9X Sandite of the Week: Daton Fix makes Dual Nationals All-Tournament Team

/

Daton Fix pins his foe during a dual against Enid. Click here to view the full gallery.

Two Sand Springs wrestlers competed on the Oklahoma Freestyle Junior Dual Team this weekend at the USA Wrestling Dual Nationals. Daton Fix, a four-time State Champion signed to Oklahoma State University, went undefeated to make the All-Tournament team. Riley Weir, a State Champion with two seasons left in high school, also went undefeated, but didn’t wrestle enough matches to qualify for the All-Tournament Team.

Fix and Weir are two of five folkstyle State Champions from this year’s Charles Page High School wrestling squad. They helped their team attain its first State Title since 1971. Click here to view our special edition magazine commemorating the season.

While folkstyle wrestling is only practiced in American high schools and colleges, freestyle is an international style that can be found in the Olympics.

The 2017 Junior Duals were held at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Tulsa. 36 teams from 26 states competed in the event, and Minnesota claimed the title with a 33-31 victory over Illinois.

Illinois continued their streak of three-straight Runner-Up finishes, while Oklahoma placed fourth. The Oklahoma Outlaws placed seventh last year and won the title in 2015 and 2014.

Oklahoma went undefeated on day one, taking first place in Pool C and earning their way into the Gold Pool.

The Outlaws defeated North Dakota Red 70-2 in their first dual. Weir pinned Devin Schulz in 1:08 and Fix pinned Austin Hendrickson in 1:13. In the next round they prevailed 53-11 over Nebraska Blue and Fix teched Trevor Fauver 10-0. Finally they topped New Jersey 44-13. Both Sandites had nationally-ranked opponents, but neither gave up a single point. Weir teched No. 5 State Champion Anthony Clark 10-0 and Fix teched No. 6 National Champion Zach Sherman 11-0.

In the Gold Pool the Okies soundly defeated Michigan Blue 42-22. Weir pinned No. 16 two-time State Champion Ben Kamali in 1:13 and Fix teched Drew Martin 10-0. Next to fall was Missouri by a final score of 58-9 thanks in part to a 10-0 tech fall by Fix against two-time State Champion Cameron Valdiviez.

The win-streak finally came to an end at the hands of Minnesota, 40-26, despite Weir’s 14-1 victory over Max Crowe, and Fix’s pin of two-time State Champion Brent Jones in 0:51. They lost their next dual as well, 40-23 to Ohio, despite a 10-0 victory by Fix over Hunter Kosco.

Fix is currently ranked first in the nation at the 132-pound weight class and pound-for-pound by Flowrestling. He hasn’t lost a freestyle match since September of 2016 at the Junior World Championships in Macone, France, where he took Bronze. He finished his high school career undefeated.

Click here to view previous Sandites of the Week.

Click here to nominate a Sandite of the Week.

Oklahoma out of contention for the title, but still impressing at Freestyle Nationals

/

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahome Outlaws got off to a great start Friday morning at the Junior Freestyle Duals, but saw their shot at threepeating for the Title fall short. The back-to-back defending National Champions had no problem blowing past South Dakota 55-11, Iowa Blue 52-17, and Utah Blue 47-18, but met their match in the top-seeded Minnesota Red team.

Beginning at 106 pounds, Oklahoma went on a run in the low weights taking a 16-1 lead with wins from Wyatt Adams, Colt Newton, Dalton Duffield, and Daton Fix. Minnesota battled back, however, as Brent Jones teched Jacob Butler 13-2 and Mitchell Mckee won a huge victory in taking down nationally ranked No. 4 Kaden Gfeller with a 7-4 decision. Alex Crowe also overcame one of Oklahoma’s biggest contenders in a 4-3 decision over Beau Guffey.

Jaryn Curry broke up the win streak with a 12-2 tech fall over Ryan Epps, but Minnesota got right back on the horse with a huge 11-7 win over Wyatt Sheets from Jake Allar. Lucas Jeske got the upper end of a 24-20 shootout with Dayton Garrett, Taylor Venz teched Bear Hughes 12-2, Owen Webster teched Zach Marcheselli 14-3, and Keegan Moore teched Gunner Cash 10-0.

Trenton Lieurance won a 4-4 decision over Sam Erckenbrack, but Matthew Peterson finished up the battle for Minnesota with a 13-2 tech fall over Riley Weir and Oklahoma was defeated 35-31.

In the first round of the Gold/Silver pool, the Outlaws were trumped once again, this time by Illinois.

Louie Hayes won a high-scoring 16-12 decision over Jet Taylor to start the dual. Duffield took the lead for Oklahoma with a 12-1 tech over Travis Piotrowski and Fix added to it with a 10-0 defeat of Gabriel Townsell.

Illinois surged right back to the top with a 7-2 decision from Jaime Hernandez over Jaxen Gilmore and A.J. Jaffe teched Guffey 10-0. Wyatt Sheets took down Shayne Oster 10-10 to reclaim the one-point lead but Illinois went on a run with wins over Curry, Baker, Marcheselli, Matt Smith, and Gage Johnson. With the dual clinched, Illinois forfeited the final three weights for a 37-31 victory.