Oregon 5A wrestling: Champions, takeaways from district meets
By René Ferrán | Photo by Leon Neuschwander
The 5A wrestling district meets took place over the weekend, with the OSAA state championships scheduled for Feb. 24-25 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
Here’s a look at the champions and three takeaways from each of the four district meets. The top four finishers from each district meet advance to state.
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Northwest Oregon (at Canby)
Team champion: Canby (409 points)
Most qualifiers: Canby (18), Centennial (9)
Individual champions
106 John Duong, Centennial, Sr.
113 Connor Farlow, Hood River Valley, So.
120 Craig Williams, Canby, Jr.
126 Theo Baldwin, Milwaukie, Sr.
132 Carson Farlow, Hood River Valley, Sr.
138 Skyler Salzman, Hillsboro, Jr.
145 Kenny Schroeder, Centennial, So.
152 Thomas Marquez, Canby, Sr.
160 Ethan Ensrud, Canby, Sr.
170 Wyatt Samarin, Canby, Jr.
182 Preston Echeverria, Hillsboro, Jr.
195 Antonio Aguilar, Milwaukie, So.
220 Sebastian Echeverria, Hillsboro, Sr.
285 Jaden Echeverria, Hillsboro, Sr.
3 notes
Canby conquers field in first year at 5A to win second consecutive district title
Canby ended a 14-year district title drought last year in its final season in the 6A Three Rivers League.
The Cougars celebrated their first year in 5A by winning a second consecutive championship in dominant fashion, outscoring runner-up Centennial (which also dropped to 5A this year) by 148 points to wrap up a season that saw them go undefeated against NWOC competition. Canby advanced 18 wrestlers to Memorial Coliseum in search of the program’s first team trophy since 2009.
The Cougars again won four individual titles, but all four were debut champions. Their only returning titlist — sophomore Matthew Young — lost to Baldwin in the 126 final. Ensrud won an all-Canby final at 160, defeating James Keinonen 5-2.
All in the family for Hillsboro
Hillsboro’s third-place finish in the team standings was a family affair, with three Echeverrias dominating at the heavier weights and Salzman winning at 138. All four are legacies in the Spartans program, with their fathers having wrestled there in the early 2000s.
Multiple champions for Milwaukie
Baldwin’s victory gave Milwaukie its first district championship since the 2020 season. When Aguilar followed with a first-period pin of Hillsboro’s Gregory Wallace in the 195 final, it marked the first time since 2019 that the Mustangs had multiple district titlists in the same year.
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Mid-Willamette (at Salem Armory)
Team champion: Dallas (468 points)
Most qualifiers: Dallas (18), West Albany (9), Lebanon (8)
Individual champions
106 Carsen Atterbury, Dallas, Fr.
113 Everest Sutton, Crescent Valley, Jr.
120 Ismael Flores, McKay, Sr.
126 Jose Romero, Dallas, Jr.
132 Andrew Craven, Dallas, Jr.
138 DJ Gillett, Crescent Valley, Sr.
145 Derek Sossie, West Albany, Sr.
152 Ethan Dunigan, Central, Sr.
160 Oscar Marks, Silverton, Sr.
170 Daschle Lamer, Crescent Valley, Sr.
182 Cole Langford, Dallas, Jr.
195 Emiliano Rocha, Dallas, Sr.
220 Brash Henderson, Silverton, So.
285 Ben Hartman, Crescent Valley, Sr.
3 notes
Dallas poised to return to medal stand after dominating district meet
It’s been four years since Dallas took home hardware from the state championships and five since the Dragons won their second Class 5A title.
Crescent Valley’s rise coincided with the Dragons’ slippage. Dallas’ depth allowed it to supplant the Raiders as district champion last year, although Crescent Valley’s top-end talent allowed it to win a fourth consecutive state title.
This year, the Dragons combined depth — they qualified a wrestler in all 14 weight classes — with five district champions to dominate the field, scoring 213 points more than West Albany and stamping themselves as one of the favorites at Memorial Coliseum this week. Romero, who was Dallas’ only champion a season ago, beat teammate Sully Hill 3-0 in the 126 final.
Crescent Valley’s Gillett, Lamer set up for run at fourth state titles
The Raiders slipped to fifth in the team standings this season, but they still have a couple of wrestlers who hope to become four-time state champions this weekend. Gillett and Lamer tuned up for their bids at joining that elite club by winning their third district titles — Gillett defeated Dallas’ Isaac Jones 7-3 in the 138 final, and Lamer spent a combined 110 seconds over three matches to cruise to the 170 title.
Seven returning champions victorious in title defense
Returning champions went 7-1 over the weekend, with Sutton, Sossie, Dunigan and Henderson also repeating atop the podium. Flores, who qualified for the 6A state meet last year, denied Lebanon senior Landon Carver a second consecutive title with an 8-6 overtime victory.
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Midwestern (at Thurston)
Team champion: Thurston (439 points)
Most qualifiers: Crater (16), Eagle Point (16), Thurston (14)
Individual champions
106 Kanoe Kelly, Thurston, Jr.
113 Elijah Bayne, Crater, So.
120 Joey Hutchins, Crater, So.
126 Colton Annis, Thurston, So.
132 Kutter Christensen, Crater, Fr.
138 Holton Halstead, Thurston, So.
145 Kolton Malone, Thurston, Sr.
152 Braylin Ruchti, Thurston, Sr.
160 Ayden Tazioli, Crater, Sr.
170 Sawyer Casarez, Thurston, Sr.
182 Braiden Tester, Crater, Sr.
195 Vaun Halstead, Thurston, Sr.
220 Hayden Walters, Crater, Sr.
285 Diego Medina, Springfield, Sr.
3 notes
Thurston wins taut title race with Crater
Thurston has added to its trophy case each of the past five years with top-four finishes at the 5A state meet, but it’s been 21 years since the Colts won their only title in 2002.
They earned a fifth MWL district title in the past six years this weekend, but unlike last year, when they won by 137 points, they edged Crater by 19.5 points this time, enjoying a 7-6 advantage in district champions and overcoming two all-Comets finals and Crater’s edge in total state qualifiers.
Malone, who sat out the Reser’s Tournament of Champions to rest for the postseason, returned over the weekend and defeated Crater’s Ty Havniear 7-1 to extend his win streak to 74 matches.
Halstead, Walters avoid possible clash
What could have been an epic 220 final between three-time state champion Walters and Vaun Halstead, the defending state champion at that weight, turned out not to be. Walters, who ballooned from 195 to 220 while sidelined nearly two months with a dislocated right wrist, easily won that bracket; Halstead dropped to 195 and romped to three victories to head to state unbeaten at 33-0.
Springfield has first district titlist since 2019
With Thurston, Crater and third-place Eagle Point gobbling up 46 of the 56 available state berths, the other four teams were left scrambling for scraps. Medina was the only wrestler outside of the top two teams to win a district title, becoming his program’s first district titlist since 2019 with a 3-1 victory over Ashland’s Jack Bauer.
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Intermountain (at Redmond)
Team champion: Mountain View (455.5 points)
Most qualifiers: Mountain View (19), Redmond (15), Ridgeview (12), Bend (10)
Individual champions
106 Aiden Nelmes, Mountain View, Fr.
113 Ryder Lee, Redmond, So.
120 Scout Santos, Mountain View, Jr.
126 Ansen Widing, Redmond, Sr.
132 Drew Jones, Mountain View, Sr.
138 Andrew Worthington, Mountain View, Sr.
145 Joseph Downing, Redmond, Jr.
152 Finn Schuller, Bend, Sr.
160 Jackson Potts, Mountain View, Jr.
170 Deandre McDonald, Redmond, Jr.
182 Liam Byrne, Mountain View, Jr.
195 Chad Spitz, Redmond, Sr.
220 Alex Garcia-Ortega, Mountain View, Sr.
285 Ashton Fields, Redmond, Jr.
3 notes
Mountain View returns to 5A, knocks off Redmond for district title
Make no mistake — the Intermountain district was a top-heavy affair, with two teams shut out from the state berths and one failing to have a single wrestler make the podium with a top-six finish.
Mountain View finished atop the heap by 62 points over Redmond, with the Cougars qualifying a state-leading 19 wrestlers in their bid for a first state championship (they placed fifth at 6A last year) and the Panthers well set up to make the podium again after finishing fourth last year — their first trophy at an OSAA state meet since 2017.
Mountain View and Redmond combined to win 13 of 14 weight classes, with Santos, Jones and Potts following district titles in the 6A Mountain Valley last year with victories this season.
Two district champions unable to defend titles
Two district champions of a year ago reached the final this season but were unable to repeat. Redmond sophomore Billy Jackson, who reached the 106 state final last year, lost an 8-3 decision to Santos, a 6A finalist as a sophomore. Ridgeview senior Dylan Lee, who won the 160 state title last year wrestling for Redmond, had to forfeit the final to Potts (third in 6A) because of a medical issue.
Bend’s Schuller wins title to earn first state berth
Schuller did not qualify for the state meet in his first three seasons, placing fifth at the 6A Mountain Valley district meet as a sophomore during the COVID-shortened season and fourth last year, failing to earn a wild card. He earned his first berth as the top seed at 152, defeating Redmond’s Jared Ake 13-4 in the final as the only wrestler not from Mountain View or Redmond to win a title.
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