Siletz squad grows, coach looks toward state champs



With eight wrestlers on the roster after taking just three to districts last season, the Siletz Valley Warriors team features members that have Coach Tony Blomstrom thinking one, two, even three individual state championships this season.

The coach has a potential title in mind for senior Loy Marthaller, the No. 1-ranked 285-pounder at the 2A/1A level, and junior Chris Garza at 103. Blomstrom said Garza, who also plays basketball, was injured prior to districts last season, but had No. 1-ranked Kody White, of Knappa, on his back at one point during the season.

The coach is predicting Garza to finish in the top three at state. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Garza with a state championship if he dedicates himself,” he said.

Blomstrom favored Garza’s being a two-sport athlete this winter. “Basketball is great conditioning,” he noted. “Scheduling was a worry, but we worked it out.”

Garza’s natural athletic ability is his main asset, Blomstrom said, but he does need to “tighten up his technique.”

“Usually when they’re that small (5-foot-1) they’re lacking in strength. But he’s really proportionate with his muscle and his athleticism. Kids can’t compete with that,” the coach said. “If he was six feet tall he’d be an all-American.”

Marthaller took third place at state last year, and Blomstrom called him “a patient wrestler” who “doesn’t make many mistakes.”

“Even though he’s ranked so high and he’s shown so well, when he gets there, he’s almost always underestimated, and he’s almost always the underdog,” Blomstrom said. “When you look at Loy, you don’t see a Greco Roman state champion there, but he has been a Greco state champion. He is very, very strong. His defense is just phenomenal. I haven’t seen a guy get a shot on him forever.”

Chris Williams took second at districts as a junior at 160. This year, he moves up a weight class to 171, and Blomstrom is looking for big things from him. “Chris and Loy started with the mat club in seventh grade and these are the first kids to graduate so we really went them to finish strong, and I know they’re capable of that,” he said.

Aden Perkins, a junior, took fifth at districts last year, and Blomstrom said the match was “a heartbreaker. We saw him taking third. It was a match he easily could have won.”

Perkins, who plans to wrestle 152 this season, is known for his flexibility, good technique, and his shot defense.

Aden’s younger brother Avery, a freshman, has a similar build. He plans to wrestle 145.

“If you saw him play as a freshman in football, you saw that hopefully he’s bringing that same aggression and that same athleticism to wrestling,” Blomstrom said. “He has a lot of potential.”

Senior Jon Benedict wrestled two years ago with intermediate success, with some wins and some losses at districts. He took last year off to try out basketball. Blomstrom said Benedict is an aggressive wrestler.

Sophomore Ron Butler will likely start the season at 215, but Blomstrom would like to see him at 189. The coach said Butler has wrestled since third or fourth grade, and has really solid technique.

Senior Darod Cheek is new to the sport, but does show athleticism. He’ll wrestle at 285.

“Last year, with three to five wrestlers, our goal was to never be last in a tournament,” Blomstrom said. “We were able to do that, even though some tournaments we only had one wrestler. We will have a chance to do things team-wise with points this season.”

Team and individual rankings are available at www.theowf.net.



Jake Schubert is the sports reporter for the News-Times. He can be reached at 265-8571 ext. 221, or sports@newportnewstimes.com.



Share on Facebook