Sand Springs Elementary Wrestling wins State Championship with 20 finalists

Blake Jones came in State Runner-Up at the OKUSA State Championship this past weekend. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Top-ten Team scores:

1. Sand Springs (377)
2. Stillwater (322)
3. Mutang (320)
4. Edmond (306) 
5. Catoosa (302)
6. Moore (232)
7. Sperry (199)
8. Marlow (149)
9. Collinsville (129)
10. Southmoore (122)

While the Charles Page High School wrestling team was winning their first Dual State Wrestling Championship in Shawnee this past weekend, the Sand Springs Team Big wrestling program was winning the Oklahoma USA Youth Wrestling League State Championship an hour down the road in Norman. 48 Sandite elementary wrestlers competed at the event, twenty made the finals, and eleven walked away as State Champions. Needless to say, the future of Sand Springs wrestling is as bright as ever.

Youth wrestling is not split up by school size, but has five age divisions and two classifications. Division One is for ages six and under, Division Two is ages eight and under, Division Three is ages ten and under, Division Four is ages twelve and under, and Division Five is ages fifteen and under. Inexperienced wrestlers compete at the Novice level until they win a certain number of medals for their age division, then they move up to the Open classification. 

Balance Johnson (10-0) competed in Division Three Open at 110 pounds and took first place with three pins. He topped Aidan Hays (Broken Arrow) in 2:04, Logan Richard (Mustang) in 2:03, and Treg Bowman (Stillwater) in 2:55.

Rhett Peak (22-9) competed in Division Four Open at 76 pounds and took first place. He received a medical forfeit from Will Simms (Bellator), then pinned Jaxon Klaassen (Weatherford) in 0:44. In the finals he topped Josey Jernegan (Sperry) 7-2 in sudden victory overtime. 

Bentley Cole (13-2) competed in Division One Open at 37 pounds and took first place. He majored Gabriel Sharp (Broken Arrow) 12-1 in the semifinals, then edged out teammate Tabor Reiss 9-8 in the finals.

Jayden Bussell (16-3) competed in Division One Open at 55 pounds and took first place. He defeated Elijah Davis (Moore) 7-0 in the semifinals and came out on top of a 6-4 sudden victory decision against Cash Province (Edmond).

Will Meredith (24-5) competed in Division Two Open at 43 pounds and took first place. He defeated Ty Walter (Bixby) 9-3 in the semifinal, then pinned Landon Woodard (Sperry) in 2:37. 

Clayton Giddens (39-2) competed in Division Four Open at 64 pounds and took first place. He teched Caydon Miller (Sapulpa) 16-0, then majored Lawson Knox (Marlow) 8-0.

Owen Martin (26-3) competed in Division Four Open at 67 pounds and took first place with less than a minute on the mat. He pinned Blake Hawthorne (Bethany) in 0:30 and Andrew Havens (Sperry) in 0:22.

Ethan White (10-16) competed in Division Four Open at 120 pounds and took first place. He teched Gatlin Wilson (Stillwater) 16-1, then topped Corey Chilcoat (Catoosa) 4-2 in sudden victory. 

Blake Jones (23-7) competed in Division Five Open at 100 pounds and took second place. He pinned Justus Pribyl (Little Axe) in 2:18, then topped Parker Brown (Tuttle) 5-2 in the quarterfinal. In the semis he was defeated 4-2 by Levi Buckridge (Bethany), but he snapped back with a 5-2 decision over Dregen Murray (Little Axe) and pinned Manny Rogers (Del City) in 3:29 to win the consolations. In the second-place challenge match he majored Reese Davis (Tuttle) 11-3. 

Asher Giddens (16-9) competed in Division One Open at 43 pounds and took second place. He won his quarterfinal match against Daniel Porter (Sperry) 15-9, but fell in 0:21 to Gannon Wilson (Catoosa) in the semifinals. In the consolation bracket he topped Jon Zerzavy (Cache) 9-7, then won the consolation finals 12-9 over Porter. In the second-place challenge match he defeated Tristyn Ulloa (Lawton) 5-2.

Grady Mittasch (41-10) competed in Division Three Open at 67 pounds and took second place. He pinned Cason Rumley (Tuttle) in 0:27 in the quarterfinal, but was edged out 11-10 by Blade Walden (Muskogee). In the consolations he majored Thomas Webb (Davis) 12-0 and topped Logan Hargrove (Catoosa) 6-0. He challenged Keller Kizarr (Marlow) for second place and prevailed 6-0.

Michael Johnson (3-1) competed in Division Three Open at 58 pounds and took second place. He pinned teammate Zander Grigsby in 2:59 and Kylor Edwards (Moore) in 2:45 before being edged out 2-1 by Ashton Davis (Muskogee) in the finals. In the challenge match he went into overtime with Javin Douglas (Bethany), but got the takedown for a 2-0 sudden victory decision. 

Tabor Reiss (17-3) competed in Division One Open at 37 pounds and took second place. He pinned Ivy Mullin (Stillwell) in 0:18 in the semifinal, but fell 9-8 to teammate Bentley Cole in the finals. In the second-place challenge match he majored Gabriel Sharp (Broken Arrow) 14-1.

Jaxon Grigsby (27-6) competed in Division Two Open at 49 pounds and took second place. He pinned Axton Vanbrunt (Westmoore) in 3:19, then topped Revin Fipps (Stillwater) 7-5 in sudden victory overtime before falling to Mason Burnham in 2:27 in the finals.

Promised Johnson (4-3) competed in Division Two Open at 64 pounds and took second place. He rolled over Max Harland (Berryhill) with a 17-1 technical fall, then topped Juan Ybarra (Altus) 4-0 before falling 5-1 to Daxton Sullivan (Bristow) in the finals.

Christian Forbes (14-9) competed in Division Five Open at 76 pounds and took second place. He pinned Riddick Nash (Del City) in 1:23, then topped Kaden Smith (Mustang) 5-0 before falling 10-0 to Guy Clevenger (Catoosa) in the finals. 

Dariuz Black (26-14) competed in Division Three Open at 73 pounds and took third place. He narrowly topped Maddax Mobly (Sulphur) 2-1 in the quarterfinals, but fell 3-1 to Hudson Sheppard (Cushing) in the semis. In the consolation bracket he topped Kaden Wallace (Moore) 2-0 and Charles Shafer (Cache) 5-4.

Hunter Spencer (25-11) competed in Division Two Open at 61 pounds and took third place. He pinned Silas Keeling (Weatherford) in 0:29 and Levi Dickison (Edmond) in 0:41, then topped Caden Johnson (Stillwater) with a 4-2 decision before falling 9-0 to Jaedan Adams (Stillwater) in the finals. In the second-place challenge match he was topped 4-2 by Gunner Murray (Claremore). 

Riley Magee (7-4) competed in Division Five Open at 190 pounds and took fourth place. He pinned Nathan Wahl (Blanchard) in 1:15 before falling 4-2 to Keegan Demario (Del City) in the quarterfinal. In the consolations he pinned Chubba Davis (Harrah) in 1:31, Kevin Davis (Muskogee) in 1:57, and Asher Havens (Sperry) in 2:54. In the finals he was defeated 4-1 in a rematch with Demario. 

Robert Burke (22-8) competed in Division Three Open at 64 pounds and took fourth place. He dominated James Shelton (Sperry) 15-0, then topped Devon Miller (Stillwater) 2-0 in the quarterfinal before falling 5-2 to Bryson Humphries (Catoosa). In the consolations he topped Dylan Abbott (Sperry) 4-2 in sudden victory overtime, but fell 3-2 to Miller in an overtime rematch for third place. 

Jaxon Trotter (26-24) competed in Division Three Open at 80 pounds and took fifth place. He majored Ethan Finch (Del City) 10-2 before falling 7-2 to Tyler McCall (Catoosa) in the quarterfinal. In the consolations he pinned Coalten Kennedy (Sulphur) in 2:32 and topped Christian Morales (Highlander) 6-0 before falling 10-1 to Hayden Yocham (Bristow) in the semis. In his placement match he prevailed 13-3 over Ethan Finch (Del City).

Carter Wood (13-9) competed in Division Two Open at 67 pounds and took fifth place. He defeated Jakiyas Peterson (Westmoore) in the quarterfinals, but fell 10-5 to Rebel Doiron (Tironook) in the semis. In the consolation bracket he was defeated 6-1 by Brady Larson (Del City), but he majored Peterson 11-1 in the placement match.

Matthew Moore (24-6) competed in Division Three Novice at 58 pounds and took first place. He defeated Miguel Hope (Muskogee) 4-0, pinned Dirk Johnson (Tecumseh) in 0:25, and majored Carson Owen (Ardmore) 8-0.

Ryder Barnes (10-5) competed in Division Four Novice at 105 pounds and took first place. He defeated Skyler Bean (Mustang) 7-0, Eathin Kennedy (Sulphur) 9-4, and Mort Barber (Harrah) 11-3.

Ryker Collins (7-5) competed in Division Four Novice at 160 pounds and took first place. He pinned Lane Gourley (Little Axe) in 1:14 and Owen Pazzo (J4) in 2:57, then topped Gavin Selanders (Guthrie) 6-2.

Jesse Moore (15-10) competed in Division Three Novice at 76 pounds and took second place. He defeated Kasen Harris (Comanche) 5-1 and pinned Wyatt Heuer (Harrah) in 0:37 before falling 7-5 in sudden victory overtime to Clay McKiddy (Cushing). 

Tanner Copeland (14-2) competed in Division Two Novice at 61 pounds and took third place. He was pinned in 1:12 by Hagen Sims (Davis) in the opening round, but rebounded with four-straight victories to win the consolation bracket. He defeated Creed Rogers (Davis) 6-0, then pinned Braylon Mullins (Southmoore) in 2:29, Andrew Kunkle (Catoosa) in 1:30, and Gage Goodwin (Tuttle) in 1:14. 

Samuel Moore (28-12) competed in Division One Novice at 49 pounds and took fourth place. He pinned Jordan Carey (Broken Arrow) in 0:19 and Ryker Williams (Sperry) in 0:23 before falling 5-3 to Jack Austin (Marlow) in sudden victory overtime. In the consolation bracket he majored Corbin Alexander (Broken Arrow) 15-6 but fell 5-3 to Tucker Alberty (Sapulpa) in the placement round.

Landyn Barnes (11-6) lost his opening match 4-1 to Aiden Cox (Southmoore), but majored John McDougal (Bristow) and pinned Aiden Terhune (Southmoore) in 0:21. In the consolation semifinals he got payback against Cox with a fall at 1:56, but was in-turn pinned in 0:46 by Chance Fisher (Tuttle) in the placement match.

Skyler Wood (18-4) competed in Division Two Novice at 64 pounds and took fifth place. He fell 8-0 to Dimitri Kizer (Del City) in the opening round, then pinned Louden McDoulett (Little Axe) in the consolations. In the semifinals he fell 8-5 to Peyton Heuer (Harrah), but he won his placement match with a 13-3 major decision over Ryder Trepton (Ponca City).

The State Tournament concludes the Youth Wrestling season, and it has been a good one for Sand Springs. Team Big crowned nine champions at the Cushing Halloween Takedown, eleven at the Claremore Youth Invitational, six at the Cleveland Novice Tournament, three at the Catoosa Tournament, seven at the Joe Zamora Open, four at the Team Neo Tournament, sixteen at the Sapulpa Tournament, two at the Battle for the Belt, eight at the Sperry Open, one at the Sand Springs Junior High Tournament, eight at the Owasso Tournament, twenty at the Sand Springs Team Big Tournament, three at the Collinsville Christimas Classic, eight at the Gage Underwood Memorial, one at the United State Junior Open Championship, nine at the Berryhill Tournament, twelve at the Blubuagh-Wilson Battle for Gold, eleven at the Bedlam Battle, and one at Junior High All-State.

As a team, the Sandites won the Sand Springs Junior High Tournament and the YWL State Tournament, and placed second at the Battle for Gold and the Bedlam Battle. They also came in third at the Inola Wrestling Tournament, fourth at the Sperry Open, and sixth at Junior High All State. 

Moore, Flores, Furr, Spurgeon all take first place at Team Neo Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Fourteen members of the Sand Springs Team Big wrestling club competed at the OKUSA Team Neo Tournament at Union Intermediate High School recently, and four took first place in their division. Samuel Moore, Ryder Flores, Bentley Furr, and Joshua Spurgeon all took home the gold.

Samuel Moore (5-2) competed in Division 1 Novice at 46 pounds and took first place. He won a close 8-7 decision over Corde Williams (Bristow), pinned Gunner Killingsworth (Warner) in 0:16 and Jonathan Valadez (Sperry) in 1:11, then defeated Weston Little (Bristow) 11-7.

Ryder Flores (3-0) competed in Division 1 Novice at 40 pounds and took first place. He won a close 10-7 decision over Johnny Ray Ashcroft (Bartlesville), pinned Barry Ritter Jr. (Coweta) in 0:19, then defeated Zaden Emerson (Catoosa) 15-8.

Bentley Furr (6-2) competed in Division 1 Novice at 60 pounds and drew only two competitors. He pinned John Harvill (Cushing) in 0:45, then won a close 9-8 decision over Xander Maggard (Sperry) for his second first-place finish this season. 

Joshua Spurgeon (7-1) competed in Division 3 Novice at 58 pounds and drew only two competitors. He won a close 9-7 decision over teammate Mathew Moore, then majored Jimmy Groden (Coweta) 8-0 for first place. 

Brysyn Jones (6-4) competed in Division 2 Novice at 43 pounds. He pinned Santos Valencia (Collinsville) in 1:22, but was in-turn pinned in 0:16 and 0:27 by Cody Horner (Sapulpa) and Benson Hunt (Warner), respectively.

Jesse Moore (2-1) competed in Division 3 Novice at 76 pounds and took second place. He defeated Clay McKiddy (Cushing) 15-8, then pinned Reece McCutchen (Sperry) in 0:58 before giving up a close 5-3 decision to Cable Golden (Collinsville). 

Evan Williams (6-2) competed in Division 3 Novice at 90 pounds and took second place. He won a 7-1 decision over Jackson O'Kelley (Cushing), then pinned Christopher Akers (Sperry) in 0:19 before falling 14-2 to David Cooper (Bartlesville).

Sammy Naugle (4-4) competed in Division 4 Open at 88 pounds and took third place. He lost a 16-4 major decision to Eli Zar (Terminator WC), but came back to pin Blake Radford (NEO) in 2:45, then won a close 1-0 decision over teammate Ethan Norton.

Dallas Flores (1-1) competed in Division 2 Novice at 67 pounds and drew only two competitors. He pinned Bryce Ward (Cushing) in 4:!7, but lost a close 8-6 sudden-victory overtime match to Dane Jensen (Claremore) and took second place.

Matthew Moore (1-3) competed in Division 3 Novice and drew only two competitors. He lost his opening match 9-7 to teammate Joshua Spurgeon, but rebounded with a 7-6 decision over Jimmy Groden (Coweta) for second place. 

Aiden Wilkerson (1-1) competed in Division 3 Novice and drew only two competitors. He won his opening match with an 8-1 decision over John McDougal (Bristow), but lost 6-3 to Dylon Link (Cushing) to take second place.

David Cline (1-2) competed in Division 2 Novice at 70 pounds. He lost his first match in a close 4-1 decision to William Cade (Coweta), but rebounded with a 14-0 major decision over Jaxson Matthews (Owasso) before falling in 2:42 to Griffin Goins (Broken Arrow). 

Colt Cothran (1-3) competed in Division 3 Open at 55 pounds. He was defeated 9-0 by Cayden Cupps (Catoosa) and 6-0 by Cavin Peper (Sapulpa).

Ethan Norton (4-6) competed in Division 4 Open at 88 pounds. He was pinned in 0:50 by Kai Shultz (Pryor) and gave up a close 1-0 decision to teammate Sammy Naugle for fourth place. 

Mittasch, Bussell, Flores take first place at Catoosa Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Fourteen members of the Sand Springs Team Big elementary wrestling team competed at a tournament in Catoosa recently and three took first place in their brackets.

Grady Mittasch (3-0, 7-0) competed in Division 3 at 70 pounds and won his third-straight tournament this season. He won a 9-0 major decision over Gerald Harris (Tulsa) and a close 4-3 bout with Jaxson Humphries (Catoosa), then pinned Cory Velasquez (Tulsa) in 1:20. 

Jayden Bussell (2-0) competed in Division 1 at 55 pounds and drew only two competitors. He pinned Mateo Baldez (Miami) in 0:09 and Colton Waldon (Miami) in 0:17 for first place. 

Dariuz Black (3-1) competed in Division 3 at 73 pounds and took second place. He pinned Derek Bailey (Pryor) in 2:28 and Aidan Wolfe (Pryor) in 0:23 and won a 7-0 decision over Samuel Melton (Renegade) before falling 5-0 to Louden Wolfe (Blackwell). 

Jaxon Trotter (3-1, 3-2) competed in Division 3 at 85 pounds and took third place. He was pinned in 0:43 by Tyler McCall (Catoosa), but won out from there with two pins and a major decision. He took down Ayden Tucker (Berryhill) in 0:36, Gabriel Rios (Berryhill) in 0:40, and majored Matthew Gass (Terminator) 9-0. 

Abraham Flores (2-1, 4-1) competed in Division 4 at 96 pounds and drew only one competitor. He was pinned in 0:59 in his first match against Rayden Agee (Blackwell), but won the next two matches 8-3 and 11-5 in a best-of-three series for first place. 

Tabor Reiss (2-1, 4-1) competed in Division 1 at 37 pounds and took second place. He defeated Zadien Emerson (Catoosa) by 16-0 tech fall and pinned Kroy Wolfe (Blackwell) in 0:26 before falling in 0:50 to Jayden Beard (Sperry) in the Championship round.

Clayton Giddens (2-1, 5-1) competed in Division 4 at 67 pounds and took second place. He defeated Andrew Havens (Sperry) by 19-3 tech fall and pinned Rhyder Morrow (Cushing) in 0:43, but lost 8-6 to Corban Zugelder (Catoosa) in a sudden-victory overtime match.

Kasen McAffery (2-1) competed in Division 2 at 61 pounds and took second place. He pinned Ayden Carlile (Catoosa) in 3:31 and Chase Bean (Berryhill) in 4:18 before falling in 1:12 to Brogan Oneal (Catoosa).

Colt Cothran (1-1) competed in Division 3 at 58 pounds and took second place. He pinned Camden Whitby (Collinsville) in 4:15, but was defeated 16-0 by Kyler Auten (Sperry). 

Robert Burke (3-2, 5-2) competed in Division 3 at 64 pounds and took fourth place. He was defeated 5-2 by Miles Velasquez (Tulsa) in the opening round, but bounced back with three-straight wins. He beat Keegan Herring (Sperry) 5-1, pinned Benjamin Smith (Bentonville) in 0:53, and decisioned teammate David Ritchey 6-3, before falling 9-1 to Daxton Sullivan (Bristow) in the consolation finals. 

David Ritchey (2-2) competed in Division 3 at 64 pounds. He pinned Andrew Kunkle (Catoosa) in 0:48 and majored Mason Moore (Owasso) 10-2 before falling 4-1 and 6-3 to Miles Velasquez (Tulsa) and teammate Robert Burke, respectively.

Ty Burdge (1-2) competed in Division 2 at 52 pounds. He defeated Matthew Compton (Catoosa) 8-2, but was pinned in 0:47 by Spencer McCellend (Pryor) and 0:24 by Jesse Justice (Sperry).

Hunter Dressler (1-2, 1-4) competed in Division 4 at 160 pounds and took third place. He pinned Preston Clark (Catoosa) in 0:49, but was pinned in 2:21 and 0:47 by Gunner Wilson (Catoosa) and Tyler Rich (Owasso), respectively. 

Carter Wood (0-2) competed in Division 2 at 70 pounds. He was defeated 10-2 by Grant Rowe (Blackwell) and 12-10 by Braxton Baker (Stilwell).

Adrian Flores (0-2, 5-4) competed in Division 3 at 100 pounds and drew only one competitor. He was pinned in 3:54 and defeated by a 15-0 tech fall against Kruz Goff (Blackwell). 

Six Sand Springs elementary wrestlers take first place at Cleveland Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs Team Big Elementary wrestling sent eighteen kids to Cleveland recently for an Oklahoma USA Wrestling novice tournament and six took first place in their brackets.

Skyler Wood (2-0) competed in Division 2 at 64 pounds and took first place. He pinned Drake Blue (Sperry) in 0:54 and majored Cayden Prather (Cushing) 9-0. 

Landyn Barnes (2-0) competed in Division 3 at 67 pounds and took first place. He drew only one competitor and pinned Ryder Trepton (Wildcat WC) in 2:41 and 0:56 in a best-of-three series. 

Joshua Spurgeon (2-0) competed in Division 3 at 58 pounds and took first place. He drew only one competitor and defeated teammate Matthew Moore 11-4 and 9-8.

Ryker Collins (2-3) competed in Division 4 at 160 pounds and took first place. He pinned Joey Holder (Cleveland) in 0:53 and Rowdy Jackson (Cushing) in 0:30 for his first tournament win of the season. 

Connor Diaz (2-0) competed in Division 4 at 105 pounds and took first place. He defeated Dayton Degraffenreid (Sapulpa) 8-3 and pinned John Gordon (Sperry) in 1:54.

Evan Williams (4-1) competed in Division 3 at 100 pounds and took first place. He received a forfeit from Joseph Robbins (Pryor) and pinned Landon Fesler (Bartlesville) in 0:17.

Hayden Luce (2-1) competed in Division 1 at 55 pounds and took third place. He pinned Kolten Bearshead (Cleveland) in only 0:20 before falling in 1:27 to JayPaul Welch (Bristow). He won his final match in a close 11-9 decision over Gabriel Hadix (Cleveland).

Aaerick Collins (5-4) competed in Division 1 at 46 pounds and split wins. He went into a tie-breaker round with Corde Williams (Bristow) and won 13-12, then pinned Shane Thomas (Sapulpa) in 2:58, before giving up a 17-1 tech fall to Aiyden Robertson (Claremore). He had another close one against Owen Hollis (Wildcat WC) but fell 7-6. 

Brysyn Jones (4-3) competed in Division 2 at 43 pounds and took fourth place. He defeated Aiden Chezem (Sperry) 11-7 and pinned Santos Valencia (Collinsville) in 0:41, but fell in 0:53 and 1:23 to Peyton Sims (Sapulpa) and Blake Parker (Wildcat WC) respectively.  

Bryher Collins (1-2) competed in Division 1 at 37 pounds. He was pinned in 0:54 by Edison Jones (Sapulpa) but rebounded with a 9-4 decision over Hays Bruner (Claremore) before falling 16-6 to Mekko Stites (Berryhill). 

Jordan Satoe (1-2) competed in Division 1 at 49 pounds. He pinned Coconut Jones (Sapulpa) in 0:40, but was pinned in 1:46 by Tucker Alberty (Sapulpa) and 0:56 by Michael Allen (Cleveland).

Rowdy Ash (2-4) competed in Division 1 at 40 pounds. He lost his opening match 6-0 to Rylan Sams (Sapulpa) and was pinned in 1:35 by Cael Dolan (Berryhill), but rolled to a 15-0 tech fall over Tyler Farmer (Cleveland).

Jaxton Grundy (5-3) competed in Division 1 at 43 pounds. He lost a close 18-17 shootout with Korbin Whitchurch (Sperry) and pinned Braxton Johnson (Pryor) in 1:16 before falling in 0:35 to Parker Ingram (Cleveland). 

Blayton Collins (3-6) competed in Division 2 at 55 pounds and took third place. He defeated Ethan Moss (Berryhill) by 13-3 major decision, but lost 11-2 to Bryce Burk (Cleveland) and 19-4 to Xander Wiley (Berryhill).

Samuel Moore (1-2) competed in Division 1 at 46 pounds. He defeated Conner McEntire (Cushing) 13-6 but fell 16-1 to Carson Voss (Berryhill) in the next round. He went into sudden victory overtime against Corde Williams (Bristow) and fell 10-6.

Easton Tanner (0-2) competed Division 1 at 40 pounds. He was pinned in 0:31 by Colten Sims (Sapulpa) and fell 14-2 to Rowden Benavidez (Sperry). 

Matthew Moore (0-2) competed in Division 3 at 58 pounds and drew only one competitor. He was defeated 11-4 and 9-8 by teammate Joshua Spurgeon.

Cesar Diaz (0-2) competed in Division 4 at 120 pounds and drew only one competitor. He was defeated 8-3 and pinned in 1:57 by Luke Provence (Berryhill). 

Sandite Wrestling tour de force continues at Schoolboy National Championship Duals

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs has a long and impressive history when it comes to wrestling, but 2016 is well on its way to becoming one of the best years yet. Dual State Runners-Up, eleven State Qualifiers, six Regional Champions, one State Champion, and that was just during the school year.

As the saying goes, "Summer wrestling makes Winter Champions." Since the school year ended, the Sandites haven't even slowed down. Charles Page senior Daton Fix won a Freestyle National Championship and is headed to the World Championships in France this August. Senior Jack Karstetter came in Runner-Up in Greco-Roman at Nationals and is headed to the Pan-Ams in Peru in July. But it's not just the upperclassmen building up their resumes. Clyde Boyd Middle School eighth-grader Carter Young is working hard on the national scene as well.

After winning the OKUSA Youth Wrestling League State Championship, the Junior High Allstate Wrestling Championship, the OKUSA Freestyle and Greco Roman State Championships, and the Southern Plains Regional Championships in both Greco and Freestyle, Young most recently found himself in Indianapolis, Indiana for the Schoolboy Dual National Championships.

Competing as part of Team Oklahoma Red, alongside fellow Team BIG wrestlers Christian Forbes and Cougar Andersen, Young was one of the most crucial members of the team, going undefeated in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle.

On day one of Greco, the Oklahoma Outlaws dominated Team Idaho, winning eleven of seventeen matches for a 53-23 victory. Young defeated Christopher Martino 10-0 in his match. In the next dual, however, it was Team Washington with the edge on Oklahoma. Young won a 10-3 decision over Kenndyl Mobley, but Washington won ten matches for a 42-31 victory.

Thursday the Outlaws began working their way up through the consolation bracket, winning a pair of tough duals over Missouri and Utah before falling to Pennsylvania Red. The Outlaws had a 45-30 edge on Missouri, winning ten matches including a 10-0 tech fall by Young over Cody Ketchum. The Oklahoma team won eleven matches against Utah and Young picked up yet another 10-0 tech fall over Sage Mortimer for a 47-32 victory.

The Okies met their match in Pennsylvania after leading for most of the dual. It was back-and-forth for the first half and the Outlaws led by as much as 30-16 before giving up a yellow card and six straight matches for a final score of 41-29. Young won his match, however, with an 11-0 tech fall over Sheldon Seymour to remain undefeated in the tournament.

On Friday the Outlaws’ third place finish in Pool A landed them in the Bronze/Copper bracket where they swept the competition with four straight victories.

Young scored a 12-0 tech fall over Zachary Espalin, helping his team to a 44-33 win over Virginia. Next to fall was Indiana Gold 48-30 after the Okies won eleven matches, including a 10-0 tech fall by Young.

The Okies scored another dominating victory over Arizona at 51-29, winning eleven matches yet again. Young continued to breeze through his competition with his sixth-straight shutout tech fall, this time over Nathan Bigelow.

In the finals, the Outlaws got another rematch against Utah and once again came out with the advantage, winning ten matches for a final score of 43-34. Young continued his streak with a 11-0 victory over Mortimer.

The Oklahoma team claimed first in the Bronze/Copper Pool, placing them at ninth in the nation out of thirty-two teams. Three Team Oklahoma wrestlers earned All-American status in Greco, including Young with a final record of 9-0.

In Freestyle the boys did even better, placing seventh out of thirty-five teams.

In round one the Outlaws smoked Tennessee 60-20, losing only four matches while resting Young. The Sandite returned to action in the next round in a 58-19 domination of Utah and Young beat Mortimer for the third time that week 10-0.

Young sat out round three as the Outlaws easily handled Colorado Blue 56-18, and returned to action in the Pool A finals. He defeated Bob Houpt 10-0, but team finally lost their first dual of the tournament 48-27 to Washington.

In the true-second dual Oklahoma earned their way into the Gold/Silver bracket with a 48-29 victory over Missouri, including another 10-0 win over Ketchum from Young.

Young received a forfeit from Illinois in the first round of the Gold Pool as his team won 48-27.

His streak of seven-straight tech falls finally came to an end in a close match with Jett Strickenberger. Young got the 10-6 decision, but Colorado Red defeated the Okies 48-30.

Young didn’t wrestle against New Jersey in the next round, and it may have made the difference as the Outlaws fell 41-38, including a loss in the 77 pound position that Young normally occupies.

In the seventh place match against Arizona, he returned to action with a 10-0 tech fall over Nathan Bigelow and the Oklahoma team finished seventh overall.

Young is currently riding a twenty-two-straight winning streak and a 65-5 record for the year. He was also named an All-American in Freestyle.

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This story was originally published in the Sandite Pride News Weekly Sunday edition.