A pair of Phoenix wrestlers are heading to the OSAA State Tournament. Tanner Schuh and Erik Reyes-Medina earned the opportunity at the OSAA Special District 3 tournament at Marshfield Field High School in Coos Bay on Saturday. Schuh used a pair of pins to cruise into the 113-pound finals. There he wrestled a back-and-forth match against Hadyn Widdicombe of Marshfield. Schuh was on the verge of pinning Widdicombe before the Marshfield sophomore turned the tables and picked up a pin in the third period. Meanwhile, Reyes-Medina used a technical fall and a pin to earn his way to the 132-pound semifinals where he came out on the short end of an 11-2 decision. He bounced back to scored a pin over Patrick Ainsworth of Hidden Valley in the third-place match. Freshmen Weston Miles and Arturo Carrillo added fifth-place finishes for the Pirates. The OSAA State Wrestling Tournament will be held in Portland on February 22 and 23.

A small but mighty contingent from Phoenix proved it belonged at the OSAA State Wrestling Tournament. Phoenix coach Joe Hutchinson saw Tanner Schuh (113 pounds) and Erik Reyes Medina (132) draw two of the tougher match-ups in their respective divisions at Memorial Coliseum. The rankings were something that Hutchinson didn’t want the pair to worry about Thursday afternoon, instead steering their focus on wrestling and not the seeding. “We just wanted to see our kids ready to go,” said Hutchinson. “Not dazed by how big the tournament is, and ready to compete, and that's what we saw.” In his first match, Tanner Schuh pinned his opponent in 1 minute, 18 seconds to advance into the quarterfinals of the championship bracket. The junior was then pinned by Tillamook’s Bryce Haltiner, who is a returning state champion at 106, to fall into the consolation bracket. Schuh followed the setback with a strong effort against Crook County’s Duke Wentzel, but again came up short to end his time at the state championships. “We're really excited for Tanner and just seeing his ability to start having a short memory,” said Hutchinson. "He bounced back from a loss to give a good fight, so we were really excited for him today.” Despite taking two losses to end his run, Reyes Medina fought hard against Alberto Flores, the returning runner-up at 113, in an opening-round loss by technical fall before being eliminated in the consolation bracket by Cole Roy of Pendleton.

Tanner Schuh and Eric Reyes-Medina again made a run to the finals in a wrestling tournament. The Phoenix duo both finished second in their respective weight classes at the Hunter Hoeptner Memorial Tournament at Eagle Point on January 6. A junior, Schuh earned a semifinal pin over North Valley's Cody Schmidt before falling in the finals to Mike Miller of Illinois Valley. Schuh has a record of 8-6 on the season. Meanwhile, Reyes-Medina had a another strong showing during his senior season, improved to 16-7 in the process. He scored a pair of decisions before falling to Joseph Borraggine of North Medford 7-0 in the finals. In JV action, Phoenix's Aidric Baynard won all three of his matches in the 144-153 weight class, including two pins and an 11-2 decision. Makis Bever was second at 178-189 thanks to a win and a technical fall. The Pirates return to action when they will take part in a tournament at Bonanza High School.  

Erik Reyes-Medina is on a mission. The Phoenix senior is looking to return to the OSAA State Tournament. And so far he's right on track in leading the Phoenix wrestling team through the early stages of the season. Reyes-Medina claimed weight class honors at the Challenger Invitational in Medford on December 29. Other Pirates earning titles at the event included junior Tanner Schuh and freshman Arturo Carillo. Phoenix returns to action on Thursday, when it will visit Eagle Point for a meet that will also include North Eugene. PHS will head back to Eagle Point on Saturday for the annual Hunter Hoeppner Invitational.