PORTLAND — Walking off the mat at last year’s state wrestling tournament with a fourth-place finish did not sit well with then-freshman Riley Barrett. In the months that followed, he upped his commitment with a level of hard work often only seen in athletes who reach the top of their sport.
As it turns out, he hasn’t lost since.
Philomath’s Barrett won the 150-pound weight division Friday night at Veterans Memorial Coliseum with an 8-3 decision over Sweet Home junior Jacob Landtroop.
“I’ve literally counted down every single day since I took that last loss at this time last year,” Barrett said. “I mean, I write it down every day, I think about it, it’s what I think about before I go to bed and what I’m thinking about when I wake up. This was everything to me.”
Barrett’s first-place finish represented one of five Warriors to win medals at the tournament. Sophomore Porter Compton had a strong tournament for third and both senior Gradin Fairbanks and sophomore Lake Mulberry won fifth-place matches. Junior JJ Lewis was on the medal stand as well with sixth place.
In the team standings, Philomath was seventh with 80 points. Sweet Home won the team title with 285 points, followed by Crook County (230.5), La Grande (196.5), Cascade (157.5), Pendleton (87.5) and Tillamook (82) ahead of the Warriors. In all, 29 boys teams in 4A had wrestlers in Portland.
Gallery: PHS at State Wrestling Tournament (Feb. 23, 2024)
A collection of photos of Philomath High School at the Class 4A state wrestling tournament on Friday, Feb. 23 in Portland.
Barrett finishes the season with a 48-0 record with 32 pins. He was pushed to a decision only six times — three of those against Landtroop. His closest call came in the Sherwood Invitational with a 5-4 decision over Lebanon’s Seth Wynn.
“State champion and undefeated as a sophomore — that is impressive,” Philomath High coach Troy Woosley said.
Barrett pulled off something not seen for decades when it comes to PHS wrestling history — finishing a full, regulation season undefeated while winning a state title. In 2021, senior Connar Kohn went 25-0 but that record comes with an asterisk because it occurred during a COVID season with an abbreviated schedule.
Said Woosley referring to his time as PHS coach, “This is the first time to be undefeated, really, for a full season.”
It’s unknown for sure when the last unbeaten full season occurred without digging into the archives. Philomath had three state champions during the COVID season of 2021 — Ben Hernandez (113), Blaise Pindell (170) and Kohn (220). Philomath’s last “official” champion — as recognized by OSAA records — had been in 2007 when junior Matt Hill took the 160-pound weight division. However, news accounts make no mention of his season record.
Prior to Hill, the Warriors had 10 state champions in the 1980s and 1990s. Going back even further to the 1960s and 1970s, the program had three champions. It is known that Ed Young, who died late last year and will be inducted into the PHS Hall of Fame this spring, went 30-0 in 1964-65 that ended with the state title at 115 pounds.
“It feels great, I mean, that’s just one of the many goals down this year,” Barrett said about finishing with a perfect record.
One difference from last season involves Barrett’s weight division. Last year, he went at 126.
“I wanted to be bigger and let my body go on me,” he said. “I didn’t have to cut any weight for this tournament at all. You can focus on wrestling a lot more when you’re not cutting that much weight.”
Barrett had a high level of confidence going into the 150 finale but it can be a challenge to defeat the same opponent three times in a season — and in fact, three times in 3-1/2 weeks.
“I think the hardest thing about tonight and winning is we had to wrestle the same guy for the third time — and the third time, usually those don’t go well,” Woosley said. “He stayed focused, that kid is tough, but we were prepared.”
Barrett said he avoided his signature moves this third time against Landtroop.
“I was hitting moves out there that I never really drill or do anything with,” Barrett said. “Not my go-to … I just needed to switch it up.”
Barrett never trailed in the match and went up 2-0 with a takedown 45 seconds in. In the second period, he added four points on an escape, takedown and penalty. Another escape point was added to his total in the third period.
All three of Landtroop’s points came on escapes. The match had to be stopped on several occasions because of blood and an eye poke.
“He had the intention of pushing out on my forehead … and hit me in the eye,” Barrett said. “In the first round, I shot and he blocked it but it gave him a bloody nose. In those pauses, you kind of catch your breath but I really don’t like doing that. I like a constant match because someone like that will tire out if you try to keep the pace going.”
Barrett dominated his first three matches with wins over Mazama sophomore Isaac Stacy (pin in 1:27) in the first round, Crook County sophomore Jayden Lopez (technical fall) in the quarterfinals and Pendleton sophomore Vance Nelson (technical fall) in the semifinals.
Landtroop had been seeded No. 5 in the weight division but reached the finals by defeating third-seeded freshman Brayden Cooley of Seaside on a pin in 1:02 and second-seeded freshman Parker Pruett of North Bend on a pin in 5:29.
Compton earns 3rd-place medal
Compton placed third for the second straight year — last year at 138 and this year at 144. In the medal-around match, Compton won on a 9-6 decision over North Bend senior Wyatt Smith, who came in as the No. 3 seed.
“I was a lot better on my feet moving around,” Compton said about the tournament, “and my defense could have been a little better and just not baseline defense. For the most part, it was pretty good.”
Said Woosley, “He had a really good tournament. He got really good on his feet — that’s the difference with winning at state when you’re better on your feet.”
Compton entered the tournament seeded fifth and opened with a 14-1 major decision over Mazama senior Juan Rodriguez before going up against Sweet Home freshman Kyle Zajic in the quarterfinals. Compton worked to a 3-2 victory with an escape point early in the third period to advance into the semifinals.
La Grande sophomore Tommy Belding, the top seed and eventual champion, defeated Compton on an 11-4 decision. It was the first time Belding and Compton had met on the mat.
“Him getting upset at regionals forced him onto the wrong side of the bracket,” Woosley said in reference to Compton’s matchup against the top seed in the semis. “If we had been on the other side, I think we had a real shot at being second there behind a kid that we beat last year for third and fourth (Estacada’s Cohen Schleich).”
Compton came back in the consolation bracket for an 8-0 major decision over St. Helens junior Tyler Smith, the No. 6 seed. That put him in the third-place match against North Bend’s Smith, an opponent he also defeated in last year’s tournament, 4-1, in the consolation semis.
“You’ve just got to go out there and zone it all out,” Compton said about performing on the state tournament stage. “Win or lose, you just have to have a good attitude about it.”
Fairbanks, Mulberry win 5th-place matches
Fairbanks earned a fifth-place medal at 165 in his final appearance at state with a pin in 4:39 over Mazama junior Kris Baldwin, the No. 3 seed.
“We have this wall with all of the people that placed,” Fairbanks said, “and that’s been my goal — to get on that wall.”
Fairbanks defeated Molalla senior Daniel Lavigne in his first match with a pin in 3:59. But in the quarterfinals, he had to face top-seeded Ridge Kehr, a senior from La Grande that went on to win the title, and lost on a second-period pin.
“I had to put in the work and had to fight back in the consolation matches,” Fairbanks said, who worked his way back into medal contention with victories over Crook County senior Owen Nash (pin in 2:57) and Henley junior Estefan Muneton (6-2 decision). That put Fairbanks in the consolation semifinals against Sweet Home senior Ryker Hartsook, who took a win on a 9-1 major decision.
The loss sent Fairbanks into a fifth-place match where he pinned Mazama’s Baldwin.
“He was just looking to throw me, which I knew that was what he was trying to do,” Fairbanks said, “and I was just trying to avoid that.”
Woosley recalled Fairbanks having thoughts that he might skip his senior season of wrestling. Obviously, that didn’t happen and it resulted in a medal.
““He goes, ‘I just need to try to get to state and place’ so that’s cool that happened with all the hard work he did,” Woosley said. “It’s pretty cool to go out in your last match as a winner.”
Mulberry’s double leg blast in the final seconds of the third period keyed a 6-4 6-4 decision over Scappoose junior Cayden Baker, who entered state as the No. 4 seed at 215 pounds.
“I didn’t get much rest time for this match — double overtime so I was pretty gassed,” Mulberry said about his win over Baker. “Close match for two.”
With the match tied 3-3 going into the third period, Mulberry started on bottom and picked up an escape point to take the lead. Then with 9 seconds left, he executed the takedown to take control. Baker got an escape point in the closing seconds to account for the final score.
“He’s just an athlete, you know, and this is only his second year of wrestling ever,” Woosley said. “He’s spooky good when he gets a shot down.”
Mulberry had the task of facing the No. 1 seed in the first round. Ontario senior Tommy Ishida, who ended up falling in the finals and settled for runner-up, got a first-period pin over Mulberry, who dropped into the consolation bracket.
Mulberry responded in a big way with three straight wins. Mulberry beat Marshfield senior Richardo Chacon (pin in 2:11), Hidden Valley sophomore Gage Ayres (12-1 major decision) and Cascade junior Solomon Sandoval on a 7-1 decision with an escape, takedown and three-point nearfall over the final 25 seconds of a tiebreaker period.
Mulberry then lost on a 4-2 tiebreaker to La Grande freshman Dex Dunlap in the consolation semis to put him in the fifth-place match against Scappoose’s Baker.
Lewis finishes 6th, Morton just misses medal for girls
Junior JJ Lewis had an impressive start to the tournament with Day 1 wins at 175 over Mazama’s Seth McLane on an 11-3 major decision and Crook County’s Ethan Lamphere on an 11-9 decision. Those wins put Lewis, a first-time state qualifier, in the semifinals where he dropped an 8-1 decision to Astoria’s Henry Davis. In the consolation bracket, he lost matches to St. Helens and Marshfield opponents.
“JJ had a great tournament to get to the semifinals,” Woosley said. “I know he’s a little down because he thinks he could have done better and I think he could have, too, but that’s wrestling — you just make a little mistake and it’s magnified here. He’s a junior and this was his first year at state so I’m so excited for him.”
Senior Ellie Morton wrapped up her PHS girls wrestling career by advancing into the semifinals at 100 pounds. Morton received a first-round bye into the quarterfinals and defeated La Grande’s Carleigh Radke on a pin with 1 second left in the first period. Eventual champion Zoe Brewer of Willamina beat Morton in the semis to send her into the consolation bracket. There, she exited the tournament on a 10-4 decision against Nyssa’s Lorien Browns.
“Ellie can beat just about anyone and then she’ll have a little mishap or a weird, freaky thing and all of a sudden the tables turn on her but she was so close,” Woosley said. “I thought she was going to be our first-ever state placer, you know, and she’s beaten a couple of girls that placed above her but that’s just wrestling.”
In a typical bracket, Morton would’ve competed for a medal but the 4A/3A/2A/1A girls tournament did not have fifth-place matches.
“You win some, lose some and her last loss hit her a lot,” Woosley said. “I’m proud of her for what she’s done and hopefully it’ll make some more girls come out in Philomath.”
La Grande won the 4A/3A/2A/1A girls team title with 102 points with Harrisburg (80) second and Crook County (75) third. Morton’s six points put PHS into a tie for 38th out of 60 teams.
Back to the boys, Philomath sophomore Lukas Hernandez at 132 dropped a 13-10 decision to a St. Helens opponent in his first match but regrouped to defeat a Hidden Valley wrestler on a pin in 1:28. He exited the tournament in a consolation bracket loss to a Tillamook opponent.
Three other Warriors qualified and went 0-2 — freshman Wyatt Barrett at 138, junior Ari Hammond at 144 and sophomore Liam Bennett at 157.
