Newberg (6A), Dallas (5A), Thurston (6A/5A Girls) earn team titles on exciting final day of Oregon wrestling season

Newberg amassed the third-most points in tournament history

Thurston and Dallas.

Dallas and Thurston. 

The two wrestling powerhouses passed the lead between each other in not one, but two tournaments during Saturday’s 13-hour session at the OSAA state championships at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

In the end, they shared the spoils. The Colts earned their first 6A/5A girls title since winning during the COVID 2021 spring season, defeating the Dragons by 34.5 points.

The Dragons took home the 5A boys championship, edging the Colts by 17.5 points for their first championship since 2018.

The biggest winner on the final day of the tournament was Newberg, which steamrolled the field in the Class 6A meet by amassing 353 points — the third-most in tournament history — for its 14th OSAA state title, matching Lowell for the most by any school.

Throw in the title the Tigers won on their home mats during the COVID season, and they own the record alone.

Class 6A 

Newberg took control of the team race with a 12-1 showing in the quarterfinal round, then salted away its fourth title in the past five years by putting nine wrestlers in the finals.

Coach Neil Russo credited freshman Sawyer Keinonen’s victory in the 120-pound semifinals as sparking the Tigers’ run.

Keinonen trailed Roseburg’s Jake Olsen 1-0 late in the third round before scoring a takedown and three near-fall points in the final five seconds.

“It didn’t look real promising, and somehow, he found his way on top and got a takedown to win the match,” Russo said. “And I think that really jump-started us in that round. Things got rolling after that, and we were getting falls and bonus points, and we didn’t lose a medal round match today (4-0). Our kids were just outstanding.”

Four of Newberg’s nine finalists — Isaac Hampton (120), Gavin Rangel (132), Dillon Le (144) and Gus Amerson (150) — won titles, and the Tigers’ winning margin was 123 points over defending champion West Linn.

The Lions also had four champions, including junior Oscar Doces, who denied Newberg senior Zachary Keinonen a fourth state title with a 2-1 victory in overtime.

“I really care about Zach, of course, so it’s really emotional,” Doces said. “But this is everything I worked for. It’s amazing.”

Doces and seniors Henry Dillingham (157) and Charles Spinning (165) won their second championships, and senior Colby Cook defeated Sawyer Keinonen in the 120 final.

Roseburg placed third, and Clackamas took home a team trophy for the first time by finishing fourth.

Class 5A

The Dragons had only two finalists and one champion — junior Joseph Johnson at 120 — but they finished with 12 wrestlers on the podium, one more than runner-up Thurston.

Dallas put together a run during the placing rounds, leaving the Colts needing almost a perfect run in the championship finals to win their first title since 2002.

Instead, the Colts had only one of their four finalists — 144-pounder Colton Annis — stand atop the podium at night’s end.

“It was fun because it took everybody,” said Dragons coach Austin Markee, who took over for longtime coach Tony Olliff this season. “We had to come through the back end. We had to put together a good tournament. It was awesome.”

Last year’s champion, Redmond, finished third, with Crater placing fourth.

Class 6A/5A Girls

It was four years ago when Thurston won the first of its back-to-back titles at Memorial Coliseum. After consecutive runner-up finishes the past two years, the Colts put nine wrestlers on the podium and three in the finals, with sophomore Izabella Castebery winning her first championship at 155.

“I knew we would score a lot of points, and we just kept winning on the backside,” coach Mike Simons said.

The Dragons, who placed 14th a year ago, won their first trophy on the backs of five placers, including repeat champion Polly Olliff (110).

Redmond in third place and North Salem in fourth also were debutantes on the medals podium. 

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Complete coverage of OSAA state wrestling