Illness wreaks havoc on wrestling team

Coach Gene O'Brien has watched his team dwindle at competitions due to illness that seems to have swept through the entire squad. On Wednesday, January 19, the Outlaws were only able to take five wrestlers to the match at Sweet Home.

Josh O'Brien recorded the lone win in Sisters' match against Sweet Home.

O'Brien (135 pounds) pinned Brian Malloy of Sweet Home in round three in his first match of the night.

"Josh dominated the match, and his speed and an awesome grapevine pinning combination allowed him to record the fall," said Coach O'Brien.

The Outlaws' matmen went on to match up against Sprague.

"I expected the worst with Sprague," said O'Brien. "They are a very good wrestling team."

Josh O'Brien took the mat against Patrick Racine. Racine attacked Josh with a takedown but O'Brien's quickness allowed him to escape. O'Brien came right back and pinned Racine in 1.12 in the first round of the match.

Ryan Long (140 pounds) defeated Andres Aldara in round two in a very exciting match.

"Ryan started to fall back into some old habits, and I quickly reminded him what we'd been working on," Coach O'Brien said. "I told him to give the opponent the takedown, save the pin and work from the bottom and wear his opponent down. It worked just like clockwork, and Ryan pinned Aldara with a double armed barb wire pinning combination."

O'Brien said, "I think all my kids wrestled tough and smart. They are picking up the moves we've been working on and applying them to the mat. We are making leaps of improvement."

Three days later the wrestling squad attended the Frostbite Invitational Tournament in La Pine. Also in attendance were Douglas, Grant Union, Lakeview, Oakridge, Summit and Mountain View.

Josh O'Brien earned a third-place finish, Grant Chisholm took fourth, and Ryan Long, Tanner Petersen, Chandler Zenich and Sterling Ryan all placed fifth.

Chisholm (103 pounds) lost to Ruben Harvey of Grant Union for his fourth-place finish. Grant was ahead in round three, but one fatal mistake cost him and Harvey got the pin. O'Brien told

The Nugget that this was Grant's best wrestling match of the year.

Josh O'Brien (135 pounds) beat Tony Mungaro of Lakeview for a third-place finish.

"Mungaro was a state placer last year, but Josh pinned him in round one with a Petersen seatbelt combination," said Coach O'Brien.

Ryan Long (140 pounds) pinned Dalton Alexander of Lakeview in round one with an Outlaws throw combination for a fifth-place finish. Tanner Peterson (152 pounds) won by forfeit for a fifth-place finish.

At 160 pounds, Chandler Zenich pinned Trevor Knutson from Douglas in just 27 seconds with the Outlaws throw for a fifth-place finish. Sterling Ryan (189 pounds) won by forfeit to take fifth.

The Outlaws will wrestle against Madras, La Pine and Molalla at Madras on Thursday, January 27. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.