By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
KEIZER, Ore.– The South Salem Girls Wrestling team found a way to pull off probably the biggest upset of the Central Valley Conference season:
Defeating McNary.
The Celtics, at the mid-season coaches poll, were ranked fifth in the 5A/6A Classifications and jumped out to a 24-0 lead on the Saxons to kick off the CVC Dual on their senior night on Thursday night. Brianna Canchola (100), Chaya Palomo (105), Kailyn Bollman-Lechner (110) and Marlina Martinez (115) all picked up pins for the Celtics, who looked to be on the verge of cruising to the Dual Victory on this night. Palomo won her 100th career match in the dual as well.
But then. The Saxons came around.
Hadassah Albino Nava got South Salem on the board with a pin at 120. Alexandra Tei did the same at 125. South Salem freshman Camila Hernandez Parada picked up a gritty win at 130 pounds with a third-round pin over McNary’s Jacelynn Friesen.
That particular match saw Hernandez Parada and Friesen knotted up at zero a piece entering the third period in a defensive battle. In the third period though, that’s when the offense came around when Friesen was the first to score off an escape point, but Hernandez Parada quickly picked up a three-point takedown and turned the pin.
All of a sudden, South Salem was right there down 24-18 following the pin.
“”It was tough, she was really strong and that was a good match that we had. Good skills and leveled and I though I put up a good fight,” said Hernandez Parade. “High School wrestling is so much more different thatn Middle School. It’s more tough and it’s really helped me with my level and just being able to experience these hard matches, these close matches to improve.”
The Saxons tied the dual up at 24 following taking a forfeit victory at 135 pounds. Taya Stovall handed the South Salem squad their first lead of the dual via pin before the Celtics Jenna Friesen tied things back up following her pin at 145 pounds. McKenna Unger handed McNary back the lead following taking the forfeit victory at 155 pounds.
The Celtics led 36-30 at this point as it came down to the final three weight classes of the dual. But the Saxons weren’t done yet as Ines Solis, moving up to 170, picked up the victory via pin to tie things up at 36.
With the Celtics forfeiting 235 to South Salem, giving up six points at that weight, it came down to 190 pounds to decide the dual. McNary needed a pin to force criteria to break what would have ended up as a tie on the scoreboard. The Saxons just needed a decision.
South Salem had Dennece Lamothe going out at 190 pounds to face Josalyn Netzel. Lamothe led 3-1 after one and built a 5-2 lead on Netzel in the second period. But Lamothe stayed with it. The pressure was on as the two wrestlers looked for the next shot.
Lamothe found one more shot to add some breathing room to her lead in the third period that helped had her the 8-2 decision to go with the forfeit victory to help ice the 45-36 victory on Thursday night.
“I was really determined. I was telling myself before the match that I have to win it…that’s what was running through my mind and staying in good position the whole time and trying to get out of bad positions as much as I could,” said Lamothe. “All of us were trying to get our minds and bodies right for Districts so we can be wrestling our toughest then. My team did so awesome tonight and I’m so grateful that we wrestled so hard and put our hearts on the mats.”
Boys Wrestling Dual
The South Salem Boys Wrestling team defeated McNary 46-31 behind five pins, a forfeit victory and a Major Decision by was of Ashenafi Kolb at 144 points to pace the Saxons.The Celtics picked up a forfeit victory, three pins and also picked up a Major Decision Victory by way of Seth Patton at 157, a 13-4 decision. McNary picked up another victory by decision, Cody Kudna did that at 190 pounds with a 14-8 decision.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
