Oregon
Oregon 3A wrestling state championships preview: Quartet vying to join 4-timer club
The Oregon 3A high school wrestling state championships take place Thursday and Friday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Thursday, Noon-9 p.m.: Round 1 and Quarterfinals
Friday, 2:45 p.m.: Semifinals
Friday, 7 p.m.: Parade of Champions and Finals
106 Brandon Henderson, Fr., Harrisburg
113 Braxton Henager, So., Harrisburg
120 Riley Flack, Sr., La Pine
126 Kale Cornell, Sr., Burns
132 Canon Winn, Sr., Burns
138 Devon Kerr, Sr., La Pine
144 Landyn Philpott, Sr., La Pine
150 Cannon Kemper, So., Burns
157 Kamran Ness, Sr., Santiam Christian
165 Camaron Houston, Sr., Coquille
175 Brody Buzzard, Jr., Harrisburg
190 Easton Kemper, Sr., Burns
215 Joe Weil, Jr., Burns
285 Kaison Smith, Sr., Warrenton
120 Andrei Donayri, So., Harrisburg
1, Burns 15. 2, (tie) Harrisburg and Willamina 12. 4, Banks 11. 5, Nyssa 10. 6, Santiam Christian 9. 7, (tie) Pleasant Hill, Sutherlin and Warrenton 8.
Burns, Willamina figure to challenge defending champion Harrisburg
Harrisburg returns to Memorial Coliseum hungry to defend the state championship the Eagles won for the first time last year.
They’ll have to stave off Burns, which was a distant second last year — the Hilanders’ third consecutive runner-up finish after their 2020 championship — and Willamina, which finished second at 2A/1A last year before moving back to 3A this season.
The Hilanders have five top seeds among their meet-high 15 qualifiers, while the Eagles have three and Willamina none.
Four remain alive to complete four-time state championship quest
Five 3A wrestlers entered the season harboring hopes of joining the group of 51 who have won four state championships over the previous 77 tournaments.
One — Harrisburg senior Luke Cheek — unfortunately suffered an injury during the season that kept him from competing at district. The other four — Cornell, Kerr, Philpott and Easton Kemper — are four rounds from completing the feat.
Of the quartet, Kerr might face the biggest challenge. A potential semifinal could match him with Banks senior Benjamin Dinan, who placed fourth at 126 last year. In the final, awaiting him could be No. 2 seed Trayson Truesdell of Harrisburg, who placed third at 132 as a freshman last year, or No. 3 Kisor Savage of Willamina, a 2A/1A state runner-up at 120 in 2024.
The No. 2 seed opposite Cornell in the bracket is Banks sophomore Tobijah Mauck, who took fifth at 120 last year. Philpott could face No. 3 Boone Marquess of Pleasant Hill (sixth at 150 last year) or No. 2 James Turner of Banks in the final.
Kemper could meet Willamina junior Bodhi Baller (fourth at 2A/1A 175) in the quarterfinals, with Vale junior Wyatt Cox (fifth at 165 but unseeded) and No. 2 seed Ryan Gaskin of North Valley squaring off in Round 1 on the opposite side of the bracket.
Two returning champions face daunting road to potential 120 final
Last year’s state champions at 106 and 113 pounds moved up to 120 this season and landed on opposite sides of the bracket.
Flack earned the No. 1 seed by virtue of his longer track record at state — he placed fourth as a sophomore — but should he and Donayri work their way through the bracket, it will be their first meeting.
It won’t be easy. Donayri has three returning placers in half of the draw, including No. 3 seed Peyton Wafer of Douglas (sixth at 120), and Flack faces a potential quarterfinal with Harrisburg junior John Henderson (fourth at 106).
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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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