SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Mustang wrestling ends successful season at state
Zachary Brown goes for a
pin. -Contributed
Keeley Nairns
Jaime Cavan faces off against
an opponent. -Contributed
Journey Cavan-Harris
placed 6th at state meet.
-Continued from PAGE ONE
Capping off an already
historic weekend, the boys’
team earned HHS’s first-ev-
er team trophy at state, ac-
cumulating enough points
to secure the fourth-place
finish as a team.
Zachary Brown, a se-
nior at HHS, completed
a flawless season with an
undefeated record of 40-
0, bringing home a first-
place win in the 157-pound
weight class at the state
tournament. Brown, who
has been wrestling since
he was in kindergarten, fin-
ished his high school career
with an impressive all-time
record of 144-29.
Jaime Cavan, another
senior at HHS, finished his
season with a strong 38-10
record, and placed fourth
at state in the 190-pound
weight class. Remarkably,
Cavan has only been wres-
tling for three years, yet he
leaves behind an all-time
record of 104-31.
Landon McMahon, a
junior at HHS, delivered
an impressive performance
with a 52-2 season record,
taking first place in the
215-pound weight class at
state. McMahon, now in
his third year of wrestling,
boasts a remarkable record
of 115-29 as he looks ahead
to his final season as a
senior.
Wrestling has been a
unique journey for female
athletes at HHS, transition-
ing from a club sport to full
recognition by OSAA just
last year. While regional
and state tournaments ex-
isted previously, it wasn’t
until the 2023-2024 season
that girls’ wrestling re-
ceived official status as a
high school sport.
The rapid growth of
wrestling is undeniable,
standing out as one of the
fastest growing sports in
Oregon and across the Unit-
ed States. Starting next
year, it will achieve another
milestone by becoming an
NCAA Division I sport.
It is impossible to over-
look the groundbreaking
achievements of the female
athletes at HHS this season,
and to mention once more
that Journey Cavan-Harris,
a junior, has made history
as the first female wrestler
at HHS to secure a district
title and earn placement at
the state level. She ended
her season with a record of
34-19, including an impres-
sive sixth-place finish in the
girls’ 140-pound weight
class following her district
championship victory.
Keeley Nairns, a senior,
also made her mark as one
of the first female wrestlers
at HHS to place at districts
and qualify for state. De-
spite not placing at state
this year, Nairns completed
her season with a record of
22-20. In just two years of
wrestling, she has shown
growth and solidified her
place as a trailblazing Mus-
tang athlete, paving the way
for others to follow in her
wake.
Although Mustang
wrestling has been around
for 19 years, its origins
might feel like yesterday
Landon McMahon struggles
to keep an opponent down.
-Contributed
to many. The program was
founded in 2005 by Ken
Bailey at HHS. In 2009,
Mark Lemmon stepped into
the role of head coach after
spending two years as an
assistant to Troy Morgan.
Establishing a wres-
tling program was a key
condition for Lemmon to
accept a job in the area,
though he hadn’t anticipat-
ed leading the team himself.
What started as a surprising
challenge became a labor
of love for Lemmon, who
was determined to endure
that the program endured.
Motivated by his own expe-
rience of losing a wrestling
program in high school, he
was committed to building
a lasting legacy for HHS
athletes.
Over the years, the
program has achieved sig-
nificant milestones. The
highest number of wres-
tlers that HHS has sent to
state was six out of a team
of nine. Before this year,
the program boasted four
state championships. In
2014, Ryan Smith and Jared
Lemmon became the first
Mustang wrestlers to claim
state titles, with Smith later
winning another champion-
ship along with Cord Flynn.
Jared Lemmon’s victory
followed an impressive
streak of four district cham-
pionships. Earlier in 2010,
Chance Day and Wacy Coil
had made history as the first
Mustang wrestlers to place
at the state level.
Despite skepticism
each year about the pro-
gram’s longevity, the dedi-
cation of the coaching staff,
the determination of the
athletes and the unwaver-
ing support of fans have
ensured that Mustang wres-
tling continues to thrive and
grow stronger.
Full Heppner results for
the OSAA/OnPoint State
Tournament in Portland
were: 2A/1A Boys Results:
The Heppner team
placed fourth overall.
Zachary Brown (157)
won first place, securing
victories by fall in all his
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matches. In the champion-
ship round, Brown defeated
Justice Faville (Santiam) by
fall in 0:50. In the quarter-
final, he defeated Tanner
Swearingen (Oakland) by
fall in 0:55. In the semifinal,
Brown defeated Carson
Watson (Toledo) by fall in
2:34. In the 1st place match,
he defeated Trevor Lasater
(Gold Beach) by fall in
3:34. Brown scored 28.0
team points.
Landon McMahon
(215) won first place, se-
curing victories by fall in
all his matches. He defeat-
ed Danile Lopez Sanchez
(Kennedy) by fall in 0:51
in the championship round,
Donavan McDermott (Oak-
land) by fall in 0:32 in the
quarterfinals, Coby Holmes
(Culver) by fall in 5:41 in
the semifinal, and Jaxson
Heckard (Illinois Valley) by
fall in 4:27 in the 1st place
match. McMahon scored
28.0 team points.
Jaime Cavan (190)
placed fourth. After receiv-
ing a bye in the champion-
ship round, he won by de-
cision 7-5 over Bryce Wil-
liardt (North Lake) in the
quarterfinals. In the semifi-
nal, Gunnar McDowell (En-
terprise/Wallowa) defeated
Cavan by decision 7-2. In
the consolation semifinals,
Cavan won by fall in 2:28
over Mason Benge (Grant
Union/Prairie City), but in
the 3rd place match, Ben
Imdicke (Colton) defeated
Cavan by tech fall 24-7 in
6:00. Cavan scored 11.0
team points.
4A/3A/2A/1A Girls’
Results: Journey Ca-
van-Harris (140) finished
sixth. She was defeated by
Chloe Comerford (North
Marion) by fall in 2:49 in
the championship round.
After a bye in the consola-
tion round, Cavan-Harris
won by fall in 0:43 over
Seveen Wernegreen (Hid-
den Valley) and by major
decision 10-0 over Ke-
nadee Hunter (Harrisburg)
in the consolation rounds.
Kaydencce Johnson (Hid-
den Valley) defeated her by
fall in 2:47 in the consola-
tion semifinals, and Jacie
Lathrop (Elgin) defeated
Cavan-Harris by fall in 4:58
in the fifth-place match.
Cavan-Harris scored 9.0
team points.
Keeley Nairns (235)
did not place. After a bye
in the championship round,
Nairns was defeated by
Katie Rehnert (Warrenton)
by fall in 2:30 in the quar-
terfinals. She won by fall
in 2:41 over Hannah Travis
(Central Linn) in the con-
solation round but was de-
feated by Lillian Anderson
(Sutherlin) by fall in 1:55
in the next round. Nairns
scored 3.0 team points.
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