Appeal Tribune ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 ❚ 1B Sports HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING Silverton takes step forward Silverton’s Jason Orr celebrates placing fourth in the 50 free at the OSAA Class 5A state swimming meet Feb. 17. BILL POEHLER/STATESMAN JOURNAL Senior Orr becomes first school swimmer to medal in 4 events Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK GRESHAM – An official at the OSAA Class 5A state swimming meet approached Silverton High School swimming coach Lucky Rogers and said in jest that she was going to tell Silverton’s loud rooting section that they were go- ing to have to quiet down. “I laughed and said good luck,” Rogers said. Silverton’s appreciative audi- ence recognizes how far the team, unofficially dubbed the Aqua Fox- es, has come in a remarkably short period. When Rogers took over the pro- gram as head coach for the 2015-16 season, a good season was when the team sent one athlete to the state meet. To have a swimmer compete in a state final was un- heard of. On Feb. 17 at Mt. Hood Commu- nity College, the partisan Silverton crowd that inhabited the best sec- tion of grandstand nearest the fin- ish line had plenty to cheer about. “They show up and probably about five of them are related to me, but they all set up and cheered,” senior Jason Orr said. “That’s all I could ask for. I didn’t even care what I did in the race just because they’re all there for me.” But Orr became a star. He became the first individual Silverton swimmer to compete in a state final when he exceeded his seeding in the 50 free to place fourth. Then he went out and placed second in the 100 back- stroke. And Orr became the first Silver- ton swimmer to medal in four events by teaming with Kyle Reis- er, David Reeves, Blake Doerfler and Tristan Allen to place fourth and fifth in the 200 free and 200 medley relay races. After scoring the school’s first state tournament points as part of a relay last year, it was a huge step forward. Foxes’ Orr named Athlete of the Week Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Jason Orr set a new standard. The senior swimmer from Silverton High School concluded his high school career with some amazing perfor- mances. He placed second in the 100 back- stroke (54.41) and fourth in the 50 free (22.50) and swam on the Foxes’ placing 200 medley and 200 free relay teams at last weekend’s OSAA Class 5A state swimming meet. He became the first swimmer from Silverton to score points at the state meet as an individual after being on the first relay team from his school to score points as a junior. Orr was voted athlete of the week by a poll of readers. He will be the subject of a future Two-Minute Drill video and will be honored at the June 4 Mid-Valley Sports Awards at the Salem Conven- tion Center. Other nominees: Anna Despain, South Salem swim- ming: The senior placed fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:55.37) and sixth in the 100 backstroke (58.65) and swam on the Saxons’ state placing 200 free and 400 Orr dives in during the state swimming meet. “We know we’re the under- dogs,” Orr said. “None of us swim club swimming. We do a lot more just to get ourselves in contention really. People see that and want to be a part of it.” Silverton’s girls placed seventh in the state meet with 14 points, the first points Silverton’s girls have scored in a state swimming meet. Silverton’s boys placed eighth with 18 points. Considering Silverton – whose boys and girls equaled their pro- gram best by placing second in the Mid-Willamette district meet a week before – had never scored a point in a state swimming meet until 2017, it was another step along the route. “I’ve branded us the country kids against the country clubbers,” Rogers said. “We swim from No- vember to February. Jason put a See SWIMMING, Page 2B Only the strongest survive 12 Salem area wrestlers win individual titles at OSAA state finals Pete Martini and Gary Horowitz Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK PORTLAND — Mid-Valley wrestlers took part in 25 state championship matches Saturday in the OSAA tourna- ment at the Memorial Coliseum. Here is a recap of the night: 120 pounds Silverton’s Jason Orr was voted Athlete of the Week. free relay teams at the OSAA Class 6A state swimming meet. Ein Carlos, North Salem wrestling: The junior won his second consecutive OSAA Class 6A state championship, this time by recording two pins, two technical falls and a win by injury for- feit in the state championship match at 152 pounds. Keegan Cook, Willamina wres- tling: The senior recorded four pins, all in the first or second round, to win the OSAA Class 3A state championship at 285 pounds at last weekend’s state tournament. Class 5A: Silverton’s Kaden Kuenzi started fast in the 5A 120-pound final against Crater’s Zeth Brower with a 2- point takedown in the first period. But Kuenzi, the defending state champion at 106 and seeded No. 1 this year at 120, couldn’t keep the momentum and lost 5-2. It was a rematch of last year’s state semifinal won by Kuenzi. Silverton’s Kaden Kuenzi, right, and Crater’s Zeth Brower compete in the OSAA Wrestling State Championships Class 5A final for weight 120 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Feb. 17. Brower was the champion. ANNA REED/STATESMAN JOURNAL he will try to finish his high school ca- reer with three state titles. 132 pounds 138 pounds Class 4A: North Marion’s Russel Sti- gall beat Tillamook’s Chad Werner 5-2 in the state title match. “It felt good. It wasn’t my best match, but I won, so it’s all good,” Sti- gall said. Stigall, a junior, won his sec- ond state championship, and next year, Class 4A: North Marion’s Brandon Gibson lost a close 2-1 decision to Marshfield’s AJ Lira in the state title match. Gibson, a senior, was the No. 1 seed among Class 4A 138-pounders at the state championships.