Siuslaw is ready to rumble at regionals


Coach Neil Wartnik, right, watches as senior captain Dylan Jennings conducts post-workout stretching exercises.

Siuslaw wrestler Dylan Jennings is a shadow of his former self, and that may make him a hard man to beat this weekend and next.

He and 17 of his fellow Vikings head to Klamath Falls this week for the Oregon School Activities Association's 4A Special District 3 regional championships at Henley High School.

Jennings is Siuslaw's lone No. 1 seed, and a hungry one at that in the 220-pound weight class he hopes to dominate.

"I haven't lost to anyone in our region this year, so I wasn't surprised to be seeded No. 1," he said.

Targeting the weight class has meant serious sacrifice. Wrestling starts before Thanksgiving, carries through Christmas, and then well into the new year.

"The hardest part is watching yourself at family parties and stuff," Jennings said. "This is like the worst season to lose weight, ever."

The Vikings senior expects to start competition Friday at 215 pounds, down from the 255 pounds he weighed to start the season.

Down from 270 much of his junior season.

"I started the season at 255, now I'm an easy 220," Jennings said. "I like to cut to like 215, so that it's easier to stay on weight for the second day."

That would be Saturday, when he hopes to title.

"You have to eat a lot at tournaments to stay energized," Jennings said.

It's that energy that his coach, Neil Wartnik, hopes will inspire the Vikings to a strong showing.

"Dylan is the governor of the team," he said. "He's the one who keeps us steady."

Jennings is one of three Vikings projected to qualify for state. Senior Talamoa Tupua is seeded No. 2 at 152 pounds and sophomore Ricky Huff is a No. 3 seed at 113.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance.

"Talamoa is the energy, the charismatic one," Wartnik said. "Dylan is the base. He keeps us in rhythm. He keeps us working as a team.

"He's gotten so much better as a wrestler. He's come a long way in just the last three weeks."

Siuslaw also has four wrestlers seeded No. 5: freshman Matthew Morales at 106, freshman Murray Bingham at 126, junior Scott Simmons at 138 and junior Kainan Lane at 285.

"This is a tough region, and anything can happen," Wartnik said. "Those wrestlers seeded fifth could get in (to state).

"I think Murray and Kainan have a legitimate shot at upsetting somebody."

The Vikings also will enter 11 unseeded wrestlers, including two girls, junior Eyza Abbas Carrasco at 113 and senior Getzemani Jaimes at 126.

Also competing are sophomores Patrick Hill and Matthew English at 120, freshman Riley Jennings and junior Joaquin Cervantes at 132, sophomore Salvador Sierra at 138, freshman Wyatt Burns and sophomore Ivon Ellsworth-Wayland at 145, junior Nick Steinman at 152 and junior Justin Perkins at 220.

That's quite an improvement over last season, when Wartnik took just six wrestlers to regionals.

"Compared to last year, we're doing great," he said.

NOTES

Dylan Jennings and Talamoa Tupua are both in Wartnik's senior English class. "We're (graduating) some great young men," Wartnik said. "They're going to make a difference in their generation." ...

Jennings will be earning his third varsity letter in wrestling. He already has two in football, and expects to earn his fourth in track and field this spring, for a total of nine varsity letters in his high school career. ... Jennings plans to attend Oregon State University, and study to be an engineer. ...

The Vikings also are six deep in assistant coaches: Chris Rupp, David Burkett, Deacon Matthews, Dusty Shingleton, Marty Bingham and Judd Wolfer. ...

Wartnik wrestled at Coquille High School and Stanford, where he twice placed third in the Pacific-10 Tournament. He's been coaching at Siuslaw 23 years, 21 as head coach. ...

Wartnik plans to take more than just qualifiers to Portland next week. "We'll probably take some extra kids to state to see what it's like," he said. "We'll take our girl, Eyza. She's going to be very good some day." ...

There are a dozen schools in the 4A Special District 3 regionals, including the six Far West League schools: Siuslaw, Brookings-Harbor, Douglas, Marshfield, North Bend and South Umpqua. Also competing are host Henley, Hidden Valley, Klamath Union, Mazama, North Valley and Phoenix. ...