SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
WRESTLING
Former state champ is lending his expertise
By ANNIE FOWLER
SPORTS EDITOR
Bob Coleman is still trying to
fi gure out which is harder — col-
lege wrestling or farming.
With his agricultural business
degree in hand, Coleman gradu-
ated from Oregon State University
in the spring, and has been help-
ing with the family farm since his
return to Hermiston.
When farming becomes frus-
trating, as it did earlier this week,
Coleman can work out his frustra-
tions with his former high school
wrestling team.
“I think that is one of the things
we hope for,” Hermiston coach
Kyle Larson said of former wres-
tlers coming back to help out.
“Maybe an expectation. These
guys go on to the next level, then
come back and pass it back to the
next generation. We have had a lot
of phenomenal alumni support.”
Coleman won the Pac-12 184-
pound title for Oregon State Uni-
versity last March, and went to the
NCAA Championships, but the
2016 Hermiston graduate said he
did not start the sport as a natural.
“I didn’t just magically get
good at wrestling,” said Cole-
man, who won the Oregon 5A
182-pound state title in 2016. “It
took a lot of people to help me.
I’m just paying it forward. Herm-
iston has a village when it comes
to wrestling.”
Coleman, 21, has been working
with wrestlers like Trevor Wagner
(160-170 pounds), Sam Cadenas
(220), Jon Lee (220) and a few oth-
ers that fall a few pounds on either
side of his size.
“It’s funny,” Coleman said.
“People know I won a Pac-12 title,
but some of these kids think I won
worlds. College wrestling is a dog-
fi ght every day at practice. You
don’t know if you will come out
with a bruised face or a broken leg.
Everyone has to pay their dues.”
If Coleman can teach the young
Bulldogs a thing or two, that’s
great, but part of him still craves
the sport.
“You miss aspects of wrestling,
but this allows you to go back and
help someone else miss it later on,”
he said.
Coleman, who could have wres-
tled one more year at OSU, decided
to take his degree and go to work.
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Bob Coleman, right, grapples with Hermiston High School’s Samuel Cadenas, 16, during wrestling practice at the high school on Thursday afternoon.
Coleman, a 2016 state champion at Hermiston, and a 2019 Pac-12 champ at Oregon State, helps out his former team when he can.
“Academically, when I was at
Hermiston, I got about a third of
my credits before I went to col-
lege,” said Coleman, who was
named to the Pac-12 All-Academic
second team in March. “I accom-
plished more than I ever thought
I would in wrestling. I wasn’t just
going to stay to wrestle. This gives
me the opportunity to stay involved
in the sport. As long as my body
holds out, I will. When it won’t, I
will help with the little kids.”
Larson, who also helped with
the program before taking over as
coach, appreciates whatever help
Coleman and other alumni can
offer.
“Anytime Bob touches any-
one in the room, and wrestles with
them, they are going to get better,”
Larson said. “Sometimes it’s hard
to get four coaches, let alone guys
like Bob who come in. It’s a steal.”
The Bulldogs also get an occa-
sional appearance in the room by
two-time state champion Brent
Parks, who now is a construction/
woodshop teacher at Hermiston
High.
“He is tougher than nails,” Lar-
son said of Parks. “He’s another
alumni who helps us out. My
brother Jeremy used to come in too,
but his (dental) practice is pretty
busy.”
FOOTBALL
Hermiston’s Bradshaw, Coughlin headed to Blue-Grey Game
By ANNIE FOWLER
SPORTS EDITOR
Football season isn’t quite over
for a pair of Hermiston offensive
linemen.
Chase Bradshaw and Dustyn
Coughlin have been invited to
play in the Blue-Grey All-Ameri-
can Bowl on Jan. 20 in Arlington,
Texas.
“I’m pretty excited for them,”
Hermiston coach David Faaeteete
said. “I hope they do well and have
a good time. I don’t think Herm-
iston has had a player selected
before.”
The game will be played at
AT&T Stadium, home of the Dal-
las Cowboys.
“It was super awesome to be
invited, but it’s not cheap to go,”
said Bradshaw, who said the trip
cost each player about $2,500.
“That is the nicest stadium in the
Coughlin
Bradshaw
NFL. That will be pretty cool.”
Added Coughlin: “We’ve been
to the Beavers’ fi eld (at Oregon
State), and that is mind boggling,”
he said. “It (AT&T) will be crazy.
There will be hundreds of college
coaches there. You have to give it
your all.”
Bradshaw who plays tackle, and
Coughlin, a guard, were selected
from more than 6,500 players who
participated in regional combines
during the summer.
Both players have been assigned
to the Blue Team.
Players from 22 eastern states
and 17 western states will report on
Jan. 18. There will be two days of
practices and other events before
the game.
More than 650 college coaches
will be in attendance or will view
the game. Over the years, the game
has been a recruiting bonanza for
college coaches.
“There will be some shock and
awe at fi rst, but I think they will
be fi ne,” Faaeteete said. “It will be
awesome for them to play against
guys who have already signed, and
see how they match up. The com-
petition level will be up there, but I
think they will be all right.”
Though they will play in front
of college coaches next week,
Bradshaw and Coughlin will take
a recruiting trip to Western Oregon
University this weekend before
they head to Texas.
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Both players have been wres-
tling since football ended, so they
will be in shape come game time.
Coughlin, who tips the scales at
300-plus pounds during football, is
down to 279. The weight limit for
heavyweights is 285 pounds.
“I will be quicker and I will
have endurance,” he said.
The Blue-Grey Game has a rich
history, with the likes of Patrick
Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs),
who played in the game in 2014,
and Brett Rypien (Boise State),
who played in 2015.
Faaeteete, who played defen-
sive tackle at University of Ore-
gon, said he never got an invite to
the Blue-Grey Game, but he did
play in the Les Schwab Bowl.
The game will be carried by
the Impact Football Network and
streamed across the country. Game
time is 4 p.m. (PST).
“I’M PRETTY
EXCITED FOR
THEM. I HOPE
THEY DO WELL
AND HAVE A
GOOD TIME. I
DON’T THINK
HERMISTON
HAS HAD A
PLAYER
SELECTED
BEFORE.”
David Faaeteete, Hermiston
coach
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