Rich Rautenstrauch/Chieftain Wallowa senior Micah Fuller, who possesses a 30-3 overall record on the season, won the 195-pound 2A/1A title Saturday at the District Wrestling Tournament and will compete Friday and Saturday at the OSAA championships in Portland.

Wallowa senior Micah Fuller completed a clean sweep of pins through the district and state OSAA 2A/1A wrestling tournaments Saturday in Portland en route to claiming the first individual state wrestling championship during the 20-plus Wallowa High School coaching career of Mel Byers.

The only other qualifier from Wallowa County competing at the two-day tournament held in Veterans Memorial Coliseum was another senior, Jared Wilcox of Joseph, who won one of three close decisions and did not place.

Fuller, whose immediate plans after high school are to attend West Coast Baptist College, in Lancaster, Calif., then transfer to Treasure Valley Community College to resume his sports career in track, concluded his season with a 33-3 won-loss record. Two of those losses came against Vale senior Sage Delong who pinned four opponents during first rounds of the OSAA 3A State Tournament while claiming that title at that same 195-pound classification. Fuller’s only other loss came during the season’s opening tournament in Enterprise against John Propheter, of Heppner, whom Fuller defeated twice in subsequent matches.

Seeded No. 2 in the state tournament, Fuller pinned Bryan Corbett of Glendale in 4:38, Nathan Truax of Knappa in 4:23, and pinned No. 1 seeded Thomas Keeler of Gold Beach at 3:06 into the championship match.

The only time the eventual victor from Wallowa said he felt threatened during the state meet came during the first round of his opening match against Corbett when he got thrown on his back.

“This definitely is the peak of my wrestling career,” said Fuller.

Wilcox, wrestling with a tight brace to protect a knee that will require surgery, was highly competitive in all three of his matches, even during his second round loss by decision to the tournament’s No. 1-seeded 152-pound competitor, Cale Edmunds of Oakridge. After decisioning No. 4-seeded Chris Ralston, of Monroe, by a 7-5 score in the first round, Wilcox lost a narrow 4-2 decision to Edmunds. In a consolation match to earn a third-place medal, Wilcox narrowly was outpointed 7-4 by Levi Vincent, of Culver. Even in that match, said JoHi Coach Tim Kiesecker, Wilcox was seconds away from pinning Vincent when the horn blew to end the match and Wilcox’s high school career.

Team scores:

Culver 147.5; Lowell 127; Monroe 98; Gold Beach 74; Crane 69; Oakridge 48; Heppner 39; Burns 38.5; Central Linn 36; Elgin 32; Knappa 27; Myrtle Point 26; Wallowa 24; Riddle 23; Union 22; Pine Eagle 18; Grant Union 14; Chiloquin 14; Nestucca 14; North Lake 9; Imbler 8; Reedsport 7; Bonanza 4; Crow 3; Neah-Hah-Nie 3; Oakland 2; Joseph 2; Siletz Valley 1; Adrian 0; Glendale 0; Hosanna Christian 0; Vernonia 0.