CG’s Palluck wins title
Cottage Grove’s Allison Palluck won the girls 115-pound championship in the girls 1A-4A competition. Palluck, a sophomore, moved to 26-0 on the season with the win. Palluck beat Scappoose senior Courtney Hall in the finals by Decision (6-4).
Creswell, Pleasant Hill state placers
Creswell and Pleasant Hill both had state finishers at the championships last Friday. For Creswell, Chantell Noffsinger (140) came in third on the girls side and Lyosha Mitchell (113) came in sixth on the boys side. Pleasant Hill had three podium finishes on the boys side: Eli Anderson (138) in third, Gavin Hoellrich (152) in third, and Brazen Ellis (182) in fifth.
Four athletes join rare club
Four wrestlers over the weekend joined an exclusive club of four-time state wrestling champions. DJ Gillett and Daschle Lamer of Crescent Valley, Hayden Walters of Crater, and Destiny Rodriguez of the West Linn girls all joined the previous 45 four-time winners in rarified air with their victories on Sunday.
Teams overcome weather delay
One of the biggest storylines of the week had nothing to do with wrestling. A snowstorm hit Portland early last week, which nearly canceled the entire event. The championships were supposed to run Thursday-Saturday, but the Oregon State Activities Association (OSAA) was notified last Wednesday that the Veterans Memorial Coliseum – host location of the tournament – was going to close its campus for Thursday. Luckily the OSAA were able to shift everything back a day, making the entire event Friday-Sunday instead.
Coaching excellence
At the state championships on Sunday the Thurston coaching staff was awarded
the coaching staff of the year in Class 5A, and head coach Mike Simons won coach of the year.
Pictured below, from left: Guy Harris, Maddy Marvin, head coach Mike Simons, Gustavo Anaya, Joe Gardner, Bill Ruchti, Tom Malone, Austin Hughes
