Oregon 6A/5A Girls wrestling state championships preview: Thurston faces taut battle to defend title

The Class 6A/5A Girls Oregon high school wrestling state championships take place this weekend. Here's a look at what to expect.

Dallas wrestler Polly Olliff will try to win a third 6A/5A girls state title this weekend. / Taylor Balkom

The Oregon 6A/5A Girls high school wrestling state championships take place Friday and Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. Here's a look at what to expect. 

Schedule

Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.: Round 1 and Quarterfinals

Saturday, 9 a.m.: Semifinals

Saturday, 6 p.m.: Parade of Champions and Finals

Top seeds (returning champions in italics)

100 Sarahi Chavez, Sr., McKay

105 Paisley Conway, So., Newberg

110 Marlina Martinez, So., McNary

115 Polly Olliff, Sr., Dallas

120 Mia Pedersen, Jr., Redmond

125 Layla Morris, Sr., Mountainside

130 Sadie Hall, Sr., North Medford

135 Paige Carrier, Sr., Westview

140 Kennedy Blanton, Sr., Forest Grove

145 MacKenzie Shearon, Sr., Redmond

155 Isabel Herring, Sr., Cleveland

170 Ryann Sharp, Sr., Corvallis

190 Izabella Castlebery, Jr., Thurston

235 Bianca Miranda, Sr., Liberty

Other state champions

105 Skyler Hall, Jr., North Medford

130 Zorina Johnson, Jr., Ida B. Wells

Most state qualifiers

1, (tie) Dallas and Thurston 12. 3, Redmond 9. 4, (tie) Hillsboro, McKay and Southridge 7. 7, (tie) Crater, Forest Grove, Grant, McNary and North Salem 6.

What to watch

Thurston to face challenges from Dallas, Forest Grove and Redmond in title defense

Thurston coach Mike Simons knows his team faces a tough road to defending its state championship and earning a fourth blue trophy in the past six seasons.

The Colts qualified 12 wrestlers, including state placers in five weight classes and a returning champion in Castlebery, who comes to Memorial Coliseum with a 39-1 record.

Dallas — which finished second to Thurston last year for its first trophy — also brings 12 wrestlers, led by two-time champion Olliff. When the two squared off at the 44-team Lady Dragon Invite last month, the Colts eked out a 21.5-point victory.

“Dallas really got things rolling the second half of the season, and they are coached really well,” Simons said. “They are going to be a force, for sure.”

Simons also isn’t discounting 2022 champion Forest Grove or Redmond, which finished third last year and pushed the Colts at last weekend’s district tournament.

“They both have several of the state’s best wrestlers,” Simons said. “We have returning placers at 100, 115, 140, 155 and 190, and these are critical weights for us to perform well at, but we are going to need to get others on the podium to defend our title. I think we have a couple other girls that will step up this weekend.”

130 final could see returning champions square off for supremacy

One of the most anticipated finals would be at 130 pounds, where Sadie Hall and Johnson each won a first state championships last year after reaching the finals in 2023.

Hall, a Southern Oregon commit who is 26-2, received the No. 1 seed, but Johnson should be more appropriately considered a No. 1a than a true No. 2. 

The Guardians junior has not lost a high school match since her loss to West Valley’s Ariana Martinez in the 115 final as a freshman — her only defeat in 61 career matches. Last April, she placed fifth at 57 kilograms at the U17 Women’s National Championships.

Potential rematch of 2024 final looms in 105 bracket

The 105 final could pit Conway and Skyler Hall in a rematch of the championship match from a year ago, when Hall won her second title with a 4-3 decision over Conway.

So, why is Conway the No. 1 seed over a two-time champion? The Tigers sophomore pinned Hall at the end of the first round of their only meeting this season in the Lady Dragon semifinals, part of a 26-0 campaign during which she won six tournaments.

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