Wrestlers compete at Madras

Sisters' matmen traveled to Madras on Thursday, January 27, and competed against Madras, Mollala and La Pine. There were no team scores recorded at this tournament.

Josh O'Brien and Ryan Long both won their matches against La Pine opponents. O'Brien (130 pounds) executed the "Outlaw" perfectly to pin Cameron Byrd just 30 seconds into the match. Long (135 pounds) pinned Ryley Aamodt in 1:52 in the first round with the Peterson Pin combination.

Three Outlaws matmen came out on top against Molalla.

O'Brien again proved he's a wrestler to be reckoned with. Josh utilized the "Outlaw" move again and took down Adam Carr in 20 seconds. Long pinned Jason Cortes with a head and arm combination in 1:58 in round one. Sterling Ryan (189 pounds) also won his match and pinned Nicolas Malin in 1:37 in round one, also with a head and arm combination.

Coach Gene O' Brien had praise for all three of his winning wrestlers.

"Ryan is just a great kid," said O'Brien. "He is so coachable and listens to everything I have to say. Ryan's transition from move to move is much better than at the start of the season. Sterling has an excellent takedown and just needs to be a bit more aggressive on the mat. Josh is doing a great job and is perfecting his techniques and moves."

O' Brien told The Nugget he felt all of his wrestlers did a good job against Madras but just fell short of winning their matches. The only win was an exhibition match. Tanner Peterson (152) pinned Johnathan Wills with a stack pinning combination 35 seconds into round one.

"Tanner has an excellent side souplay throw that works well for him," said O'Brien. "He just needs to work on controlling and dominating the entire six minutes of the match."

The coach had special praise for Grant Chisholm.

"Grant (103 pounds) is just a first-year wrestler and is improving every week," said O'Brien. "He is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next couple of years."