By Jeremy McDonald
jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
WOODBURN, Ore.– North Salem’s Vance Lund found himself in a pickle in his final match of the day at Woodburn High School.
The Junior 195-pounder had his Woodburn opposition in a head-and-arm, working on getting a pin only to let off the gas just enough to find himself on his back fighting to stay alive in the match. Lund would eventually get out of the jam and grinded to the 7-3 win in his third match of the day.
“I got too low on his side and that’s what caused him to flip me, but luckily I bellied-out and backed out in time,” Lund said. “It’s fun. It’s a new experience being outside with the sun beating down on you. Those mats are super soft, but all-in-all it’s all about who wants it more on the mat.”
A lot of schools are taking the initiative to bring the mats outside with the air flow, more capacity for fans and athletes alike as six teams came to Woodburn High School Saturday for the Woodburn’s Memorial Weekend Dual Tournament. Three mats were going at the same time. Varsity boys went first, followed by a mat featuring the girls’ wrestlers and two others with JV boys.
The Viking boys brought home wins against Milwaukie and would edge the host-Bulldogs for their two wins, their only loss coming way of Mid-Willamette Conference-foe Silverton who won the tournament 3-0 as a team.
North Salem girls, with seven wrestlers, went 12-2 on the day and were looking to do more damage in the girl’s bracket when the tournament was canceled due to the heat on the concerns with it on the mats. It was the only thing that had slowed the Viking girls down on this Saturday.
“I wasn’t surprised because me and the other girls were definitely working hard in the mat room. Not just in the mat room but disciplining ourselves outside in school, just doing our thing. Going to the gym and I know that definitely helps, I’m proud of us,” Gabrielle Tata-Rodrigues said of the girls team Saturday. “It’s understandable because of the heat, but at least we all got matches in today. That’s what we were looking for, all of us got two matches in. It was a good day.”
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
JMcDonaldMedia 