Reser’s Tournament of Champions 2023 Day 2 recap: Newberg wins another team championship as 5 Tigers claim individual titles

“Every team point is critical, and everybody’s got to contribute.”

By René Ferrán | Photos by Leon Neuschwander 

A year ago, the Newberg wrestling program ran roughshod through its opposition in one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory.

Tigers coach Neil Russo knows the standard his program set during that amazing season and cautions against measuring this year’s group to that standard.

“You know, that was great, but that has no bearing on where we are right now and where we want to be in three weeks,” Russo said Saturday evening after his team successfully defended its title at the Reser’s Tournament of Champions at Liberty High School in Hillsboro.

“Nobody owes us anything, and we haven’t earned anything as far as I’m concerned. This is its own group, and it’s a special group in its own right.”

Unlike last year — when the Tigers put eight wrestlers in the finals, won three individual titles and had 12 wrestlers make the podium — this year’s edition had to survive some hiccups to win the program’s third TOC championship in the past four years.

With only one wrestler surviving in the consolation bracket, the Tigers rode a 5-for-5 showing in Saturday’s finals — including a surprise title from unseeded freshman Gavin Rangel at 126 pounds — to finish with 190 points, besting runner-up West Linn by 35 points.

“It’s fun, you know, to get into a tournament and have to work for it,” Russo said. “And every team point is critical, and everybody’s got to contribute. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have a cushion. But it’s nice when there’s some intrigue and some excitement.”

Junior Trae Frederick, who didn’t make the podium last year, was the last man standing in an upset-filled 152 bracket to give the Tigers one of their five individual titles. He was well aware of how tight the team race was.

“Our coach was telling us the team race was close,” said Frederick, the No. 3 seed who defeated No. 5 Ridge Kehr of La Grande 8-2 in the championship match. “I knew other than doing it for myself, I’m doing it for my team, getting those points out there.”

Tigers junior Isaac Hampton, who pinned Crater’s Jaret Hickey in 65 seconds in the 120 final, was one of five repeat champions Saturday. Another was Roseburg junior 113-pounder Gage Singleton, who topped Sweet Home junior Kyle Sieminski 10-8 in a thrilling rematch of their 106 final of a year ago.

“We wrestle each other a lot, and they’re always good matches,” said Singleton, who won Most Outstanding Wrestler honors a year after older brother Nash (now at Oregon State) earned the award.

Senior Hudson Davis (195), a two-time state champion and Wyoming signee, won his first TOC title for the Tigers, as did sophomore Gus Amerson at 145.

Crescent Valley senior Daschle Lamer, No. 5 in the nation in the most recent SBLive/Sports Illustrated rankings, also won a second consecutive Reser’s title, pinning Scappoose’s Trey Dieringer in one minute in the 170 final. Lamer pinned all five of his opponents in a combined 266 seconds to earn the Gorriaran Award for the titlist with the most falls in the least aggregate time.

Raiders teammate DJ Gillett, who hopes to join Lamer this month as a four-time state champion, won his first TOC title with a 10-0 major decision over Grants Pass sophomore Owen Hull.

West Linn senior Justin Rademacher (182) and Thurston senior Vaun Halstead (220) also repeated as TOC champions, with Halstead (34-0) and Sprague senior heavyweight Cole Steketee (27-0) also keeping their undefeated seasons intact.

La Pine senior Tyson Flack became his school’s first Reser’s TOC champion by pinning Dallas’ Carsen Atterbury in the 106 final.

Sieminski’s older brother, Jacob, a senior at 132, also won his first Reser’s title by edging Mountain View’s Drew Jones 4-2. Jones’ teammate, junior Jackson Potts, needed overtime to win the 160 title over Scappoose’s Ben Rintoul.

Reser’s Tournament of Champions 2023: Meet the placewinners for every weight class