PORTLAND – The Thurston boys wrestling team was the state runner-up for the third year in a row, a pattern that head coach Mike Simons has been trying to chip away at in the face of Crater’s challenge.
However, brothers Micheal and Lukas Salas-Sanchez walked into Veterans Memorial Coliseum with “thousands” of hours of hard work and a resolve to help the Colts over the hump.
The Colts’ team earned 263 points – 26 points shy of Crater. Following Thurston was Canby in third (182) and Redmond in fourth (138)
Despite the final team score, Simons said the boys “had a great season and he is proud of their efforts.” Most notably, this was the highest number of boys state placers.
“We had a lot of kids that still stepped up,” Simons said. “We still had a lot of placers – 13 boys – I know the most that we’ve ever had at Thurston High School. Crater just happens to be loaded. So any other year we would have won the state championship. Are we a little mad? Yeah. But you look at these kids crying over here and then you look over at our boys and our girls who are very happy. I know we’ll be back next year to give it another shot.”
Two of those kids “who stepped up” came away with the only individual titles for the boys team on Saturday: the Salas-Sanchez brothers.
It started with the younger Lukas Salas-Sanchez who was the very first Colt to come out on the mat in the championship round and represent the boys at 106. After a 9-5 decision, he defeated Crater’s Shane Smoker to win his first state title as a freshman.
Lukas, 38-3 this season, was still craving for more after his win and hopes for a perfect run next year. He was disappointed in how his final match went down.
“I wrestled badly at districts and in the finals here, and I came here wanting to tech him (Smoker), but I guess I didn’t,” he said. “Honestly, I came here just waiting for the season to be over so I can train harder and harder and get bigger and bigger, just do the best I can. For next year, my goal is going undefeated and winning as the best wrestler I can be.”
Lukas’ win was not without its impact though, as his older brother and sophomore Micheal Salas-Sanchez saw the end of his match from the sidelines as he prepared for his own upcoming match in the next respective weight class at 113. He screamed for him as soon as the official held up his hand and he was declared the winner.
Micheal went into his match fired up and entered the same mat his brother had just been crowned victor.
“Me and Lukas practice so many times a week,” Micheal said about the motivation this season from his brother. “Like, up to three times a day sometimes. We work our butts off. That’s how we get good. That’s how we win these big matches.”
Micheal defeated Centennial’s Aiden Welsick, completing a perfect 46-0 season.
“It feels dang amazing,” Micheal said of his title. “Finally undefeated this year. I said I was gonna tech fall him and I did it. I got that dog in me.”
Along with his brother, Micheal attributed this success to rigorous practice with other team members, as well as support from coaches and family. He emphasized the countless “hundreds and thousands of hours of work” that “brought him to this moment.”
He also mentioned a specific maneuver, “Super Duck,” which he executed successfully, and credited his girlfriend for this advice that helped him win.
“I felt very, very confident,” Micheal said about going into his match. “I pinned him the last time very quickly. I knew I was gonna beat him. I just didn’t know how … like what I was gonna do to beat him. Super Duck got me there. Super Duck is when you grab the arm, you grab it tight, and you just let it fly underneath and see what happens.”
Following the Salas-Sanchez brothers in the top three were Mason Hakki (120) and Holton Halstead (138) both taking second. Jaden Elli (144) took third in his weight class.
