In an evening filled with upsets, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® athletes from across the U.S. and Canada came, saw, and conquered in the adrenaline-fueled endurance race of the 2025 North American Trophy. Building upon his legacy in the sport, Grafton, West Virginia's Matt Cogar clinched his second consecutive North American Trophy win.
The day began with a shock as one of the top competitors, Diana, West Virginia's Jason Lentz, was disqualified during the time trials due to improper handling of the stock saw. That misstep moved up the anticipated battle of Lentz versus Cogar to the first heat of the competition – a rematch of the 2024 North American Trophy finals – that had an electric crowd on their feet to kick off the event. Cogar ultimately defeated Lentz by six seconds to secure the first win in the round of 16.
Quarter finals saw another massive upset as North Fork, California's Nate Hodges – the current reigning World Champion – went head-to-head with Tollhouse, California's Walt Page. Hodges struggled with a hang-up during the Single Buck that cost him precious seconds, as Page overtook him during the Standing Block Chop for a blistering defeat by 11 seconds.
New Brunswick, Canada's Ben Cumberland stayed consistent throughout the day, steadily dropping the axe on his competitors – including Page in the semi-finals. In the small finals, Page bested Squamish, Canada's Stirling Hart – the top ranked Canadian from the 2024 North American Trophy – to secure third place with a personal best trophy format performance of 1:03.59.
Driving momentum like a runaway train, Cogar sawed away at times that got better with each heat. With wood chips flying, Cogar finished the final match up with a competition-best of 57.01 for the fastest time of the day and an almost 10 second lead to defeat Cumberland.
"This trophy format is all about speed, precision, and endurance. Coming into the day after a few weeks of respiratory issues, this win means everything," said Cogar. "This competition had so many surprises. All the hard work across both U.S. and Canadian athletes was on full display."
If you missed the event, you can relive all of the action on the livestream at https://www.stihlusa.com/stihl-timbersports/watch/.
Sharpen Your Axes: U.S. Championships in Milwaukee Wisconsin
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® 2025 U.S. Championships will take place on July 25-27 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Featuring the top 24 lumberjacks in the nation, the U.S. Men's Championships will test athletes in all six of the TIMBERSPORTS® disciplines as they battle it out for a shot at the title. The top 12 lumberjills will also face off in the U.S. Women's Championship as part of the action-packed weekend. Tickets for the event and additional information can be found at https://germanfest.com/entertainment/stihl-timbersports/.
"The adrenaline was pumping and the sweat was flying for another exciting North American Trophy competition in STIHL Inc.'s hometown," says Adam Wolff, USA Team Manager. "We truly had a nail biter in that last round, but you could see Cogar throw everything he had behind his axes and saws. Next we'll see what he can do as he competes against the top athletes at the U.S. Championships."
Full results from this weekend's competitions can be found at https://data.stihl-timbersports.com/Event/2316.
