E AST O REGONIAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022
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A Hermiston’s
CHIP Ben OFF THE OLD BLOCK
Larson ranked No. 1
heading into state
A9
EOU MEN’S WRESTLING
Mountaineers
ranked No. 16
ahead of CCC
championships
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
H
ERMISTON — Ben Larson
may not have been born wearing
a wrestling singlet, but it didn’t
take long for him to gravitate to
the wrestling mat.
Now, the Hermiston sopho-
more is ranked No. 1 at 160 pounds heading
to the 3A state wrestling tournament Friday
and Saturday, Feb. 18-19, at the Tacoma
Dome in Tacoma, Washington.
Photos by Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
“We’d been waiting for him,” Herm- Hermiston’s Ben Larson wrestles Jackson Hale, of Mt. Spokane, Saturday, Feb. 12,
iston coach Kyle Larson said. “He tran- 2022, in the semifi nal round of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
sitioned from the middle school program 3A Region 4 tournament at Hermiston High School. Larson won by major decision 11-0.
to high school pretty easily. He was a club
guy, and we build our high school program mate goal. State is the pinnacle of the year Strength and Conditioning “BLAST”
with our youth program.”
— that’s what we’ll be judged on. They Award in 2006, while Kyle won the
Larson heads into state with a 33-5 have worked hard for this. We will do what Chad Flack Memorial Award for Most
record and 13 pins. He won the Mid-Co- we need to do.”
Improved Wrestler.
lumbia Conference district title, and
Ben started wrestling when he was 6
years old. His dad is impressed with how
Washington Interscholastic Activities
Association Region 4 Regional Tourna-
Wrestling runs in the Larson family. well he has done in two years.
ment title.
Ben’s dad, Jeremy, may be a mild mannered
“I think he’s better than me when I
“He’s one of those guys who steps on dentist now, but in high school and college was a sophomore,” Jeremy said. “He is
the match and fl ips a switch,” coach Larson he was a force to be reckoned with.
having success and I am happy for him.
said. “He’s ready to fi ght.”
In high school, Jeremy won state titles He has two more years to get as good as
The Bulldogs will send 11 wrestlers to as a junior (152) and a senior (160). He had a he can get and see what that means for
state. Larson has a bye in the fi rst round of high school career record of 120-21, includ- him.”
state, as do 11 others who already are in the ing 43-0 with 30 pins as a senior. He went
Not only does Ben have his uncle for a
round of 16.
to state all four years, placing three times. coach, but his dad gives him a few point-
Being ranked No. 1 is something Larson
Jeremy and his younger brother Kyle ers as well.
doesn’t see in himself, but he appreciates also were on the fi rst Hermiston team to
“Wrestling runs in the family,” Ben
the recognition.
win a state team title in 2001.
said. “I will do what I can, and dad gives
Since then, the Bulldogs have won 10 me helpful hints here and there. I defi -
“I guess when you look at yourself, you
see fl aws,” he said. “It’s a diff erent perspec- state team titles, with the fi nal one coming nitely look up to my dad. Having that
tive when others rank you.”
in 2016, the fi rst year Kyle took over the experience is very helpful.”
It’s the fi rst state tournament for Larson, program.
When Ben was in grade school and
whose freshman season was shortened by
Jeremy also helped Oregon State win middle school, he loved going to the high
the Pac-10 title in 2007. It was the fi rst school matches.
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That year wasn’t a good measure- Pac-10 title for the Beavers since 1994.
“It was a great experience,” he said.
ment,” said Larson, who fi nished 15-5 last He also went to the National Collegiate “Hermiston has a wrestling environment,
season. “This year has gone really well, Athletic Association Tournament three and it’s what I have grown up with.”
defi nitely better than I thought.”
times (2005-07), but did not place.
Ben also plays football and partici-
“I got close my senior year,” Jeremy pates in track for the Bulldogs, but wres-
The same goes for the rest of the Bull-
dogs headed to state. Of the 11 headed to said. “I need to win one more match to be tling is his one true love.
Tacoma, six were in the regional fi nals, an All-American.”
“Wrestling is less of a game and more
with Larson and Cadenas winning titles.
Jeremy and Kyle also won team awards of a lifestyle,” he said.
“We have put in the work,” coach at OSU.
Larson said. “It’s all
Jeremy earned both the Beaver Award
for Leadership and the
practice until now.
District, regionals
and state is the ulti-
Born to be a wrestler
LA GRANDE — The Eastern Oregon
University men’s wrestling team moved up three
spots in the latest National Association of Inter-
collegiate Athletics Coaches’ Poll, coming in at
No. 16 in the association’s announcement Feb. 9.
The Mountaineers received 45 votes in the
poll, and improvement from 44 votes received in
last week’s rendition.
Eastern saw three wrestlers earn individual
rankings in the latest update. Senior Noel Orozco
earned the No. 4 ranking at the 285-pound divi-
sion. Sophomore Kyle Knudston (184) was also
ranked No. 4 in his division, while senior Keegan
Mulhill (174) came in at No. 11 in the country.
The Mountaineers are coming off a hard-
fought dual victory over rival Southern Oregon,
in which Eastern won 21-20.
Eastern is one of four ranked Cascade Colle-
giate Conference programs in the latest poll,
alongside Montana State-Northern at No. 8,
Menlo College at No. 9 and Embry-Riddle at
No. 19.
As the team gears up for the postseason, East-
ern will have another week off before traveling
to Havre, Montana, for the Cascade Collegiate
Conference Championships. The two day-event
is set to begin on Friday, Feb. 18.
ON THE SLATE
THURSDAY, FEB. 17
Girls basketball
Big Sky League playoff s: Echo
at Trout Lake, TBD
GOL District playoff s:
McLoughlin at La Grande, TBD
Big Sky League playoff s: South
Wasco County at Ione/Arling-
ton (in Arlington), 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 18
Prep girls basketball
Nixyaawii vs. TBD at OOL Tour-
nament, Baker High School,
6 p.m.
Blue Mountain Conference
district playoff s: Stanfi eld vs.
Enterprise, Pendleton Conven-
tion Center, 2:45 p.m.
MCC/GSL District 8 tourna-
ment: Hermiston vs. Mead,
Spokane Arena, 3:30 p.m.
The Dalles at Pendleton,
5:30 p.m.
Blue Mountain Conference dis-
trict playoff s: Heppner vs. Grant
Union, Pendleton Convention
Center, 7:45 p.m.
Prep boys basketball
Nixyaawii vs. TBD at OOL Tour-
nament, Baker High School,
3:30 p.m.
Blue Mountain Conference
district playoff s: Stanfi eld vs.
Union, Pendleton Convention
Center, 1 p.m.
Blue Mountain Conference dis-
trict playoff s: Weston-McE-
wen vs. Pilot Rock/Grant Union,
Pendleton Convention Cen-
ter, 6 p.m.
EOL district championship
game: Umatilla at Vale, 6 p.m.
(MT)
The Dalles at Pendleton, 7 p.m.
Prep boys and girls wrestling
Hermiston at Mat Classic XXXIII,
Tacoma, 10 a.m.
College men’s basketball
Eastern Oregon at Multnomah,
7:30 p.m.
College women’s basketball
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Eastern Oregon at Multnomah,
5:30 p.m.
College men’s wrestling
Eastern Oregon at Cascade Col-
legiate Conference Champion-
ships, Havre, Montana, TBA
SATURDAY, FEB. 19
Prep girls basketball
Blue Mountain Conference dis-
trict playoff s: Union vs. Stan-
fi eld/Enterprise, Pendleton
Convention Center, 7:45 p.m.
Prep boys basketball
Blue Mountain Conference dis-
trict playoff s: Heppner vs. Stan-
fi eld/Union, Pendleton Con-
vention Center, 6 p.m.
Prep boys and girls wrestling
Hermiston at Mat Classic XXXIII,
Tacoma, 10 a.m.
Prep boys wrestling
Irrigon, Riverside at 3A Spe-
cial District 1 Tournament,
Nyssa, TBD
Heppner/Ione, Echo/Stanfi eld
at Special District 4 Champion-
ships, Adrian, 10 a.m.
College men’s basketball
Wenatchee Valley at Blue
Mountain, 4 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at Warner
Pacifi c, 5 p.m.
College women’s basketball
Wenatchee Valley at Blue
Mountain, 2 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at Warner
Pacifi c, 3 p.m.
College baseball
Eastern Oregon at Western
Oregon (2), noon
College men’s wrestling
Eastern Oregon at Cascade Col-
legiate Conference Champion-
ships, Havre, Montana, TBA
College women’s lacrosse
Willamette at Eastern Oregon,
1 p.m.