Ryan Smith

Two high school wrestlers from Central Oregon rank among the best in the nation.

Austin Enoch of Redmond and Ryan Smith of Prineville have been selected to Wrestling USA Magazine’s 2007 High School All-America Team.

Enoch, who graduated last month from Redmond High School, and Smith, a 2007 graduate of Crook County High School, were the only Oregonians named to the team. Ninety-six prep wrestlers representing 36 states were selected to the all-America list.

”It’s a pretty exclusive list, especially with only two kids from Oregon being selected,” said Nathan Stanley, head wrestling coach at Redmond High. ”There were some very good kids in Oregon not on the list.”

Enoch plans to walk on and wrestle at the University of Minnesota – the 2007 NCAA Division I national team champion. He was 41-0 as a senior at Redmond High and won the Class 6A state title at 140 pounds.

Enoch, who also won state titles as a sophomore and junior and was a state runner-up as a freshman, posted a prep career record of 156-5. He was earlier named Oregon’s National Wrestling Coaches Association Wrestler of the Year for 2006-07.

Smith, who has signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma, also went 41-0 as a senior en route to winning the Class 5A title at 160 pounds.

The first Crook County wrestler to win three state titles, Smith posted a mark of 157-7 in high school competition.

Smith last month was also named to the 22nd annual Asics All-American Wrestling Team. He was an honorable mention selection at 160 pounds and was one of five Oregonians named to the team.

Enoch and Smith have also enjoyed high levels of success competing in a number of state, regional and national amateur events. Enoch was the 2004 Asics Cadet National Greco-Roman champion at 130 pounds, and Smith placed second at the 2006 Junior Freestyle National Championships at 152 pounds.

”What a lot of people don’t know is here you have two guys from Central Oregon who attended schools that are bitter rivals but helped each other become the wrestlers they are now,” said Stanley.

”With our geographic isolation, it is sometimes hard for wrestlers of this caliber to find competition that helps them become better. They train a lot together in the offseason. Neither probably would have gotten where they are today without each other.”