PORTLAND — Riley Barrett became the first three-time state wrestling champion in Philomath High’s history on Friday, but the path to that milestone was anything but smooth.
The senior captured his third consecutive title at the Class 4A championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, surviving a tense 150-pound semifinal before closing out the tournament in the championship match.
Gallery: PHS wrestling at state championships (Feb. 27, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath’s appearance at the 4A boys championships and 4A/3A/2A/1A girls championships on Friday.
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Barrett’s signature mental approach carried him through the challenging moments — none more so than the semifinal against Madras senior Earl Oliver, who nearly pulled off one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.
A four-point nearfall midway through the third period put Oliver ahead 10-5. Barrett responded with a reversal and then, in the final seconds, executed another four-point nearfall to advance.
“I was down three points and I told myself, ‘Riley, you’ve got to do something — you’re the best guy in the bracket’ … I said those exact words in my head,” Barrett said.
The two had met a few weeks earlier at the Cottage Grove Invitational, where Barrett won 10-0 on a major decision. Oliver came in with a sharper approach the second time around.
“He had a good game plan going in,” Barrett said. “He was keeping it close and doing a really good job … I couldn’t really hit my signature moves, so to speak, and I just had to get tough.”
PHS coach Troy Woosley was surprised at how the match unfolded.
“That semifinal match was a lot closer than we thought,” Woosley said. “He got ahead and was just going to breeze through and protect his lead and then he got caught being a little hesitant against a pretty good kid and got scored on, which is very unusual.”
In the championship match against Pendleton senior Cole Roy, Barrett took a shot to the eye off his opponent’s head early on and was momentarily dazed. He recovered to control the match, escaping in the second period and adding a four-point nearfall in the third to seal the win.
“In his finals match, it was fairly close but he was always in control,” Woosley said. “I wasn’t too worried about it — he’s a very good rider on top and it’s just really hard to take him down so those combinations are pretty hard to beat.”
Barrett won four matches overall, including a 15-0 technical fall over Molalla’s Brooks Lister in the opening round and a 12-3 major decision over Baker’s Roman Zickgraf in the quarterfinals.
Barrett wrestled all season with a dislocated elbow suffered in his first tournament of the year at Cascade. The injury occurred in his second match.
“I was able to get the takedown, I was able to finish the match and I knew I dislocated but I didn’t know if something had torn, if something had gone weird in there,” Barrett said. “The next thing you know, I’ve got no feeling in my hand and I can’t use my elbow.”
Still, Barrett wrestled in the tournament’s semifinals “because I’m kind of stubborn” and figured “I could wrestle with no elbow.”
Barrett was able to pull off an ultimate tiebreaker victory but then had to pull out and skip the championship match. Woosley at the time said the injury didn’t look right “so we shut him down.”
The elbow continued to be an issue.
“I took some time off and went to the Philomath High School trainer and she’s wonderful,” Barrett said. “She helped me through and my coaches were helping me.”
Barrett said that for competition, “We literally use like an entire roll of athletic tape and then I slap a brace on top, so it really limits my wrestling.”
He refused to let it become an excuse.
“I might have blown out my elbow but it doesn’t stop me,” Barrett said. “I’ve got two legs and another arm. I think excuses are for lazy individuals.”
That mindset traces back to his freshman season, when he finished fourth at state. Training alongside state champions and putting in extra work, Barrett found himself questioning whether he belonged.
“I was training with all the state champs and everything and I was like, ‘What am I doing wrong?'” he said. “Honestly, I had a thought in the back of my mind that maybe this just isn’t for me.”
A conversation with his Salem Elite club coach helped shift his perspective. Barrett committed fully to self-belief and never looked back.
“I truly believe the best people on this planet are people that put in all their chips on themselves,” he said.
That conviction also shapes how Barrett views the sport’s broader culture — one that often emphasizes elite training environments and high-profile programs as prerequisites for success.
“I think that’s simply not true,” he said. “With enough hard work and discipline and if you really have a passion for the sport and a desire for the sport or for a job or whatever you may be doing, I think you can accomplish anything.”
Barrett described an almost obsessive consistency in his match-day routine — same warmup, same music, same food and drink — and said he has essentially conditioned himself to expect to win.
“I’ve almost brainwashed myself to think I’m the best and no one could beat me, no one could take me down,” he said. “In my last three state tournaments, I was taken down once and you don’t hear that very often. I truly believe nothing external can beat the internal. Everything inside your mind can overcome outside obstacles.”
Three state titles later, the results back him up.
“Winning these titles, it’s just something so surreal, it’s crazy,” Barrett said. “I’m lucky enough to be able to experience it three times.”
Barrett plans to take college visits to explore wrestling at the next level. Health permitting, he may also compete again in the Reno Worlds, a prestigious annual tournament in Nevada that draws top competitors from across the country.