A year after their best-ever finish at state and a week after winning the first district wrestling championship in school history, Mountain View’s Cougars are poised to contend for their first Class 4A state title witha blend of seasoned veterans and talented underclassmen.

It has been a season of unprecedented success for Mountain View, which took second in January’s Oregon Wrestling Classic in Redmond and topped the team standings at three other tourneys. A week after the OWC, at the Reser’s Tournament of Champions, a tourney that features the state’s top wrestlers and programs regardless of classification, the Cougars placed seventh among 22 teams, the second-highest finish among 5A programs.

For much of the season, Mountain View has had a target on its back as one of the top contenders for the 5A state title, yet the Cougs have not wilted in the spotlight. They have thrived. And they continue to do so as they get ready for this weekend’s state meet at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, a two-day tourney that kicks off Friday.

“It’s actually pretty much business as usual,” says Les Combs, Mountain View’s 23rd-year coach. “It’s just been the grind of the season. The good part about it, though, is there’s not a nervous fatigue. It’s just, ‘I want to get in the (wrestling) room and then go home and relax.’”

A few days removed from winning the 5A Special District 4 crown at Redmond High, the Cougars are set to send 12 wrestlers to the state meet, tied for the fifth-most in 5A, including eight who are seeded eighth or better. Among the group is sophomore Beau Ohlson, the top seed at 126 pounds who has gone 40-0 this season and won a state championship last year to become just the second Mountain View wrestler to claim an individual title.

Also for the Cougars is another of the Ohlson triplets, Blake, who placed third at 132 pounds last year and is the No. 2 seed at 145. (Taylor Ohlson, the third triplet, will be competing in the 125-pound girls bracket after winning the 120 title in 2017.) Frankie Lesowske, No. 2 at 170, has lost just once in 23 matches and looks to improve on last year’s third-place finish. Carson Fassett seems to be peaking at 152, coming off an upset-filled weekend during which he claimed the district title to earn the No. 3 seed at state. And the Cougars’ Reed Sehorn-Hurst, seeded third, provides Mountain View with another strong competitor as the Cougs, who were a program-best sixth at state last year, look to challenge defending champion Crater and 2017 runner-up Dallas for the state championship.

“In the last couple or three years, the state tournament has turned into a numbers game,” Combs says, noting that Dallas will be taking 20 wrestlers to state while Crater will boast 17. “Those numbers are just so hard to overcome. … I think the first round’s going to tell us a lot. If we can win 10 of our first 12 matches, that’s going to set us up pretty well. If in some way, shape or form we can go 12-for-12, that’s going to create an even playing field.

“If we’re going to call this season successful, I think we’re going to need to do better than sixth and have more kids placing.”

Mountain View will also be jockeying with district rival Redmond, which was second to the Cougars at districts. The Panthers have placed in the top 10 four times since joining 5A for the 2012-13 season, including last season’s third-place showing. Like the Cougars, Redmond will send 12 wrestlers to this weekend’s state meet, including top-seeded freshman Kagen Lawrence at 106. Jacob Curry, No. 5 at 132, is another of nine Panthers seeded at state and comes off last year’s run to second place at 120. Adding to Redmond’s experience, Bailey Fisher, No. 8 at 152, makes his third straight appearance at state, as does unranked Trae Bolken at 138. Highlighting Bend High, Haakon Kjellesvik, No. 3 at 182, takes a 29-4 record into the state meet as he looks to improve on last year’s tourney, when he fell in the consolation second round at 195.

In 4A, Crook County has its sights set on returning to championship form after falling half a point shy of its fifth straight state title last year.

“We have plenty of motivation because we have a good memory from last year,” says 11th-year Cowboys coach Jake Huffman, whose team took second to Sweet Home in 2017. “We’re just so focused right now on what we’re trying to do. We’re less focused on everybody else and more focused on ourselves. We know if we do what we’re supposed to do, nothing else really matters. If we do what we’re supposed to do, it doesn’t matter what the other teams do.”

Crook County figures to have its work cut out at state after facing a rare challenge at the 4A Special District 1 meet this past weekend. The Cowboys eventually won the district team title by 40.5 points over Tillamook, but the Cheesemakers were within 9.5 points heading into the finals.

The Cowboys will have 15 wrestlers at state, same as Sweet Home, while Tillamook qualified 17. The difference, however, is in the seeding: Crook County, along with Sweet Home, boasts an all-classification-high 12 seeded wrestlers, including nine who placed in the top six to reach the podium at state last season. After falling in the finals last season, top-seeded Hunter Mode carries a 41-4 record into the 106-pound bracket for the Cowboys, while No. 1 120-pounder Pacer Quire, a three-time state placer, looks to capture his first individual title. Caleb Parrott is 35-6 this season and is the No. 2 seed at 285, and No. 3 Colton Morgan, at 132, looks to reach the podium for the fourth time.

“Where we knew we had the advantage (at districts) was we knew we were going to have a lot more semifinal and finals winners,” Huffman says. “I believe the guys we have that did that are going to take us a long ways this weekend. … Yeah, of course last year’s a motivation. No one likes to finish second when you’re used to finishing first. But even more than that, we just focus on improving ourselves, and we’ve done that. We’re ready.”

Two years after placing second at the 3A state meet for the program’s best finish at state, La Pine returns with a loaded cast to perhaps challenge again for the title. An undefeated top seed at 120, Derrik Kerr is a reigning state champ for the Hawks, who placed sixth as a team last season. Tommy Gallamore, No. 2 at 126, is 45-3 this season, while Alex Dudley, No. 2 at 132, takes a 20-3 record into state after placing fourth at the tournament each of the past two years.

Dominic Norquist, at 138, and Turrell Wilson, at 145, are both seeded fourth, giving La Pine five ranked wrestlers among its 10 qualifiers. The Hawks, though, will have stiff competition in 3A, as Nyssa enters the weekend as a three-time defending state champion and Willamina will have a classification-high eight seeded wrestlers in Portland.

The race for the 2A/1A championship appears to be a one-horse event, as Culver is primed to claim its 11th title in 12 years.

“We are excited for several reasons,” says 29th-year Bulldogs coach J.D. Alley. “First and foremost, this group is really proud. They showed last year’s seniors that they were holding the line and are going to keep on keeping on, which was important to them from day one. I think a lot of people thought graduation was going to be hard on us. … Our consistency is remaining true. Our program is still one to be measured against in a lot of ways.”

With a classification-high 15 state qualifiers, the Bulldogs feature nine seeded wrestlers, including five No. 1 seeds. Headlining the Bulldogs is top-ranked 120-pounder Lorenzo Vasquez, who is 40-2 this season and is a two-time state champion. Jorge Olivera, No. 1 at 145, has won state titles each of the past two seasons, while top-seeded Victor Torres, at 152, looks to improve on last year’s fourth-place showing.

Third-place finishers a year ago, No. 1 seeds Jerron Rhen, at 160, and Cylus Hoke, at 195, give Culver ample strength to capture its fifth straight 2A/1A championship, finishing ahead of Lowell, which has finished second to Culver seven times in the past eight years.

“One of our sayings we talk about a lot is ‘leaving a mark,’” Alley says. “When you’ve been there, you want people to know you’ve been there. Whenever your time is done, you want to make sure your presence is felt and you left a mark.”

—Reporter: 541-383-0307, glucas@bendbulletin.com.