SPORTS
8A — THE OBSERVER
THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Young LHS squad ready for state
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
Klel Carson/Contributed Photo
Junior wrestler Braden Carson, left, stands next to La Grande High School wrestling coach Klel Carson
and freshman Kai Carson. The duo of wrestlers each brought home a district title in their weight classes as
Carson coached the Tigers to a district championship on Saturday, June 12, 2021.
All in the family
Family ties run
deep for La Grande
wrestling team
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Not
many dads get the front-row
seat that Klel Carson had
when his son, Braden, won
the 126-pound weight divi-
sion at the 2020 Class 4A
state championship.
Carson, La Grande High
School’s wrestling coach,
now has two sons com-
peting on the team at a high
level. For the Carson family,
wrestling provides a special
bond between father and
sons.
“They kind of grew up in
the program,” Klel Carson
said. “It’s been a part of the
whole family and it’s just
really rewarding being able
to coach them and have the
best seat in the house for
their accomplishments.”
Klel Carson has been
coaching wrestling for 28
years, which has made
the sport a big part of the
family. Braden’s younger
brother, Kai, began wres-
tling when he was around
4 years old and now gets
the chance to compete on
the high school team. The
freshman recently won the
120-pound weight division
at the OSAA 4A Special
District 4 meet on Saturday,
June 12.
For Braden Carson, the
goal for his junior year is
back-to-back state cham-
pionships. He took the dis-
trict crown in the 138-
pound weight division and
improved to 10-0 on the
season.
Braden and Kai Carson
are poised to compete at the
4A state championship on
Friday, June 25, and Sat-
urday, June 26. La Grande
is coming off its fi rst wres-
tling title since 1996 last
season, with Braden Carson
returning as the reigning
champion in the 126-pound
weight division.
Whether it be wrestling
or activities at home, the
Carson brothers are always
competing. Klel Carson
noted that a spikeball match
or board game at the Carson
house can become heated.
Even though the family is
competitive, the brothers
use that to help each other
improve in the sport.
“I like having my brother
there as a partner there to
push me,” Kai Carson said.
“There’s a lot of wrestling
talk when we go home.”
Klel Carson’s daughter,
Alaina, was a six-time all-
state athlete across soccer
and softball at the high
school level. He joked that
if the brothers get too con-
fi dent in their achieve-
ments, there are trophies
and medals from their older
sister lying around as a
reminder to stay humble.
Coaching is about more
than just teaching wrestling
for Klel. He also strives to
help his athletes become
strong individuals who are
prepared to have successful
lives.
“After practice, we
always have a talk about
being good people and
growing up to be good hus-
bands and fathers,” he said.
For Klel Carson, the cul-
ture on the La Grande wres-
tling team comes down to
creating a close-knit men-
tality, whether that involves
his own kids or the many
athletes he has coached over
the years.
“It’s a big family, and
the whole team atmosphere
is what we try to create as
coaches,” he said.
Outside of wrestling, the
off switch for the Carsons
involves bonding outside of
the sport they all know and
love.
“We won’t talk about
sports sometimes and we’ll
just play family games and
have fun,” Braden Carson
said.
That competitive men-
tality can be diffi cult to
switch off as an athlete
when the coach lives under
the same roof. For Braden
and Kai Carson, quality
family time comes down to
things like fi shing, golfi ng
or family game nights when
the brothers are away from
the wrestling mat.
“I’m mostly proud of
their work ethic and the
kind of kids they are more
than anything,” Klel Carson
said. “Wrestling is wres-
tling, but I’m more proud of
how they do at school and
how hard they work and that
kind of stuff .”
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LA GRANDE — A year removed from
the school’s fi rst wrestling state champi-
onship since 1996, there’s a new younger
crowd leading the La Grande wrestling team
this year. State champions Gabe Shukle,
Parker Robinson and Christopher Wood-
worth all graduated, leaving the Tigers with
crucial spots to fi ll heading into this season.
With younger faces came the same disci-
pline and success under head coach Klel
Carson.
The Tigers dominated the 4A Special
District 4 tournament, scoring 302 points
and crowning fi ve individual district cham-
pions. La Grande outscored second-place
Baker by 109 points and impressed the
home crowd with a team title.
“They’re young, but they’re tough,”
Carson said.
Of La Grande’s fi ve individual district
champions, three were underclassmen and
four underclassmen fi nished in the top three
in their weight class. Leading the young
group of wrestlers this season is senior
Braxton Bisenius and junior Braden Carson.
Bisenius defeated Ontario’s Ruben Her-
nandez to take the 152-pound crown and
improve to 10-0 on the season. Braden
Carson, the reigning 126-pound 4A state
champion, earned a district title in the 138-
pound weight division to improve to 10-0 on
the season.
Having lost key pieces from last year’s
team, Bisenius and Braden Carson know the
importance of the younger wrestlers per-
forming well for the team.
“Being a team leader is a big deal,”
Braden Carson said. “It takes everybody and
we hold each other accountable and we get
people to show up to practice on time and
everything like that.”
In La Grande’s district championship
run, sophomores Joshua Collins and Wyatt
Livingston won individual titles. Col-
lins defeated Isaac Wood of McLoughlin/
Weston-McEwen to take the gold in the 132-
pound division, while Livingston beat team-
mate Cole Shafer in the 170-pound fi nals.
Both sophomores improved to 9-0 on the
season heading into the 4A state champi-
onship on Friday, June 25, and Saturday,
June 26.
“It’s really good for the future and they’re
stepping up right off the bat which is really
cool,” Klel Carson said.
Wrestling comes naturally for Kai
Carson, son of Klel and younger brother
of Braden, but his immediate impact this
season made a big diff erence in the team’s
success. Kai Carson took the 120-pound dis-
The Observer, File
La Grande’s Braden Carson tries to break the
grip of Tillamook’s Quintin Metcalfe on Satur-
day, March 2, 2020, during the 126-pound fi nal in
Portland in his state-title victory. Carson heads to
the 2021 4A state championship on Friday, June
25, and Saturday, June 26, looking to become a
two-time state champion.
trict crown and the freshman improved his
record to 9-1 on the season.
“I kind of saw it as like we were coming
in to fi ll that gap,” Kai Carson said. “It was
high intensity and a lot of high expectations
for the season.”
Leading a young team proved even more
diffi cult this year during the COVID-19
pandemic, but Bisenius and Braden Carson
were able to push through the obstacles.
“It’s been a little bit more tricky this year
because we’re not at school all the time with
each other, so we have to reach out more and
stay connected outside of wrestling,” Braden
Carson said.
The 2021 wrestling season was pushed
back into the spring, alongside basketball
and swimming this year. For Bisenius, the
path to a state championship involves com-
peting in wrestling even after graduating on
Saturday, June 5.
“You just have to control what you can
and then don’t worry about what you can’t,”
Bisenius said. “Whenever we can practice,
whenever we can work, we’re getting ready
for the state championship.”
With such a young group, Bisenius and
Braden Carson know the importance of
preparing the younger athletes for the high
stakes of the state championship.
“With the lack of experience, specifi -
cally in a state tournament which is a lot
more intense, helping them get ready for
that environment is how we can be ready to
repeat from last year,” Bisenius said.
The Tigers are set to travel to Cascade
High School in Turner to compete on Friday,
June 25, and in the fi nal rounds on Saturday,
June 26. As reigning state champions, the
few upperclassmen on the roster will look
to lead a young group back to glory in this
year’s competition.
“They’re training really hard and I
like the opportunity that we have,” Klel
Carson said.
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