‘I was born to do wrestling.’ Dominic Macon puts his name in the record book as Nelson’s first state champion: Oregon wrestling 285/235 big-school roundup

“The people here are just so loving. The vibe here, they just give you the boost I needed.”

Dominic Macon hadn’t considered wrestling until he walked into the Nelson High School room as a freshman in November 2021. 

His mother had encouraged him from middle school to pick one sport each season and one instrument to play — he plays a mean saxophone in the school’s wind ensemble, by the way. 

But from the first day he entered the wrestling room, he was hooked. 

“I was born to do wrestling,” he said. 

And Saturday night in the final match of the OSAA wrestling state championships at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Macon won the wildest match of the weekend, taking advantage of receiving second life at the end of regulation to pin Aloha’s Noah Miner in the second overtime period of their Class 6A 285-pound final.

Miner led 2-1 as the final seconds ticked, but he prematurely celebrated, pushing away Macon with time still on the clock. The referee awarded Macon a penalty point for stalling, which no one noticed for several seconds. 

“I was like, damn, he’s celebrating,” Macon said. “Then, I look at the scoreboard, and it says 2-2, and I’m like, dammmn. So, I just turned it up a bit. I got the job done.”

After a scoreless fourth period, Macon started the first ultimate tiebreaker round on top. He was able to turn Miner and pinned him with 5 seconds left in the period, with Mom in the stands screaming her heart out.

“It’s just a blessing,” Macon said. “I wouldn’t be able to make an inch where I am without her. She’s just so amazing.”

Macon not only became the Hawks’ first wrestling state champion, but he also completed the season unbeaten at 32-0 — and only because he also survived an ultimate tiebreaker in the semifinal against No. 1 seed Li Moala of South Medford, scoring a takedown in the final seconds for a 4-2 win. 

“It just feels great,” Macon said. “The people here are just so loving. The vibe here, they just give you the boost I needed toward the end there. It’s just amazing.” 

5A: Another heavyweight champion finished an undefeated season two mats down from where Macon was celebrating, as Silverton junior Brash Henderson won in sudden-victory overtime over Lebanon’s Isaac Jordan to complete a 24-0 campaign.

“It means the world,” Henderson said. “I’ve been working for this since I was really young. I’ve been dreaming about being here.”

Henderson lost in the final last year to four-time state champion Hayden Walters of Crater, and the defeat led to a change in mentality entering this season. 

“I’ve been saying to myself, 'I’m the best in the bracket. I’m going to win this bracket,'” he said. “Not letting myself get down early on, and even if I do, if I get taken down, I’m going to come back.” 

6A/5A Girls: Liberty junior Bianca Miranda, like Henderson, lost in the final last season, and she came back this year and pinned Crater’s Katelyn Klingler with 8 seconds left in the first round of their 235-pound final to join teammate Gracee Grenfell as the first Falcons to win girls state titles. 

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Meet the champions: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

Vote for best wrestler: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

Previewing the state meets: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

Recapping the district meets: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF 2024 OSAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Photos by Taylor Balkom