OC picked to snap West Linn’s string
The Pioneers are young, but they’ve got the talent and the numbers to dethrone the Lions
Oregon City High School wrestling veterans (front) Jake Morris and (back, from left) Tyler Winslow, Jared Carr and Nick Shafer.
John Lariviere / Clackamas Review
OREGON CITY – This could be the year that Oregon City returns to the top in Three Rivers League wrestling.
The last time an Oregon City team won a district team title in the sport was in 1996.
West Linn has won 11 straight team titles since then. But the Lions appear vulnerable this year. They’ve got only five returning district place-winners from last year’s team that placed second at state.
Based on returning district place-winners, Oregon City, Clackamas and Milwaukie could all give the Lions a run for their money this season. Oregon City returns 12 district place-winners from last season; Milwaukie returns 11; Clackamas returns 10.
“Every year’s different and I think this year it’s going to be us on top,” said Oregon City team leader Jake Morris. “We only lost a few seniors [to graduation] and West Linn lost like 18-plus.”
“Just looking at their lineup from last year, Oregon City has got to be the clear favorite,” said Clackamas coach Jayson Wullbrandt.
“I think we’ve got a chance,” said Oregon City senior leader Jared Carr. “But we’re going to have to work hard and really go after it.”
Nearly every coach in the league gives Oregon City a slight edge as “favorite,” because the Pioneers have the biggest turnout of any team in the Three Rivers League, at just under 70 athletes.
The Pioneers return five state qualifiers, including two athletes who placed at state – junior Jake Morris and senior Jared Carr.
Morris, who won a state title at 135, is ready and loaded for bear as he returns to wrestle at 152 this season.
“I want to win state again and win district,” said Morris. “I want to duplicate last year – only with less losses.”
Morris says he’s worked out “seven days a week since the day after [last season’s] state tournament.”
Carr is looking to improve upon last season, when he placed sixth at state at heavyweight, after finishing third at district – behind Class 6A standouts Jimmy Haman of Milwaukie and Scott Shugert of Oregon City. Haman and Shugert went on to place first and third respectively at state. Both have graduated.
“I work as hard as I can every day,” said Carr. “I’d really like to improve on last year.”
Sophomore Cody Park, junior Tyler Winslow and senior Nick Shafer also return to the Pioneer lineup with state-meet experience.
Park, who was district runner-up at 112 as a freshman, has grown and beefed up a lot. He’ll wrestle at 140 or 145.
Winslow moves up to 112, after wrestling varsity two seasons at 103; Shafer returns to wrestle at 189, where he placed third behind Milwaukie graduate Mike Collazo and West Linn graduate Spencer Hanson a year ago.
Three other Oregon City wrestlers came within a match of qualifying for state last season. Sophomore Luke Scruggs (103), junior John Newman (130) and senior Luis Lopez (125) all placed fourth in their respective weight divisions.
Seniors Michael Luna (125), Doug Jahn (145) and Casey House (215) were also district place-winners for the Pioneers last winter, along with junior Sam Wallace (145/152).
Oregon City coach Roger Rolen says he’s got at least 10 wrestlers whom he believes have a good chance of qualifying for state, and he says that several of them could place.
The Pioneers have lost four state qualifiers to graduation – Shaun Snow (130), Tony Garboden (135), Andrew Marshall (160) and Scott Shugert (HWT).
They’ll also miss senior David Tkach. The district runner-up at 152 last season, Tkach has elected not to wrestle.
Although West Linn returns only five district place-winners, four of them are pretty good ones. Sophomore Donald Paulson (103) and junior Andrew Kim (112) were district champions. Sophomore Logan Krellwitz (119) and senior Devan Schiewe (140) advanced to state as district runners-up. Paulson and Kim were both state place-winners on a West Linn team that finished state runner-up to Roseburg.
The Lions have graduated state champion Prescott Garner (119), state runner-up Brandon LaDick (140), and state place-winners Gustavo Bessa (135), Cameron Callaghan (145), John Bartlett (152), Lane Locke (171), Ryan Krellwitz (171), Spencer Hansen (189) and Jake Helbling (215). West Linn state-meet participant Aaron Newsome (160) has moved to Alabama.
“I would have to say that Oregon City is the team to beat,” said West Linn coach Doug Samarron. “When you get to district, it’s a numbers game. And Oregon City has the numbers.”
Samarron noted that he’s got fewer than 40 athletes out for wrestling this year, and only four seniors.
“They dropped middle school wrestling for a year [in West Linn] four years ago, and it’s caught up with us,” Samarron said. “My team is mostly underclassmen and they’ve decided that 12-and-one is okay with them. We may be out of the running this year, but we’ll be back for number 12 next year….
“This year we’ll be battling for second with Clackamas and Milwaukie.”
“I think we’ve got a good chance [of winning district], but it won’t be easy,” said Rolen. “We’ve got a young team. We could have as many as nine underclassmen in our varsity lineup….
“West Linn says they’ve lost their lineup, but they’ve got tradition. Eleven district championships in a row says something about their program. They’ve got a bunch of kids behind the seniors who graduated who were right there. They’re the favorites until someone proves differently.
“And Clackamas has some horses. We’ll battle with Clackamas.”
Rolen is high on his younger wrestlers.
“We’ve got a freshmen and sophomore group now that’s really enjoyable to be around,” said Rolen. “I can’t wait to get to the practice room. They’ve got a great work ethic, they’re good students and good citizens, and they’ve got a passion for the sport of wrestling.”
Oregon City was to begin Three Rivers League competition tonight in a home meet with Lake Oswego. The Pioneers square off with Clackamas at Clackamas next Wednesday.