Wrestlers compete well in Oregon Classic

The Oregon Classic drew dozens of schools from throughout the state, including Sisters, for a full weekend of wrestling action.

Friday’s action included dual meet matchups among teams split up in pools by classification size. In the 3A classification, eight teams (two from each of the four pools) advanced from pool competition to wrestle in the championship team bracket. Sisters finished fourth in Pool C against Burns, Scio, and Glide.

Carter Van Meter competed at 122 pounds and finished the competition 4-1, winning with two falls and two forfeits. His lone loss came against Preston Hill of Burns.

Tyson Kemp only had two matches at 134 pounds, losing to Lucian Miller of Burns (fall 2:56) and Bryan Parazoo of Scio (fall 1:40). Brennan Frutos, wrestling at the junior varsity level at 134 pounds, recorded two wins against three losses.

Hayden Kunz got taken down by Camaron Houston of Coquille (fall 1:53) in the 147-pound class first round, but won the next four matches handily against wrestlers from Glide, Scio, and Burns.

Three consecutive wins for Ben Cooper at 154 pounds set him up for another showdown with Hunter Kemper of Burns. The pair has faced one another three times this season previously, with Kemper, the reigning state champion, winning each time.

Jace Owens picked up two wins by forfeit and had another win with a fall over Haylee Davids of Glide at the 2:25 mark. Levi Forson of Scio handed Owens his only loss with a fall at 1:24.

The next competition for the Outlaws is a three-way meet at Cascade on Wednesday, January 18.

Coach David Kemp felt good about how his five wrestlers competed.

“Since we only had five guys wrestling we couldn’t beat any of the teams in the duals matchups so we didn’t get to advance to the final eight,” he said. “But our seniors, Hayden and Ben, both took on some state-ranked wrestlers and came away with wins.”