Record-breaking season within reach for Philomath High wrestling squad

Philomath High’s wrestling program enters the upcoming season with championship expectations and the potential to set new program records.

The Warriors return six state qualifiers from last year’s team, including two state champions and a runner-up, creating what longtime coach Troy Woosley believes could be the most accomplished group in school history.

“We’ve got hopefully the most successful wrestlers Philomath has ever seen,” Woosley said during practice earlier this week. “Philomath has never had a four-time state placer and has never had a three-time state champ. So, we can break both of those records.”

Senior Riley Barrett returns as a defending state champion and enters his final high school season with lofty goals. After dealing with an injury at the end of last season, Barrett took time off before spending a month and a half working on a fishing boat in Alaska.

“Riley came in a lot lighter than I thought he would, kind of already in shape,” Woosley said. “He’s eager and has cut down a lot of weight already to make sure he’s at where he wants to be.”

Senior Lake Mulberry also returns as a state champion following his impressive performance at last year’s state tournament. Woosley said Mulberry has approached the season with a hungry attitude.

Barrett will compete in the 150-165 pound range alongside his longtime training partner, senior Porter Compton. Mulberry, meanwhile, will compete in the 190-215 pound range with his training partner, Derick Kohn.

“The best thing about Lake and Riley is they both have great partners,” Woosley said. “Riley’s with Porter and they’ve been wrestling together since kindergarten in the same club and everything and they both push each other. Lake’s got Derek Kohn, who has been coming on strong and he’s tall and 15 pounds heavier, so he pushes Lake all the time.”

Compton finished as state runner-up last season after earning third-place medals during his freshman and sophomore years. He’ll face familiar competition this year, including Hans Kamm from Cascade, who defeated Compton 8-0 in the 144-pound finals last February.

“He grew a lot and the kid from Cascade he lost to grew a lot, too, so they’re both the same size again,” Woosley said. “We’ll have to decide whether we can compete with that or go up a weight or down a weight. I think they’re both the best kids in the state so it’ll be interesting to see where they shake out. Porter’s mindset is he doesn’t think he can get beat this year so we’ll see — it’s wrestling.”

Other returning state qualifiers include seniors Liam Bennett and Lukas Hernandez, and junior Odin Compton.

Bennett competed at 165 pounds at state and defeated a seeded opponent in the first round before dropping two straight matches. He returns at roughly the same weight, around 170-172 pounds.

“We’ll have to decide, especially in duals, if we separate from Riley and Porter and wrestle the next weight up,” Woosley said. “But he’ll be tough to beat.”

Hernandez competed at 138 pounds last year while the younger Compton wrestled at 126. Both went 0-2 in their Portland appearances but bring valuable experience back to the mat.

“Lukas is always a gamer … he’s got that competitive edge and he came in a lot lighter than I thought he would,” Woosley said. “He’s pretty much the same weight as he was last year and he’s almost 6 foot so that’s going to be interesting for his style to see how he does against a lot of shorter kids.”

Woosley also mentioned senior Braydon Williams as a wrestler who could break through this season, along with a couple of freshmen who could enter the picture.

The Warriors’ roster sits at 16 students on the boys side, heavily weighted toward upperclassmen.

“Our numbers are shy — half of the team is seniors,” Woosley said. “We are senior loaded and have a lot of experience. We have three juniors, one sophomore and the rest are freshmen.”

Last month, the School Board approved a cooperative agreement with Alsea that would have brought four wrestlers to the program, but those students ultimately decided not to join.

With six returning state qualifiers, practice sessions feature intense competition. The experienced wrestlers often provide instruction to younger teammates when they square off.

“They’re always stopping and instructing them how to do it (technique),” Woosley said. “Believe it or not, it’s really good for the experienced kids, too, because it makes them mentally think about it more. So, it’s a great combination.”

The roster currently includes five freshmen and sophomores who benefit from the mentorship.

“That kind of stuff will last a long time with those kids,” Woosley added. “They’ll improve a lot more just because those tough kids are talking to them instead of a coach.”

Philomath competes in Special District 2 with seven other schools. Woosley expects Sweet Home to be the heavy favorite for the district title, with Cascade positioned for second place, especially after adding transfers from other schools. The Warriors hope to compete for a top-three finish.

“I think we’re third in our region right now,” he said. “Even though we don’t have a lot of depth, I think we have enough studs to conquer that.”

Statewide, Woosley believes the Warriors are a top-10 team with high-scoring athletes returning.

The boys season opens Saturday at the Perry Burlison Invitational, a 15-school meet hosted by Cascade. Philomath will then host the Warrior Classic at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 12.

“We have 11 schools here, including the big draw, Tillamook, which they’re always top five or six in the state,” Woosley said.

Philomath will also host the Benton County Championships on Jan. 8.

Girls program reaches new heights

The Philomath girls wrestling team enters this season with seven athletes on the roster — the most the program has ever had.

Sophomore Sarah Robertson returns after a noteworthy freshman campaign that included an 11-4 record and a No. 6 ranking in her weight class. Robertson’s season ended early due to injury.

“She’s back and looking great,” Woosley said. “She’s looking tough.”

Sophomore Addison Liddell and junior Alexis Pettit also return. Liddell was the lone Philomath wrestler to appear in the district tournament last year, finishing with a 1-2 record. Pettit competed in several regular-season tournaments.

Four freshmen joined the program this season — Makinzey Harrington, Chloe Dustman, Rielly Ellingsen and Carsyn Pettit-Juvenal.

Harrington brings extensive youth wrestling experience to the team.

“She’s already wrestled in three USA tournaments this year,” Woosley said. “She’s a good wrestler all around.”

Pettit-Juvenal has participated in the Mat Club for a couple of years, while Ellingsen is the sister of the Blackburn brothers, who were major contributors to Philomath wrestling. Dustman is new to the sport.

With seven wrestlers all within 40 pounds of each other, Woosley has implemented a new practice structure this season.

“I implemented this year that there’s no wrestling with the boys, even in practice,” Woosley said. “We have seven girls and they’re all within 40 pounds of each other. So practice partners is great and it’ll be fun in tournaments.”

The girls open their season Friday with a trip to McKay High in Salem for the Battle for the Capital. They’ll also compete in girls brackets at the Dec. 12 Warrior Classic and the Benton County Championships on Jan. 8.

“We picked up a few more tournaments just because girls wrestling has grown so much,” Woosley said.