There might not be a better boys wrestling team in the state than Sweet Home.
At least, that’s what the Huskies might have proved last weekend at the annual Rose City Championship Dec. 12-13 at Westview High School.
Sweet Home was the highest placing Oregon team, taking second with 330.5 points. Tahoma (WA) won the event with 377.5 points over the 37 other teams participating.
Camas (WA) was in third with 282.5 points, Thurston took fourth with 278 points and Newberg took fifth with 264 points.
“There’s only one other 4A team here,” Sweet Home head coach Steve Thorpe said of the tournament. “We’re not coming here for state seeding. We’re coming here to get some of the best matches we can.”
One of those matches came in the final of the 113-pound bracket where freshman Cody Sieminski took on Newberg senior Hezekiah Worthington, a defending state champion from last year at 106.
Worthington led 3-0 after the first period, but Sieminski got a takedown in the second and turned it into a pin at 3 minute, 47 seconds in the match.
The Sieminski name isn’t unfamiliar in Sweet Home either with Jacob Sieminski winning two state titles in 2022-2023 and Kyle Sieminski winning three from 2022-2024.
The Huskies also had seniors Tytus Hardee and Dillan Davis making the finals at 132 and 144, respectively. Both lost via pin to a wrestler from Tahoma.
“Cody Sieminski pinning a returning champion as a freshman, that’s great,” Thorpe said. “Then you get Tytus Hardee and Dillan Davis both making it into the finals.”
Of course, the Sweet Home team starts with Jesse Landtroop though, a junior who’s going for his third state title this season.
Landtroop was the top seed at 126 and won the bracket with three pins, a tech fall, an 11-3 major decision in the semifinals and a 12-4 MD in the title bout.
“(Landtroop’s) work ethic, his mat maturity, what he’s done has been incredible,” Thorpe said. “He lives for this sport. He’s one of the hardest working kids in our room.”
Sweet Home will continue to be the No. 1 team in 4A likely throughout the season. With Crook County moving to 5A, the field got a little lighter as well.
Still, the Huskies will be working toward regionals and state, and the performance at the Rose City Championship will be a nice notch in the belt.
“This isn’t the regionals, this isn’t state,” Thorpe said. “This is a marker, and we’re going to go back to work on Monday.”
Larwin pursuing a third title
There’s only been one other multi-time state champion in Bend wrestling history, and that was a co-op team with Joseph back in 1984-1985 in Mark Woosely winning twice.
The other is current Lava Bears junior Leif Larwin, who won titles as a freshman and sophomore at 165 and 175.
Early into his third high school campaign, Larwin is looking just as dominant, especially after running through the Rose City Championship field at 175 with two pins and three tech falls. The third tech fall came in the final bout with a 17-0 victory over Cross Rodriguez from Calvary Chapel (CA).
“It’s a big tournament, Bend’s first time here and I pinned or teched every single opponent in the first round except for (the title match),” Larwin said. “Thankful they drove all the way up from California to give me a good, hard match.”
Of course, no wrestler is ever satisfied with just a state title. Larwin competed in Fargo, North Dakota over the summer and suffered some setbacks that set him up for what he needed to work on coming back for his junior year,
“Something that I’ve developed tenfold is my hand fighting,” Larwin said. “After Fargo last year I got hurt and I wasn’t super happy with my results, felt like I could have done more. Everything I do this year is a stepping stone towards that, focusing on nationals, Fargo nationals. My high school season is helping me build to those goals, doing bigger things and representing Central Oregon, which I’m big about.”
Speaking of Central Oregon, Crook County has made the jump up to 5A and will present a challenge across what’s already a highly competitive classification.
Larwin is happy to see the Cowboys move up and make 5A that much more difficult.
“I’ve been training with those guys since I was a little kid, a lot of those guys are my best friends,” Larwin said. “Looking forward to seeing 5A get even tougher.”
Crook County girls win War of the Roses
Sticking with Central Oregon, the Cowgirls made their presence felt by winning the War of the Roses tournament Dec. 13 at Westview.
Crook County was led by freshman Lauren Echeverria who took home the title at 110 with three pins and two tech falls, the third pin coming at 3:57 in the title match.
Junior Taylor Echeverria was the top seed at 140 and made the final, but was pinned at 1:10 by Sumner’s (WA) Saige McCleery, the two-seed.
Still, those performances helped Crook County score 221.5 points, beating out Kelso (WA) in second with 201 points. Rogers (WA) took third with 185.5, Dallas took fourth with 172 and Sumner took fifth with 169.5.
Newport strong showing
Newport’s boys and girls had their best showing in recent memory at the North Bend Coast Classic.
Camille Keck and Mysti Ferguson led the way for an inexperienced, but talented girls team, both taking third place, the highest finishes a Newport girl has ever had at this tournament.
Keck and Ferguson are both state qualifiers from last year, and Ferguson ended up taking fourth at 170. Newport girls wrestling head coach Micheal Bradley believes both could be finishing on the podium at state this season.
On the boys side, Ivan Wagner took third, also the highest boys placing at the Coast Classic in recent memory. Like Keck, Wagner looks to make the move from state qualifier to state placer this year.
Freshman Evan Burbee took sixth thanks to his strength, athleticism and skill that are years beyond his age. Burbee could be a force for the Cubs for the next 4 years.
Undefeated (10 or more wins)
14-0 – Jeffrey Conklin, junior, Cottage Grove (132)
13-0 – Owen Guerra, senior, Heppner (190)
12-0 – Landon McMahon, senior, Heppner (285)
12-0 – Mary Jane Duty, junior, Lebanon (110)
11-0 – Journey Cavan-Harris, senior, Heppner (140)
10-0 – Jasmin Lopez Hernandez, senior, McKay (145)
10-0 – Lucas Fincher, freshman, Elgin (106)
Legends of the fall (8 or more wins via fall)
12 – Mary Kane Duty, junior, Lebanon (110)
11 – Owen Guerra, senior, Heppner (190)
10 – Landon McMahon, senior, Heppner (285)
9 – Jeffrey Conklin, junior, Cottage Grove (132)
9 – Journey Cavan-Harris, senior, Heppner (140)
8 – Jasmin Lopez Hernandez, senior, McKay (145)
8 – Leo Michel, senior, Stayton (150)
Tournament titles (Two or more tournaments won)
3 – Emma Stalcup, junior, Estacada (Lady Ranger Classic, Knife River Invitational, Safeway Girls Buckle Classic)
3 – Lucas Fincher, freshman, Elgin (Deven Dawson, Perry Burlison and Muilenburg)
3 – Mary Jane Duty, junior, Lebanon (Lady Warriors Invitational, Battle for the Capital, Spartan Invitational)
2 – Caroline Hardesty, junior, Estacada (Lady Ranger Classic, Safeway Girls Buckle Classic)
2 – Jeffrey Conklin, junior, Cottage Grove (Adrian Irwin/COWO and North Bend Coast Classic)
2 – Journey Cavan-Harris, senior, Heppner (Lady Pirate Headlock and Culver Invitational)
2 – Landon McMahon, senior, Heppner (Enterprise Kickoff and Culver Invitational)
2 – Landyn Fincher, junior, Elgin (Deven Dawson and Muilenburg)
2 – Owen Guerra, senior, Heppner (Enterprise Kickoff and Culver Invitational)
2 – Paxton Steele, junior, Harrisburg (Deven Dawson and North Bend Coast Classic)
See any missing wrestlers from these lists? Make sure to have your head coach email Austin White at austinw@osaa.org to get them included.
austinw@osaa.org
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