Oregon 6A wrestling state championships preview: Newberg faces tough test to repeat as champion

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

Newberg wrestler Gus Amerson looks to add a state title at 157 pounds to the one he won at 150 last year. / Taylor Balkom

The Oregon 6A 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)

106 Kiah Worthington, Jr., Newberg

113 Drew Dawson, Jr., Roseburg

120 Jorge De La Rosa, So., Forest Grove

126 Nico Farinola, Sr., Lincoln

132 Amir Khanjan, Jr., Westview

138 Warren Cook, Jr., Forest Grove

144 Oscar Doces, Sr., West Linn

150 Giovanni Silva, Jr., Westview

157 Gus Amerson, Sr., Newberg

165 Owen Hull, Sr., Grants Pass

175 Bridger Foss, Sr., South Medford

190 Logan Sunnell, Sr., Tualatin

215 Lusiano Lopez, Sr., Lake Oswego

285 Dominic Macon, Sr., Nelson

Most state qualifiers

1, West Linn 16. 2, (tie) Roseburg and Sprague 15. 4, Newberg 13. 5, (tie) McNary and Tigard 12. 7, (tie) Grants Pass, Mountainside, Sandy, South Medford and Sunset 11. 12, (tie) McDaniel, Sherwood and Westview 10. 15, (tie) Beaverton, Forest Grove and North Salem 9.

What to watch

Uneasy lies the crown as Newberg seeks repeat title

Last year, Newberg came to Memorial Coliseum an overwhelming favorite to retake the title it had relinquished to West Linn the previous season.

By the end, the Tigers had amassed 353 points, the third-most in tournament history, and besting the Lions by 123 points in the standings.

While Newberg was the top 6A team at the Reser’s Tournament of Champions, placing third, coach Neil Russo knows his program will have its work cut out to win a 15th OSAA state title, breaking a tie with Lowell as the winningest program in the tournament’s 77-year history.

“The state tournament is such a different animal,” Russo said. “It’s not like a dual meet where it’s head-to-head. There are a lot of different variables and some outstanding individuals from all over the state that play a role in those team standings, either directly or indirectly.”

Russo then started listing off the teams that could challenge Newberg for the championship.

“West Linn and Roseburg have big numbers plus some firepower, and that is a huge advantage in this meet,” he said. “Sprague also has a fair number of qualifiers, and teams like Forest Grove, Sherwood, Mountainside, Westview, Grants Pass and South Medford — I’m sure I am leaving some out — also have some outstanding individuals that will propel them.”

Still, don’t count out the Tigers despite graduating two state champions and four runners-up from a year ago and losing junior Gavin Rangel, last year’s 132 titlist, to a shoulder injury before the season.

“We have 13 boys, and I think our conference is as competitive as any at the 6A level,” Russo said. “We are a little banged up, but so is everyone at this point. Our kids competed well in those qualifiers, and we won the team title — we are very proud of that.”

Nelson wrestler Dominic Macon / Taylor Balkom

Returning champions dominate heavier weight classes

While the lower weight classes feature plenty of fresh faces, six of the top eight divisions boast returning champions — seven if you count Hull, who won a title in 2023  before missing most of last season because of injury — including defending title-winners at each of the four heaviest weights.

Not only that, but three of those four defending champions could see their opponents from last year’s finals. Macon, who has won 64 consecutive matches, is on the opposite side of the bracket from No. 2 seed Noah Miner of Aloha.

Foss could face No. 5 Brandon Cook of Forest Grove in the semifinals, as could Lopez against Forest Grove senior Carter Bennett, who enters the tournament unseeded after finishing third at the Pacific district meet.

Amerson and his opponent in the 150 final, Titus Rodela of Jefferson, moved up to 157 and are on opposite sides of the draw — although Rodela is the No. 3 seed behind Sandy’s Seth Hooley, who pinned the PIL champion at Jack Berger in early February.

There are no 6A wrestlers vying to become a four-time champion, but Doces could finish his career as a three-timer if he maneuvers through a bracket that does not include another returning placer.

Roseburg wrestler Drew Dawson / Taylor Balkom

Potential 2024 finals rematch awaits top seed in 113 bracket

One of the most intriguing brackets is at 113 pounds, where a potential rematch of last year’s 106 final looms with Dawson and No. 2 seed Caleb Enoch of Clackamas on opposite sides of the bracket. 

Each has a potential stumbling block in his half of the draw. Third-seeded West Linn freshman Darion Johnson finished fifth at Reser’s and third at Rose City this season, and No. 4 Andres Mendoza of Sprague was a finalist for 3A Jefferson last year.

At 126, Farinola earned the PIL’s first top seed since Jasiah Williams of Jefferson won the 145 state title in 2016, but on the opposite side of the bracket sit two former state finalists — Newberg sophomore Sawyer Keinonen (second at 120 last year) and Mountainside senior Brody Lyberger (second at 106 as a sophomore).

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