Day 1 of Oregon (OSAA) wrestling state championships in the books

Crook County (4A), Burns (3A), Culver (2A), La Grande (4A/3A/2A/1A Girls) hold overnight leads

Day 1 of the OSAA wrestling state championships / René Ferrán

Cottage Grove senior Allison Palluck remembered completing a 26-0 season two years ago at Memorial Coliseum to win a wrestling state championship. 

It was “a pretty intense day” caused by snow hitting the Portland area that week, forcing the OSAA Class 4A/3A/2A/1A girls tournament into a one-day affair.

She was ready to return last season, only to suffer a knee injury at practice in January. While it didn’t require surgery, it laid Palluck up for four months, costing her a chance to defend her title.

Instead, she watched intently from the stands as La Grande’s Lyndie Isaacson won the 115-pound title — the weight class Palluck would have been in.

So, when the two ended up across from each other Thursday afternoon in the 120-pound quarterfinals, Palluck was ready.

Cottage Grove wrestler Allison Palluck / René Ferrán

“I’ve just been prepared to wrestle her for a long time now,” Palluck said.

Palluck trailed 7-0 after one period, nearly erased the deficit in the second, then completed the comeback with a takedown and four near-fall points in the final round for a 13-8 decision over the second-seeded Isaacson.

“It’s my senior year, so I gotta go all out, and I gotta do it in the best way possible,” said Palluck, who improved to 18-2 and will face Oakridge freshman Victoria Keller in Friday’s semifinals. “And this is the best way possible, having all that hard work pay off.”

Isaacson was the only returning champion to fall on Day 1 of the three-day OSAA state championships that finished with the blood rounds for the 4A and 3A boys and 4A/3A/2A/1A girls — the 2A/1A boys will wrestle theirs after Friday’s semifinals.

Among the victors advancing to the semifinals were the quintet hoping to etch their name in the record books as four-time state champions — La Pine’s Devon Kerr and Landyn Philpott and Burns’ Kale Cornell and Easton Kemper in 3A boys and Mallory Lusco of Grant Union in 4A/3A/2A/1A girls.

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4A Boys

Top 10 (Semifinalists/Consolation)

1, Crook County 170.5 points (11/3)

2, Sweet Home 159 (8/5)

3, Pendleton 100 (3/4)

4, La Grande 85.5 (4/2)

5, Tillamook 85 (2/2)

6, Cascade 71 (5/1)

7, Marshfield 66 (3/2)

8, Philomath 41.5  (4/0)

9, Scappoose 38 (3/0)

10, Hidden Valley 37.5 (1/1)

Fourteen of Crook County’s 20 qualifiers will take home medals Friday night, with 11 Cowboys still alive in the championship bracket heading to the semifinals.

“The kids are wrestling and battling and fighting,” coach Jake Gonzales said. “It’s an up-and-down roller coaster, but I’m proud of the effort of our guys.”

Crook County has finished second four of the past six years, including last season to Sweet Home, which has 13 wrestlers in the medal rounds Friday. 

“It’s nothing I have to say to them,” Gonzales said. “They know what they have to do.”

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3A Boys

Top 10 (Semifinalists/Consolation)

1, Burns 112.5 points (6/4)

2, Harrisburg 91.5 (7/3)

3, Banks 68 (5/2)

4, Willamina 67 (5/1)

5, Pleasant Hill 60 (5/1)

6, Sutherlin 53.5 (2/3)

7, Nyssa 48 (2/1)

8, La Pine 37 (3/0)

tie Warrenton 37 (3/0)

10, Santiam Christian 34.5 (2/1)

The quarterfinals got off on the right foot for Burns in its quest to dethrone Harrisburg and secure the Hilanders’ first state title since 2020, with second-place finishes the past three years.

Freshman Liam Shepherd, fresh off a 46-second pin in the first round of the 106-pound bracket, took down the Eagles’ top-seeded Brandon Henderson in a 19-6 major decision.

The two squared off at the Oregon Classic, with Shepherd also winning by major decision then, so he entered the match confident.

“It’s always tough to beat a Harrisburg kid two matches in a row in the same year, so we’re pretty proud of the outcome there,” Hilanders coach Tyler Swartzlender said.

The win helped Burns grab the overnight lead over the Eagles, but both have 10 wrestlers coming back in the medal rounds.

“There’s a lot of wrestling left to do here,” Swartzlender said. “So, we're just focused on one match at a time, and that’s all they can take care of.”

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2A/1A Boys

Top 10 (Semifinalists/Consolation)

1, Culver 70 points (9/3)

2, Oakridge 51 (6/1)

3, Lowell 42 (5/1)

4, Nestucca 32.5 (2/2)

5, Grant Union/Prairie City 26 (1/3)

tie Irrigon 26 (3/0)

tie Siletz Valley 26 (2/0)

8, Illinois Valley 25 (3/2)

9, Crane 20 (3/2)

tie Heppner 20 (3/0)

Whether Culver coach JD Alley comes to Memorial Coliseum looking to defend a state title or rebound from a 12th-place finish — the Bulldogs’ worst finish since 2000 — the Hall of Famer’s approach remains the same.

“Last year was last year,” Alley said after his team advanced 12 of its 15 qualifiers to Friday’s action, including nine semifinalists. “It’s a different year. It’s been a good year. A pile of trophies and successes, and a lot of hands got raised. 

“Can we do this and get it back? I don’t know, but I think we’re going to finish a lot better than 12th.”

Oakridge put six in the semifinals and is in position to win its first trophy since finishing fourth in 1998.

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4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

Top 10 (Semifinalists/Consolation)

1, La Grande 52 points (2/2)

2, Harrisburg 39.5 (3/1)

3, Oakridge 39 (4/0)

4, St. Helens 35.5 (2/1)

5, Crook County 35 (2/1)

6, Sutherlin 32 (2/1)

7, Vale 29 (1/2)

8, Mazama 27.5 (1/1)

9, Scappoose 27 (0/2)

10, Siuslaw/Mapleton 26 (1/2)

Isaacson’s loss put a crimp in La Grande’s title defense, but by day’s end, the Tigers had clawed their way atop the standings, with Isaacson having clinched a spot on the medals podium along with three of her teammates.

“We had a few surprise matches today, and we had to battle back,” said first-year coach Rusty Gulzow. “We definitely had some disappointments, but you know, you’ve got to expect some ups and downs. We had our fair share of it today, but they’re battling away trying to get back in it.”

Harrisburg, which finished second to La Grande last year, is positioned to challenge for its first title, as is Oakridge, which has four wrestlers in the semifinals as the Warriors look to improve upon last year's fourth-place finish.

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