THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015
SPORTS
7A
Warriors score best Pac Rim showing since ’99
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — There were
three individual champion-
ships and lots of big points
for the local schools this
Rim Wrestling Classic.
The annual meet took
place Friday and Saturday at
Seaside High School, where
18 schools met for the big-
gest prep wrestling tourna-
ment on the Oregon Coast.
Wrestlers from the North
Coast and Southwest Wash-
ington made one of their best
Pac Rim showings in years,
with Ilwaco, Astoria and
top eight of the team stand-
ings.
Topping the list individ-
ually were a pair of back-
to-back champions for the
Warriors, Colton Walker and
Rogue Bergerson.
Warrenton teammates to
score titles in the Pac Rim in
the same season since 1999,
when Wes Balensifer (189
pounds) and Dusty McGrorty
(215) won titles.
had a shot at it,” said Warren-
ton coach Trask Bergerson.
Rogue Bergerson and
Walker have spent much
of the season competing at
113 pounds, before Walk-
er moved to 106 for the Pac
Rim.
“Colton has been shooting
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Astoria’s Matthew Mather tries to pin Ilwaco’s Brandon Sparks during the Pac Rim wrestling tournament Friday at Seaside High School.
on his weight card,” coach
Bergerson said. “That was
kind of the plan, to get them
separated eventually. (Walk-
er) got there, and once he did,
we knew he would be really
both of them. They’re help-
ing each other out in a big
way.”
The team champion-
ship belonged to Class 5A
Churchill, which scored 215
points to bring a three-year
run by Scappoose to an end.
The Indians (204.5) placed
second, followed by Estaca-
da, St. Helens, Ilwaco and
Astoria.
Astoria racked up 110
second straight year, high-
lighted by an individual
championship for senior Josh
Long at 152 pounds.
Long made an impressive
run through the bracket, with
a fall over Estacada’s An-
drew Mervyn (4:26), a pin
and a major decision (12-2)
over Ben Hughes of Central
Linn.
Cody Erhardt of Scappoose
before scoring a pin at the
5:33 mark.
“It was the first time I’ve
faced (Erhardt),” Long said.
“Compared to the beginning
of the year, this was prob-
ably my best tournament,
because all my moves were
fluid and smooth, and I was
in control. I pinned most of
the guys — the one I didn’t
pin was 12-2, and the first
two guys didn’t score any
points on me.”
Long may drop to 145 for
the postseason.
“The Cowapa League is
solid,” he said. “The guys I
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Knappa’s Chris Cruz tries to pin St. Helens’ Garrett Kust
during their match.
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Other wrestlers look on as Seaside’s Gannon Abernathy tries to take down Clatskanie’s
Travis Puckett.
have more trouble with are at
160.”
Ilwaco had one individual
champ, as Alec Bell scored
a 7-2 decision over Asto-
at 220. Ilwaco added a third
place (Matt McDonald at
285).
After placing second at
106 pounds in the 2013 tour-
nament, Bergerson won last
year at 113, and was the re-
peat champion at 113 Satur-
day.
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Astoria’s Josh Long wrestles Estacada’s Andrew Mervyn
during the Pac Rim wrestling tournament Friday at Sea-
side High School. Long won an individual championship
in the 152 pound weight class.
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
pinned Churchill’s Dakoate
Lutje in 3:21, then had a fall
over Estacada’s Austin Puetz
Warrenton’s Colton Walker takes down Clatskanie’s Dal-
ton Littleton during the Pac Rim wrestling tournament Fri-
day at Seaside.
quickly gained the upper
hand on Tyler Cooper of
Scappoose, on his way to a
14-3 decision.
“I wrestled pretty well,”
Bergerson said. “(Cooper)
was a lot bigger — I know he
wrestled up a few weights a
couple weeks ago. I just had
to try and work around the
outside, and work around the
power.
“I was pretty nervous go-
ing in — I thought he was a
lot bigger,” said Bergerson,
adding that his goal the re-
mainder of the season is to
“not lose anymore. I lost a
match at an earlier tourna-
ment (to Conner Duhn from
Mt. View). I was hoping for
an undefeated season.”
His father and coach said,
‘I talked to Rogue and Colton
about that. If you’re really
wrestling a tough schedule,
unless you’re a super hero
— you shouldn’t be unde-
feated.”
Another Warrior cham-
pionship came from Walker,
Bergerson’s teammate.
After winning the title at
106 last year as a member of
the Astoria wrestling team,
Walker did it again this year
as a Warrior.
The junior pinned his
way to the title, with four
straight falls over Dal-
ton Littleton of Clatskanie
(:39), Dylan Coonrod of
Central Linn (1:06), Chur-
chill’s Gavin Sherrill (1:23),
and a 45-second pin over
John DeWitt of St. Helens
in the title match.
The Warriors had their
since taking eighth in 2008,
and scored their most Pac
Rim points since 1999.
Parker Whitsett placed
Knappa scored 64.5 points
for 13th, as Chris Cruz ad-
where he lost a 10-3 decision
to Churchill’s Gavin Carroll.
at 195, with Astoria’s Bron-
son Holthusen fourth.
Abernathy (126) and Jordan
Hansard (138).
Huskies hold off the Fishermen in 60-51 win
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astoria
AURORA — North Mari-
on’s Josh Umbenhower scored
23 points and teammate Tan-
ner Scanlon added 15 to help
the Huskies score a 60-51 win
over Astoria Friday, in non-
league boys basketball action.
The Fishermen — who
were 7-of-17 from the free
throw line — trailed by 8- to
10 points most of the game,
before closing to within three
in the fourth quarter.
Morgan Fruiht led Asto-
ria with 17 points, followed
by Derek Jarrett with 15 and
Ryan Palek with nine.
Astoria plays at Molalla
Tuesday, while No. 6-ranked
North Marion improves to
10-2.
Riverdale 50,
Warrenton 42
WARRENTON — Brock
Johnson made seven 3-point-
ers and led Warrenton with 29
points, but Riverdale left with
a 50-42 victory over the War-
riors Saturday night in a Lew-
is & Clark League game.
The Warriors were within
four points early in the fourth
quarter, before the Mavericks
pulled away.
Warrenton was coming off
a 60-23 loss at De La Salle the
night before.
Delphian 52, Knappa 47
SHERIDAN — A late
comeback by Delphian forced
overtime, where the Dragons
outscored Knappa 10-5 for a
52-47 win over the Loggers.
Delphian had three players
Chiang, who scored 17 of his
19 points in the second half.
Tyson Burnard had 20
points, Dakota Severson add-
ed 12, and Justin Dragoo had
15 rebounds for the Loggers,
who host Vernonia Tuesday.
The Dragons tied the game
in regulation on a free throw
with eight seconds left (and
Knappa leading 42-41), after
a foul by the Loggers on a
3-point attempt.
Willamette Valley Ch. 41,
Jewell 30
JEWELL — Jewell’s Trys-
ton Silva had 10 points and 10
rebounds, but the Blue Jays
came up short on the score-
board Friday night at home,
with Willamette Valley Chris-
tian posting a 41-30 Casco
League win.
Victor Berg added nine
points for Jewell, which out-
scored Willamette Valley
Christian 16-14 in the second
half.
Ilwaco 62,
Tacoma Baptist 56
ILWACO, Wash. — Il-
waco picked up its first
league win Saturday, with a
62-56 victory over Tacoma
Baptist.
Israel had three steals apiece.
Kiley Florez led the Hus-
kies with 20 points, followed
by Kelsie Henry and Marivi
Rodriguez with 10 each.
with 14 apiece, followed by
Kenneth Sheldon (12), and
Marcos Mendoza and Zac
Tapio with 10 apiece.
Warrenton 46,
Riverdale 36
WARRENTON — The
Warrenton Lady Warriors
split a pair of Lewis & Clark
League games over the week-
end.
Warrenton followed up
a 48-21 loss at De La Salle
Friday with a 46-36 win over
Riverdale Saturday at home.
The victory was Warren-
GIRLS
BASLKETBALL
North Marion 46,
Astoria 32
AURORA — North Mar-
ion broke open a close game
with a 15-6 run in the second
quarter, on its way to a 46-32
win over Astoria in nonleague
action Friday.
Astoria’s Taylor Mickle
had seven points, and team-
points and seven rebounds.
Kaylee Mitchell and Kaisa
snapped a 14-game losing
streak going back to last sea-
son.
No details were available.
Willamette VC 31,
Jewell 23
JEWELL — Willamette
Valley Christian built an 18-
13 halftime lead, on its way
to a 31-23 win at Jewell Fri-
day in a Casco League con-
test.
Gabi Morales led the Lady
Jays with eight points and 11
rebounds, followed by Rachel
Stahly with 10 rebounds. Aly-
and Hannah Littlepage with
seven points.
Ilwaco 75,
Tacoma Baptist 37
TACOMA, Wash. — After
outscored Tacoma Baptist 58-
27 the remainder of the game,
for a 75-37 win over the Cru-
saders.
Freshman Madeline Jacob-
son scored 18 points with 10
rebounds, and freshman team-
mate Makenzie Kaech added
17 points and 10 boards for
Ilwaco.
See Scoreboard on page
5A.