Cougars Capture Region 18 Championship; Sanchez and Marin Earn Tournament Awards

The Clackamas Cougars traveled to Coos Bay, Oregon to compete in the Region 18 Championship with one goal in mind—to qualify for the NJCAA National Championships. The Cougars delivered in dominant fashion, capturing the team title while qualifying all 10 wrestlers for Nationals. Clackamas finished the tournament with 9 finalists and 8 individual champions, continuing their impressive run with 13 Regional Championships in the last 14 years.

“Our guys performed really well this weekend,” said Head Coach Brett Sanchez. “We came in with the goal to qualify all 10 weight classes and come out with 10 champions. We fell slightly short, but only losing two matches the entire day is extremely impressive. It’s a great sign of momentum as we head into Nationals.”

In addition to their success on the mat, the Cougars earned major individual honors voted on by opposing coaches. Heavyweight Mark Marin was named the Region 18 Outstanding Wrestler, while Head Coach Brett Sanchez was recognized as Region 18 Coach of the Year for the third time in the last four years.

“Mark is putting it together at the right time,” Sanchez added. “His weight class is arguably the toughest in the region, and possibly the country. He had to defeat returning All-American Ray Griffin from North Idaho in the semifinals and followed it up with a big win over Hunter Tibodeau in the finals. If he carries this momentum into Nationals, he has a strong shot at becoming an All-American. I’m grateful for the Coach of the Year award, but this is a reflection of our entire team and coaching staff. We’ll use these next three weeks to prepare and get ready to put together another great weekend of wrestling.”

Full Results:

125 – Jeremy Oani, 1st Place
133 – Kelby Bernard, 1st Place
141 – Cade McCallister, 1st Place
149 – Reggie Raiz, 1st Place
157 – Aaron Concepcion, 1st Place
165 – Henry Dillingham, 1st Place
174 – Pablo Hernandez, 2nd Place
184 – Lusiano Lopez, 3rd Place
197 – Elijah Josey, 1st Place
HWT – Mark Marin, 1st Place

Full Brackets and Results:

https://www.flowrestling.org/nextgen/events/15400779-njcaa-west-region-18/results?tab=placers