Outlaws wrestlers win home meet

The Outlaws performed great in their 49-30 win over the Elmira Falcons at home on Thursday, February 2. Sisters won nine of the 14 matches, and five of the wins were pins.

The evening began with three exhibition matches, which included freshman Vickie Hooks (145 pounds). Elmira brought an experienced female senior grappler, who pinned Hook with 10 seconds left in the first round. In the second match, Sal Gibney (170 pounds) lost by a pin in the second round, and in the final match freshman Damien King (195 pounds) fell by a pin in the first round.

Coach John Downs said that after the exhibition matches ended, the evening was starting to look a little bleak.

Before the start of the varsity matches, Sisters' lone senior, Tyler Surface, was introduced and honored as he was escorted to the center of the mat by his parents. After he thanked his parents and his team, the squads faced off.

Elmira took the first six points with a forfeit by the Outlaws in the 285-pound weight category.

Dylan Vantress (106 pounds) faced off against a tough Gray Canada. The match went all three rounds, and at the start of the third round, Dylan held a seven-to-six advantage.

Downs told The Nugget it was a difficult match to coach.

"I was trying to coach Dylan through the match and he couldn't hear me very well," said Downs. "Dylan had been shooting well the whole match and I knew he would be able to shoot on Canada because Canada was not a shooter. Dylan was able to make two nice shots on Canada's legs, fight through the round, and end with a 7-6 win."

Dalton Ford has dominated at the lower weight class (113) but moved up to wrestle at 120 pounds. Ford pinned opponent Austin Weidenback in a mere 11 seconds, the fastest pin on the team this season.

Freshman Anthony Randolph (132 pounds) was ahead of Logan Walker in the second round 11-2, but Downs told The Nugget that as Randolph rotated his hips to tighten up a pinning combination move, Walker was able to scramble just enough to counter and turn Anthony on his back and pin him for a tough loss.

Cole Pade (138 pounds) has won almost every match he's wrestled this year, and this one was no different. Pade went three rounds and topped Riley Craig 16-5.

Junior Damien Wells (145 pounds) continued to show he can dominate in a match, and pinned Shane Casimero in 1:47.

Quick wins continued for the Outlaws. Jake Stevens (152 pounds) pinned Max Harsch in 52 seconds, and Dustin Smith (160 pounds) pinned Mikey Montgomery 20 seconds into the third round.

David Perez-Sanchez returned to the 170-pound varsity spot and had a rough match against Nick Payton. Payton was able to catch Perez-Sanchez and pin him in the second round. David had missed earlier parts of the season, and the team was glad to have him back on the mat.

Freshman Ethan Martin (195 pounds) has been a tough competitor all season, as he's had to wrestle older and more experienced wrestlers.

Downs told The Nugget that it's tough to be a freshman and wrestle on varsity, but it's even tougher at the heavier weights.

Martin fought hard against Mat Thorne. Ethan battled through three rounds, but in the final round Thorne turned Ethan and got the pin.

The final match of the evening was the one everyone had been waiting for: senior Tyler Surface, who would face Logan Schmidt.

Downs said, "As Tyler stepped out onto the mat for the last time at home I told him to leave it all on the mat and do what he is best at. Tyler looked at me and nodded. I could tell he was more determined than ever to do just that."

Surface was able to keep Schmidt at bay with moves and counters through the first and second rounds. Tyler excelled in the final round, drove Schmidt over to his back, and earned the pin 23 seconds into the third round.

"I've known Tyler for over eight years, and I saw his love of the sport when he started wrestling for me in the fifth grade," said Downs. "He knew all the 77 moves I taught, and could run every one of them well, even for a big guy. His knowledge and desire showed this evening. When he got the pin the whole gym went crazy. It was wonderful to have Tyler win his final match with a dominating pin in the Outlaws gym in front of his friends and family."

The Outlaws will continue to work hard to prepare for the Regional Championships which will be held Friday and Saturday, February 10-11, at Philomath High School.