Wrestling: Coaches predict Outlaws will place eighth at state

Published 10:15 am Wednesday, February 21, 2024

PORTLAND – As the state’s best wrestlers — including seven from Wallowa County schools — start action on Thursday, Feb. 22 vying for a state title, the Oregon School Activities Association released the final coaches’ poll of the season on Wednesday, Feb. 21 for boys wrestling.

Coaches around the state are picking the combined team of Enterprise and Wallowa to finish eighth at the state tournament.

Illinois Valley is picked to take home the state team title with Willamina a close second.

Toledo, Elgin and Culver round out the coach’s top five picks.

The Enterprise-Wallowa team has six wrestlers competing at state:

• James Royes: 113 pounds.

• Luke Patterson: 120 pounds.

• Gunner Sinclair: 126 pounds.

• Tegan Evans: 150 pounds (District Champion).

• Ashtyn Irwin: 165 pounds.

• Cade Cunningham: 285 pounds (District Champion).

Jayden McNall, wrestling at 132 pounds, is the sole representative of Joseph at the state meet.

District results

ECHO — After two days of wrestling action at Echo High School, the combined Enterprise/Wallowa boys wrestling team placed third in the 2A/1A district meet while Joseph finished 11th among the 13 teams on the mats.

The action wrapped up with the Outlaws compiling 170 points after the two days. The team district title went to Culver with 257.5 points while Irrigon claimed second with 210.5 points. Following Enterprise/Wallowa, Elgin and Grant Union/Prairie City wrapped up the top five teams in the district standings.

In addition to the team standing, the Outlaws saw two grapplers take individual titles.

At 150 pounds, senior Tegan Evans pinned Crane’s Bear Doman in the final match to claim a district individual title. The pin came at the 3 minute, 19 second mark of the match and boosted Evans to a season record of 35-8.

Also standing at the top of the podium was Enterprise/Wallowa senior Cade Cunningham. Taking the mat at 285 pounds, Cunningham also took his title by pin, beating Irrigon’s Austin Wells at the 24-second mark and will make the trip to the state tournament sporting a 35-7 record for the season.

The Outlaws will be in Portland for the state tournament sporting a team of six wrestlers.

Joseph sends one wrestler, Jayden McNall, to state.

The state tournament is scheduled for Feb. 22-24 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 300 N. Winning Way in Portland.

Pine Eagle results

PINE EAGLE — The Enterprise and Joseph boys’ wrestling teams competed against teams from both Idaho and Oregon at the Pine Eagle Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 3 in the gym at Pine Eagle High School.

The Outlaw boys placed third in the team standings with 124 points. 3A Nyssa was second with 138 points and a team from Idaho, Tri-Valley, took the title with 183.5 points. With 10 points, Joseph finished 12th.

Two Enterprise wrestlers stood atop the podium with individual championships.

Wrestling at 120 pounds, Luke Patterson finished a perfect 5-0 for the day, culminating with a victory by pin over Pine Eagle’s Ezra Simpson in the championship round.

Gunner Sinclair also picked up a 5-0 record at 126 pounds with the Outlaw winning all his matches by pin including the final, a victory over Crane’s Tanner Joyce.

Both James Royes and Tegan Evans picked up second-place showings. Evans, wrestling in the 150-pound class won his first three matches before falling in a 3-0 decision to Tri-Valley’s Eli Noah.

Royes also won his first three trips to the mat, falling in the championship match by major decision to Pine Eagle’s Hunter Buck.

Ashtyn Irwin and Will Ogden collected third-place finishes for the Outlaws.

All of Joseph’s points were picked up by Dylan Rogers and his 3-2 finish in the 138-pound class.

The Joseph girls’ wrestling team sent three wrestlers to the Pine Eagle Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 3, at Pine Eagle High School — and all three finished in the top four at the meet.

Lachlan Thompson wrestled to a second-place showing in the Girls A division. After taking a win by pin on round one, Thompson fell by pin in the championship to Four Rivers’ Lacatia Mason.

In the Girls C class, Gwendalyn Bastedt exited Pine Eagle with a third-place showing. After suffering losses in her first two matches, Bastedt bounced back in round three with a win over Four Rivers’ Georgie Edmunson.

Sarah Musia competed in the Girls B class, finishing fourth for the day’s action.