Baker/Powder Valley Boys Lose 50-22 at Pendleton; Girls Win Three Matches

Pendleton handed Baker/Powder Valley a 50-22 loss in a boys wrestling dual at Pendleton, while the Baker/Powder Valley girls won three of five matches in the same meet. The boys squad visited Halfway the next day; the girls traveled to the Stokes Landing Invitational in Irrigon the following day.

In the boys dual, the bout-by-bout ledger read: 106 pounds, Ben Dahlen (P) won by forfeit; 113, Wesley Browning (P) def. Hunter Pierce by technical fall, 18-2; 120, Aiden Cox (P) def. Orlando Rodriguez by fall; 126, Wyatt Valentine (B) def. Jefferson Steele, 9-6; 130, Taryn Niday (B) def. Hazel Case, 19-12; 132, Wyatt Taylor (P) def. Luis Rosalex by major decision, 10-1; 138, Gerik Orszulak (B) won by forfeit; 144, Asher Payton (B) def. Carter Northern by fall; 150, Cole Roy (P) def. Braiden Whitebread by technical fall, 15-0; 157, Roman Zickgraf (B) def. Adam Urbina, 9-7; 165, Daniel Maldonado (B) def. Tugg McQuinn by major decision, 14-3; 175, Vance Nelson (P) def. Bowen McGuire by fall; 190, Kainen Zimmerman (P) won by forfeit; 215, Aidan Perkins (P) def. Conner Niday by fall; 285, Sam Simmons (P) won by forfeit.

Roman Zickgraf’s 157-pound victory over Adam Urbina stands out as a close match, and Zickgraf’s earlier work this season is noted in a photo showing him defeating Ontario’s Aiden Ward by technical fall, 17-1, on Jan. 20; the photo credit is Jessica Hilton.

The girls block at Pendleton listed five matches with Baker/Powder Valley winning three: 125, Hailey Duke (B) def. Alyce Phelps by fall; 130, Tinley Foster (P) def. Zea Young by fall; 130, Taryn Niday (B) def. Hazel Case, 19-12; 155, Cheyenne Loomis (P) def. Sophia Ward by fall; 179, Kate Norton (B) def. Madison Chase by fall. The three Baker winners were Hailey Duke, Taryn Niday, and Kate Norton; Pendleton wins were Tinley Foster and Cheyenne Loomis.

The girls’ trip to the Stokes Landing Invitational in Irrigon on Feb. 7 produced notable outcomes: Hailey Duke won a 120-pound final at the invitational, beating Yaretzi Arriaga-Maldonado 9-1, and the Madras team placed fifth among 22 teams at that event. Nichole Skeels of Madras captured the 115-pound title with three pins. A separate team battle lineup placed La Grande first with 163 points, Tillamook second with 105, Pendleton third with 98, Baker/Powder Valley fourth with 87.5, and Madras fifth with 76; that meet was described as a preview for the Special District 3 championships Feb. 20-21 in La Grande.

Coaching rosters list Jeris Stephens as the boys head coach and Nick Blair as the girls head coach for Baker/Powder Valley. An event page for the Pendleton at Baker/Powder Valley meet lists Round 1 name fragments including Ian Sandberg, Jefferson Steele, Joey Duncan, Dawson Tremper, River Clark, Owen McLouth, Marcus Chamberlain, and Oregon Farwell, but no complete bout outcomes were available from that listing.

For Baker County readers, the Pendleton dual and the Irrigon invitational help clarify lineup decisions and seeding as teams head into district championship weekend. Baker/Powder Valley’s girls showed momentum with three wins in Pendleton and a strong showing from Hailey Duke at Stokes Landing; the boys have work to do before Special District 3 on Feb. 20-21 as they regroup after the 50-22 loss.