Oregon 3A wrestling: Champions, takeaways from district meets
By René Ferrán | Photo by Leon Neuschwander
The 3A wrestling district meets took place over the weekend, with the OSAA state championships scheduled for Feb. 23-24 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
Here’s a look at the champions and takeaways from each of the four district meets. The top three finishers from each district meet advance to state.
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Special District 1 (at Rainier)
Team champion: Yamhill-Carlton (362 points)
Most qualifiers: Yamhill-Carlton (13), Banks (12)
Individual champions
106 Hunter Hendricks, Rainier, Sr.
113 Tresten Buchanan, Banks, Fr.
120 Benjamin Dinan, Banks, So.
126 Owen Turner, Banks, Fr.
132 Jack Vandehey, Banks, Jr.
138 Brayden Greenwald, So., Warrenton
145 David Rice, Rainier, Sr.
152 Philemon Mauck, Banks, So.
160 Derek Katon, Rainier, Jr.
170 Erik Potter, Yamhill-Carlton, Sr.
182 Daevon Vereen, Banks, Sr.
195 Donovan Smith, Rainier, Sr.
220 Mishael Mauck, Banks, Jr.
285 Carl Orchard, Corbett, Fr.
Summary
Yamhill-Carlton dethroned two-time defending champion Warrenton despite having just one individual titlist, sending a district-best 13 wrestlers to the state meet. Six Tigers posted runner-up finishes to help them edge Banks by 26.5 points. Banks, which dropped from 4A this school year, won half the district titles, led by Vereen (35-1) and Mauck (34-2), who figure to be among the favorites in their weight classes. Hendricks repeated as district champion at 106 with a 13-2 major decision over Yamhill-Carlton’s David Wheeler and will be part of Rainier’s six-wrestler state contingent.
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Special District 2 (at Scio)
Team champion: Harrisburg (389 points)
Most automatic qualifiers: Harrisburg (14), Elmira (6), Santiam Christian (6)
Individual champions
106 Andres Mendoza, Jefferson, Fr.
113 Luke Cheek, Harrisburg, So.
120 Colton Barklow, Elmira, Jr.
126 Curtis Talmadge, Harrisburg, Sr.
132 Kaden Haugen, Santiam Christian, Sr.
138 William Walton, Elmira, Sr.
145 Brody Buzzard, Harrisburg, Fr.
152 Landen Hecht, Harrisburg, Jr.
160 Devin Martin, Harrisburg, Jr.
170 Joel Sissel, Siuslaw, So.
182 Jared Mehlschau, Santiam Christian, Sr.
195 Mason Buss, Siuslaw, Sr.
220 Dayne Muller, Siuslaw, Jr.
285 Brett Highburger, Elmira, Jr.
Summary
Harrisburg set itself up for its first top-two finish at the state tournament with its domination of the district meet, winning five weight classes and grabbing one-third of the available state berths. Defending state champion Cheek and 2022 runner-up Talmadge were among the Eagles’ winners, but their other state runner-up, junior Nephi Heakin, lost to his teammate, Buzzard, 1-0 in the 145 final. Walton, who was fourth at district but then fourth at the 4A state meet last year, led Elmira to a runner-up finish. Buss, second at state at 4A 160 last year, remained unbeaten at 28-0 with a 6-3 decision over Bryce Chilgren of Harrisburg. Haugen repeated as a district champion with a 12-7 win over Siuslaw’s Hunter Petterson.
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Special District 3 (at Pleasant Hill)
Team champion: North Valley (217 points)
Most automatic qualifiers: Pleasant Hill (7), Glide (6), North Valley (6)
Individual champions
106 Carter Dawson, Glide, Fr.
113 Elijah Hatfield, Glide, Fr.
120 Basen Rambo, Rogue River, Sr.
126 Tyler Waldron, Douglas, Jr.
132 Sylis Williams, South Umpqua, So.
138 Eli Anderson, Pleasant Hill, So.
145 Brayson Granger, Lakeview, Sr.
152 Gavin Hoellrich, Pleasant Hill, Sr.
160 Sage Baker, Douglas, Sr.
170 Adrian Stubbs, Lakeview, Jr.
182 Ryan Gaskin, North Valley, So.
195 Seth Gallego, North Valley, Jr.
220 Tommy Vigue, Coquille/Bandon, Jr.
285 Maddox Griggs, Sutherlin, Sr.
Summary
North Valley improved from fourth at the 4A Special District 3 meet last year to a 3A champion this winter — the Knights’ first championship in program history. They didn’t have a state qualifier until 152 pounds but finished with six, just behind the host Billies. South Umpqua finished second in the team standings but qualified just three wrestlers for state. Pleasant Hill was right behind the Lancers in third, led by repeat district champion Hoellrich, who pinned North Valley’s Mason Core in the second round of their final. Waldron and Baker also repeated as district champions for Douglas, and Stubbs, Vigue and Griggs also won consecutive titles — Vigue and Griggs now look to repeat as state champions.
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Special District 4 (at Riverside)
Team champion: Burns (310 points)
Most automatic qualifiers: Burns (12), La Pine (12)
Individual champions
106 Tyson Flack, La Pine, Sr.
113 Thomas Winn, Burns, Fr.
120 Canon Winn, Burns, So.
126 Kale Cornell, Burns, So.
132 Landyn Philpott, La Pine, So.
138 Devon Kerr, La Pine, So.
145 Carter Lardy, Burns, Sr.
152 Hunter Kemper, Burns, Sr.
160 Tag Deluca, La Pine, So.
170 Easton Kemper, Burns, So.
182 Sean Forbes, La Pine, Jr.
195 Jeffrey Schuler, La Pine, Jr.
220 Justus Zamudio, Umatilla, Jr.
285 Jesse Aragon, Nyssa, Sr.
Summary
Three of the top four teams at last year’s state meet — champion La Pine, runner-up Burns and fourth-place Nyssa — duked it out in Boardman, with the Hilanders eking out a 21-point win over the Hawks, with both sending 12 wrestlers to Memorial Coliseum. La Pine and Burns have combined to win the past four 3A state titles. The Flack brothers (2021 OWA state champion Tyson and sophomore Riley) will wrestle at 106, and 2022 state champions Philpott and Kerr anchor the middle weights for La Pine. The Kemper brothers and Cornell head to state looking to defend their titles. Aragon, the 220-pound state champion a year ago, leads Nyssa’s six-wrestler contingent. Umatilla, which resurrected its program this season after a 14-year hiatus, celebrated its first district champion when Zamudio beat teammate Luis Campos-Mendoza 5-0 in the final.
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