A year after Preston Echeverria became the first member of his family to win a state wrestling championship, the Hillsboro senior 190-pounder notched another first for his family Saturday night — winning a Reser’s Tournament of Champions gold eagle.
Echeverria’s 11-4 decision over Houstyn Lee-Perry in the senior’s home gym at Liberty High School in Hillsboro ended an eight-year title drought for the Spartans, whose invitational in the late 1990s morphed into the tournament that celebrated its 22nd edition last weekend as the state’s premier in-season event.
“This means a lot, because I knew I could win here,” said Echeverria, who reached the TOC 182 final last season before losing to West Linn’s Justin Rademacher . “I just had to put in the work.”
Even though Echeverria and Lee-Perry attend schools in the same district, Saturday’s title bout was their first meeting.
“You know, it’s great to wrestle new people. You learn a lot,” said Echeverria, who broke a 2-2 tie with an early reversal in the third period, then scored two takedowns and three near-fall points to put away the match.