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It's anyone's tournament There are no guarantees at this year's Class 4A state meet and no clear-cut favorite to take home the team championship By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune For teams taking part in the Class 4A state wrestling tournament, which runs today through Saturday, the only certainty is that nothing is for certain. As last year's runner-up, fifth-ranked Crater enters this weekend's action with the highest amount of state qualifiers (13) yet still could finish outside the trophy dash. On the flip side, a team like third-ranked Oregon City, which has seven qualifiers - the lowest amount among top-10 teams - could be a darkhorse for the team title at Memorial Coliseum in Portland. "This is anybody's tournament," says Eagle Point coach Brad McBee, whose team finished third last year. "Even after going through the bracket, I really couldn't pick a favorite. There are too many matches at too many weights that are too close to call." Defending champion Hermiston stands to be the logical favorite in the top-heavy tournament. The Intermountain Conference champ returns two state champions and two other state placers and has 10 qualifiers overall for the state meet. "It's going to take some pretty good depth to hold Hermiston off," says Crater coach Greg Haga. The Bulldogs' vulnerability was shown at their district meet, however, as Hermiston edged 13th-ranked Crook County by only four team points for the title. Add Crater, ninth-ranked Eagle Point, second-ranked Newberg and fourth-ranked Roseburg to the mix and trophy positions begin to shift in any number of ways. "There's going to be a lot more teams vying for that top spot this year," says Haga. "Where before you had two, three or four teams up in front and everyone was chasing, this year that number could be seven, eight or nine teams." Both McBee and Haga believe the SOC's top three finishers - Roseburg, Crater and Eagle Point - could very well all be in the hunt for a trophy, and possible championship, come Saturday night. "I don't know if we'll all be in the hunt for the top one, but you can't count that out," says McBee. Crater and 10th-ranked West Linn each enter today's action with 13 qualifiers, while Newberg, Roseburg and sixth-ranked Thurston each have 11. Hermiston, Eagle Point and Crook County have 10. Those numbers help pad a team's chances for a state title but don't necessarily assure anything. Crater entered last year's race with 16, compared to Hermiston's 11, and came up 12 points shy of the Bulldogs when Hermiston pulled twice as many wrestlers into the finals (four). "It's tough to win anymore without anybody in the finals," says Haga. "The past few years the team that's won has had four or five make it that far." The Comets have two legitimate shots at making it to the finals in top-ranked Chris Dearmon at 275 pounds and second-ranked Rudy Ramirez (145). Both seniors placed at last year's state meet, with Dearmon taking eighth and Ramirez fifth at those same weights. "If they wrestle as consistently as they have been and wrestle hard-nosed and aggressive," says Haga, "I think they have a good shot of getting into the finals." Other returning state placers for the Comets are Jeremy McLaughlin (135) and Nate Gipson (130). Making it back to the state meet are Josh King (140) and Cody Ponder (119). Of Eagle Point's 10 state qualifiers, seven are returners, including state placers Joe Lewis (119) and Jake Phillips (189). Lewis finished third at 112 last year, while Phillips was sixth at 189. Both stand to make it into the placing rounds once again. Lewis is ranked fourth in the state, while Phillips is second to Roseburg's Levi Thomas. "I think every one of our seven returners is in the mix to bring home a medal as one of the top eight," says McBee. "In fact, I'll be disappointed if they don't all do that." Besides Lewis and Phillips, returning Eagles are Justin Sheile (112), Andrew Larsen (125), Morgan Edenstrom (145), Jason Adams (152) and Victor Shelton (160). SOC State Qualifiers CRATER (13) - Bryson Gutches (103), Nate Gipson (130), Jeremy McLaughlin (135), Kyle Marci (135), Josh King (140), Josh Wilder (140), Rudy Ramirez (145), Chris Dearmon (275), Jeremy Firestone (112), Cody Ponder (119), Chase Maloney (130), Ron Lee (152), Taylor Wilkerson (275). ROSEBURG (11) - Trevor Lofstedt (103), J.P. Peckham (119), Brian Walker (125), Joel Oiler (152), Nick Shaffer (160), Levi Thomas (189), Cody Parker (215), Justin Troxel (275), Art Maldonado (125), Seth Thomas (135), Matt Jacobson (145). EAGLE POINT (10) - Justin Sheile (112), Joe Lewis (119), Andrew Larsen (125), Stephen Price (130), Morgan Edenstrom (145), Jason Adams (152), Tyson Nelson (171), Jake Phillips (189), Daniel Rullamas (140), Victor Shelton (160). SOUTH MEDFORD (2) - Kevin O'Shea (171), Ben Vandagrift (215). GRANTS PASS (2) - Tyler Baker (103), Brian Alves (171). KLAMATH UNION (2) - Dean Cornelison (112), Robert Kincaid (189). ASHLAND (1) - James MacCormack (215). NORTH MEDFORD (1) - Rob Folsom (160). Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.