Cheering, Yamhill-Carlton high school’s student body and administration lined the halls the afternoon of February 21st to send off their record breaking wrestling team to state.

With the guidance of Sean Nonamaker, Yamhill-Carlton’s wrestling  team broke and met three records in the history of the school this season. The first record beat was eight boys qualified for state, a technicality rule kept the eighth wrestler from competing.  The most boys qualified for state wrestling was last held in 2010 with seven boys. The boys collectively scored 73 points at state being the highest in the school’s history. For the third time the YCHS wrestling team placed in the championship bracket at Oregon State duals classic tournament.

 The boys who went to state are Seniors Owen Amerson and Josiah Rodriguez. Juniors, Jacob Jarvis and Dylan McInnis, Sophomores, Mason Dailey and Reily Liesegang and lastly Freshman, Asher Tindel. The wrestler who did not make it due to technicalities was Junior Carson Bennet.  State was held at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The meet was February 22nd-23rd. The highest placing wrestler for YC was Liesegang, who placed 2nd wrestling 106 pounds.

 Nonamaker has been wrestling practically his whole life, starting at 4 years old stopping for a few years due to injury and starting back up in his twenties. He has been coaching at YC for four years, he headed the mat club for five and before all that he was an assistant at McMinnville. Along with him coaching YCs team, he is a part of a team himself for wrestlers 25-35 years old.

Nonamaker said, “There is no sport or activity that teaches life lessons like wrestling. Wrestling has a tremendous  way of exposing weaknesses individuals may have.”

 Amerson’s fourth and final year wrestling he placed 4th in State wrestling, at 170 pounds. Nonamaker watched Amerson succeed and be defeated time after time all throughout his wrestling career.  Nonamaker says “No one in the state deserved to be on the podium more than Owen. He worked extremely hard and he got what he deserved. He got a spot on the podium, he placed in state, and his name will go on the wall in the wrestling room forever.”

Amerson said “What I’ll miss most is the time with my wrestling brothers. It really is a brotherhood as Nonamaker says and they will some of my best friends for a long time to come. You endure so much pain with one another you really build lifelong friendships.”

McInnis was a first time wrestler who made it to state. He did not place at state but he did  get the “New Comer of the Year” award for being new to the sport and being dedicated. All throughout his season he went back and forth between wrestling up a weight class and wrestling down, meaning he had to cut and gain weight. McInnis said “The biggest lesson I have learned is that win or lose you always have to work to get better”.