HADOUKEN!

By Brandon Petersen

The Westcliff men's wrestling team opened its 2025-26 campaign with a demanding slate of duals Saturday, squaring off against three nationally ranked programs — Eastern Oregon, Clackamas Community College, and Providence (Mont.) in Le Grande, Or.

While the Warriors came up short on the scoreboard, head coach D'Rell Gist said the trip was designed as a proving ground.

"This weekend was about challenging ourselves early and measuring where we are as a team," Gist said. "Every opponent we faced was nationally ranked, and while the results weren't what we hoped for, the experience was extremely valuable. We learned a lot, especially our younger guys, who got a real taste of how physical and demanding college wrestling can be compared to high school."

Joey Mora led the Warriors with an undefeated 3-0 performance, highlighted by an 8-6 decision over Eastern Oregon's No. 5-ranked Lindeen and a pin against Providence to close the day.

Brian Geiger earned a dominant 11-0 major decision versus Clackamas, while Santiago Pacheco finished strong with a 17-1 tech fall against Providence. Will Moore and Cameron Silber also picked up wins, with Silber securing a tech fall in exhibition action.

"Joey stood out going 3-0 against elite competition," Gist said. "Santiago also impressed—after a tough loss to start the day, he bounced back with a dominant tech fall. Our first dual was rough, but we showed progress against Clackamas, one of the top three teams in the country, and finished with our best overall performance against Providence."

Despite the 0-3 team mark (losses of 40-9 to Eastern Oregon, 43-7 to Clackamas, and 46-11 to Providence), the Warriors left La Grande encouraged by their growth.

"Each dual we wrestled tougher and more competitively," Gist added. "We have a long season ahead and plenty of time to make adjustments before conference competition. Tomorrow we'll face some unranked teams, which should give us a good chance to build confidence and continue developing momentum."

Warriors bounce back strong on Tourney Sunday

After taking their lumps against three nationally ranked opponents on opening day, the Warriors stormed back with an inspired showing at Sunday's Mountaineer Open in La Grande — a turnaround that head coach D'Rell Gist called "a defining moment" early in the season.

"The guys wrestled tough, showed great heart, and demonstrated what it means to be a Warrior," Gist said. "It was especially exciting to see several of our freshmen earn their first college wins — a huge milestone for them and our program."

Freshmen Landon Hernansez, Cameron Silber, and Gavin Mitchell each recorded their first collegiate victories, with Silber picking up multiple wins in the 133-pound bracket. Mitchell battled through a loaded field to finish 2-2, including a 19-10 major decision over Providence and a 3:56 tech fall over Idaho.

The day's headliners, though, were Joey Mora and Santiago Pacheco — two veterans who turned adversity into hardware. Mora capped a 9-1 weekend that included a 3-0 sweep in Saturday's duals and a 6-1 run in the tournament, earning a third-place finish at 174 pounds.

His tournament résumé featured two victories over the No. 5-ranked wrestler in the Cascade Conference and a pair of technical falls, continuing the form that made him one of the most reliable competitors in the lineup.

"Joey had a phenomenal weekend," Gist said. "He went 9-1 overall, 3-0 in duals, and 6-1 in the tournament — that's an incredible statement. He beat some ranked guys and just kept finding ways to win."

At 141 pounds, Pacheco ripped through his bracket with four consecutive wins — two by fall, one by decision, and one by major decision — before falling in the final to the No. 4-ranked Corban standout. His runner-up finish earned him second place in the Mountaineer Open and validation for a new weight-class experiment that already looks like a success.

"Santie had an amazing performance," Gist said. "He went 5-2 on the weekend, made the finals, and outplaced the No. 4 guy in our conference, who's also nationally ranked. He wrestled with confidence and energy all weekend."

Other notable results included Brian Geiger finishing 1-2 at 157 pounds, and Landon Hernandez earning two wins by fall at 174 before exiting in the quarterfinals. Across the roster, the Warriors saw measurable improvement from their opening-day duels, turning lessons into results in less than 24 hours.

"I'm extremely proud of how our team bounced back after day one," Gist said. "We're a young group, but the effort, growth, and resilience we showed this weekend prove that our future is very bright."