SPORTS
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
HerMIsTOnHeraLd.COM • A9
WOU lands Hermiston’s top 2 offensive linemen
By ANNIE FOWLER
sPOrTs edITOr
Chase Bradshaw and
Dustyn Coughlin are an
imposing pair on the offen-
sive line.
The Hermiston duo will
continue to work together
after they signed to play
football at Western Oregon
University.
Bradshaw and Coughlin
signed their official letters
of intent last week, but had
their school signing Feb. 12
for family and friends.
“They are going to a
great school,” Hermiston
football coach David Faae-
teete said. “They will fit in.
Western has a great group of
kids. It will be fun to watch
them compete against guys
their size.”
The Hermiston players
are part of a recruiting class
that WOU coach Arne Fer-
guson called “the most com-
plete class ever recruited at
WOU” in a school news
release.
“Once again we were
able to keep a lot of Ore-
gon local players home, but
also added some great ath-
letes from surrounding areas
that will be able to make an
immediate impact,” Fergu-
Staff photo by Annie Fowler
Hermiston’s Chase Bradshaw (left) and Dustyn Coughlin
signed their letters of intent last week to play football at
Western Oregon University. They had their school signing on
Wednesday.
son said. “When you look at
the overall scope of all the
recruits that we were able
to bring in, this is a great
class.”
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound
Bradshaw, listed as a two-
star recruit by 24/7 Sports,
was a Mid-Columbia Con-
ference first-team selection
on the offensive line the past
two years.
While Bradshaw talked
to a handful of schools, he
said he felt most comfort-
able at WOU.
“I feel I have a really
good connection with the
coaches,” Bradshaw said.
“We have a lot of the same
goals. They were the first to
invite me down. It’s some-
where I want to be, and a
football team I want to be a
part of.”
Bradshaw, who will
receive a substantial schol-
arship, credited his coaches
and playing in the MCC in
preparing him for the next
level.
“I don’t think I would
have this opportunity if I
didn’t have the coaches
to get me ready,” he said.
“From the football coaches
to the weight training. The
MCC is close competition
to the college level. Better
than in Oregon.”
Coughlin agreed with his
teammate.
“My sophomore year,
some of the (Oregon) teams
we played didn’t have the
talent that guys from Chi-
awana or Pasco do,” Cough-
lin said. “You are play-
ing against good dudes
with unreal talent. I would
not have been prepared for
college if we would have
stayed in Oregon.”
While it has been a dream
of his to play college foot-
ball, Bradshaw said he isn’t
sure whether he will redshirt
or play this fall.
“I will go into camp and
compete for a spot,” he said.
“If I feel I’m not ready phys-
ically, I will redshirt.”
Coughlin (6-4, 285),
who is preparing for this
weekend’s regional wres-
tling tournament, said it was
good to get the signing out
of the way.
“It’s a big sigh of relief,
knowing I gave it my all
and I get to play the game I
love,” he said. “A lot of kids
don’t get this opportunity. I
will play my heart out.”
Coughlin and Bradshaw
played a part in helping the
Bulldogs average 200 yards
passing and 80 yards rush-
ing per game.
“I owe that guy (Faae-
teete) everything,” said
Coughlin, who also was
courted by several teams.
“He’s here early every
morning for weights. He has
a family, but he does this
Hermiston’s
Cadenas,
Coughlin
win regional
titles
A
quick
study
Hermiston will send
4 boys, 1 girl to state
tournament
By ANNIE FOWLER
sPOrTs edITOr
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Hermiston High School wrestler Sam Cadenas poses for a portrait in the high school’s wrestling room Tuesday evening.
Cadenas wins regional
title, earns trip to state
By ANNIE FOWLER
sPOrTs edITOr
There are so many
things that Sam Cadenas
still doesn’t know about
wrestling, but there is one
thing his opponents should
remember — what he
does know will have you
on your back begging for
mercy.
The Hermiston soph-
omore, who sports a 35-7
record after winning the
220-pound title Saturday
at the 3A Region 4 tour-
nament at Rogers High
School in Spokane, is just
in his second of wrestling.
He showed up in the
wrestling room last winter,
raw but willing to learn.
“We started with the
basics,” Hermiston wres-
tling coach Kyle Larson
said. “We preach funda-
mentals at all levels. He is
such a good athlete and he
learns fast. You show him
something once, and he
picks it up.”
Cadenas, ranked No. 3
at 220 pounds in the latest
3A rankings, beat Yelm’s
Cameron Dubose 5-2 in the
reginal championship bout.
It was a rematch he wanted
after Dubose beat him by
two points at the Gut Check
tournament in January.
“I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS OF MYSELF,.
THERE IS ALWAYS A LEARNING CURVE. I DON’T
WORRY ABOUT MY OPPONENTS. I USE MY IN-
STINCTS AND ATTACK WHEN THEY ARE WEAK.”
Sam Cadenas
“He is doing phenome-
nal for being a second-year
guy,” Larson said. “Sam is
a great kid, very respectful
and a leader on this team.
Kids look up to him. Kids
need to look up to Sam. He
leads by example. He has
brought a lot of positivity
to the whole squad.”
A whole new world
Cadenas comes from a
family of soccer players.
His older brothers Pedro,
25, Cesar, 22, and Sinai,
18, all played at Hermiston
High School.
Cadenas also plays soc-
cer (he’s a striker), but he
expanded his athletic tal-
ents to include football and
wrestling.
“The coaches said wres-
tling is good for football,
and that’s what I want to
focus on in the future,”
Cadenas said. “Wrestling
is good for soccer too. My
stamina is good, which
allows me to focus on the
ball and what it takes to
score.”
Larson also believes
football and wrestling go
hand in hand.
“It’s all about attitude,”
Larson said. “You have to
have a pretty pissed off atti-
tude on the football field —
they are trying to take your
head off. You have that
killer instinct, you recog-
nize when someone is tired
and you attack.”
Once Cadenas started to
get a feel for wrestling, he
was hooked.
“I really enjoy wrestling,
I didn’t think I would,” he
said. “My freshman year,
I didn’t know what I was
doing. Honestly, I thought
this year would be another
learning step like last year.”
There are 35 guys who
have lost to Cadenas who
wish that were true.
Cadenas cut through the
Mid-Columbia Conference
like a hot knife through
butter, winning all eight of
his matches. He pinned five
opponents, had one deci-
sion, one technical fall,
and won his match against
Walla Walla by forfeit.
He won a title at the
Farm City Invitational, was
fifth at Gut Check, and he
won the 3A District 8 wres-
tling title.
“I was a little worried,”
Cadenas said of district.
“The plan was to go in and
win, but they said Tyler
Dallas (Mt. Spokane) was
good.”
Dallas is good, but
Cadenas beat him 11-4 for
the district title.
Last year, Cadenas com-
peted at the 3A state tour-
nament at 195 pounds.
Because of adverse weather
conditions, regional tour-
naments were canceled,
resulting in 32-man brack-
ets at state.
Cadenas finished 1-2
at state, but this year the
expectations are higher.
“We absolutely expect
him to win at regionals,”
Larson said. “No hoping
or guessing. He is going
to perform well. He has a
leg attack, and no one can
hold him down. He is so
strong.”
Cadenas continues to
improve each week on the
mat. He soaks in every-
thing from his coaches, and
implements the moves and
techniques in his matches.
He also benefits from
working
with
former
for us because he loves the
sport. He has taught us to
enjoy life and be respectful.”
Coughlin, in his sec-
ond year of wrestling, said
the sport has helped him in
football.
“It has helped with my
agility, my handwork and
aggressiveness,”
Cough-
lin said. “You have to fight
for every last second. Coach
(Kyle) Larson motivates
me.”
Both players are excited
to continue playing together.
They spent the summer
attending showcases and
camps together, and they
joined some of the best
players in the nation Jan. 20
at the Blue-Grey All-Amer-
ican Bowl at AT&T Sta-
dium, home of the Dallas
Cowboys.
Both saw significant time
on the offensive line for the
Grey team (West), which
won 37-30 in overtime.
“I like the fact I get
to play with my friend,”
Coughlin said.
“We know going into
college that there will be
competition for spots.
There will be big dudes
there — bigger than us —
but Hermiston has prepared
us.”
Hermiston state champion
and Oregon State Pac-12
champ Bob Coleman.
“That is a huge bonus,”
Cadenas said. “There are
moves I didn’t know that he
taught me. He also taught
me how to get out of moves
I don’t want to be in.”
All in
Wrestling
quickly
became a family affair for
the Cadenases.
His older brothers are
a mainstay at his matches,
his mom Olga makes sure
he eats good meals (he is
not a fan of vegetables),
and his dad Marcial is
learning the sport so he can
help his son.
“My
brothers
are
always asking about the
rules and why you can’t
do certain things,” Cade-
nas said. “Every sport
we have played, our dad
taught us. He has never
wrestled in his life, but he
is catching on and is offer-
ing pointers.”
Which Cadenas appre-
ciates as he continues to
learn and improve.
“I was not expect-
ing this of myself,” Cade-
nas said of his success.
“There is always a learning
curve. I don’t worry about
my opponents. I use my
instincts and attack when
they are weak.”
Spoken like a true
wrestler.
Sam Cadenas and Dustyn
Coughlin won regional titles,
and Hermiston advanced
four to state from Saturday’s
3A Region 4 Tournament at
Rogers High School.
Cadenas, just a sopho-
more, won his first regional
title, beating Cameron
Dubose of Yelm 5-2.
The
match
against
Dubose was one Cadenas
(35-7) wanted. Dubose beat
Cadenas by two points at the
Gut Check Tournament in
January.
Coughlin, who was
third at the district tourna-
ment, pinned all three of his
regional opponents. He fin-
ished with a first-round pin
of Armani Tonuao of North
Thurston in the champion-
ship match.
At 160, junior Trevor
Wagner finished second,
losing the title match 15-4 to
Nolan Casey of Peninsula.
Wagner had pinned his
first two opponents before
running into Casey.
Sophomore Hunter Dyer
punched his ticket to state
with a fourth-place finish at
132 pounds. He was pinned
in the third-place match by
Mateo Escobar of Shadle
Park in 2:09.
Jon Lee (195) finished
fifth and will make the trip
as an alternate.
The Bulldogs finished
fourth in the team standings
with 97 points. Mt. Spo-
kane won the regional title
with 220 points, followed by
Yelm (165) and Kamiakin
(101).
“We have work to do as
a team,” Hermiston coach
Kyle Larson said. “We are
happy with our four qualifi-
ers, but our expectation is to
send 28 to state and have 14
champions. We have work
to do with our junior high
and youth programs.”
For the Hermiston girls,
Macy Morgan (235) will
head to state after finish-
ing fourth at the Region 4
Tournament at Othello High
School.
Jazmin Deike (170) fin-
ished fifth and will make the
trip as an alternate.
The state tournament for
the boys and girls is Friday
and Saturday at the Tacoma
Dome.