SALEM — Nick Ryan is an entirely different wrestler this season than he was a year ago.
Bigger. Stronger. Quicker.
More skilled. More motivated. More confident.
The Crater High senior started the Class 5A state tournament with a bang Thursday as he needed just 33 seconds to pin Cleveland freshman Nick Semke in the 215-pound division.
As a whole, the second-ranked Comets struggled during opening-day action at the Oregon State Fairgrounds Pavilion. They won just 10 of 20 matches while moving eight of their 18 entrants into the championship quarterfinals.
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Ryan, who failed to place at last year's tournament while posting a 20-20 record, spent much of the off-season on the mats. He competed at the state freestyle tournament and the cultural exchange tryouts last spring, locking heads with Oregon State recruits Keegan Davis and Brice Arand, among others.
After a stellar football season that netted all-conference accolades, Ryan hit the wrestling mats at full speed. He finished second in a number of big tournaments before winning the 215-pound Southern Sky Conference title last week.
His win Thursday boosted his record to 33-7.
"The main thing is, I'm just a lot more confident," shrugged Ryan, whose father, Marty, was a standout wrestler at Oregon State in the 1970s. "The off-season work has really paid off."
Ryan thought about dropping a few pounds and moving to the 189-pound division, but the Comets already had Chris Brown and Darrio Mobley at that weight. They needed a quality 215-pounder, and Ryan was their man.
"Staying at 215 was one of the best decisions I ever made," Ryan said. "Instead of worrying about cutting weight, I could spend 100 percent of my efforts practicing and drilling with workout partners.
"I'm mentally fresh for every match, and the best thing is, I get to eat breakfast before the weigh-ins."
Ryan doesn't do anything fancy, instead opting for basic moves and holds. He used a double-leg takedown and half-nelson to pin Semke Thursday.
"Coach Haga believes in doing things basic and doing them well," Ryan said. "And that's what I try to do."
Other Comets advancing to today's championship quarterfinal round were Nick Ferris (119), Brock Gutches (130), Jake Vizzini (140), Will Smith (145), Shawn Ogle (152), Logan Brooks (160) and Zach Young (171).
Ferris, Gutches, Vizzini and Ogle all registered first-match falls.
Haga, whose Comets won Class 4A state titles the past four years, was mildly disappointed over Thursday's performance.
"It's definitely not what we had hoped," Haga said. "We've got eight sophomores and a lot of kids up here for the first time, but I thought we'd have a better first day. But the kids who lost today can redeem themselves in the consolation rounds. How you come back from defeat — that's what's important."
Crater's biggest casualty Thursday was Zach Kezer, a senior who's ranked fourth at 112 pounds. Kezer fell behind early and dropped a 12-8 decision to Bend freshman Jacob Graber.
Mobley and Brown, the Comets' 189-pounders, also suffered agonizing losses. Both were leading their opponents in the third round, only to get pinned.
"They both lost their focus," Haga said.
Eagle Point, meanwhile, moved a half-dozen competitors to the quarterfinal round.
Eagles coach Kacey McNulty was especially pleased with third-place district finishers Spenser Doran (112), Garrett Davis (140) and Scott Leonardo (152), who punched their tickets to the quarterfinals. Also advancing in the championship bracket were Blake Platt (125), Brady Holland (135) and Marcus Wyatt (171).
Phoenix, competing in the 4A tournament, had five competitors move on to the championship quarterfinals, led by top-ranked, 152-pound Nick Amuchastegui and top-ranked, 171-pound Noah Berman. Amuchastegui required just 47 seconds to pin Sweet Home's Sawyer Anderson, while Berman churned out a 6-0 victory over Molalla's Hallister Stephenson.
The Pirates' Tourville brothers — 119-pound Shyne and 130-pound Ryan — also debuted with wins, as did Ryan Black (130).
Sweet Home grabbed the early lead with 57 points, while tourney favorite Tillamook was second with 52.5. Phoenix was tied for seventh with 31 points, Illinois Valley is 13th with 28, Hidden Valley 23rd with 17, North Valley was 25th with 13.5 and Rogue River was 27th with 11 points.
In the 6A tourney, West Linn catapulted to the first-day lead with 59 points.
Individually, South Medford's Cody Knudsen (125) got off to a positive start with a first-round fall over Westview's Brett Terry.
State Wrestling
Class 4A
TEAM SCORES (Top 25) — Sweet Home 57, Tillamook 52.5, Scappoose 39, Cottage Grove 35, Ontario 33, Estacada 31.5, Cascade 31, Phoenix 31, South Umpqua 31, La Grande 30, Henley 39, Pleasant Hill 29, Illinois Valley 28, North Bend 28, Philomath 27, Brookings-Harbor 20.5, La Pine 20, Molalla 20, North Marion 19.5, Astoria 19, Douglas 18.5, Stayton 17.5, Hidden Valley 17, Siuslaw 16, North Valley 13.5.
OTHER LOCAL TEAMS — Rogue River 11.
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
First Round
103 — Gabe Goodrich, Banks, tech. fall Justin Conn, North Valley, 5:23.
112 — Alex Littlefair, Hidden Valley, pinned Thomas Eckstine, Cottage Grove, 2:51.
119 — Luke Amuchastegui, Phoenix, dec. Jack Perry, Sweet Home, 4-0.
125 — Kody Sells, Hidden Valley, pinned Dalton Sheets, McLoughlin, 1:34; Drew Erickson, Pleasant Hill, major dec. Quayde Fisher, Illinois Valley, 18-8; Tom Martinez, Ontario, forfeit over Johnathon Carlson, North Valley.
130 — Ryan Black, Phoenix, dec. David Rangel, Ontario, 2-0; Matt Cornish, North Valley, major dec. Jose Lara, Sutherlin, 16-6.
135 — Johnny Norman, North Valley, dec. Ryder Willmarth, La Grande, 9-8; Adam Sprague, Pleasant Hill, pinned Robert Balsz, Henley 5:59.
160 — Judah Lockwood, Henley, pinned Brad Pitts, Sweet Home, 1:58; Caleb Pendleton, Scappoose, dec. Brett Mathes, Henley, 7-2.
171 — Jared Schneider, Henley, dec. Kohl Miller, Scappoose, 9-7 OT; Denver Conrad, Siuslaw, pinned Devin Ogdon, North Valley, 3:33; Noah Berman, Phoenix, pinned Cory Ottre, Sweet Home, 1:34.
189 — Clint Sager, HIdden Valley, dec. Jon Henry, Baker, 108.
215 — Cliff Rhoten, Rogue River, major dec. Ethan Rowe, Sweet Home, 10-0; Michaelanglo Ortiz, Ontario, pinned Alex Machado, Phoenix, 3:41.
285 — Jeff Stallings, McLoughlin, pinned Joe Cornett, Hidden Valley, 2:38.
Second Round
103 — Dusty Culver, Illinois Valley, pinned Juvenal Carrillo, Ontario, 4:34; Dylan McCallum, La Grande, major dec. Chris Culver, Illinois Valley, 11-3.
112 — Patrick Wiggins, Rogue River, pinned Brandon Bennett, La Grande, 1:28; Chase Fields, Ontario, dec. Alex Littlefair, Hidden Valley, 4-0; Matt Duran, Illinois Valley, tech. fall Dilon Stromberg, Sutherlin, 5:58.
119 — Jesse Kane, North Valley, tech. fall Travis Turpin, Gladstone, 4:00; Shyne Tourville, Phoenix, pinned Camran Colwell, LaPine, 5:27; Bryce Klum, Scappoose, pinned Luke Amuchastegui, Phoenix, 1:52.
125 — Kody Sells, Hidden Valley, major dec. Derek Sharp, Sweet Home, 11-1.
130 — Ryan Black, Phoenix, dec. Kyle Watkins, Pleasant Hill, 5-3; Ryan Tourville, Phoenix, dec. Grant Marcum, Baker, 5-2; Beau Klum, Scappoose, pinned Matt Cornish, North Valley, 1:53.
135 — John Garcia, Tillamook, pinned Johnny Norman, North Valley, 5:24; Tony Green, Cascade, dec. Jacob Miller, Illinois Valley, 10-6.
140 — Robert McGregor, Henley, dec. Jeremy Keenan, Newport, 10-5 OT; Jerrod Miller, Illinois Valley, pinned Same Lockman, South Umpqua, 3:31; Mike Sandoe, Henley, major dec. Charles Williams, Cottage Grove, 14-0.
145 — Adam Miller, Illinois Valley, pinned Wyley Bartlett, Douglas, 4:20; Nick Pitts, Sweet Home, pinned Morgan Warr, Henley, 4:49; Jesse Swift, Illinois Valley, tech. fall Max Nicholson, La Grande, 4:00.
152 — Josh Stahlcup, Estacada, pinned Justin Johnson, Henley, 3:26; Andrew Knight, Sweet Home, major dec. Rett Heggie, Henley, 12-4; Nick Amuchastegui, Phoenix, pinned Sawyer Anderson, Sweet Home, :47.
160 — Judah Lockwood, Henley, pinned Jeremiah Cutshall, Elmira, 3:35; Anthony Miller, Illinois Valley, dec. JR Gates, Cascade, 7-3.
171 — Dusty Bell, La Grande, dec. Jared Schneider, Henley, 6-0; Noah Berman, Phoenix, dec. Hallister Stephenson, Molalla, 6-0.
189 — Clint Sager, Hidden Valley, pinned Drew McNall, Gladstone, 2:45; Chris Henry, Henley, dec. Lorin Lynch, Newport, 12-5; Anthony Rangel, Ontario, pinned Lance Tausaga, Illinois Valley, 5:36.
215 — Jake Banta, Astoria, pinned Cliff Rhoten, Rogue River, :28; Tim Pope, Illinois Valley, pinned Corey Crocker-Solis, Cottage Grove, 1:28.
285 — Josh Humphreys, Rogue River, pinned Travis Spencer, Philomath, 1:01; Paul Gutzman, North Valley, pinned Greg Mills, La Grande, 2:42.
CONSOLATION BRACKET
First Round
103 — Chris Culver, Illinois Valley, pinned Justin Conn, North Valley, 1:43.
112 — Dylan Weitman, Stayton, dec. Alex Littlefair, Hidden Valley, 4-2 OT.
119 — Luke Amuchastegui, Phoenix, major dec. Nathan Teel, Estacada, 10-2.
125 — Jeff Baxter, LaPine, forfeit over Johnathon Carlson, North Valley; Nate Wixom, Stayton, pinned Quayde Fisher, Illinois Valley, 1:52.
135 — Robert Balsz, Henley, dec. Sam Longe, Banks, 9-8; Willie Bennett, Brookings-Harbor, tech. fall Johnny Norman, North Valley, 4:56.
Class 5A
TEAM SCORES (Top 25) — Hermiston 49, Crook County 42.5, Crater 37, Eagle Point 35, Hillsboro 34, Jefferson 29, Cleveland 28.5, Thurston 25.5, Silverton 18, West Albany 17.5, Century 13, Lebanon 13, Corvallis 12, Springfield 12, Pendleton 11, The Dalles-Wahtonka, 10, Willamette 10, Woodburn 10, Glencoe 9.5, St. Helens 9.5, Klamath Union 9, Madras 9, Mazama 9, Churchill 8, Parkrose 8.
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
First Round
103 — Trenton Kaiser, Eagle Point, pinned JoAnna Levy, Cleveland, 1:23; Zack Clark, Silverton, pinned Josh Coker, Klamath Union, 1:43.
112 — Spenser Doran, Eagle Point, dec. David Marienau, Dallas, 10-3; Zack Kezer, Crater, pinned Ryan Campbell, Marshfield, :54.
145 — Jess Cruise, Crook County, pinned Tony Pinedo, Eagle Point, 2:57.
152 — Shawn Ogle, Crater, dec. Ivan Durrant, Silverton, 4-3.
189 — Todd Totten, Lebanon, pinned Zack Luther, Klamath Union, 3:05.
Second Round
103 — Manny Gonzalez, Hillsboro, pinned Jarom King, Crater, 3:31; Trenton Kaiser, Eagle Point, dec. Dalton Urrutia, Lebanon, 11-9.
112 — Alex Panyasiri, Century, pinned Jeremy Artoff, Crater, 1:20; Spenser Doran, Eagle Point, dec. Jacob Wislon, Cleveland, 6-1; Jacob Graber, Bend, dec. Zack Kezer, Crater, 12-8.
119 — Tarrance Williams, Jefferson, pinned Jeff Skelton, Crater, :33; Nick Ferris, Crater, pinned Patrick Davis, Cleveland, 5:46; Brett Gast, Crook County, major dec. Daniel Soto, Eagle Point, 12-4.
125 — Justin Tracy, Thurston, pinned Kevin Leonardo, 1:08; Brandon Adolf, Hermiston, pinned Brent Espinoza, Crater, 3:36; Blake Platt, Eagle Point, pinned Corbin Clontz, Springfield, 3:16.
130 — Sirgeo Jefferson, Klamath Union, dec. Spud Simer, The Dalles-Wahtonka, 7-2; Jacob Stutzer, Mazama, dec. Justin Villegas, Hillsboro, 6-2; Brock Gutches, Crater, pinned Daniel Merrill, Thurston, 2:48.
135 — Cameron Rosenfield, Madras, dec. Matt Wilson, Eagle Point, 9-3; Brady Holland, Eagle Point, pinned Clay Knechtges, Cleveland, 2:36; Kenny Melton, Pendleton, major dec. Cole Saltenberger, Mazama, 14-4.
140 — Brent Parks, Hermiston, major dec. Arin Zon, Crater, 14-3; Garrett Davis, Eagle Point, dec. Mike Rodgers, Hillsboro, 12-8; Jake Vizzini, Crater, pinned Eduardo Mendoza, Madison, :45.
145 — Will Smith, Crater, dec. Abe Siala, Crescent Valley, 5-1; Daryl Watkins, Corvallis, pinned Tripp Thompson, 6:52 OT.
152 — Shawn Ogle, Crater, pinned Todd Omlid, Thurston, 3:30; Scott Leonardo, Eagle Point, dec. Mike Lister, Cleveland, 6-5; Zach Kearney, Churchill, dec. Robby Mannenbach, Eagle Point, 2-1.
160 — Logan Brooks, Crater, dec. Tim Soucie, Cleveland, 4-3; Micah Perry, Crook County, dec. Johnathan Platt, Eagle Point, 7-2; Travis Pearch, Jefferson, major dec. Josh Scharminach, Ashland, 13-4.
171 — Bryant Darby, Lebanon, pinned Chris Phillips, Mazama, 2:48; Marcus Wyatt, Eagle Point, pinned Derek Harmon, Hermiston, 6:16 OT; Zach Young, Crater, pinned Anthony Boggs, Cleveland, 3:01.
189 — Riley Mitchell, Hillsboro, pinned Dario Mobley, Crater, 5:22; Dustin Connell, Bend, pinned Chris Brown, Crater, 1:46.
215 — Garrett Later, Hermiston, pinned Dan Lee, Mazama, :21; Jay Lowe, Cleveland, pinned Bronz Kaae, Ashland, 1:35; Nick Ryan, Crater, pinned Nick Semke, Cleveland, :33.
285 — Shaun Palakiko, Cleveland, pinned Brandon Hesse, Crater, 3:56; Jared Kerns, Mazama, pinned Beau Blatchley, Thurston, 4:36; Jesse Nork, Klamath Union, pinned Kyle Baker, Springfield, :57.
CONSOLATION BRACKET
First Round
103 — Josh Coker, Klamath Union, pinned Jarom King, Crater, 2:38.
Class 6A
TEAM SCORES (Top 25) — West Linn 59, Redmond 55.5, Roseburg 52, Canby 45, Oregon City 37.5, Newberg, 34, Grants Pass 32, Barlow 28.5, North Salem, 27, Westview 24, Sprague 23, David Douglas 20.5, McKay 20, Milwaukie 19.5, Southridge 18, West Salem 18, Centennial 14.5, Beaverton 14, Tigard 14, Gresham 13, Sunset 13, Clackamas 12, Forest Grove 11.5, McMinnville 11, Hood River Valley 10.
OTHER LOCAL TEAMS — South Medford 9, Sheldon 6, South Eugene 4, North Medford 2.
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
First Round
103 — Spencer Hoffman, Lincoln, pinned Steven Evans, Roseburg, 2:25; Tommy Siciliano, Newberg, pinned Dan Fass, Roseburg, :59.
112 — Dylan Fauver, Grants Pass, major dec. Jordan Lowe, McNary, 14-2.
125 — Tanner Robertson, Redmond, major dec. Eric Stewart, Grants Pass, 15-7.
135 — Jacob Morris, Oregon City, pinned Justin Woolf, Grants Pass, 1:14.
140 — Josh Klein, Redmond, dec. Cory Herrington, Roseburg, 7-4.
152 — Nick Roberts, Gresham, dec. Alex Cortez, South Medford, 9-5.
160 — Niko Karpontinis, Roseburg, major dec. Derek Docken, Gresham, 14-2; Mitchell Sturdevant, Newberg, dec. Phillip Duron, South Medford, 6-1; Tanner Hase, Redmond, pinned Kade Peden, North Medford, 1:25.
171 — Page Smith, David Douglas, dec. Brandon Romano, Roseburg, 7-2.
215 — John Forrester, Roseburg, pinned Brad Steele, West Salem, :43; Ben Hughes, Grants Pass, dec. John Clanton, Lake Oswego, 12-7; Andrew Roberts, Sheldon, major dec. Nick O'Donnell, Wilson, 13-3.
285 — Scott Shugert, Oregon City, pinned Brandon Galvez, Roseburg, 3:09.
Second Round
103 — Steven Evans, Roseburg, pinned Torin Carver, Southridge, 1:54; Tommy Siciliano, Newberg, pinned Kyle Perry, Grants Pass, :38.
112 — Mitchell Lofstedt, Roseburg, pinned Frank Tran, Reynolds, 1:11; Dylan Fauver, Grants Pass, dec. Walter Blice, Tualatin, 3-2; Blake Borsberry, West Salem, dec. Steven Lines, South Medford, 8-1.
119 — Tyler Lander, Roseburg, pinned Zach Reser, Westview, 1:28; Jay Tovey, Roseburg, dec. Bryce Whitehead, Sprague, 15-8; Justin Roby, Lincoln, dec. Justin Hoy, Grants Pass, 6-1.
125 — Cody Knudsen, South Medford, pinned Brett Terry, Westview, 4:22; Justin Eldred, Grants Pass, dec. Colin Cornett, Newberg, 6-5.
130 — Mike Cowell, Grants Pass, pinned Dan Nelson, McNary, 1:17; Dylan Westwang, Roseburg, pinned Brandon Fassiotto, Lincoln, 5:04; Shaun Nance, Grants Pass, pinned Sam Ritchie, Westview, 1:19.
135 — Brendan Connolly, Westview, dec. Sam Meacham, Roseburg, 6-4; Spencer Kaufman, North Salem, pinned Blake Cordell, Roseburg, 4:32.
140 — Colin Hanlin, Grants Pass, dec. Matt Frutiger, Sunset, 12-5; Beau Bushnell, Grants Pass, major dec. Robert Torgerson, Milwaukie, 10-2.
145 — Alex Ortiz, Newberg, pinned Ken Hyland, South Medford, 4:39; Jake Young, Gresham, major dec. Colton Major, North Medford, 13-3; Tony Castro, Roseburg, dec. Eric Chandler, West Salem, 14-11.
152 — Justin Marble, Forest Grove, pinned Josh Weaver, Roseburg, 3:36; Chad Almond, David Douglas, dec. Ken Kelley, Roseburg, 9-4.
160 — Niko Karpontinis, Roseburg, major dec. David Rodriguez, Sunset, 20-7.
171 — Michael McRae, Southridge, dec. Nick Shoesmith, Grants Pass, 8-3; Tanner Marval, Grants Pass, pinned Alex Pridgen, Beaverton, 2:53.
189 — Not available.
215 — John Forrester, Roseburg, pinned Devin Wells, Southridge, 1:26; Matt Vanderkin, Forest Grove, tech. fall Ben Hughes, Grants Pass, 6:00; Bubba Umemoto, David Douglas, dec. Andrew Roberts, Sheldon, 11-6.
285 — Jared Carr, Oregon City, pinned Scott Carlson, South Medford, 5:00; Tom Carlson, Grants Pass, pinned Erik Hochhalter, West Salem, 4:46.
Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail dhunt@mailtribune.com
