Oregon 6A/5A girls wrestling: Champions, takeaways from district meets

The 6A/5A girls wrestling district meets took place over the weekend, with the OSAA state championships scheduled for Feb. 23-24 in Portland

The 6A/5A girls wrestling district meets took place over the weekend, with the OSAA state championships scheduled for Feb. 23-24 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. 

Here’s a look at the champions and three takeaways from each of the three district meets. The top four finishers from each district meet advance to state.

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Special District 1 (at Century)

Team champion: Southridge (167 points)

Most qualifiers: Forest Grove (5), Hillsboro (5), Southridge (5), Liberty (4) 

Individual champions

100 Maria Caudillo, Fr., Cleveland

105 Desirae Martinez Castanon, So., Aloha

110 Wren Mena, Sr., Sunset

115 Layla Morris, Jr., Mountainside

120 Abbeline Richard, So., Barlow

125 Zorina Johnson, So., Ida B. Wells

130 Kailea Takahashi, Jr., Forest Grove

135 Gracee Grenfell, Sr., Liberty

140 Kennedy Blanton, Jr., Forest Grove

145 Gracie Boer, Sr., Beaverton

155 Joanna Interian, Sr., Hillsboro

170 Isabel Herring, Jr., Cleveland

190 Arianna Boyd, Sr., Sunset

235 Bianca Miranda, Jr., Liberty

3 notes

Southridge edges defending champion to win first district title

Southridge dethroned Hillsboro by four points to win a tight district championship race for its first title, with third-place Forest Grove amassing 158 points. The Skyhawks didn’t have a qualifier in any weight class lighter than 135 pounds and didn’t have a district finalist but had nine wrestlers make the podium and five advance.

The Vikings, with two district champions among four finalists, might be the team poised to make the most noise in the team race at the state meet.

Aloha among 4 schools with first-time champions; Wells sophomore dominates 

With 10 of last year’s 14 district champions having graduated, the door opened for plenty of fresh faces. Sunset, Aloha, Beaverton and Barlow had first-time winners, with the Warriors qualifying three wrestlers to state.

One of the returning champions was Johnson, who reached the state final at 115 last season and exited the weekend 20-0 and ranked No. 23 in the country at 125 — although Forest Grove sophomore Renae Cook was the first wrestler this season to last all six minutes against Johnson, losing a 7-0 decision in the final.

Takahashi ready to win another state title after pinning way to 130 district crown

Last year’s state finalists at 125 pounds, Takahashi and Grenfell, are in separate brackets this season and won their brackets in dominant fashion. Takahashi, who defeated Grenfell 6-2 at the Coliseum last February, pinned all four opponents over the weekend, including Grant’s Lillian Courtnage-Dyke in 5:31 in the final.

Takahashi’s teammate, Blanton, also repeated as a district champion, as did Mountainside’s Morris. Grenfell also had three pins and a technical fall before defeating Westview’s Paige Carrier 8-4 in the final. 

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Special District 2 (at McKay)

Team champion: Dallas (244 points)

Most qualifiers: Dallas (9), North Salem (7), McNary (6), McKay (5)

Individual champions 

100 Sarahi Chavez, Jr., McKay

105 Paisley Conway, Fr., Newberg

110 Polly Olliff, Jr., Dallas

115 Ivy McIntosh, Jr., Dallas

120 Mariko Sonis, Sr., North Salem

125 Jazlin Tavares, Sr., North Salem

130 Cadence Payton, Fr., Nelson

135 McKenna Unger, So., McNary

140 Karina Yoder, Sr., Clackamas

145 Reese Lawson, Sr., West Salem

155 Natalie Wilhoit, Jr., Tigard

170 Jasmine Brown, Sr., Wilsonville

190 Ali Martinez, Sr., McNary

235 Madison Kidwell, Sr., Canby

3 notes

District championship a first for wrestling powerhouse 

Dallas has been a wrestling hotbed for years, but this year is the first time the Dragons girls have joined the fun and brought home a district title. They moved from District 3 to District 2 and led by two-time district champion McIntosh and last year’s 105 state champion Olliff, they knocked off 2023 champion McKay (216½ points), with McNary (213) close behind in third.

Nelson's Payton wins school's first district wrestling title

Payton made history for Nelson’s program by becoming its first district champion (boy or girl) with an 8-2 decision against Dallas senior Savannah Roblin in the final.

Payton entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and pinned No. 2 seed Kiara Rios of McMinnville in the semifinals and top-seeded Roblin in the title match. Payton has lost only once to an Oregon wrestler this season and will enter state with a 19-3 record.

Tigard, Clackamas wrestlers record program firsts

Junior Sydney Knipe became the first Tigard girl to qualify for state by making the 140-pound final, where she lost to Yoder, Clackamas’ first district champion. Two matches later, Wilhoit became the Tigers’ first girls district titlist, pinning Woodburn’s Emily Grassham in 89 seconds.

Alongside the first-time champions were several returning title-winners, including three-time champion and two-time state finalist Chavez and four reigning state champions — Sonis, Lawson, Brown and Martinez. 

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Special District 3 (at North Eugene)

Team champion: Thurston (298 points)

Most qualifiers: Thurston (11), Redmond (9), North Medford (5) 

Individual champions

100 Rubie Winterburn, Sr., Thurston

105 Skyler Hall, So., North Medford

110 Jennifer Russell, Jr., Corvallis

115 Valerie Bowman, So., Bend

120 Mia Pedersen, So., Redmond

125 McKayla Bonham, Jr., Silverton

130 Sadie Hall, Jr., North Medford

135 Reina Barnes-Rubio, Jr., Redmond

140 Kristal Zamora, Jr., Thurston

145 Isabella Jaime, Sr., North Medford

155 MacKenzie Shearon, Jr., Redmond

170 Olivia Froehlich, Sr., North Eugene

190 Alixia Hernandez, Jr., Eagle Point

235 Reagan Alvernaz, Sr., South Albany

3 notes

Colts romp to fourth district championship, eye first state title since ’21

Thurston won a fourth consecutive district title, besting Redmond by 58 points, as the Colts look to secure their first state championship since going back-to-back in 2020-21. They’ll send a meet-best 11 wrestlers to Memorial Coliseum, including three — Winterburn, Zamora and 125 district runner-up Kassidy Hadden — who placed at state last season.

State champions Hall, Shearon breeze through district brackets

Two state champions punched their repeat tickets to Memorial Coliseum this weekend with commanding performances as neither Hall (100 titlist in ’23) and Shearon (140) had to work past the second round in any of their matches. 

Silverton’s Bonham among 3 first-time champions for their schools

Wrestlers from three schools won the first district girls championships in their program’s histories this weekend.

Bonham, who placed fourth at 125 at the state meet last season, pinned Hadden in 1:16 in the district final. The two also wrestled in the placing rounds at state, with Hadden taking third with a 7-4 decision.

Froehlich and Alvernaz, like Bonham, were No. 2 seeds who toppled No. 1s in their respective finals — Froehlich with a third-round pin of North Medford’s Lalaine Chan, and Alvernaz with a 3-1 decision against Crater’s Katelyn Klingler.