doces said. “I knew I just had to put it on him. I knew it was my day.”
Johnson, the No. 2 seed, won 9-4 in the final over top-seeded Roseburg junior Drew Dawson, the champion at 106 last year. In their previous meeting, Dawson pinned Johnson in the first round at the Reser's Tournament of Champions.
“I kind of went through a little rough patch there,” Johnson said of the loss. “I couldn't really find myself. But thanks to all my teammates and my coaches really being there, supporting me, I was able to find myself and finish off the way I wanted to.”
South Medford senior Bridger Foss (175) won a title for the second year in a row. Grants Pass senior Owen Hull (165), who won a title as a sophomore but missed the end of his junior season after having knee surgery, picked up his second championship.
The top-seeded Hull pinned the No. 2 seed, Sprague senior Sullivan Puckett, in 50 seconds.
“It's kind of an exclamation point,” Hull said. “I wanted to come out and make a statement in my final match in high school.”
Forest Grove sophomore Archy De La Rosa, whose undefeated freshman season was spoiled by a loss in the 113 final, claimed the title at 120 by handling Roseburg junior Carter Dawson 9-1.
“Last year I came up short, but I used that as motivation to try to fix the mistakes I made during that match,” De La Rosa said. “It pushed me in practice a lot, thinking about it. It pushed me to a better level.”
South Medford junior Isandre De La Torre denied Nelson senior Dominic Macon an undefeated season and repeat title by prevailing 3-2 in the heavyweight final.
5A
Crater, behind titles from senior Joey Hutchins (132), junior Jaret Hickey (138) and sophomores Jeremiah Oliva (120) and Aidan Godley (144), amassed 289 points to win the 5A team title. Thurston (263.5) finished as runner-up for the second year in a row, ahead of Canby (182.5) and Redmond (138.5).
It's the first championship since 2017 for the Comets, who won their 10th title, all under longtime coach Greg Haga.
“It means so much,” Hutchins said. “I'm happy that we finally won this thing. We've been shooting to win this thing since I got here my sophomore year. We finally gave Haga his 10th title, so now he can have 10 rings.”
Hutchins, Oliva and Godley all repeated as champions. Hutchins, who had four losses last year, finished an unbeaten season, going 43-0.
“I was more confident in my ability being a state champion,” said Hutchins, who was the 3A runner-up as a freshman at Cascade Christian. “I put in so much work in the offseason, I was much better than when I won it the first time.”
Canby senior Jackson Doman went undefeated for the second year in a row, repeating as champion at 215. After going 45-0 last year, he went 46-0 this season.
Doman beat Silverton senior Brash Henderson, last year's heavyweight champion, 5-0 in the final. In their previous meeting this season, Doman gutted out a 2-1 win over Henderson.
“This match, I went out there and I tried to work on my moves a little bit more,” Doman said. “Last time I wrestled him I was a little cautious, little nervous, you know, heavyweight state champ. But I went there, worked on what I knew would work.”
It could be the final wrestling match ever for the 6-foot-5 Doman, who has committed to Brigham Young football as a tight end.
“It feels good to go out with a good win,” Doman said. “He's the reason I work hard in practice every day. I just want to thank him for that. I'm grateful for the good match ending my career, most likely.”
Two sets of brothers claimed titles: Bend senior Eric Larwin (150) and sophomore Leif Larwin (175) and Thurston freshman Lukas Salas-Sanchez (106) and sophomore Michael Salas-Sanchez (113).
The Larwins are the sons of Bend coach Luke Larwin, a former Mountain View and University of Oregon wrestler. He said the “win later” philosophy of training his sons is reaping dividends as Eric and Leif finished the season with records of 32-0 and 44-1, respectively. Leif won his second title.
“We didn't always win everything when they were little, but now they've reached a point where they're at a pinnacle of achievement,” said Luke Larwin, who also has a seventh-grade son, Max, ready to follow in his brothers' footsteps. “This is kind of the fruits of their labors.”
Moments after Lukas Salas-Sanchez won the title, Michael Salas-Sanchez – who was runner-up last year as a freshman – capped off a 46-0 season with a championship.
“We talked about this all year,” Michael Salas-Sanchez said. “We knew it was going to happen. We believed it. We spoke it into the world. We did it. I think we can do whatever we put our minds to.”
6A/5A girls
Thurston didn't have an individual champion, but the Colts used their depth to win the 6A/5A girls title for the second consecutive year. Thurston scored 124 points to beat Redmond (114.5), Dallas (113) and Forest Grove (95).
Six wrestlers won repeat titles in McKay senior Sarahi Chavez (100), North Medford junior Skyler Hall (105), Dallas senior Polly Olliff (115), Wells junior Zorina Johnson (130), Forest Grove senior Kennedy Blanton (140) and Cleveland senior Isabel Herring (155).
The second-seeded Johnson defeated another reigning champion, North Medford senior Sadie Hall, in the 130 final. Johnson won 22-4 to finish the season 29-0.
“I came into this tournament and I wanted all tech falls,” Johnson said. “That was my goal, and I pretty much succeeded, except for one pin. I wanted to elevate my level this season. I'm so glad that I was in such a great bracket this year.”
Johnson said being seeded second made her “more excited.”
“It's really fun being the underdog,” she said. “I love to go get it, to go take it, and I have confidence in myself.”
Chavez was the only other wrestler in the tournament to go undefeated, finishing 35-0.
Olliff pushed her record to 54-1 with a 10-3 win over her district rival, Corvallis senior Jennifer Russell. Like last year, Russell handed Olliff her only defeat of the season. The final was their fifth meeting this season, four going to Olliff.
“You never know what's going to happen because she's a very worthy competitor,” Olliff said. “I knew it could go either way, so it's always very nerve-racking. I really, really needed to work on my mental game throughout this. Praying a lot before matches helped calm me down so I could go out and wrestle with a clear head.”
Forest Grove senior Kailea Takahashi, the runner-up at 130 last year, took the title at 125. Takahashi, the No. 3 seed, knocked off the top seed, unbeaten Mountainside senior Layla Morris, 5-0 in the semifinals. She defeated the No. 2 seed, Caldera junior Joey Dean, by technical fall in the final.
Takahashi had not faced Morris this season.
“I've been sick, but I know I usually can out-gas anyone,” Takahashi said. “My biggest thing was just to take her past the first round. I knew she was good. Just keep it close the whole time, and I knew it was going to be a matter of points.”
Tigard senior Natalie Wilhoit, the fifth seed, pinned top-seeded Corvallis senior Ryann Sharp in the semifinals on her way to the title at 170. Two unseeded wrestlers met in the 135 final, with Crater freshman Audrey Robinson pinning Mountain View junior Alana Troullier in the first round.
jerryu@osaa.org
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