SPRINGFIELD – The top-ranked Thurston Colts boys wrestling team went into the Class 5A-2 Midwestern League Championships at Springfield High School on Saturday with five consecutive trophies on its shelf.
And after 10 hours of battling, the Colts made it a six-pack. Thurston advanced through 22 state qualifiers, with three taking home individual district crowns: Lukas Salas-Sanchez (106), Michael Salas-Sanchez (113), and Sawyer Greenstreet (126).
It was still a nail-biter for Thurston fans, though. Many spectators watched their wrestlers get pinned down to second place against Crater in the championship rounds. Thurston ended up edging Crater by 4 points, winning 484-480.
Thurston coach Mike Simons told his wrestlers that it had to be a “team effort” – he brought in the full squad of his 27-28 wrestlers, ensuring that each wrestler brought in four points each and they’d get the crown. Simons attributed the success to a deep roster.
Mike Simons
“They were good matches,” Simons said. “They’re a heck of a team. They beat us head-to-head three times this year, so I knew it was going to come down to this. Though I didn’t think it would be exactly four, I knew it would be within 10.”
Following Crater was Eagle Point in third (274), North Eugene in fourth (107), Ashland fifth (106), Churchill sixth (57), and Springfield seventh (11.5).
Springfield coach Chase Wells said that Springfield’s nascent program is slowly growing and developing. Given their current position, youth, and inexperience, he said he was proud of his wrestlers, who showed dedication and growth.
“We ended up having 36 kids on the team,” Wells said. “Twenty-eight of those kids had never seen a wrestling mat before the first day of practice – 14 weeks ago. So that’s a rough start right there. So I’m proud of every one of them, lots of growth from the start of the season to right now.
“And these kids are going to stick with it, and we’re going to end up being pretty dang good. We’ve got a junior that finished fifth today (Vincent Andrews at 132 pounds) and he started as a freshman getting lots of losses, and now here he is one of the better wrestlers,” Wells said.
Wells aims to build Springfield’s program by encouraging more kids to join, leveraging current team members as recruiters, and starting middle schoolers earlier to gain more experience.
“Wrestling is one of those sports where mat time and experience is critical,” Wells said. “A lot of the Crater and Thurston kids have developed long-standing programs where all those kids have been wrestling since they were tiny. So if we can get some kids starting younger and have them come in as freshmen with seven years of experience, we can start something.”
“We just kind of have a tradition going,” Simons said about Thurston’s sixth title and dominance in 5A wrestling. “The kids work hard, and kids want to be a part of what we’re doing. They show up and they compete and everybody wants to be part of the winning program.”
“Thurston wrestling has given me a family,” Michael Salas-Sanchez said about Thurston’s program. “I feel welcomed here.”
Michael Salas-Sanchez
Simons, whose boys have placed second at state in the past two years, said they are especially hungry and fresh this time around.
