Panthers qualify six wrestlers for championship quarterfinals, while North Medford sends 4 of 5 into Day 2

Keeping up the status quo was definitely a good thing for South Medford during the Class 6A boys wrestling state championships Friday at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.

After crowning a school-record five champions among six finalists overall at the Southwest Conference championships, the Panthers carried that same tone through the first day of the winter finale as all remained in title contention in the championship bracket.

Vaughn Graff, Bridger Foss, Caleb Dalke, Corbyn Schumack, Keegan Thonstad and Isa De La Torre each scored a pair of victories Friday to move into the quarterfinal round and highlight a steady showing by the Panthers.

“I think overall we kinda came out where we were expecting to be,” said South Medford boys wrestling coach James Schumack. “We’ve got six kids in the quarterfinals, which is where we were seeded at. It’s always good to at least follow your seeds.”

“They came out and they wrestled hard,” he added of the top-tier group. “I expect them to wrestle well (Saturday), too.”

Brody Foss also remained in contention for South Medford at 150 pounds after battling back from an opening-round loss to second-seeded Grayson Fabrycki of Sherwood.

South Medford put itself in trophy consideration by totaling 52.5 points, which was good for sixth place after Day 1.

“I think we’re proving ourselves as a legitimate program,” said coach Schumack. “Those results are going to fluctuate every year, but if we can grab a team trophy for the first time here eventually — maybe we get it this year or maybe it comes down the road — it’s just all about giving your best performance and ending your season on a good note by putting in a lot of effort.”

West Linn (74.5) and Newberg (72.5) took the early lead, as expected, with Grants Pass (55), Roseburg (54.5) and Sprague (54) rounding out the top-five teams. Only eight points separate the third-place Cavemen and No. 10 Forest Grove entering Saturday’s final rounds.

“We’re going to have some real tough matchups in the quarterfinals,” said coach Schumack, “but it’s kind of about running towards the fire and not away from it. That’s what we came up here for — to test ourselves in good competitions — and I think that ultimately no matter what happens, we’re going to get after it (Saturday).”

Graff pinned both of his opponents at 106 pounds in the first period Friday, and De La Torre did likewise at 285.

Reigning state champion Bridger Foss remained on target for a potential third straight trip to the championship finals with just over two total minutes of mat time in his two pins at 175.

Dalke and Schumack each advanced at 190, with Dalke scoring a 17-8 major decision over Tigard’s Carson Looney in his only match and Schumack pinning Cole Thomas of Grant in 2 minutes, 48 seconds.

Thonstad landed a fall in 2:47 over Dylan Sigler of David Douglas for his lone win Friday.

North Medford advanced four of its five wrestlers into Day 2, with Anthony Hall (138) and Heston Likens (150) moving on to the championship quarterfinals.

Hall, a freshman 138-pounder, made a strong state debut with a pin over seventh-seeded senior Anthony Ruggiero of Lake Oswego in 3:56, and then followed with a first-round pin of McNary’s Dillon Shepherd.

Hall is the younger brother of North Medford girls wrestling standouts Skyler Hall and Sadie Hall, who are reigning state champions.

“Tony’s been dominating and just been wrestling really good,” said North Medford head coach Tony Champion. “He’s got the No. 2 seed (Saturday) and we’ll see how that goes, but you never know, it’s one of those kinds of matches.”

Likens, a junior, won by a 17-1 technical fall over Aloha’s Tanner Hanna in his lone match at 150.

Samuel Hesler (120) and Joseph Borraggine (126) each won consolation matches to maintain a shot at becoming a state placer. Hesler faced top-seeded Jorge De La Rosa in his lone match in the championship bracket, and Borraggine was sent to the bottom bracket by third-seeded Brody Lybarger of Mountainside.

North Medford’s lone SWC champion, senior Owen Gutches, lost a pair of decisions and was eliminated from contention.

CLASS 6A BOYS WRESTLING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

TEAM SCORES (Top 10): West Linn 74.5, Newberg 72.5, Grants Pass 55, Roseburg 54.5, Sprague 54, South Medford 52.5, Sandy 50, Clackamas 48.5, Sherwood 48, Forest Grove 47.

Other Local Scores

27, North Medford, 16.5

Reach sports editor Kris Henry at khenry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035