It’s a shame that the Southern Oregon Open wrestling tournament disregards team scores. If it didn’t, the Oregon wrestling team would have placed quite well.
The Ducks came home from Ashland with four individual champions, a runner-up and two other placers in the 32-man, 10-bracket tournament.
Only 11th-ranked Boise State placed more wrestlers in the top-six spots. Overall, Oregon was more dominant than any other team in the 17-team field.
“Everyone across the board is making improvements,” Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney said. “We wrestled up to a higher level and wrestled with more intensity.”
Senior Chael Sonnen stormed though the 197-pound bracket, earning three pins and a major decision en route to the championship match. Sonnen earned a hard-fought 5-3 decision over Boise State’s eighth-ranked Rusty Cook for the trophy.
Sophomore Shaun Williams was impressive in only his second outing as a Duck. The junior college transfer picked up five victories at 125 pounds to finish first. Williams defeated Pacific-10 conference rivals Clint Sieminski of Oregon State 13-4 and Boise State’s Ben Vombaur 6-5 to place first. Williams is 6-0 on the season after transferring from North Idaho College.
The Ducks were strong in the 133 pound class, with sophomores Brian Watson placing first and Jason Harless tied for fifth. Watson beat all four of his opponents by decision, including Boise State’s Charlie Griggs in the championship match.
Sophomore Tony Overstake defended his No. 1 seeding at 149 pounds with a first-place finish. Overstake is 6-0 on the season.
Sophomore Casey Hunt and freshman Branson Phillips went 2-3 at 141 pounds. The Open was Phillips’ first competition of the season, and Oregon’s first tournament of the season.
The Ducks will have a short Thanksgiving break this weekend. On Sunday, Oregon hosts Pac-10 rival Stanford in the home opener. Both teams have 1-0 season records.