Sandite Wrestling wins first Regional Championship in 19 years
/Story and photography by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
By an 18 point margin, the Sand Springs Sandites overcame Broken Arrow at Tiger Field House for their first Regional Championship since 1997. The Dual State Runners-Up finished the East Regional Tournament with 10 State Qualifiers, 13 Regional Placers, and 7 Regional Champions, meaning that despite the Dual State upset by Choctaw, Sand Springs could still bring home gold at the State Tournament.
113 Michael Ritchey (21-15), 120 Blake Sargent (35-9), 126 Daton Fix (43-0), 132 Jack Karstetter (37-7), 138 Beau Bratcher (39-6), 152 Payton Scott (17-4), and 220 Delvin Jordan (17-6) all won their brackets for first place finishes.
106 Riley Weir (20-10) placed third, 160 Zane Basma (31-11) placed second, and 170 Trace Fleischman (9-4) placed third, all qualifying for State.
145 Cody Mathis (18-14) placed 5th, 195 Zach Sims (25-22) placed fifth, and 285 Gage Fain (13-21) placed sixth. Only the top four immediately qualify for State, but should any of the top four be unable to wrestle due to injury or ineligibility, the fifth and sixth place wrestlers may fill the spot. Though it is a rarity, it's still possible that Sand Springs could qualify Mathis, Sims, or Fain should unusual circumstances prevent the qualifiers from traveling to Oklahoma City next weekend.
Check back tomorrow for full individual results and photo galleries!
