Smoke signals., March 01, 2018, Page 11, Image 11

S moke S ignals
MARCH 1, 2018
11
Reyes wins state 3A wrestling title
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Willamina High School junior Jordan Reyes, left, hugs his
brother Michael Reyes after Jordan won the Class 3A 106-pound
weight class state title during the 2018 OSAA Wrestling State
Championships held at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland
on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Willamina High School junior Jordan Reyes, front, wrestles Cascade Christian’s Ryan
Vidlak during the finals of the 2018 OSAA Wrestling State Championships held at
Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Saturday, Feb. 17. Reyes won the match 3-0
and took first place in the Class 3A 106-pound weight class.
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
After two consecutive frustrating years of finishing second at the Oregon
School Activities Association’s state wrestling tournament held at Veter-
ans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Grand Ronde Tribal member and
Willamina High School junior Jordan Reyes finally won his final match
of the year to take home a state title.
Reyes, wrestling at 106 pounds in Class 3A, defeated Cascade Christian’s
Ryan Vidlak 3-0 to win his first state championship.
“I’ve been working really hard for this,” Reyes told the Salem States-
man-Journal. “For two years, I’ve lost in the state finals, so to be that close
and not get your goal, it hurts. (This win) is indescribable. Just looking at
my coaches and knowing how hard they’ve worked and how hard they’ve
helped me, they deserve it, too.”
On his way to the title, Reyes defeated Jessie Valles of Illinois Valley,
Efrain Caldera of Nyssa and Russell Talmadge of Harrisburg all by pins.
Reyes’ championship helped the combined team of Willamina and Falls
City win the Class 3A wrestling team title.
Other Willamina wrestlers who did well included Keegan Cook, who won
the 3A state title at 285 pounds; Noah Sickles, who finished second at 160
pounds; and Jordan Mode, who finished second in the 220-pound division.
Tribal member and Willamina freshman Moses Mercier finished fifth in
the 113-pound division in his first high school championship event.
Tribal member Kaleb Reid also qualified for the state wrestling tour-
nament for Willamina in the 138-pound 3A competition, winning his first
match and losing his next two.
In addition, Tribal spouse and Willamina High wrestling coach Ariah
Fasana, who is married to Tribal Court Administrator Angela Fasana,
was named Class 3A Coach of the Year. 
Willamina High School freshman Moses Mercier, left, wrestles Gervais
High School’s Alexys Zepeda during the Class 3A 113-pound weight class
consolation semifinals of the 2018 OSAA Wrestling State Championships
held at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Saturday, Feb. 17. The
loss sent Mercier to the match for fifth or sixth place and he won fifth place
due to a medical forfeit by Burns High School’s Justin Winn.