In his first season as head coach of The Dalles Middle School, Alexander Kramer fielded the largest group of Wildcat wrestlers in recent memory for regional action this past weekend in Boardman against some of state’s best programs.
Of the 22 wrestlers suited up, as many as six were in contention for state berths, but just the duo of Mauricio Carrera (160 pounds) and Dusty Dodge (125) were able to muster up enough wins to punch their state tickets.
“Both wrestled very well and had pins leading up to their final matches,” Coach Kramer said. “They really performed to their ability. I feel that they could have won more matches, but I am excited to see the two of them perform at state. They treated each match, one at a time, and got a win. They treated the tournament as just another tournament and ended up doing well.”
All this week, Carrera and Dodge have been hard at work in the wrestling room in preparation for state, which occurs this weekend starting at 9 a.m. Saturday at Woodburn High School.
Assisting in the preparation process has been 2016 state runner-up Joe Linebarger, as well as the rest of the high school athletes.
Kramer said that having athletes, who Carrera and Dodge look up to gives them an edge.
“Being around Joe really is a privilege and I think some of his greatness has rubbed off on our boys,” Kramer said. “For Mauricio and Dusty to succeed at state, I think they just need to believe in themselves. They have the tools. They just can’t get caught up in the game. They need to treat the tournament as just another opportunity to go in there and wrestle and give it their all. If they wrestle how they have been, they will do great.”
Although Coach Kramer does not have an exact number of pins put up by his wrestlers, he did say, however, that in every match they could have won, the end result was a pinfall triumph.
Kramer called this past weekend’s tournament the toughest he has ever witnessed at the middle school level.
TDMS had two wrestlers who have never before earned state qualifications move on, but there were other more experienced wrestlers, who could not get past a tough bracket to make a trip to Woodburn.
The level of competition is fierce to say the least.
Opath Silopath had one of the toughest divisions of the tourney, and had his share of wins, but just missed out on a state berth.
Silopath racked up three pins in all, but he had to face off against the No. 3 seed and also the No. 1 seed, who was eventually named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Michael Cloud, an eighth grader and former state participant, missed state by one match, but he still managed two pins and two losses in his 265-pound class.
Stephen Preston, another former state qualifier, had a really tough draw in the 117-pound classification, but he had a tough challenge.
Preston was unable to get on the winning track needed in order to vault into the state mix.
Celilo Carillo was another grappler, who wound up just one win away from going to state. Through the season Carillo overcame injuries, but still wrestled well enough at the 85-pound level to give himself a close shot at state, just falling short.
In his first foray in the regional mix at the middle school level as a coach, Kramer called it an all-around success for his group.
There were four or five matches where teammates wrestled against each other for eliminator matches, so on one hand, it was tough for Kramer to watch, but it is also served as a credit to the number of athletes who stuck with the program.
“I feel that shows the success of our youngsters staying with the sport until the end,” Kramer said. “Now we have something to build on for next year.”
Kramer was quick to dole out credit to his assistants and volunteers, such as Blake Leavitt, Tilio Regalado, Colton Red Cloud, Daniel Madrigal, Johnny Scherrer, Paul Beasley, Steve Wray and Keenan Hoar for helping him get the program going on the right path.
He could not forget his mentor and father, Kevin.
“He is amazing. He still comes in to help me and show me how to coach with the same patience and gentleness he had while I was first learning my stance,” said Alexander. “Kevin Kramer will forever be synonymous with the sport of wrestling and while embarking on my own coaching experience, I have found a new universe of respect and gratitude for everything he has given me. He is my role model. Thank you dad.”
Although he will lose a handful of eighth graders, Coach Kramer feels there is talent coming back for state action next season.
It was a great step forward, so a solid foundation has been built.
“The Dalles Middle School had a phenomenal season,” Kramer said. “They battled and won and I feel that more deserved the honor of going to state. But, this is why this sport is so great. It demands every sacrifice you can give it and sometimes ends up giving nothing back in terms of a reward. But the lessons learned from the battle this weekend, is what wrestling gives to young athletes.”
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