Three Phoenix wrestlers punched their ticket to the OSAA State Meet in Portland with strong performances at the Special District 3 Tournament in Phoenix on Saturday. Erik Reyes-Medina, Emery Tiesi and Tanner Schuh all earned spots in the state event, which will be held February 23 and 24 at the Memorial Coliseum. Reyes-Medina finished second at 132 pounds. The junior scored a pin and a decision to advance to the finals where he dropped a 6-3 decision to Mathyis Horton of Klamath Union. Tiesi, a senior, wrestled back through the 170-pound bracket, winning three straight bouts via pin and eventually finished fourth to earn a state spot. Meanwhile, Schuh, a sophomore, ran off two straight wins in the consolation rounds to finish fourth at 106 pounds.  

Several Phoenix High School wrestlers put together impressive efforts at the Rogue Valley Invitational at North Medford HS on January 28. Koach Kody Lindsey shared the following details from the event... Talula Heckendorf took 2nd Charlotte Thull-Carter took 3rd Jose Espinoza and Owen Mathewson took 6th but they both put on a clinic on how to persevere and keep wrestling no matter what.  Tanner Schuh won the 5th place bout with a pin in the 2nd period and is really figuring himself out.  Erik Reyes Medina won the 3rd place match with a pin also in the 2nd period and was looking real strong all day.  Overall, they ALL applied (or attempted to apply) what we have been teaching all year.  Spirits are high after this tournament and we hope to carry that momentum to our dual with Ashland and Eagle Point on Wednesday. 

A pair of Phoenix wrestlers recorded pins in a dual meet against Illinois Valley on January 18. Jose Espinoza and Talula Heckendorf both took down their opponents in the first round on the way to the pins. Espinoza is a sophomore while Heckendorf is a freshman. Their wins were the only victories on the night for the Pirates, who took part in a total of eight bouts during the night. Phoenix returns to action on Jan. 28 at the Rogue Valley Invitational at North Medford High School. 

A trio of pins were among the highlights for the Phoenix wrestling team in an exhibition match against Ashland on January 4. The Pirates wrestled a total of 10 matches against the visiting Grizzlies. The lone decision of the night to go Phoenix's way was recorded by Aidric Baynard as the freshman downed Sage Thatcher 11-3 at 138 pounds. Meanwhile, junior Owen Mathewson pinned Will Wass in the third period after building a 12-3 lead at 145 pounds. Sophomore Tanner Schuh trailed Ollie Teagarden 9-8 before scoring a third-period pin and freshman Caden Cunningham pinned Thatcher in the third period. The Pirates return to action Saturday at the Eagle Point Invitational.

The Phoenix wrestling team is ready to show off its skills to the home crowd. The youthful Pirates will wrestle on their home mats several times during the stretch drive of the season, hosting duals on Jan. 4 and 11 as well as the OSAA District Tournament on February 18. After  a pair of home events early in the season, Phoenix spent the rest of December on the road, gaining valuable experience in the process. A fledgling girls’ wrestling program is emerging for the Pirates with freshmen Talula Heckendorf and  Charlotte Thull-Crater and sophomore Emily Hadley leading the charge. A solid freshmen class also includes Caden Cunningham and Aidric Baynard on the boys’ side. “All of the freshmen have been steadily improving and we are excited to see their potential moving forward,” Pirate Koach Kody Lindsey said. Like Hadley, classmate Tanner Schuh has been making regular improvement on the mat. A trio of boys’ highlight the junior class. Owen Mathewson leads the team in pins as he’s put things together early in the season. Erik Reyes-Medina is the program’s most coachable wrestler while Hunter Nash has a knack for finding ways to win. Hunter Everhart is the lone Pirate senior who has been a regular participant and is emerging as the team’s leader. “We are excited about his desire to compete,” Lindsey said.