The Dalles wrestlers compete for postseason spots

The Riverhawk girls wrestling squad, guided by second-year Coach Barry Abrams, concluded the season last week, but none of their team members qualified for the state meet. Two seniors, Jamie Bastian Palacios and Ashley Totolhua, concluded their high school wrestling careers after competing for the final time. This year marked the first time that The Dalles had a girls wrestling team.

“It’s been a tough season because we’ve had our share of injuries and we’ve had so many wrestlers who were unable to compete for weeks because of some illness too,” said Abrams. “Our two seniors, Jamie and Ashley, both did very well while competing in wrestling for the first time ever.”

The Riverhawks’ 15-member boys squad will be seeking state qualifying berths this weekend.

“We have several wrestlers who have a really good chance of getting to state with Josh Brackenbury, Creighton Clack and Harley Scott,” Abrams said.

Brackenbury, a junior, has a record of 19-1 in the 175-pound weight classification. Scott, a junior, has a record of 30-8 in the 138-pound division. Brackenbury, Scott and Clack are hoping to reach the state tourney for the first time.

“Josh will compete against the toughest competition that he’ll face all year at districts, but he’s a scrapper and he’s a real hard worker and he loves to wrestle,” said Abrams. “We’ll see the best teams that we’ve seen all year at districts. Harley always wrestles real tough and he’s had a very good season. Creighton has a decent chance of qualifying for state, as well. We had two state qualifiers last year, so we’re just hoping to continue building on that success.”