Oregon
Championship rewind: Sights and stories from Oregon’s wrestling state tournament
The OSAA wrestling state championships were from Thursday through Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. In those final days, champions were crowned in seven classifications between boys and girls, and team titles were hoisted.
Here’s a look at the action this weekend from The Oregonian/OregonLive:
Newberg’s Dillon Le celebrates after winning a state championship on Saturday night. Tim Healy for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Newberg returns to the top of the state at Oregon’s wrestling championships
The Tigers had to stomach being the runner-up in 2023, breaking a three year streak of state tournament wins. This year, they were back. Read about it HERE.
Roseburg’s Drew Dawson celebrates after winning the Class 6A 106-pound title. Tim Healy for The Oregonian/OregonLive
From 3A to 6A: Drew Dawson ends transfer to Roseburg with a wrestling state championship
Drew Dawson went from competing in Class 3A as a member of Glide last season, to winning a Class 6A title with Roseburg this year. Read about it HERE.
Wrestlers from around the state compete in the OSAA Class 6A wrestling state championships on Saturday, Feb 24, 2024 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.Tim Healy for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Back on top: After upset losses, Roseburg’s Gage Singleton ends his prep career a state champion
After an upset loss in the state tournament last year and an upset loss in Reser’s this year, Roseburg’s Gage Singleton needed to end his high school career on top. Read about it HERE.
West Linn’s Charles Spinning celebrates after winning the 165-pound state championship in Class 6A. Tim Healy for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Charles Spinning comes back from serious knee injury, leads three Lion two-timers at wrestling state championships
A knee injury threatened to derail Charles Spinning’s title defense this year. But he was able to come back and be a part of three West Linn wrestlers who repeated as state champions. Read about it HERE.
Newberg’s Isaac Hampton gets his hand raised after winning the 126-pound Class 6A wrestling state title. Tim Healy for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Match breakdown: Newberg’s Isaac Hampton beats Clackamas’ Jeremiah Wachsmuth in dream showdown of former wrestling champions
A match between two former state champions. A match over 10 years in the making with the title on the line. Read about it HERE.
Dallas’ Joe Johnson, right wrestles against Crescent Valley’s Colton Hankey in the Class 5A 126-pound finals. Howard Lao for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Dallas boys come out ahead in competitive Class 5A boys wrestling field
The Class 5A team title came down to the finals on Saturday night. How did Dallas come out with the win? Read about it HERE.
Bend’s Lief Larwin, celebrates at the 2024 OSAA State Wrestling Championships on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 in Portland, Ore.
Howard Lao for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Bend’s Leif Larwin introduces himself as a new force in Oregon’s Class 5A wrestling with title win as a freshman
Freshman Leif Larwin’s first year of high school wrestling included a Reser’s title and a state title. Read about it HERE.
Silverton’s Brash Henderson celebrates after winning the Class 5A state championship at 285 pounds.Howard Lao for The Oregonian/OregonLive
After facing against some of Oregon’s best in past years, Silverton’s Brash Henderson finally gets his wrestling gold
Brash Henderson’s state title this year was one at the end of a rocky road. With the competition he’s had over the years, it was rocky than perhaps anyone has ever seen. Read about it HERE.
Thurston’s Izabella Castleberry, top, wrestles Tigard’s Natalie Wilhoit in the girls 155-pound finals. Ali Gradischer for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Thurston girls, after back-to-back runner-up finishes, finally take the top spot in Class 6A/5A girls wrestling
The Colts have watched teams win the title each of the past two years as they ended with silver. Read about it HERE.
Dallas’ Polly Olliff, left, wrestles in the state championship match. Ali Gradischer for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Dallas’ Polly Olliff navigates the tough 110-pound weight class, repeats as Class 6A/5A girls wrestling champion
Navigating the 110-pound weight class was not an easy challenge, but Olliff was able to successfully complete it for her second state title. Read about it HERE.
Cleveland’s Isabel Herring gets her hand raised after winning the girls 170-pound state championship. Ali Gradischer for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Cleveland’s Isabel Herring beats Wilsonville’s reigning champion Jasmine Brown for 170-pound Class 6A/5A girls wrestling crown
Herring needed to face a reigning state champion to get her first title. She was able to look dominant in her finals match. Read about it HERE.
Wells’ Zorina Johnson gets her hand raised after winning the 125-pound state championship. Ali Gradischer for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Wells’ Zorina Johnson wins battle of 2023 runner-ups, finally gets her Class 6A/5A girls wrestling state title
A runner-up last year, Johnson’s finals win was about more than winning a match. It was the culmination of hard work and forging new relationships in wrestling. Read about it HERE.
Kyle Sieminski makes it to the four-timers club, Sweet Home brings home the team gold at Oregon’s Class 4A wrestling state tournament
Oregon now has had 50 four-time state champions, with Kyle Sieminski being the latest while helping the Huskies to team gold as well. Read about it HERE.
La Grande’s Kai Carson brings home third state title, matching his brother’s mark
The Tigers have been dominant for years in Class 4A, and a big part of that has been the Carson brotherrs leading the way. Read about it HERE.
La Grande wins first girls team gold at Oregon wrestling state championships
The La Grande boys are one of Class 4A’s best over the past few years. Now the girls are getting in on the fun. Read about it HERE.
Crook County’s MaKenna Duran warms up for her finals match. Ali Gradischer for The Oregonian/Oregon Live
MaKenna Duran makes it back-to-back golds, leading a surging Crook County girls wrestling squad at Oregon’s state championships
Crook County’s first girls wrestling state champion just set the bar a little higher. Read about it HERE.
Sweet Home’s Bailey Chafin celebrates after winning her second state championship. Ali Gradischer for The Oregonian/Oregon Live
Sweet Home’s Bailey Chafin wins second state title, sets her sights on four
There are currently two girls in Class 4A/3A/2A/1A on pace for four state titles, and Bailey Chafin on Sweet Home is ready for the moment. Read about it HERE.
Vale’s Ava Collins gets her hand raised after winning a second state championship. Ali Gradischer for The Oregonian/Oregon Live
Ava Collins has to get through training partner Hannah Hernandez to match Vale record 2 girls wrestling state titles
Winning a second state title wasn’t going to be easy for Ava Collins, especially since she had to get through a wrestler she faces all the time in the practice room. Read about it HERE.
Harrisburg and Toledo win their school’s first team titles at Oregon wrestling state championships
The Class 3A and Class 2A/1A state championships both went to teams that have never won it before. Read about it HERE.
Illinois Valley’s Mike Miller celebrates after winning a fourth state championship. Linus Brush-Mindell for The Oregonian/OregonLive
‘Be like Mike’: Illinois Valley’s Mike Miller becomes the 49th to win four Oregon wrestling state championships
The first four-time state champion of the year won in Class 2A/1A. Read about it HERE.
— Nik Streng, nstreng@oregonian.com, @NikStreng
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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BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
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