Six Cougars headed to state championships
From our weekly issue dated February 24, 2010
Taking first-place honors in the Skyline District were Cougars Brandon Parker at 103 pounds; Jesse Orndoff at 112 pounds, and Jon Anderson at 130 pounds. (Photos by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News)
Following a strong showing at the Skyline District tournament at Ken Mann Memorial Gymnasium in Cave Junction on Saturday, Feb. 20, six Illinois Valley High School wrestlers are going to the state tournament.
The Cougar squad placed third overall at the district tournament, with 141 points. Henley High School came in first with 380 points, and Phoenix took second with 276 points.
Three Cougars were crowned district champions at the tournament. Freshman Brandon Parker took top honors in the 103-pound weight division, sophomore Jesse Orndoff won among 112-pounders, and senior Jon Anderson won the 130-pound division. Anderson also was district champion last year.
Junior Matt Coultas placed second in the 145-pound division. Third place was won by freshman Gabe Miller among 119-pounders and senior Brandon Foraker at 189 pounds.
All six of those Cougars will board a school bus on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and head to the coliseum in Portland, right next to the famed Rose Garden. There, they will compete with the top high school wrestlers from throughout Oregon.
The state tournament will start on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 25. Coach Jay Miller said that at the state level, wrestlers typically don“t know much about their opponents. That“s different than the district level, where the same grapplers compete against each other on a regular basis.
“We“ve seen some of them at different tournaments, but a lot of them, we have no idea,“ Miller said. “They have no idea about us either, except what they can gather from other coaches.“
Miller said he expects a strong showing from all six of the Cougars heading to the state tournament. Orndoff, in particular, was crowned state champion last year, and is looking for a repeat.
Morale is high, Miller said, and the boys have been working extra hard to get to this point.
“For the last month now, we“ve been practicing at 6 in the morning and at night too,“ he said. “They“re fit and ready to go.“
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