Centennial’s Phillip Kue caps stellar prep career in style
For immediate release:
Phillip Kue Photo: Nick Elliott, NBC Sports Northwest
PORTLAND, Oregon (July 10, 2019) -- Outgoing senior Phillip Kue has added one final victory to a season in which he suffered no losses.
Kue was named the 2019 Prep Wrestler of the Year after posting a 55-0 record in the 132-pound weight class for the Eagles. He capped his prep wrestling career with a 162-3 record (92.8 percent).
Kue appeared live and accepted his award on NBC Sports Northwest’s “The Noe Show” with Brian Noe at 1 p.m. today. He was joined by Eagles athletic director Brent Child and head wrestling coach Roger Matthews as well as family.
Click here to watch clips of his interview and to view a behind-the-scenes look at Kue’s time in studio and on the air. Future award announcements can also be heard live on KJOR’s Rip City Radio 620.
The Oregon Sports Awards’ voting panel selected Kue as the winner in a highly competitive field of nominees. Fellow 6A state champions Santos Cantu III (Sprague) and Sean Harman (West Linn) joined Kue as finalists. Repeat state champions Dax Bennett (Harrisburg), Legend Lamer (Crescent Valley) and Lorenzo Vasquez (Culver) also received multiple votes.
Kue notched his third state championship in dominant fashion in February. Entering the 6A Wrestling Championships as the No. 1 overall seed in his weight class, Kue secured a 4-1 decision over Newberg’s Charlie Evans (44-8) via two takedowns in the championship match.
Kue also posted numerous victories while wrestling unattached or on a national stage. He won both freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at the Northwest Regionals in March in Centralia, Washington and placed second in his weight class at the USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals later in the month.
He’ll head off to Columbus, Ohio to continue his wrestling career at Ohio State University on an athletic scholarship. The Buckeyes posted a 12-2 overall record in 2018 and notched a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships in March.
A complete list of past winners, finalists and award criteria can be accessed here.
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Brady Johnson
Sport Oregon
P: 503-313-5129