Ty Bowling hired as next Sandite Wrestling head coach

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

Great jobs don’t stay available for long. Less than a month after the resignation of Jarrod Patterson, Charles Page High School has found its new wrestling coach. 

Sand Springs Athletic Director Rod Sitton confirmed Thursday the hiring of 2020 5A Coach of the Year Ty Bowling, pending the approval of the Sand Springs Board of Education.

“I’ve always wanted to coach in 6A,” said Bowling. “I just felt like this was the best time to go up and accept that challenge.”

Bowling was previously the head coach at Glenpool, where he coached three individual State Champions and led the Warriors to five district championships. 

The Warriors won three consecutive district titles from 2020 to 2022, were Regional Runners-Up in 2021, and have placed among the top four teams in 5A each of the last three seasons.

“We’ve had a lot of success over the past four or five years. We have awesome kids; they really bought into what me and the coaches were selling. They’re the ones who made that program what it has been.”

Leaving his hometown wasn’t an easy decision for the Glenpool alumnus, who has spent his entire professional career at his alma mater. 

“Being an alumni and building this program over the last 16 years, it was definitely a difficult decision,” said Bowling. “It wasn’t a decision I made within a couple of hours. I took my time on it.”

In addition to being 6A, Sand Springs was also a desirable program to join due to its longstanding wrestling tradition.

The Sandites have won two State titles and a Dual State title as recently as 2017 along with four State Runner-Up finishes, 17 District titles, and 41 individual State titles.

“I know Sand Springs has great wrestling tradition,” said Bowling. “I know they have great support within the community, with the parents, within the school.”

“A lot of wrestling programs - they’re fighting for everything they can get. I think Sand Springs - they’re going to do everything they can to support the wrestling program and make sure it’s got what it needs to try and succeed.”

In addition to wrestling, Bowling was also the running backs coach at Glenpool, though he expects to just be focused on wrestling at Sand Springs. 

“We didn’t discuss any football stuff, I think I’ll be all in on wrestling and we’re working on trying to build a girls’ program as well.”

Bowling met with the Sand Springs wrestling team this past week and will be getting together with the assistant coaches soon to begin the transition.

“They know how to build a good program, so I can learn from them and they can learn a little bit about my philosophy.”

He will also be coordinating with the Keystone Kids wrestling club that operates out of CPHS to see how he can assist with the town’s youth program.

Bowling currently lives in Kiefer with his wife, and the two don’t have any immediate plans to move closer to the Sand Springs area. He will be teaching outdoor education at CPHS. 

Patterson, the Sandites’ previous coach, resigned after four seasons with a 29-19 record, two district titles, and two top-ten finishes at State to take an assistant coaching position at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.

Jarrod Patterson resigns for assistant coaching position at Appalachian State University

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This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

For only the third time this century, Charles Page High School is looking for a wrestling coach. 

After four seasons as head coach, Jarrod Patterson has resigned to take a job as an assistant coach at Appalachian State University, an NCAA Division I program in Boone, North Carolina.

“It’s a tough place to leave because obviously there’s a lot of support and a lot of wrestling people here, and our family’s real close, but we just decided (to do this) while we’re still young,” said Patterson.

“I’ve been wanting to coach at the college level for the last couple of years so we decided if we’re not going to do it now, it won’t ever happen.”

Patterson took over the Sandite program in 2018 following the retirement of Kelly Smith. His teams went 29-19 in duals and won two district championships, placing 7th, 10th, 18th, and 13th at the State tournament with 23 qualifiers.

His stint at Sand Springs was his first as a head coach and he was previously an assistant at Brown University in Rhode Island.

“I coached for a year at Brown and really enjoyed it,” said Patterson. “Brown wasn’t a super good fit for me there. The location wasn’t great, being so far away from family and my girlfriend (now wife).”

The App State program has been trending upwards, and went 9-2 this season, placing second in the Southern Conference and 28th at the NCAA championship.

“I talked to some of my college buddies and a couple of them sent (the job listing) to me and told me about their coach, JohnMark, and said he was a good guy to work for,” said Patterson.

JohnMark Bentley has led the Mountaineers to a 51-5 conference record in the last eight seasons and has a 122-73-1 record over the last 13 years with six SoCon regular-season titles. He recently signed a contract extension through 2027.

According to Patterson, the school recently added three scholarship positions to the wrestling roster and is expected to add more in the coming years to help make the program even more competitive. 

“It’s a program that’s kind of on the rise right now, so I think it’s a good place to be.”

Patterson will finish out the school year at Sand Springs before the family moves to North Carolina on June 1st. His wife has also secured a new job in Boone. 

He informed his team before practice earlier this week that he wouldn’t be back next year.

“It’s a hard thing to do, to tell them that I’m not going to be the coach, but I also told them it was an opportunity for me. It was something I’ve been dreaming of, and we preach to the kids to chase their dreams.”

“I have a good relationship with a lot of the kids. We’re together first hour and second hour and they all come hang out in the wrestling room all day long. So I think having that relationship, they understand that it’s an opportunity for me.”

Patterson has nothing but good things to say about Sand Springs, despite leaving. 

“I’m in an awesome high school coaching position. I feel like I have all the resources I need, I have tons of support from parents and alumni. It’s just a great place to coach so leaving a position like this is kind of difficult.”

“It’s been great. I’ve had a lot of support. Obviously it’s not my hometown, but I’ve felt like within the last four years it’s kind of grown into my hometown.”

Patterson inherited the Sandites at an interesting time after the sudden retirement of 16-year head coach Kelly Smith, just a year removed from a State Championship. Smith, who now operates a Farmer’s Insurance agency in Sand Springs, has also stayed on as an assistant coach and his son is a junior on the team.

“Kelly Smith has been great. He’s helped me through that transition period,” said Patterson.

“(Earl) Shockley and TeDon (Fleischman) have been awesome with me. It’s hard to leave those guys as well. And obviously we’ve got some great junior high coaches. I had a good group of coaches to coach with and that made it hard to leave, as well.”

“I think the biggest challenge in the beginning was not having relationships with the kids, parents, and alumni. They don’t really know what to expect from me in the beginning. They don’t know my personality, how hard I work, or my goals.”

Patterson views his time in Sand Springs as a period of major personal growth.

“Those who were around me in the beginning know that I’m an introverted person by nature. Having a head coaching spot, I feel like it’s been really good for me as far as learning speaking skills, learning to fundraise, learning communication skills, doing a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, working with kids. Kids have all different kinds of emotions, different personalities.”

“I got a lot of experience as far as working with kids individually, communication with parents, fans, kids as a whole. I feel like I’ve definitely grown in the last four years.”

“Coach Patterson has been an integral part of Sandite Wrestling,” said Sand Springs Athletic Director Rod Sitton.

“We will miss him absolutely. He has been given an opportunity that few will ever get and we wish him and his family all the best at Appalachian State.”

As for the next head coach at Sand Springs, they’ll have a great community to step into and benefit from. 

“I think we have an awesome group of coaches from youth to junior high to high school, that were on the same page,” said Patterson. 

“I think we’re in a position where somebody can step in and they’re in a good position to really just jump right in and hit the ground running. The kids work hard, they want to win, they’re disciplined. They’re all very respectful kids. It’s just a fun group of athletes and coaches to be around, and it’s a fun group of admin as well. I had a lot of support as far as that goes as well.”

Sandite Wrestling places sixth at Regionals with seven State qualifiers

Mitchell Smith finished second as the Sandites’ top placer.

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School wrestling team finished in sixth place at the OSSAA 6A-East Regional in Stillwater on Saturday, qualifying seven Sandites for the State tournament next weekend in Oklahoma City.

“I felt like everybody wrestled hard,” said coach Jarrod Patterson. “We had a couple that came up a little bit short but I was very pleased with the effort that we put in. Everybody wrestled hard.”

The team saw a notable improvement over last year’s eighth place finish with four qualifiers, and the Sandites will be sending their largest lineup to State since Patterson took over the program in 2018.

“I think we’ve got a little bit more of a team type of atmosphere,” said Patterson. “Everybody’s watching every single match, cheering for guys.”

“They’re excited for each other, they’re excited for themselves. There’s a little bit more passion this year. I’m really excited about this group and the future.”

Junior Mitchell Smith (27-6) was the team’s highest finisher, placing second at 145 pounds with two pins and a 3-1 upset of the one-seed.

Carter Goodman (24-11) placed third at 160 after taking a break from wrestling last season. In the placement round he won a 6-4 decision against the Bixby wrestler who had beaten him 5-1 the day before. 

“Carter’s come up short a few times throughout the year, but man this tournament was a good one for him,” said Patterson. “He’s been working hard and just battling and staying in good position and had some really good matches.”

Blake Jones (11-6) placed third at 170 with three pins, and his only loss came to the tournament champion.

“Blake’s had a couple lingering injuries from football that we’ve been nursing throughout the season,” said Patterson. “But at this point it is what it is. He’s a senior and we’re going to push through it. That’s all we can do.” 

Sophomore stars Zander Grigsby (18-3) and Mason Harris (17-7) placed fourth at 120 and 220, respectively, and freshmen David Ritchey (20-12) and Jaxon “Scout” Trotter (20-11) placed fifth at 106 and 138, respectively.

Seniors Ethan Norton (23-15) and Brooks Dudley (21-11) placed sixth in their brackets, one win short of qualifying for State.

The State wrestling tournament will begin Friday, February 25th at 10:00 a.m. at State Fairgrounds Arena in Oklahoma City.

Mitchell Smith wins Cushing Tournament, Sandites undefeated in duals

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School wrestling team (3-0) is off to a hot start in 2022, winning duals against Jenks and Perry in dominant fashion. 

The Sandites steamrolled Jenks 67-9 with nine pins on Tuesday, January 4th, then sabotaged 3A No. 11 Perry’s homecoming 60-12 on Thursday before competing at the Cushing Tiger Invitational over the weekend.

Junior standout Mitchell Smith secured his second tournament title of the season, three other Sandites medaled, and the team earned 11th place out of 31 teams.

Smith (16-2) has won 13 matches in a row since a fourth-place finish in the season-opening Perry tournament, including taking first place and the Outstanding Wrestler accolade at the Cabot tournament last month.

“I think he’s going to surprise somebody at the end of the year,” said fourth-year head coach Jarrod Patterson. “There’s a lot of really tough wrestlers around his weight, but he’ll surprise one of those guys. He’s a beast on top. He’s got a little work to do on bottom, but overall he’s gotten a whole lot better over the last year.”

With the postseason only a month away, Smith has his eyes set on the State tournament. 

“I’ve qualified two years in a row and I haven’t placed yet, so I really just hope to place this year,” said Smith. 

For the first time since 1998, the Sandites didn’t have anyone medal at last year’s State tournament, despite qualifying four. “We’re definitely all motivated to go get it this year,” Smith said.

At Cushing, Smith pinned his first two foes in the first period, then built a 7-0 lead against Skiatook State Runner-Up Isaac Long before pinning him in the 145-pound semifinals. He wrapped up the tournament with a 5-4 decision over Sperry State Champion Brady Benham.

“If it weren’t for (Coach Patterson) I don’t think I’d be where I am right now on my feet,” said Smith. “He’s probably the best technician coach in the state in my opinion.”

Smith also credits his training partner Ethan Norton with pushing him to the next level, as well as his dad, Kelly Smith, for helping him on the mat.

Eli Kirk, a two-time State-placer from Guthrie, put an end to Zander Grigsby’s undefeated start to the season. The sophomore bounced back in the 120-pound consolation bracket, however, and pinned Cushing’s Daniel Herndandez for third place.

Jaxon “Scout” Trotter took fourth place at 138 and Mason Harris placed fifth at 285, pinning Blackwell State qualifier JD McCleary in only 39 seconds.

The Sandites have been leaning heavily on their underclassmen this season. 

“It’s a good group of kids,” says Patterson. “I enjoy coaching them. They all come in and work hard, and you can already see the improvement throughout the year. I’m excited for that group.”

Next week will prove even tougher for the Sandites, who host No. 3 Bixby (1-1) on Thursday before hosting the 57th annual Bobby Lyons Invitational Friday and Saturday.

“Our tournament’s real tough. We’ll have Bixby, Owasso, Stillwater, and district duals coming up, so we’ve got a tough road ahead of us,” said Patterson. 

“They’re working hard and wrestling good, so we’ll see. A couple of the kids were out sick, so if we can get them back on the mat and get everybody healthy, we should be alright.”

The Junior Varsity team placed 22nd at the Inola Tournament, led by Jesse Moore in fourth place and Ayreson Reiss in sixth place.

For the Keystone Kids wrestling club: Hudson Waag, Jase Morgan, Maddix Spencer, Ty Galloway, Mylum Ache V, Ryder Black, and Ryley Kester all won their divisions at the Bedlam Battle in Stillwater. 

Meet the Sandites wrestling dual is smashing success

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For the first time in the Jarrod Patterson era, the doors were open to the public for the Charles Page High School wrestling team’s ranking matches, and it was quite the spectacle.

The Sandites and Keystone Kids wrestling club teamed up Thursday night at Clyde Boyd Middle School to host Meet the Sandites, as Sand Springs wrestlers at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels all settled who was the best in each weight class.

Sand Springs used to open the ranking matches to the public back when Kelly Smith was head coach, but the tradition ended around 2016. Smith retired in 2019, but is now back on the team as an assistant as his son, Mitchell, enters his junior year.

“We’re excited to have him back,” said Patterson. “We were just kind of talking, and he said that was one thing they used to do that kind of got kids excited, so I was kind of excited to bring it back.”

“It seems like it worked out awesome. It seemed like they got a lot of fan support, and it’s good from the youth all the way up to high school.” 

The stands were certainly packed as the action went on simultaneously across three mats. On the varsity mat, the black team defeated the white in an evenly matched dual. 

Many recognizable faces returned to mat duty, including state qualifiers Mitchell Smith and Brooks Dudley, who won their matches by fall. Missing were Blake Jones and Mason Harris, who are recovering from football injuries.

“We’ve got a couple kids that are injured, but once we get through those injuries I think we should be pretty good,” said Patterson. “We’ve got a good group. They’re all hard-working kids from freshmen to seniors, so I think we’ve got some good leadership in there that will help us in the long haul.”

The Sandites graduated only one starter last year and added lots of talented junior high up-and-comers to give the team some extra depth and competitiveness at every weight range.

“We’re pretty solid all the way through, so as long as we can stay healthy and just battle and continue to get better we should be a really solid team,” said Patterson.

“We’ll have three freshmen in there who have a chance at getting in the lineup. Our 106-pounder is David Ritchey, then Colt Hood will be in there some at 113, and Jaxon “Scout” Trotter will be in there at 138.”

They will lean on seniors Shane Wolf, Colton Luker, Ethan Norton, Sammy Naugle, Jones, and Dudley for leadership.

Last year the Sandites finished the season a surprising 4-6, snapping a 14-year streak of winning records, primarily due to COVID-related quarantines, injuries, and canceled duals. They still brought home four first-place tournament medals, however, and qualified four for the State tournament.

Varsity will kick off the season Friday at the Perry Tournament of Champions, and will battle Sapulpa in their first dual on Tuesday the 14th at 7:00 p.m. on the road.

The junior high team hosted its annual tournament Saturday at CBMS and the Gold team took home first prize, followed by the Black team in sixth place and the White team in 19th. The girls placed 12th in their division.

Dawson Briscoe won at 80 pounds with six pins, Kaden Pope won at 106 with six pins, Jace Simms won at 119 with three pins, and Bailey Copeland won 82 pounds for the girls with a pin and a 17-2 technical fall.

Hudson Sheppard, Jaden Allen, Waylon Jeffers, and Ryley Kester placed second. Jaxon Grigsby, Karsen Skaggs, Matthew Moore, Jackson Burdge, and Tanner Copeland placed third. Colt Hood, Caleb Childers, and Preston Reyna placed fourth

The Keystone Kids competed at Sperry and Owasso on Saturday. Weston Roberts, Ty Galloway, and Mylum Ache V won at the Owasso Ram Jam, while Julian Valdez, Hudson Waag, and Bailey Copeland won at the Sperry Smalltown Throwdown.