Wrestlers compete in tournament

The Sisters High School wrestlers were only able to bring part of their team to Madras on Saturday, January 3, to compete in the 30th annual Nels Ochs Tournament. Hood River Valley took tournament honors at the eight-team competition. Other tough competitors included Crook County, Madras, Culver and Cascade.

Thomas Schantz (189 pounds) was the lone winner for the Outlaws. Schantz was pinned in his first match of the day by Devon Harris of Cascade. From there, Thomas went on to win his next three matches.

Thomas recorded a fall over Garrett Searley of La Pine and Anthony Matthews of Hood River Valley. Schantz won his final match in a 5-0 decision over Greg Stafford of Hood River Valley.

Coach Jeff Smith noted that the Outlaws' other highlight of the day was the fall earned by senior Andrew Goodwin in his second match ever wrestled.

"Andrew was ahead 2-0 when he stopped Culver's Jacob Jones at 3:07," said Smith.

Smith told The Nugget that it was a difficult tournament for the Outlaws.

"This was a tough meet for us as we faced the toughest competition short of the state tournament," said Smith. "Our performances were inconsistent and success at this level requires six minutes of optimal performance. This will help us at the end of the season when we again face the possibility of four or five tough matches in one day."

On Thursday, January 15, the Outlaws will host a dual meet with La Pine and Junction City. The competition will begin at 6 p.m.