After winning just about every event entered this season, the Crater boys wrestling team was forced to take a backseat Saturday night in Springfield after finishing runner-up to host Thurston in the Midwestern League championships.

The setback came by a slim four-point margin — with the Colts claiming 484 points overall to the 480 produced by the Comets — but not without a host of positives for Crater as it looks ahead to the Class 5A state championships in two weeks.

Crater crowned a tournament-best nine district champions among its 12 finalists to create a realistic shot at a state trophy and potential overall 5A title when action resumes at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.

With the top four wrestlers at each weight class from the Midwestern League advancing to state, the Comets qualified 17 wrestlers all told for the state tournament — at least one wrestler at every weight class except heavyweight.

In comparison, Thurston finished with three titles after also putting 12 wrestlers in the finals. The Colts’ depth of 10 more wrestlers placing either third or fourth helped corral the MWL team title.

Reigning state champion Jeremiah Oliva emerged with Crater’s first district title Saturday night when the sophomore scored a 17-1 technical fall over Mason Hakki of Thurston at 120 pounds.

Senior Joey Hutchins later started a parade of seven straight Comet champions, working hard toward a 17-11 decision over Thurston’s Sean Regas at 132 pounds.

Junior Jaret Hickey followed at 138 with a pin of Holton Halstead of Thurston in 3 minutes, 4 seconds, and then the Godley brothers carried on that momentum with dominant efforts. Sophomore Aidan Godley, another returning 5A champion, fell just shy of a technical fall with a 14-1 major decision over Thurston’s Jaden Ellis, and junior Jaxson Godley made short work of Thurston’s Bill Matheus with a 46-second pin in the finals.

Kutter Christensen, a junior state runner-up from a year ago, turned back reigning state champion Colton Annis of Thurston for an 8-3 decision at 157. Sophomore Ryland Walters avenged a loss to Eagle Point junior Gavin Pogue at the Reser’s Tournament of Champions with a fall in 4:18 this time around to keep the title trek rolling for the Comets.

Crater senior Daemian Deen put a capper on the consecutive titles with a 10-3 decision over Thurston’s Bryce Johnson, but the Comets were far from finished.

After sophomore Elijah Cole had to settle for second place at 190, a pair of Comets squared off in the 215 final, with junior Travis Ege securing a 36-second pin over senior Giovanni Gonzales.

Crater freshman Shane Smoker also finished runner-up at 106.

The heavyweight final pitted a pair of local standouts against one another in Eagle Point senior Brian Cortez and Ashland senior Kekoa Kaho’okaulana, with Cortez coming out on top with a fall in 3:43.

Eagle Point, which finished third in the team standings with 274 points, qualified 10 wrestlers overall for the 5A state tournament.

Ashland saw Phoenyx Pennell (120) place third and fellow sophomore Jack Maybin (190) finish fourth to earn their spot at state with Kaho’okaulana.

BOYS TEAM SCORES: Thurston 484, Crater 480, Eagle Point 274, North Eugene 107, Ashland 106.5, Churchill 57.5, Springfield 11.5.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

106 — Lukas Salas-Sanchaz, Thurston, dec. Shane Smoker, Crater, 5-4; 113 — Michael Salas Sanchez, Thurston, pinned Dorian Valdovinos, Thurston, 2:46; 120 — Jeremiah Oliva, Crater, tech. fall Mason Hakki, Thurston, 17-1; 126 — Sawyer Greenstreet, Thurston, dec. Truman Winningham, Thurston, 12-7; 132 — Joey Hutchins, Crater, dec. Sean Regas, Thurston, 17-11.

138 — Jaret Hickey, Crater, pinned Holton Halstead, Thurston, 3:04; 144 — Aidan Godley, Crater, major dec. Jaden Ellis, Thurston, 14-1; 150 — Jaxson Godley, Crater, pinned Bill Matheus, Thurston, :46; 157 — Kutter Christensen, Crater, dec. Colton Annis, Thurston, 8-3.

165 — Ryland Walters, Crater, pinned Gavin Pogue, Eagle Point, 4:18; 175 — Daemian Deen, Crater, dec. Bryce Johnson, Thurston, 10-3; 190 — Ezekiel Allison, Churchill, pinned Elijah Cole, Crater, 2:39; 215 — Travis Ege, Crater, pinned Giovanni Gonzales, Crater, :36; 285 — Brian Cortez, Eagle Point, pinned Kekoa Kaho’okaulana, Ashland, 3:43.

THIRD-PLACE FINALS

106 — Brayden Martinez, Crater, tech. fall Talen Elizando, Eagle Point, 16-0; 113 — A.J. Perez, Crater, dec. Ryan McFall, Eagle Point, SV-1 8-5; 120 — Phoenyx Pennell, Ashland, dec. Hayden Melendrez, Thurston, 13-12; 126 — Philip Alger, Crater, tech. fall Andy Ortega, North Eugene, 20-3; 132 — Ethan Regas, Thurston, pinned Haeden Durighello, Crater, 2:48.

138 — Thomas Wippel, Eagle Point, tech. fall Jaxon Harada, Thurston, 15-0; 144 — Ethan Metcalf, Eagle Point, major dec. Hunter Reed, Thurston, 10-2; 150 — Nathan Mallari, Eagle Point, pinned Alexander Murray, Churchill, 1:02; 157 — Joshua Dameron, North Eugene, pinned Sean McFall, Eagle Point, 2:52.

165 — Kamdyn Wardlaw, Thurston, major dec. Colby Price, Eagle Point, 12-2; 175 — Jethro Watkins, Crater, dec. Aydan Beckstead, Thurston, 14-7; 190 — Emmit Distefano, Thurston, tech. fall Jack Maybin, Ashland, 18-2; 215 — Aiden Clark, Thurston, pinned Kai Peters, Eagle Point, 3:29; 285 — Peighton Rofinot, Thurston, pinned Landon Cramer, Thurston, 2:26.