Illinois Valley News

There were mixed results last week for the Illinois Valley High School varsity wrestling squad, which has been hampered by injuries and a lack of participation in some weight divisions.

On Wednesday, Jan. 6, the team headed to North Valley High School in Merlin to take on the Knights and won 48-18.

“That went really well for us,“ said coach Jay Miller.

The Cougars scored pins in most of the light-weight and middle-weight divisions, and had only two losses.

“We were pretty solid through there,“ Miller said. “We matched up really well against them.“

However, that success was not duplicated two days later, when the squad participated in the invitational Oregon Wrestling Classic tournament in Redmond.

Approximately 87 teams participated, but IVHS had to forfeit several matches due to its lack of heavyweights.

“We couldn“t make up that difference,“ Miller said. “It was more than we could overcome.“

The Oregon Wrestling Classic is set up as a dual tournament, as opposed to the individual format used for most competitions.

Noted Miller, “The kids we had wrestled really well. But the way the system is set up, you need to have a full team. This last year, we just don“t have the kids to compete because of the format.“

Miller pointed out that many of the squad“s members finished the tournament undefeated.

IVHS is slated to host Phoenix High School on Wednesday, Jan. 13. Miller said he fully expects his grapplers to be challenged by the Pirates.

“They“re one of the tougher teams,“ Miller said. “We“re going to do our best.“

Prior to the meet, there will be several matches featuring wrestlers in the Cougars youth program. Participants will include grapplers at the middle school level.

“What keeps all of our sports programs going is our youth programs,“ Miller said. “It will be interesting for people to come watch.“

After the meet with Phoenix, the IVHS team will participate in the Eureka Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 16 in Northern California.

That tournament features some of Oregon“s top teams and squads from as far as San Jose.

Whether the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit the Eureka area on Sunday, Jan. 10, will affect the tourney schedule was unknown at press time.

Miller said that although some of his wrestlers have been battling injuries, he expects some of them to come back within the next few weeks.

“I“m hoping that those injuries heal up before we get into the district and state tournaments,“ he said. “But the safety of the kids is more important than winning a dual.“

Overall, Miller said he remains optimistic about his squad“s prospects for the remainder of the season.

“We“ve had a good run. For close to 20 years, we“ve finished in the top 10,“ Miller said. “I don“t think we“ll break that string this year, either. It“s a little bit of a down year for us, but we have a good youth program, so we“ll be back.“

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