Cottage Grove Wrestler Jeffery Conklin Earns Athlete of the Week After State Title

Jeffery Conklin had already secured his place in Cottage Grove wrestling history before the votes were counted. The junior clinched the Class 4A 132-pound state title on Feb. 27, and the following week, Register-Guard readers made their judgment official, naming Conklin the Active Chiropractic high school boys Athlete of the Week in a poll published March 5.

The reader-voted recognition capped a breakthrough moment for the Lions wrestler, whose state championship at the 132-pound weight class represented one of the region's top individual athletic achievements of the winter sports season. Conklin earned the award over other nominees from across Lane County, with readers casting votes to determine the weekly honoree.

Active Chiropractic sponsors the weekly award, which the Register-Guard uses to spotlight standout prep performances across the county. Conklin's state title gave Cottage Grove fans plenty of reason to turn out in the poll, and they did.

For a program in a city of roughly 10,000 people, a Class 4A state title carries particular weight. Cottage Grove competes in a classification defined by schools of similar size, making Conklin's championship a legitimate top-of-the-bracket result against comparable competition statewide.

Conklin, still a junior, will return to the mat for Cottage Grove next season with a state title already on his record.