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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Man faces federal charges in fire caused by pot extract ... Century-old practice of writing graffiti in Mount Ashland lichen has to stop, forest officials warn ... Firefighters battle fire at Biomass One ... Man faces federal charges in fire caused by pot extract ... Century-old practice of writing graffiti in Mount Ashland lichen has to stop, forest officials warn ... Firefighters battle fire at Biomass One ... PREP WRESTLING Matter of time North Medford senior Hornbrook builds on breakthrough campaign Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Jan. 27, 2016 at 7:50 PM Updated Jan 27, 2016 at 7:53 PM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Jan. 27, 2016 at 7:50 PM Updated Jan 27, 2016 at 7:53 PM --> COLE HORNBROOK WHO: A 6-foot-1 senior on the North Medford wrestling team. WHAT: Hornbrook placed third at 152 pounds during last year’s Class 6A state tourn... » Read more X COLE HORNBROOK WHO : A 6-foot-1 senior on the North Medford wrestling team. WHAT : Hornbrook placed third at 152 pounds during last year’s Class 6A state tournament and is ranked No. 2 at 160 pounds this year with a 34-7 record and fourth-place showing at the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions. UP NEXT : Thursday, 7 p.m., North Medford at South Medford. » Social News Since he stepped into the North Medford wrestling room, Cole Hornbrook knew it was only a matter of time before he finally broke through on a statewide level. An ill-timed loss of focus proved costly at the Class 6A state tournament when he was a sophomore but he was sharp throughout last year’s run, finally earning the recognition he long deserved with a third-place effort in a loaded class of 152 pounders that featured nationally ranked competitors Layne Van Anrooy of Roseburg and Timothy Harmon of West Linn. In his senior year, Hornbrook has taken it up another notch so far in pursuit of his first state championship and an exclamation mark on a steady career with the Black Tornado. “Definitely I think it played a pretty significant role,” Hornbrook says of finally breaking through for a state medal last year, “but I’ve always known I’ve been up there with the top guys, I just hadn’t been able to prove it.” Despite a disappointing 10-2 loss in last year’s state semifinals to Harmon, Hornbrook kept his head up and scored a pair of impressive first-round pins to finish his run to third place. He’s used that same aggressive approach to post a 34-7 record this year entering Thursday's Southwest Conference dual at South Medford High. The first varsity match is at 7 p.m. “Really the only thing I think has changed is more mentally for me this year,” says Hornbrook, who is ranked No. 2 at 160 pounds to Van Anrooy. “I know what I can do, I don‘t question myself. I’ve wrestled in some of the toughest tournaments in the nation and proved myself, there’s no one out there that scares me. Nothing really worries me when I’m out there, I’m more mentally prepared than I’ve ever been.” The results have certainly proved that theory. Hornbrook placed fourth at the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions, dropping a 4-0 decision to Van Anrooy in the 160-pound quarterfinals, and was eighth at 170 at the Doc Buchanan Invitational in Clovis, Calif. “Cole’s a scrapper,” says North Medford head coach Phillip Lopez. “It doesn’t matter who’s in front of him, he just wrestles hard. We’ve been to some pretty elite tournaments this year and for him to place like he has really says something about him.” “He doesn’t really get nervous for anybody,” adds the coach. “He’s a kid that gets excited to wrestle really good competition, and that’s always a bonus for your program.” In fact, the only issues Hornbrook has really faced this year is what weight class to compete in. His only real struggles have come when he wrestles at 152 — he was fifth at the Army Strong Coast Classic — and two-time state champion Anrooy, a junior who is ranked seventh nationally, is an obvious obstacle at 160. “I’ve always wrestled (Van Anrooy) and always liked the tougher competition,” says Hornbrook, who has opted to wrestle at 160. “I always look forward to wrestling him because he’s someone I can mark myself against. I like competing versus guys like him, I’d rather bump up in weight and wrestle a tougher guy any time than go the easy way out.” Lopez is all for his wrestlers having that kind of competitive drive, and sees 160 as a perfect fit for Hornbrook even though the 6-foot-1 wrestler naturally weighs 158 pounds. “You’re going to have to beat someone at state anyways,” says Lopez. “You’ve just got to find a slot to wrestle where you feel comfortable at and he feels that’s where it is for him. It’s his choice. He wants to beat Layne and that’s the kind of attitude you want guys to have.” One thing that helps separate Hornbrook from his usual competition is his lengthy frame, ability to finish from the top position and desire to constantly improve his mat skills. “A lot of his success is just from his work ethic,” says Lopez. “He does things right and, when you do that, it makes things for him a lot easier. He’s just one of those guys always wanting to learn and he stays later at practice to figure out how to be better and beat those other top guys.” “And his style of wrestling is unique,” adds the coach. “Usually big guys don’t attack like he does but he’s pretty dangerous.” That competitive spirit is what has guided Hornbrook throughout a wrestling career that began in the third grade and has seen him driven to outshine older brother Jessie, who was a 2011 North Medford graduate and standout in football, wrestling and baseball for the Black Tornado. “I’ve grown up being competitive, that’s just how my family is and you fight for what you want,” says the 18-year-old senior, who is the middle of three boys in the Hornbrook family. “That’s why I love wrestling, I just love how competitive it is. I love all the hard work you’ve got to put in with it, it’s so different than any other sport because you have to work 10 times harder. It’s a lot more mental than any other sport, you can’t just rely on the physical to get where you want to be, you’ve got to be mentally sharp.” Hornbrook has seen interest from a handful of Division I wrestling programs, according to Lopez, and is excited to see where the sport can take him moving on. Until then, he’s focused on getting back to the state tournament and the continued growth of the North Medford program. “It’s pretty cool watching these young up-and-coming guys because once I leave and the rest of our seniors, they’re going to be the next leaders and face of the program,” says Hornbrook. “Watching these guys battle in these matches and how much heart they have, it’s been pretty cool to see. I didn’t think it was going to play out like that for me, kinda stepping back and watching all that, but it’s been fun.” Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Jan. 27, 2016 at 7:50 PM Updated Jan 27, 2016 at 7:53 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers make it back on top in softball Winning the Southern Cascade League title seemed like a pretty bold goal this spring considering the recent history of the Cascade Christian... 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