Tribe wins state mat crown

Scappoose wins its first mat title in 36 years

By John Brewington

The South County Spotlight, Mar 2, 2010

John Brewington / The Spotlight

CONQUERING HEROES—Just about everyone on the Scappoose High wrestling team and their supporters made a contribution to the Indians’ winning their first state wrestling championship since 1974. Gabe Goodrich (with trophy) and Aaron Aguilera (right of Goodrich) won individual championships.

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The Scappoose High wrestling team didn’t achieve what every one of their wrestlers wanted at the 4A state wrestling meet, but they came home with the biggest prize of all–a state wrestling championship.

The Indians have always made their presence known at state, but it’s been 36 years (1974) since they last won a championship. That team had just one state champion. This year’s team had two champions and five wrestlers in the finals.

The Tribe put themselves in the driver’s seat in the tournament early, moving into first on the first day and staying there at the end of every round.

“It’s something of a surprise (to be in first), but we had a tremendous first round,” Scappoose Coach Jim Jones said during the semifinals.

After the Indians’ Gabe Goodrich pinned his opponent to win the state championship at 119 pounds, Jones knew the team title was a lock.

“The only way we can lose now is if all four (remaining finalists) lose and someone goes nuts and we get a whole bunch of team points taken away,” he joked.

The Indians went into the finals ahead of Sweet Home by 13 points and would finish with the same margin.

No one went crazy, but there was exultation and some disappointment in the final matches for Scappoose.

The Indians had kept up their lead in the tournament on Friday night with five semifinal wins of six matches. None of the matches were easy, but all six wrestlers put everything they had into it. Second-place Sweet Home would qualify just three and that wouldn’t be enough.

Goodrich had been working hard for a title shot since last season. He was confident after a major decision (a win by eight or more) in the semis. He would face Shane Licari of Estacada, a wrestler he had pinned early in the season. He duplicated the feat for the championship. “I’m pretty happy,” he said afterwards. “I thought I could pin him again.”

The Tribe’s Aaron Aguilera was the top seed at 171 pounds, and he made the finals with a 9-3 win. The final round was tough and the match went into overtime. Aguilera got a quick takedown in OT for the crown.

“That was the best match I’ve had all year by far,” he said afterwards. He gave his opponent a big hug and then hugged just about everyone else in Memorial Coliseum.

Three other finalists–Trever Gwin, Jesse Oblack, and Brixton Apon–made huge team point contributions, but were not happy with the individual outcomes in the championship rounds.

Oblack exerted a tremendous amount of energy to win his semifinal match, and was leading 3-1 in the championship with a minute to go, but the match was tied and he lost with a takedown in the closing seconds of overtime.

Gwin had beaten his opponent Chance Banta of Astoria narrowly several times this season. He had a 3-2 lead after two rounds, but gave up a reversal with 15 seconds remaining. He just missed getting an escape to tie the match.

Apon had won a slim 2-1 decision over a much larger opponent in the 285-pound semis, but couldn’t get leverage against a taller and heavier opponent in the finals.

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