Newberg’s Hudson Davis walks fine line en route to first Reser’s TOC championship (195 pounds)

“I’ve been wrestling since I was 4, and I’ve been in all those positions, so I could stay calm and wrestle my way out of them.”

By René Ferrán | Photos by Leon Neuschwander  

As Newberg senior Hudson Davis battled Liberty’s Houstyn Lee-Perry in the 195-pound final at Saturday’s Reser’s Tournament of Champions in Lee-Perry’s home gym, Tigers coach Neil Russo looked pained. 

Davis wrestled the entire match seemingly on a knife’s edge, trying risky maneuvers that had Russo grimace and squirm in his chair, only to escape danger and maintain control.

Davis built an 11-0 lead in the third period before finally putting Russo at ease by pinning his Pacific Conference rival with 1:01 remaining in the title bout.

“He’s a tough kid. It’s the Reser’s final, and he got me in a few positions,” Davis said. “But that’s the thing. I’ve been wrestling since I was 4, and I’ve been in all those positions, so I could stay calm and wrestle my way out of them.” 

While Davis has won a couple of Class 6A state championships — an OWA title during the COVID-shortened 2021 season and an OSAA crown last February — Saturday’s victory gave him his first Reser’s eagle trophy.

He and Lee-Perry could meet twice more over the next three weeks — first next weekend at the Pacific district meet, then at the end of the month at the 6A state meet at Memorial Coliseum in Portland — before Davis heads to the University of Wyoming.

“There’s some tough kids across the state,” Davis said. “But definitely could be a district final. It’s just keeping the pressure on in training, saying and doing the right things on and off the mat, and continuing to get better a little bit every day.” 

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