Oregon
Oregon 4A wrestling: Champions, takeaways from district meets
The 4A wrestling district meets took place over the weekend, with the OSAA state championships scheduled for Feb. 26-27 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
Here’s a look at the champions and three takeaways from each of the four district meets. The top four finishers from each district advance to state.
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Special District 1 (at Molalla)
Team champion: Tillamook (376.5 points)
Most automatic qualifiers: Tillamook (15), Molalla (11), Estacada (10)
Individual champions
106 Liam Pyle, jr., Tillamook
113 Braiden Grochowsky, sr., Estacada
120 Cole Stafford, fr., Molalla
126 Kipton Allen, soph., Tillamook
132 Leroy Mixon, jr., Estacada
138 Beau Sandberg, sr., Molalla
144 Beau Smith, jr., Astoria
150 Logan Riga, jr., Estacada
157 Brayden Cooley, jr., Seaside
165 Tyler Kenton, jr., Molalla
175 Turner Jackson, jr., Estacada
190 Charlie Becker, jr., Gladstone
215 Melesio Brito, soph., Astoria
285 Adrian Balli, sr., Astoria
3 notes
Tillamook earns eighth consecutive district title
The Cheesemakers romped to another championship, putting six wrestlers in the finals and advancing 15 to state to outscore runner-up Estacada by 105 points and set themselves up for a run at improving upon back-to-back sixth-place finishes at state. Pyle repeated as 106-pound champion, pinning teammate Javier Vazquez in 74 seconds in the final.
Three-time champions hope to make mark in two weeks
Two wrestlers won their third consecutive district titles, with Sandberg pinning Scappoose’s Lawson Komp 41 seconds into the second round and Cooley earning a 4-0 decision over Tillamook’s Dillon Bennet. Now, each looks to improve upon his 2025 state finish — Sandberg placed fifth at 132 and Cooley sixth at 150.
Estacada’s Grochowsky avenges loss in district final
Grochowsky won a district title as a freshman but lost 12-11 to Seaside’s Henry Rollins in the 113 final last year. This weekend, he got the better of Rollins when the Seagulls junior had to retire because of injury after the second round. Grochowsky’s teammate, Mixon, also won a second title, as did Astoria’s Balli.
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Special District 2 (at Newport)
Team champion: Sweet Home (507 points)
Most qualifiers: Sweet Home (20), Cascade (14), Cottage Grove (7), Philomath (7)
Individual champions
106 Cody Sieminski, fr., Sweet Home
113 Keegan Jefferson, jr., Sweet Home
120 Riley Vaughan, jr., Sweet Home
126 Jesse Landtroop, jr., Sweet Home
132 Jeffery Conklin, jr., Cottage Grove
138 Henry Bankhead, jr., North Marion
144 Leonardo Michel, sr., Stayton
150 Riley Barrett, sr., Philomath
157 Porter Compton, sr., Philomath
165 Hans Kamm, jr., Cascade
175 Luke Rosa, sr., Sweet Home
190 Lake Mulberry, sr., Philomath
215 Matthew Hinkle, sr., Cascade
285 Lynkin Royer, sr., Sweet Home
3 notes
Sweet Home poised to reclaim state championship
A 12th consecutive district championship trophy is nice, but with 2025 champion Crook County now in 5A, the Huskies put themselves in fine position to reclaim the state title in two weeks — they won in 2017 and 2024 and have five runner-up finishes in the past decade. They owned the lower weights, winning every title from 106 to 126 pounds, and Jefferson, Vaughan, Landtroop and Rosa repeated as district champions.
Conklin ends six-year title drought for Cottage Grove
Conklin improved to 46-0 (improving his win streak to 48 after placing third at state as a sophomore) when two-time district champion Tytus Hardee of Sweet Home sustained an injury in the final. Cottage Grove had not had a district finalist since 2023, and Conklin became the program’s first champion since 2020, when Jacob Dunn, Drew Swenson and Cobie Simpson took home titles.
Philomath state champion shrugging off early-season injury
Barrett suffered an ankle injury at Philomath’s season-opening tournament and has been brought back gradually to prevent a recurrence as he tries to become the program’s first three-time state champion. He improved to 18-0 with a 14-0 major decision over Sweet Home’s James Hearick in the district final.
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Special District 3 (at Hidden Valley)
Team champion: Marshfield (299 points)
Most qualifiers: Marshfield (14), Hidden Valley (9), North Bend (9), Mazama (9)
Individual champions
106 Rhoan Rambo, fr., Hidden Valley
113 Garron Castro, sr., Marshfield
120 Ryker Pruett, fr., North Bend
126 Acen Clark, soph., Henley
132 Nicholas Campbell, sr., North Bend
138 Nicco Kovacic, soph., Klamath Union
144 Jackson Swanson, sr., North Bend
150 Levi Padoshek, jr., Mazama
157 John Willett, sr., North Bend
165 Walter Collier, sr., Henley
175 Jyles Peterson, jr., Hidden Valley
190 Brent Kolkow, sr., Hidden Valley
215 Dylan Swanson, sr., North Bend
285 Mitchell Quist, sr., Hidden Valley
3 notes
Depth key to Marshfield’s second consecutive district title
A year ago, Marshfield won eight individual championships en route to its first team title since 2018. This year, the Pirates won only one weight class when Castro took home his third district crown with a third-period technical fall, but their depth (state qualifiers at 12 of 14 weight classes) was enough to stave off Hidden Valley (and the Mustangs’ four district titlists) by 39 points.
Returning champions square off in 285 final
The 285 final featured returning district champions Quist moving up from 215 to challenge Marshfield’s Skyler Folau. Quist, whose only loss this season came in the High Desert Classic final to Burns’ Joe Weil, defeated Folau for the second time this season with a 4-1 decision. It was a closer match than in mid-December, when Quist (third at state a year ago) won an 11-3 major decision in the North Bend Coast Classic quarterfinals.
North Bend’s Swanson, Henley’s Collier also repeat
Two other wrestlers repeated as district champions, with Swanson moving down from 150 (where a possible final against two-time state titlist Riley Barrett awaited) to beat Phoenix’s Caden Cunningham by second-period fall, and Collier moved up from 157 to 165 and earned a second-round pin over Mazama’s Isaac Stacey.
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Special District 4 (at Madras)
Team champion: La Grande (396 points)
Most qualifiers: Pendleton (18), La Grande (16), Madras (9)
Individual champions
106 Darren Gulzow, jr., La Grande
113 Hank Roy, soph., Pendleton
120 Aiden Cox, fr., Pendleton
126 Deegan Nelson, soph., La Grande
132 Bragen Anderson, sr., La Grande
138 Colton Livingston, sr., La Grande
144 Bryler Anderson, soph., La Grande
150 Cole Roy, sr., Pendleton
157 Tommy Belding, sr., La Grande
165 Kainen Zimmerman, sr., Pendleton
175 Vance Nelson, sr., Pendleton
190 Aidan Perkins, sr., Pendleton
215 Dex Dunlap, jr., La Grande
285 Gage Valencia, sr., Ontario
3 notes
La Grande edges Pendleton for first district title since 2022
The departure of three-time reigning champion Crook County to 5A created a wide-open district tournament, where Pendleton enjoyed a 3-2 edge over La Grande in district finals matching the schools’ wrestlers and an 18-16 edge in state qualifiers but still saw the Tigers eke out a 1.5-point victory for their first title since 2022 — the year before the Cowboys dropped to 4A. Belding and Bragen Anderson each won a third district title to lead the charge, and Dunlap repeated as 215 champion.
Two No. 2 seeds help Buckaroos push for team title
The Buckaroos had six district champions, one fewer than La Grande, with Nelson needing just 31 seconds to pin Madras’ Colton Gillespie to earn his third individual crown. They also got wins at 120, where Cox earned a 5-3 decision over La Grande’s top seed Kallen Blakely, and 165, where Zimmerman posted a 14-5 major decision over top seed Noah Collins of La Grande.
Ontario heavyweight denies La Grande-Pendleton title sweep
Ontario will have only four wrestlers make the 375-mile trip from the eastern tip of the state to Memorial Coliseum, but one of them is Valencia, who was the only wrestler not from La Grande or Pendleton to win a title — he earned a second-period technical fall over La Grande’s Darryn Richardson to improve to 31-4.
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For complete coverage of Oregon high school sports, visit OregonLive’s high school sports section throughout the year.
A 73-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for the 1983 killing of his then-girlfriend. It was a case that went unsolved for more than 40 years.
The sentence was announced by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.
In July 1983, Teresa Peroni, 27, was reported missing after attending a party in the Selma area of Josephine County southwest of Grants Pass. She was last seen walking in the woods with her boyfriend Marcus Sanfratello.
Authorities deemed Peroni’s disappearance suspicious, but they lacked evidence to bring charges against anyone.
In 1997, a human skull was found on private property near where Peroni disappeared. In 2024, authorities in Josephine County reopened the case. In addition to re-interviewing witnesses, they collected new DNA evidence to build a case against Sanfratello.
With the DNA, experts at the University of North Texas confirmed the skull was Peroni’s.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
A grand jury indicted Sanfratello of second-degree murder, on June 27, 2025.
Police arrested Sanfratello in Chico, California the next day. He was then extradited to Oregon to face the charge of murder.
Under a plea agreement, Sanfratello pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
He will serve at least 10 years in prison, Oregon’s attorney general’s office said.
“For Teresa Peroni’s family, this has been a 43-year wait for an answer they never should have had to wait for,” Rayfield said in a news release. “Cases like this remind us of why we don’t give up. It doesn’t matter how many years have passed — if someone took a life, we’re going to keep working until we can hold them accountable.”
Oregon
100+ Women Who Care of Central Oregon Donates Nearly $20,000 to M Perfectly – The Source – Bend, Oregon
The Oregon Ducks are set for one of the biggest timelines of their recruiting cycle, as many top targets are nearing commitments. This time around, the Ducks have a ton of top targets still remaining on their board compared to past seasons, as the Ducks have eight total commitments at this time.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff still need to land a safety commitment, but three-star safety Elijah Butler out of Maryland recently included the Ducks in his final six schools.
Oregon Target Elijah Butler Makes Exciting Recruiting Announcement
Butler announced his top six schools ahead of a crucial part of his recruitment, according to a graphic by Leyton Roberts. The Ducks made the cut alongside the Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Tech Hokies, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented prospect would be a great addition for any of these teams, as they could all use a safety prospect at this point in the recruiting timeline.
Butler is from the state of Maryland, which makes the Terrapins one to watch.
It is also worth noting that he has been labeled as one of the best players in the state of Maryland, as he currently ranks as the state’s No. 9 prospect, according to Rivals. This is important as the Terrapins have always made solid attempts to land their in-state stars, including last season when they landed one of the better players in the state’s history, Zion Elee.
As of now, the prospect hasn’t been predicted to land with any of these schools, which means it is likely still a tight race entering the official visit schedule. He has yet to schedule an official visit with all of the schools he has listed in his top six, as he is still missing three key official visits. Butler has scheduled official visits with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, according to 247Sports. This means he still needs to set one with Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Maryland if he wants to take one to each school.
If the Ducks are able to get Butler on a visit, then they would likely be in a more favorable position to land his commitment, as it currently. seems they are one of the trailing teams from this list. It seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will gain his commitment unless they get him on an official visit, which is still possible at this point, as plenty of top prospects across the nation are still scheduling their official visits.
As of now, the Ducks have 27 prospects set to take an official visit, according to 247Sports. Among all of the prospects who have scheduled a visit thus far, only one of the players is listed as a safety. That player is a three-star target, Junior Tu’upo. This leads one to believe that the Ducks could try to get Butler on a visit, or at a minimum, pitch their program to the prospect from St Frances Academy.
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