Outlaws wrestler Darst takes first at Madras

The Outlaws wrestling squad finished fifth (165 points) out of 10 teams who competed at the Madras Invitational on Saturday, January 23. Mt. View took first place (212 points), Summit was runner-up (184 points) and Bend took third with 176.5 points.

"I was very excited with our finish," said Coach John Downs. "One of our goals was to score over 100 team points, and we accomplished that plus more. We were only 5.5 points away from La Pine, and being that close to a program at that skill level speaks well for us."

Sisters wrestling program keeps improving, and gets better each year. Last year, the Outlaws took 13th out of 14 teams at the Madras Invitational. This year finished in the middle of the pack.

The Outlaws had nine wrestlers place at the tournament. Senior Clayton Darst led the charge with a first-place finish in the 170-pound weight class.

Darst pinned his way through the championships. Clayton won by a fall over Jacob Rorschach from The Dalles in 1:07, and in the semi-finals pinned Marshall Davis from Bend in 3:36. In the championship match, Darst used his signature stack move, and pinned Luke Schulz from Mt. View in 1:17.

"I was so impressed with how Clayton wrestled," said Downs. "He had taken second at the tournament last year, and was determined to redeem his loss in the finals. I am proud of how he is progressing this year, and he is peaking just at the right time - just before the end of the season, when he will need to be his best."

Seniors Zach Reid (132 pounds) and Dyut Fetrow (138 pounds) took third, as did sophomore Brady Wessel (220 pounds).

Reid had to fight back through the consolation rounds after a first-round loss. Zach won his next four matches with three falls, and then won in a 13-9 decision in the consolation semis.

Fetrow won by a fall in his first match, and then had a difficult time against Cyrus Tadjiki from Bend. Dyut was not able to counter Tadjiki's moves, and lost in a 19-5 major decision. Fetrow pinned his next two opponents and earned a third-place medal.

Wessel was the Outlaws' biggest surprise of the tournament. Brady had not won a varsity match all season, but wrestled with heart and determination to earn a third-place medal at 220 pounds. Wessel was able to earn three pins on his way to his third-place finish.

"The 220-weight class can be a tough class for even a senior, not to mention a sophomore, and Brady had dealt with that all season," said Downs. "He has had some shoulder tightness and soreness since the beginning of the season, and this last week we noticed he was moving better and working harder in practice. It really showed this weekend. It was the best day of wrestling in his whole career so far."

Freshman Dalton Ford (113 pounds) finished fourth, and sophomores Spencer Kemp (120 pounds) and Jake Stevens (145 pounds) finished at fifth place. Sophomore Casey Warburton rounded out the placers with a sixth-place finish in the 195-pound weight class.

The Outlaws will wrestle at home against Cottage Grove on Thursday, January 28. The dual meet will begin at 6 p.m.