Friday was the first day for 5A and 6A wrestlers across Oregon to compete in the state wrestling championship in Portland.
“You just got to be mentally tough; you gotta prepare yourself, fuel your body right,” said Redmond senior Joey Downing.
“I just try to stay as calm as I could throughout last night and making sure I got the rest that I needed, said Mountain View senior Jackson Potts.
“I keep telling myself, you know, I am here for great things. I’m here to do great things,” said Bend High junior Eric Larwin.
“Mentally, I’m getting in the headspace to believe that I will win no matter what, and I’ll come out ahead and I’ll come out on top,” said Bend High freshman Leif Larwin.
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Four Central Oregon wrestlers from three different High Desert wrestling programs are competing at this two-day tournament.
The Redmond Panthers are looking for a unique achievement. A team with no returning title holders is trying to become back-to-back champs.
“We are that team that people need to watch out for,” said Downing. “We’re underdogs. We have kids unseeded or low seeds that are beating some good guys right now. So, it doesn’t matter who you are wrestling from Redmond; we are coming for you.”
Downing is after his first state title in his final year of competition.
“Looking forward to it,” he said. “I have two matches left for high school, forever, so gotta stay focused, keep preparing myself properly and get ready for those challenges.”
Potts is a returning state champion.
“I definitely know what it takes to get it done, so just staying with what I know and believing that I can do it again, Potts said.
Jackson and his father, Dan Potts, are hoping for one grand finale as they both say goodbye to the years they’ve spent with the Mountain View program.
“Excited, honestly,” he said. “Just ready for it to get rolling again. Got it done today, ready to get it done tomorrow.”
The Larwin Brothers from Bend High are set want to come home as sibling state champions.
“You know, it is super cool to be in the semifinals with your brother,” Eric said. “We are both state placers no matter what now, which is super cool. Placing at state is a really big deal regardless of where you place at, but this has been a dream of mine to win this tournament since I was a little kid and I know Leif and I have the same aspirations and goals, and we are going to show up and we are going to do that.”
“We’re on track to win as of right now, and the matches will just keep getting tougher, and I’m excited for that,” said Leif. “The state of Oregon is going to know who the Larwin brothers are when we are done here.”
The championship matches are Saturday.
5A Boys Team Scores
- Thurston 121.0
- Dallas 110.5
- Canby 87.0
- Redmond 82.5
- Crater 81.0
- Mountain View 75.5
- Hillsboro 41.0
- Silverton 38.0
- Bend 37.0
- Lebanon 34.0
5A/6A Girls scores
- Thurston 52.0
- North Salem 33.0
- Redmond 32.0
- Forest Grove 31.5
- Dallas 31.0
4A Boys
- Sweet Home 225.0
- Crook County 184.5
- La Grande 145.5
- Cascade 122.5
- Tillamook 80.0
3A Boys
- Harrisburg 210.0
- Burns 118.0
- La Pine 115.5
- Banks 112.5
- Vale 51.0
4A/3A/2A/1A Girls
- La Grande 76.0
- Crook County 63.0
- Harrisburg 58.0
- Vale 56.0
- Oakridge 49.0
