Sand Springs Wrestling qualifies four for Nationals in Fargo, ND

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More than five-hundred wrestlers from across the state turned out this past weekend for the Oklahoma USA National Team Qualifier at Union Intermediate High School. Thirty-eight members of the Sand Springs Team Big wrestling club competed and twenty-three placed in the top-three of their divisions. 

Team Big meets in the Charles Page High School wrestling room Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and is coached by Derek Fix, Chris Forbes, TeDon Fleischman, and Kyle Waag.

Top-three placers in the Junior and Cadet divisions automatically qualified for the USA Wrestling Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota this summer. Sand Springs qualified four wrestlers for Fargo, including two seniors, one sophomore, and one eighth-grader.

Junior

Charles Page High School sophomore State Champion Riley Weir (4-0 FS) took first place in freestyle at 113 pounds. He handily rolled over Sapulpa’s Braydon Blose 10-0, then topped Edmond Memorial freshman State Runner-Up Garrett Steidley 17-8 in a rematch of their State Finals bout.

CPHS four-time State Champion and Oklahoma State University-signed senior Daton Fix (4-0 FS) took first place in freestyle at 132 pounds. He teched Perry State Qualifier Alex Valencia and Cushing State Qualifier Billy Simpson 11-0 apiece, and pinned Brendan Clarke in 55 seconds.

CPHS senior State Qualifier Michael Ritchey (8-1 FS, 3-0 GR) took second place in 132 freestyle. He teched Cody Brown 10-0, pinned Bridge Creek State Runner-Up Kolton Smith in 1:03, then topped Catoosa’s two-time State Runner-Up Vincent Eremita 3-2 before forfeiting the finals to teammate Daton Fix.

Collinsville State Champion Nate Keim took first place in 138 freestyle with three tech falls and a 10-8 decision over two-time Elgin State Champion Jacob Butler. In the finals he topped Cushing State Qualifier Jacob Ahrberg 11-0.

Stillwater State Champion Christian Bahl took first place in 182 freestyle. He scored a 9-5 decision over two-time Vinita State Champion Alexander Kauffman, pinned Putnam City North State Qualifier Jaylon Chiles in 2:04, then pinned two-time Choctaw State Champion Jaryn Curry in 4:47.

Cadet

Clyde Boyd Middle School 8th grader Carter Young (9-0 FS, 6-0 GR) took first place in his fifth-straight event with three tech falls at 100 pounds in freestyle. He defeated Broken Arrow State Qualifier Jackson Cockrell 10-0, Broken Arrow Junior High All-State Runner-Up Blazik Perez 12-0, and Cascia Hall Junior High All-State Runner-Up 14-4.

Collinsville State Champion Caleb Tanner joined up with Team Big and took first place in freestyle at 126 pounds with four tech falls, giving up only one point. He capped the tournament with a 10-0 victory over Bartlesville State Qualifier Laif Jones.

Union sophomore Jalen Hernandez took second place in freestyle at 145 pounds, winning two tech falls and a pin before falling to Roarke Simpson.

Skiatook freshman Jeran Seabolt took third place in freestyle at 160 pounds with two pins, a tech fall, and a high-scoring 19-14 decision over Skylar Johnson. He was defeated by Cushing State Qualifier Gage Hockett in the semifinals, but pinned teammate Killian McGrew in the consolation finals.

McGrew, a freshman from Jenks, took fourth place in 160 freestyle with three pins.

Schoolboy

Christian Forbes (6-0 FS, 1-3 GR) took first place in freestyle for the second-straight week at 84 pounds, teching all three of this opponents 10-0.

Ethan White (6-0 FS) took first place in freestyle for the second-straight week at 120 pounds with two tech falls and a 29 second pin.

Kaden Glass (3-0 FS) took first place in freestyle at 190 pounds, pinning all three of his opponents in the first period. His fastest was in fifteen seconds against Sky Daniels.

Cole Brooks (3-1 FS, 2-1 GR) took second place in freestyle at 91 pounds, teching his first two opponents before getting pinned in the finals.

Bryce Fisher (2-1 FS) took second place in freestyle at 136 pounds with one tech fall and one decision before falling in the finals.

Clay Gates (4-6 FS) took fourth place in freestyle at 84 pounds with two tech falls.

Intermediate

Nation Johnson (4-1 FS, 5-2 GR) came in runner-up in both styles at 80 pounds. He won a pair of tech falls in freestyle and one tech fall in Greco, but was defeated in both by Jake Miller.

Promised Johnson (7-2 FS, 5-3 GR) placed third in both styles at 70 pounds. He won three technical falls in each style, but was also defeated by Hayden Wright in each style.

Bantam

Rollin Fish (1-4 FS) placed third in freestyle at 55 pounds, suffering two technical falls, but pinning Davis Tusler in 3:27.

Novice

Robert Burke (4-0 FS, 4-1 GR) took first place in both styles at 65 pounds. In freestyle he pinned Cash Donnell in 1:34 and recorded a close 12-10 decision. In Greco he posted two technical falls and a 19 second pin of Legend Johnson.

Abraham Flores (4-0 FS, 3-2 GR) took first place in both styles at 100 pounds. He won freestyle for the second straight week with a pair of tech falls, then won Greco with a tech and two pins.

Clayton Giddens (5-0 FS) took first place in freestyle for the second-straight week at 70 pounds. He teched all three of his opponents without giving up a single point.

Balance Johnson (3-1 FS, 3-1 GR) took first place in freestyle at 112 pounds with a pin and a tech fall, then came in runner-up in Greco with a 45-second pin of Zack Maguire.

Grady Mittasch (7-4 FS, 3-6 GR) took third place in freestyle at 75 pounds with two tech falls and a pin, then took second in Greco. He teched his first opponent, but defaulted with an injury in the finals.

Adrian Flores (1-2 FS, 1-2 GR) took third place in Greco and fourth place in freestyle at 100 pounds. He defeated Ej Smith in both styles, one by pin and once by tech fall.