Photo by Steve Wilkowske
Canby's Garret Miyake finds himself in a bit of a bind in his semifinals match against Kyle Larson of Hermiston, but he recovered in time to secure a 3-2 victory and earn a berth in the 130-pound finals, where he defeated West Linn's Kenny Sessler 8-6.
By Sean Patterson
Canby Herald
PORTLAND - A pair of individual championships - one of them
expected, the other a surprise - carried the Canby High School wrestling team to a
respectable fifth-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament last week at Memorial
Coliseum.
Not surprisingly, top-seeded Ian Gadberry lived up to his reputation as the state's best
wrestler at 119 pounds, capping a 41-0 season with a 5-0 showing in action Thursday
through Saturday.
It was Gadberry's second straight state title after a pair of third-place finishes his
first two years, and he clinched it with a convincing 5-2 decision of Forest Grove's
Taylor Graham in Saturday night's finals.
That much was expected. What did catch some tournament followers off guard was the
performance of 130-pounder Garret Miyake, who upset a defending state champion en route to
winning his first title.
Miyake, fourth at last year's tourney and eighth the year before that, came up with an
inspired 3-2 defeat of second-seeded Kyle Larson of Hermiston in Friday's semifinals. That
victory - over a defending state champion, no less - propelled him to the finals, where he
scored four early points on his way to an 8-6 defeat of top-seeded Kenny Sessler of West
Linn.
It all helped the Cougars score 133 points in the three-day event, putting them fifth
behind first-time champion Hermiston (160), Crater (148), Eagle Point (141.5) and district
rival Newberg (137).
"That's our best finish in four years, and the 133 points and six individual placers
is the most we have earned in my 14 years with the program," Canby head coach Dan
Nugent said of the tournament, contested Thursday through Saturday.
''The two individual state champions really makes it a special year. We know we could have
scored more points if a few matches would have gone our way, but you can always look back
at a tough state tournament and say we should have done better.''
In addition to champs Gadberry and Miyake, Canby placers included Jared Wilson (third at
160 pounds), Lucas Hambleton (fourth at 119), Jeff Wilson (fifth at 171) and Scott Doman
(seventh at heavyweight).
Canby's Steve Schrader (215), Stephen Schantin (112), Pete Savory (152) and Marc Koch
(189) also made the trip and helped the cause by winning matches. As for Gadberry, he made
quick work of his first three opponents, earning a technical fall over John Peckham of
Roseburg and pins over Greg Ciariante of Benson and Elias Rios of Glencoe, before squaring
off against Oregon City's Justin Pearch in Friday night's semifinals.
The CHS senior knew going in this would be his toughest opponent of the tournament.
"I'm actually disappointed with how the bracket worked out because I think he and I
should have met in the finals," said Gadberry of Pearch, a state champ at the 3A
level last year. "He was the one guy I was a bit scared of. He is just such a tough
opponent.
''We should be proud of how we did as a team, although there are always matches you look
back on and think they could have gone our way. But I guess every team can say that.''
After a 3-1 defeat of Pearch in the semifinals, Gadberry had no trouble with Graham in the
finals, scoring with an arm drag in the first round and a double leg lift and spin in the
third.
Miyake's road to a title began with a 6-2 decision of Lakeridge's Jonny Wollert in the
first round. He then followed with a major decision of Ryan Osburn of Aloha and a 12-3
defeat of Mike Watts of Grants Pass.
That set up a meeting with Larson - a match Miyake held on to win by a point.
"It was important for me to beat him, but it was really important for the team
because he's from Hermiston," Miyake said. "It's been a great year for all of
us, and we've done well here (state), getting five guys to the semis.
I'm glad I could be a part of it."
Miyake capped off the tournament with yet another upset, knocking off top-seeded Sessler
in one of the more entertaining finals Saturday.
The Canby senior scored four early points to get a lead, but Sessler came back to pull
within a point. Miyake, though, wouldn't be denied, as his reversal sparked him to a
two-point win.
"Garret's title is special considering how much he has improved and how hard he has
worked over the last four years," Nugent said.
Jared Wilson, meanwhile, came up with a big upset of his own at 160. After a first-round
win, he faced third-seeded Levi Thomas of Roseburg.
Thomas had a one-point lead with 30 seconds to go when Wilson scored a reversal to take
the lead and eventually win 5-4. He then pinned Brian Thompson of North Bend to reach the
semifinals, where he was beaten by a Glencoe opponent.
Wilson bounced back to get two wins - a 4-3 decision of Paul Ruddell of Lincoln and a 2-1
victory over Alex Miner of Barlow - to get third place. At 119, Hambleton won his first
two three matches to also reach the semifinals. Along the way, he avenged a loss in last
year's tournament with a 12-8 win over Dallin Hendrickson of Hermiston.
Hambleton later picked up pins in the second and third rounds before dropping a 9-7
decision to Graham in Friday's semis.
>From there, he pinned fourth-seeded Jeff Farnes of North Salem to reach the
consolation finals, where he faced Pearch. The back-and-fourth match came to a climax
when, with seven seconds left, Hambleton rolled Pearch and scored a takedown to give him
an apparent one-point victory.
But, in a controversial call, the referee awarded Pearch a point for locking hands, and
the Oregon City wrestler went on to win in overtime.
Jeff Wilson also won his first three matches to reach the semifinals. He knocked off Covey
Baack of Crater, Patrick Unger of Hillsboro and Jordan Bryant of Sunset before getting
beat.
In the consolation semifinals, he dropped a match to league rival Matt McGinnis of Dallas,
then dominated Jeff Lowen of Crook County 13-5 for fifth.
Canby's other state placer, Doman, earned a pair of overtime wins to get seventh, scoring
one over a Reynolds opponent and another over a Crater foe.
Schrader, meanwhile, won a pair of matches to reach the quarterfinals, where he was beaten
by eventual state champion Robert Sauter of Bend. "Steve had an outstanding career at
Canby. He has to be considered the best 215-pounder we have had," Nugent said.
Schantin, meanwhile, got a pin in his first match before losing his second. He also earned
a pin in the consolation bracket.
Savory also won his first match, defeating Kyle Johnson of Sandy 7-3, to avenge two losses
to Johnson earlier in the year.
And finally, Koch got a win in the consolation round, scoring a 2-0 decision over Nathan
Fogle of Centennial.
For the season, the Cougars went 20-1 in duals and went undefeated in league matches. They
placed second to Newberg at district and fifth at state.
"From top to bottom, this was probably the most enjoyable group of athletes I've ever
coached," Nugent said. "Not only did we do well, we had fun doing it. That was
what made the year so enjoyable."
The team will wrap up the season with an awards dessert on Wednesday, March 7, at 6:30
p.m. in the high school cafeteria.
North Marion
takes
Sweet Home by surprise in
Capital basketball playoff
By Jason Horton
Canby Herald
Sometimes in sports, the bigger the spectacle, the better a team performs.
That must be the case for the North Marion High School boys basketball team.
Mired alone in fourth place with a losing conference record (5-7) and only one win in
their last four games, it was safe to say the Huskies weren't the favorites going into the
Capital Conference playoffs this week.
Because of a quirky playoff scenario, the conference only got four playoff teams -
Central, Stayton and Sweet Home were all tied for first place, and North Marion ended up
in fourth.
Sweet Home won a coin flip and was given the No. 1 seed. All four teams gathered at South
Salem High School Saturday, with Sweet Home playing North Marion and Central and Stayton
meeting for the second time in less than a week. (Stayton's loss to Central last Friday
caused this playoff scenario, which eliminated Molalla in the process).
The winners of Saturday's games then met on Monday for the conference's automatic berth to
the state tournament.
Amazingly, the Huskies, despite being the No. 4 seed, still had an opportunity to win the
conference title and go to the state 3A tournament.
As if inspired by that prospect, the Huskies made sure their season would last at least
another week with a 57-48 win Saturday that was keyed by the outside shooting of sophomore
Steve Miller.
Miller hit two huge three-pointers in the second quarter to give the Huskies their first
lead of the game, and he went on a three-point barrage in the third period, hitting
critical treys on three consecutive possessions to put North Marion up by as many as 15
points.
In that third quarter, senior Ryan Krause also hit back-to-back three-pointers to spark
the Huskies to victory.
"We knew we had to shoot well outside," North Marion head coach Jason Scanlon
said. "They (Sweet Home) clog the middle very well and that makes it hard to be
successful on the inside. Steve and Ryan hit some big shots for us tonight."
After trailing 8-5 through one quarter, North Marion came back and took a 22-20 halftime
lead on a Josh Miller 25-foot bank shot at the buzzer. The Huskies then went on a 19-12
third-quarter run, keyed by Steve Miller and Krause.
In the fourth quarter, Sweet Home made some runs at North Marion, but each time they were
answered by a Husky basket.
After a Kyle Castor basket to put the Huskies up 49-37, Sweet Home went on a modest 4-0
run. But a comeback wasn't to be, as Steve Miller nailed another three-pointer and Josh
Miller followed with a free throw to put North Marion back up by 12, 53-41, with 2:56 left
in the game.
Sweet Home cut the lead to six at one point, but Ty Brack hit two clutch free throws with
51 seconds to go to give his team a 56-48 lead. North Marion would get one more free throw
from Josh Miller and hold Sweet Home scoreless over the final minute of the ballgame.
Steve Miller's 19 points, including seven three-pointers, paced the Huskies in the win.
Results of Monday's playoff were not available by press time and will be featured in
Saturday's edition.
Brown's hot hand carries
Cougars to victory in
season finale
By Sean Patterson
Canby Herald
The hot hand of Brandon Brown set the tone
early and the Canby High School boys basketball team never looked back in a season-ending
74-60 defeat of Forest Grove last Thursday night on the road.
Brown scored his team's first seven points and the Cougars jumped out to a 23-12 lead
after the first quarter. Forest Grove's R.J. Schuppert had a big night for the Vikings,
scoring 31 points, but he got little support from his teammates.
Canby, on the other hand, had three players score in double digits and saw 10 players get
on the scoreboard.
"We've played a lot of good basketball the last couple of months, and it was
important we end the season on a positive note," Canby head coach Dennis Burke said.
"Even though we were out of the (playoff) hunt, we played with some energy and
emotion. It was a good way to go out."
The win evened Canby's Pacific-9 Conference mark at 8-8 and brought its final season mark
to 9-14. The team ended up in fifth place in the final league standings, trailing
league-champion McMinnville (13-3), Tualatin (13-3), Dallas (10-6) and Tigard (10-6).
The Grizzlies advanced to the Class 4A state tournament as the league's No. 1 seed because
they defeated the Timberwolves twice. Tigard and Dallas played Saturday to determine the
third and fourth seeds.
Thursday in Forest Grove, the Cougars used a team effort to overcome the Vikings' one-man
show.
Brown finished with 21 points and teammate Jon Warren ended up with 17. Point guard Jese
Kirsch also got into double figures with 10 points, and Buck Stone wound up with eight.
Canby also got solid outings from Todd Ricksger and Joe Yoder, who "gave them fits in
the middle, especially in the third quarter," Burke said.
The Cougars also helped their cause at the free-throw line, where they sank an impressive
17 of 21 attempts.
"We came up with some key shots when we needed them, and we did a nice job from the
line," said Burke, whose team made seven three-pointers. "Jon (Warren) shot well
all night, and Brandon's fast start seemed to inspire us.
''At times, we were soft defensively, but we made some stops when we needed to.''
Both Warren and Brown hit three treys to spark the team from the floor. Collectively, the
Cougars made 25 of 52 shots on the night.
About the only player doing damage for the Vikings was Schuppert, whose play helped Forest
Grove win the second quarter 21-15. Canby stepped up its play in the second half, though,
winning the third period 21-15 and the fourth 15-12.
Playing a key role in the final period was David Roberts, who came off the bench to get
five points.
The Cougars officially wrapped up the season with an awards banquet on Tuesday.
Huskies' Willis
a
runner-up at state
By Sean Patterson
Canby Herald
PORTLAND - Perhaps it was those red socks. Or maybe it was the blue hair.
Whatever it was, something inspired North Marion High School wrestler Justin Willis at the
Class 3A state wrestling tournament at Memorial Coliseum last week.
Willis, wrestling at 171 pounds, surprised everyone by dominating every opponent before
finally dropping an 8-2 decision to The Dalles' Tony Rolen in the championship finals
match Saturday night.
Not a bad showing for someone making his first state appearance. "We're still not
sure what it was - the socks, the hair - but Justin went out and took the tournament by
surprise," said North Marion head coach Mike Robinson of his senior. "He was
unseeded going in and had to face the No. 2 seed right off the bat. He pinned that guy and
then the next. When you take into account the three guys he pinned at district, that made
five straight pins.
''I'm not even sure Justin thought he would do as well as he did. It was just an inspired
effort.''
Willis had reason to be inspired. Just prior to district, his grandmother passed away, and
one of the items he inherited from her were a pair of red socks. He decided to wear them
at state in her honor.
Willis also donned a new look - blue hair - for the state meet. It had been green at
district.
"I'm not sure of the significance of the color - green for district, blue for
state," Robinson said. "He's just a character. You never know what Justin is
going to do next."
After receiving a first-round bye, Willis had to face the tournament's No. 2 seed, Shawn
Farrell of Phoenix. He promptly pinned him in 48 seconds. In the quarterfinals against
Daniel Wood of Estacada, Willis earned his fifth straight first-round pin (he had three of
them at district) when he put Wood to the mat a minute and 32 seconds into the match.
That set up a semifinals showdown with Jake Nichols of Junction City Friday night. Willis
needed a little more time, going to the third round, but the result was the same - a pin.
The North Marion senior finally met his match the following evening, as Rolen, a defending
state champion, scored a convincing victory.
Still, Willis' efforts were good for 25 points - more than several of the teams scored in
the three-day tournament. As a team, the Huskies finished with 29.5 points to take 28th
place.
The other four-and-a-half points came compliments of 135-pounder Jason Roberts, who had
the misfortune of opening the tournament against the No. 1 seed, Tyler McCarty of Phoenix.
Roberts lost to McCarty, but he bounced back to get a couple of wins in the consolation
round. First, he earned a 17-2 technical fall of Connor Clark of La Pine, then he picked
up a 14-0 shutout of Josh Williams of Banks.
His chances of a placement ended when he got pinned in the second round by Chad Everson of
Siuslaw.
