Oklahoma Junior Dual Team wins Freestyle National Championship, Forbes goes 6-2

One Sandite and one former Sandite recently competed on the Oklahoma Junior Dual teams in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. The Greco-Roman team placed fourth at the National Tournament, while the Freestyle Team won the National Title for the first time since 2015.

Christian Forbes will be a sophomore at Charles Page High School this coming year. Carter Young won State as a freshman at Sand Springs before transferring to Stillwater last season. Both are internationally-competitive athletes. In 2016 the two traveled to Medelin, Columbia to compete in the Pan-American Championship. Forbes took silver in both styles, while Young won gold in Freestyle and silver in Greco.

At this week’s Freestyle Dual tournament Forbes went 6-2 at 100 pounds, beating Arkansas State Champion Tristan Stafford 5-4, Ohio’s Zach Bellissimo 10-0, New Jersey’s John Hildebrandt 11-0, and Ohio State Champion Marlon Yarbrough 10-0. He also received two forfeits. His only losses were to Jore Volk and Daniel Sheen, who both went undefeated,

Young went undefeated 6-0 at 126 in Freestyle, beating two-time Arkansas State Champion Jacob Adams 12-0, New Jersey’s Nicholas Digiacomo 10-0, Ohio State Champion Jimmy Carmany 10-0, Minnesota State Champion Jake Svihel 14-3, and Illinois’s Brody Norman 10-0. He also received an injury forfeit from Ohio’s Camron Lacure.

Oklahoma made it to the Championship round for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. It was their fourth finals appearance of the past ten years. Illinois made it to the finals for the eighth time in the past decade. The Land of Lincoln won four-straight titles at the start of the decade, but has come up short four times since then, twice to Oklahoma.

The Okies beat Illinois 32-31, marking the second straight year that the finals have been decided by a single point. Oklahoma beat the defending Champions from Ohio and the returning Runners-Up from Minnesota en route to the Championship round.

Illinois had more fortune in Greco-Roman, where they won their third-straight title and eighth title since 2009. The dynastic program has only failed to make the finals once in the past eleven years in Greco-Roman. Oklahoma settled for fourth place after coming in Runner-Up last year.

Forbes went 4-0 in the 100-pound slot with one forfeit. He scored an 11-6 decision over Missouri’s Cael Keck and teched Yarbrough 10-0. His most notable win was a 5-2 decision over Iowa’s Brandon O’Brien, a 2016 Cadet Pan-American Champion.

Young went 1-1 in the 126-pound slot, which he shared with TJ Long. He defeated Nebraska’s Dyson Kunz 10-1, but fell 8-4 to Missouri’s Eli Rocha.

Oklahoma Junior Freestyle Results
Oklahoma Red 63-5 Arkansas
Oklahoma Red 58-11 Georgia Red
Oklahoma Red 58-8 Texas
Oklahoma Red 48-17 Ohio Blue
Oklahoma Red 44-23 New Jersey
Oklahoma Red 36-29 Ohio Red
Oklahoma Red 38-32 Minnesota Blue
Oklahoma Red 32-31 Illinois

Past Junior Freestyle Finals
2019 - Oklahoma 32-31 Illinois
2018 - Ohio 33-32 Minnesota
2017 - Minnesota 33-31 Illinois
2016 - Ohio 37-27 Illinois
2015 - Oklahoma 37-28 Illinois
2014 - Oklahoma 38-29 Minnesota
2013 - Illinois 38-24 Michigan
2012 - Illinois 36-22 Iowa
2011 - Illinois 47-12 Oklahoma
2010 - Illinois 38-24 Iowa
2009 - Ohio 35-22 New Jersey

Oklahoma Junior Greco Results
Oklahoma 52-16 Tennessee
Oklahoma 53-17 Nebraska Red
Oklahoma 45-23 Missouri
Oklahoma 42-25 Ohio
Oklahoma 42-25 Iowa
Minnesota Blue 47-21 Oklahoma
California Blue 45-25 Oklahoma

Past Junior Greco Finals
2019 - Illinois 46-21 Minnesota
2018 - Illinois 44-21 Oklahoma
2017 - Illinois 41-21 Minnesota
2016 - Minnesota 42-21 Illinois
2015 - Illinois 40-22 Minnesota
2014 - Michigan 36-29 Oklahoma
2013 - Illinois 37-28 Michigan
2012 - Illinois 32-26 Michigan
2011 - Illinois 40-17 Wisconsin
2010 - Wisconsin 34-26 Illinois
2009 - Illinois 34-27 Florida