S.F. Tool/Chieftain Northeastern Oregon Wrestling Club member Owen Cunningham (top) struggles to subdue his Elgin opponent in a Dec. 18 match.

The Northeastern Oregon Wrestling Club suffered a 54-15 defeat Dec. 18 at the hands of a very aggressive Elgin Wrestling squad. Despite the defeat, Coach Matt McDowell saw bright spots in the NOWC performance.

“I’m a little competitive, so it can get disappointing, but we have a young team. We could have done better if I had put all my number one kids out there, but I wanted everyone to have a chance to wrestle,” McDowell said.

Elgin brought 18 wrestlers to the meet. The match officially ended after the 18 bouts, but some of the Enterprise wrestlers who hadn’t participated wrestled willing Elgin grapplers or even members of their own team. Troy Farwell, wrestling coach of Enterprise High School, officiated all of the matches.

McDowell said he thought his team wrestled well and learned a lot at the meet. “I think it’s important for kids to see good wrestling because it makes them shoot a little higher for their goals, and it helps their competitiveness.”

McDowell also said the head-to-head matches are good for team parents to watch because someone on their team participates in every single match.

Parent Jason Lyman, whose son, Jonah, won his 5-6 year-old match said he enjoyed the meet. “This many kids take the help of a lot of parents and I think we all recognize that,” he said.

The East Cascade Orway meet, held in Baker City on Dec. 20, ended the official season for the NOWC on a positive note. McDowell said the team performed much better, bringing 17 wrestlers to the meet, seven of whom placed well enough to compete in the finals. “Our kids wrestled unbelievable. They really stepped up, and we ended up with four champions, and we had seven kids in the finals. This is the best placing we’ve had in years,” McDowell said.

Several of the NOWC wrestlers did well enough during the season to participate in the upcoming Eastern Oregon Classic Qualifier meet in La Grande on Jan. 10. Those who qualify can participate in the Kids Division at the Oregon Wrestling Classic in Redmond, Jan. 16-18. The OWC is a statewide wrestling meet and the Kids Division includes wrestlers from 5-16 years old.

“I’m proud of my kids, and they learned a lot this year. I think you need to start with these young kids who are oozing with talent to build strong high school programs, and I think it’s something this county needs. I’m in this for the long haul,” McDowell said.

Baker Tournament Results:

5-6 years – Jonah Lyman, 1st place, 47 lbs; Shane Wenke, 2nd place, 47 lbs; James Royes, 2nd place, 43 lbs; Kody Salmon, age 5-6, 3rd place, 58 lbs. Team members Henry Staigle and Patrick Wenke also participated,

7-8 years – Teagan Evans – 3rd place, 72 lbs; Gunnar McDowell, 2nd place, 97 lbs. Anthony Owings and Noah Wenke also participated.

9-10 years – Lute Ramsden, 5th place, 67 lbs.

11-12 years – Zeb Ramsden, 1st place, 85 lbs; Trace Evans, 1st place, 90 lbs; Jonah Staigle, 3rd place, 133 lbs.

13-15 years – Steven Beckman, 3rd place, 85-95 lbs; Evan Johnson, 3rd place, 107 lbs; Gus Ramsden, 1st place, 130-138 lbs.