OSU Wrestling: Daton Fix finishes freshman season as NCAA Finalist and All-American

Sand Springs native Daton Fix added another pair of impressive accolades to his ever-growing resume Saturday. The Oklahoma State University redshirt freshman earned All-American status with a second-place finish at the NCAA Wrestling Tournament.

Fix was a four-time undefeated State Champion at Charles Page High School and recently won the Big 12 title at 133 pounds.

In the NCAA finals he fell 4-2 in sudden victory overtime to Nick Suriano, who he has a longstanding rivalry with.

Suriano shares a nearly identical resume with the Cowboy. Four-time undefeated New Jersey Champion, Big Ten Champion, and NCAA finalist. Both have spent time ranked first in the nation throughout high school and college, and now they have a split 2-2 record.

Fix won their first meeting in an ultimate tie-breaker at the 2014 Cadet National finals, but Suriano paid it back later that year. The Jersey wrestler scored a takedown 26 minutes into overtime for a 3-1 win at the FloWrestling Who’s Number One event. The two set the all-time record for longest high school match at 32:12.

Five years later, Fix took the lead in the series in a dual between Oklahoma State and Rutgers in January. He got the win in overtime after Suriano was penalized for hands to the face.

Saturday’s bout went the way of the first three. Each wrestler scored a single escape in regulation and went scoreless in the first sudden victory period. Fix took a 2-1 lead with a stalling point in the second tiebreaker, but Suriano got the escape in the final moments to force another overtime. Finally, Suriano scored a takedown for the win.

The match was not without controversy. Fix fans objected to a stalemate call in overtime that led to Suriano’s escape, and wanted a penalty on Suriano for contact with Fix’s headgear moments before the takedown. On the other side of the fence, Suriano backers criticized Fix’s lack of aggression, believing he should have been called for stalling on multiple occasions.

Fix started the season 21-0 with a 26-straight win streak dating back to his 2018 redshirt season, and ended with a 35-2 overall record. He had the second-best win percentage (.945) at 133 pounds, trailing only third-place finisher Stevan Micic (19-1), and the second-most total wins, trailing only DJ Fehlman (36-8).

In addition to his Big 12 title, Fix also won the Oklahoma City Open, the Reno Tournament of Champions, and the Southern Scuffle. His only loss besides Suriano was to ACC Champion Micky Phillippi (21-4), who was eliminated one round-short of All-American status. He defeated five of the eight 133-pound All-Americans this season, including Suriano, Luke Pletcher, Austin DeSanto, John Erneste, and Ethan Lizak.

Fix was the tenth Oklahoma State freshman to make it to the NCAA finals. He had the best NCAA finish for an OSU freshman since 2003, and he is the 38th All-American freshman in OSU history.

Oklahoma State placed third in team standings with 84 points, trailing Penn State (137.5) and Ohio State (96.5). Iowa finished fourth with 76. The Pokes didn’t crown any champions, but had five All-Americans in Fix (2nd), Derek White (2nd), Preston Weigel (3rd), Nick Piccininni (5th), and Dakota Greer (7th).

The Pokes went 15-0 in dual action and won their seventh-straight Big 12 Title. They will graduate three of their nine NCAA qualifiers, including Weigel and White.

Per usual, the Pokes will bring in a solid recruiting class next season, including
132 No. 4 Reece Witcraft, two-time State Champion from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
132 Colt Newton, three-time State Finalist from Choctaw, Oklahoma.
152 Chance McLane, three-time State Champion from Bozeman, Montana.
160 No. 2 Brevin Balmeceda, three-time State Champion from South Dade, Florida.
160 No. 11 Dan Manibog, three-time State Champion from Katy, Texas.
170 Cade Lindsey, State Champion from Derby, Kansas.
182 Triston Wills, two-time State Champion from Derby, Kansas.

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2019 NCAA All-Americans

125
1st - Spencer Lee (Iowa)
2nd - Jack Mueller (Virginia)
3rd - Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern)
4th - Vitali Arujau (Cornell)
5th - Nicholas Piccininni (Oklahoma State)
6th - Pat Glory (Princeton)
7th - RayVon Foley (Michigan State)
8th - Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State)

141
1st - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
2nd - Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
3rd - Jaydin Eierman (Missouri)
4th - Dom Demas (Oklahoma)
5th - Nick Lee (Penn State)
6th - Mitch McKee (Minnesota)
7th - Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven)
8th - Chad Red (Nebraska)

157
1st - Jason Nolf (Penn State)
2nd - Tyler Berger (Nebraska)
3rd - Alec Pantaleo (Michigan)
4th - Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
5th - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
6th - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
7th - Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State)
8th - Larry Early (Old Dominion)

174
1st - Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
2nd - Mark Hall (Penn State)
3rd - Myles Amine (Michigan)
4th - Daniel Lewis (Missouri)
5th - David McFadden (Virginia Tech)
6th - Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)
7th - Jordan Kutler (Lehigh)
8th - Devin Skatzka (Minnesota)

197
1st - Bo Nickal (Penn State)
2nd - Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
3rd - Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State)
4th - Patrick Brucki (Princeton)
5th - Josh Hokit (Fresno State)
6th - William Miklus (Iowa State)
7th - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
8th - Benjamin Honis (Cornell)

133
1st - Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
2nd - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
3rd - Stevan Micic (Michigan)
4th - Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)
5th - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
6th - John Erneste (Missouri)
7th - Ethan Lizak (Minnesota)
8th - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)

149
1st - Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
2nd - Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
3rd - Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)
4th - Mitch Finesilver (Duke)
5th - Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton)
6th - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
7th - Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)
8th - Pat Lugo (Iowa)

165
1st - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
2nd - Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)
3rd - Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven)
4th - Evan Wick (Wisconsin)
5th - Isaiah White (Nebraska)
6th - Joshua Shields (Arizona State)
7th - Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
8th - Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa)

184
1st - Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)
2nd - Maxwell Dean (Cornwell)
3rd - Myles Martin (Ohio State)
4th - Ryan Preisch (Lehigh)
5th - Emery Parker (Illinois)
6th - Chip Ness (North Carolina)
7th - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
8th - Zachary Zavatsky (Virginia Tech)

285
1st - Anthony Cassar (Penn State)
2nd - Derek White (Oklahoma State)
3rd - Gabe Steveson (Minnesota)
4th - Jordan Woods (Lehigh)
5th - Amar Dhesi (Oregon State)
6th - Youssif Hemida (Maryland)
7th - Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)
8th - Trent Hillger (Wilsconsin)

Wrestling: Daton Fix to take on defending Silver Medalist for ticket to World Championships

Daton Fix concluded his high school career in 2017 as a four-time undefeated State Champion with a 168-0 record. 

Oklahoma State University freshman and Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate Daton Fix (15-3) is back in the spotlight as the Final X Senior World Team Trial approaches. On Saturday, June 9 Fix will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on Thomas Gilman in the last rung of the ladder to the World Championships.

In April Fix placed second at the U.S. Open, outscoring his first three opponents 24-0 with two first-period technical falls before falling 2-2 to University North Carolina assistant coach Tony Ramos. The former NCAA National Champion was awarded the win on criteria, but Fix got a rematch in May and made up for the loss.

At the Senior World Team Trials three weeks ago, Fix again made quick work of his pre-finals opponents. He teched former Oklahoma State All-American Eddie Klimara 14-2 in 2:07, topped former Illinois All-American Zane Richards 9-2, then teched former Minnesota All-American Zane 10-0 in 2:00. Fix won a best-of-three finals series against Ramos with 4-3 and 10-3 decisions.

On Saturday Fix will attempt to upset Gilman, who won Silver at the 2017 World Championship in Paris, France. While Gilman was coming in Runner-Up in France, Fix was going the distance for Gold at the Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland.

Fix has an extensive international resume at the Junior level, including Worlds Bronze in 2016, but is still relatively new to the Senior scene. He swept the Under 23 World Team Trials in October but was eliminated in the first round at Poland.

Fix made his debut at No. 15 in the FloWrestling International Freestyle rankings after topping Ramos. Gilman dropped from seventh to thirteenth in those same rankings after falling to Cuba’s Reineri Ortega in the Pan-American Championships.

The first round of the trials will kick off at 6:00 p.m. Central Time in Bob Devaney Sports Center at the University of Nebraska. Fix and Gilman will be the fifth of seven matches on the card. Round two will begin approximately at 7:15 and the final round will be at 8:30.

Also defending their spots on the Mens’ World Team are 70 KG Silver Medalist James Green, 74 KG Champion Jordan Burroughs, and 97 KG Champion Kyle Snyder.

This year’s World Championship will be held in Budapest, Hungary October 20-28.

In Other Wrestling News:

The Sand Springs Team Big wrestling club brought home ten gold medals from the OKUSA State Tournament last month in Cushing, finishing fourth out of seventy-seven teams in total standings.

The Sandites placed third in Schoolboy Freestyle and Cadet Freestyle, and secured a team State title in Schoolboy Greco-Roman.

Threestyle Wrestling, based out of Catoosa and Owasso, won the tournament overall with 667 points. Edmond’s Oklahoma Wrestling Academy came in runner-up with 332, Prodigy Wrestling scored 250, and Sand Springs scored 246.

Grady Mittasch (25-6 FS, 17-7 GR) took first place in both styles, competing in Novice at 78 pounds, with three technical falls.

Christian Forbes (11-0 FS, 8-0 GR) swept both styles for a pair of 94 pound Cadet titles with four tech falls and a pin.

Carter Young (38-6 FS) won both styles for a pair of 113 pound Cadet titles with five techs and a pin.

Ethan White (21-8 FS, 8-2 GR) won the Schoolboy Greco title at 136 pounds with a pin and a tech, and placed second in Freestyle with a pin and a tech.

Abraham Flores (14-3 FS, 10-3 GR) won the Schoolboy Greco title at 114 pounds with a pin and a tech fall, and placed third in Freestyle with a tech.

Clayton Giddens-Buttram (8-0) took first place at the Schoolboy Freestyle tournament at 77 pounds with a 10-0 technical fall and a 4-3 finals decision.

Bryce Fisher (25-2) won the Schoolboy Freestyle title at 149 pounds with a pin and two decisions.

Josey Jernegan (2-1 FS, 2-1 GR) placed second in Schoolboy in both styles at ninety pounds with three technical falls and a fall.

TJ Long (5-2 FS, 6-3 GR) placed second in Junior Freestyle and fourth in Greco with two tech falls.

Cameron White (9-9 FS) placed third in Schoolboy in both styles at 110 pounds with one pin and two tech falls.

Several Team Big wrestlers represented Team Oklahoma at the Southern Plains Regional in Dodge City Kansas this past weekend.

Mittasch won both styles at Novice 78 with three pins and a tech. Balance Johnson (3-1 FS, 4-0 GR) won both styles at Novice 160 with three pins. Long placed second in freestyle and third in Greco at Novice 126.

Sandite of the Week: Daton Fix qualifies for World Championship in Finland

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Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate and incoming Oklahoma State University freshman Daton Fix defeated Arizona State freshman Brandon Courtney at the Junior World Team Trials in Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend.

Courtney finished his senior season ranked 11th in the country at 126 pounds according to Flowrestling. He was a four-time Arizona State finalist, three-time State Champion, and the 2015 USAW Junior Freestyle National Champion.

Fix is ranked first in the country both at 132 pounds and pound-for-pound. He finished his high school career as a four-time undefeated State Champion with multiple UWW and USAW National Championships. 

Fix has made the World Team the past three seasons. In 2016 he took Bronze at Junior Worlds in France, in 2015 he took Bronze at Cadet Worlds in Bosnia, and in 2014 he placed tenth at Cadet Worlds in Slovakia. He also won Silver at the Youth Olympic Games in China in 2014.

As the defending World Team member, Fix got a bye through the World Team Trials bracket and met Courtney in a best-of-three series in the finals.

Courtney had to win three matches to make his way to the finals. He defeated Buffalo freshman Derek Spann 12-2, Nebraska-committed and undefeated high school senior Alex Thomsen 7-5, and Indiana freshman Liam Cronin 10-0.

Courtney had an impressive trip to the finals, but once he got there he was quickly shut down by Fix. In the first match the Sandite handily rolled to a 12-0 tech fall. In the second match Courtney managed to score a four-point throw, but Fix still prevailed with another tech fall at 15-4 to secure his place on the world team.

The Junior World Championship will be held August 21-26 in Tampere, Finland. 

Fix was one of five State Champions on the 2017 Sand Springs Wrestling Team that won both the State and Dual State Championships this year. Click here to view our commemorative magazine.

Click here to view previous Sandites of the Week. 

To nominate a Sandite of the Week, fill out the form on our homepage.

Sand Springs Sandite Wrestling wins 6A State Championship with 5 Champions

Top-Five Team Scores:

1. Sand Springs (129.5)
2. Broken Arrow (124)
3. Choctaw (110.5)
4. Edmond North (64)
5. Stillwater (47)

2017 6A State Champions

106: Riley Weir (Sand Springs sophomore)
113: Canon Randall (Westmoore senior)
120: Paxton Rosen (Edmond North senior)
126: Tanner Cole (Deer Creek senior)
132: Daton Fix (Sand Springs senior)
138: Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs senior)
145: Beau Bratcher (Sand Springs senior) 
152: Payton Scott (Sand Springs junior) 
160: Jaryn Curry (Choctaw junior)
170: Zane Coleman (Choctaw sophomore)
182: Gavin Potter (Broken Arrow sophomore)
195: Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow sophomore)
220: Skyler Haynes (Broken Arrow senior)
285: Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow senior)

6A Outstanding Wrestler: Daton Fix (Sand Springs)

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

For the first time since 1971, the Charles Page High School Wrestling team will bring home a team trophy from the OSSAA State Tournament. With five State Champions and seven placers, the Sandites came out on top of a three-way race with No. 2 Choctaw and No. 3 Broken Arrow to clench their second State Championship this month after winning the Dual State title in Shawnee two weeks prior. 

This is the first time in town history that the Sandites have won two team State Championships in a single year. Oklahoma State University-signed senior Daton Fix officially ended his high school career as the first-ever four-time State Champion in Sand Springs history, and he did it without giving up a single loss. This was the first time since 2002 that anyone in Oklahoma went four years undefeated with four titles. This was also the first time another Sandite would bring home the gold with him.

Before this season, the Sandites had crowned 25 State Champions with 36 gold medals total. But no two Sandites have won State in the same year since 1978 when Craig Sanders, Kevin Newport, and Billy Boyd took the podium. Hall Williams, Wayne Sutterfield, and current Assistant Coach Ronnie Luce did so in 1974, and Frank Peck, Rick Warren, and Eddie Sullivan did so in 1971. The Sandites have never had more than three Champions in a single year, but they did place seven finalists in the 71' Championship season.

History was made Saturday evening as five of the six Sandite finalists won their brackets. Fix was joined atop the podium by sophomore Riley Weir, junior Payton Scott, and seniors Jack Karstetter and Beau Bratcher.

Weir (41-6 season, 62-18 career) took on Edmond Memorial freshman Garrett Steidley (30-4) in the 106-pound finals and won the first State Title of the evening. Weir was visibly dissatisfied with his first shot as the two ended up in a tangled mess vying for control. The wrestlers returned to their feet and Steidley took Weir off the mat with an inside trip, but didn't score. Returning to center the Sandite got the angle he was looking for and took the Bulldog down for back points. They started the second period neutral with Weir leading 4-0, and this time it was Steidley with the takedown. They returned to neutral for the third period and stayed there for the duration. The trailing Bulldog was the aggressor, firing off multiple close shots. But every time they hit the mat, Weir found his defense and staved off the takedown, ultimately holding on for the 4-2 decision.

Fix (47-0, 165-0) easily handled Edmond North senior Brandon Bright (36-5) in the 132-pound finals. It was a strange match for Fix. Bright did the unthinkable and actually scored a takedown. He was the first opponent to score against Fix this season. It wouldn't happen again, however. The Sandite took a 7-4 lead into the second period and made it 17-9 by the third, though Bright did put up some solid shots. Fate had its way and the Sandite was within a takedown of a technical fall before snagging the pin at 4:52.

Karstetter (32-1, 105-16) met Stillwater senior Tyler Dieringer (26-5) in the 138-pound finals. The two remained neutral throughout an aggressive first period, with Dieringer fending off several close calls. Karstetter started the second period on bottom and took the lead with an escape, but Dieringer tied it up early in the third. With twenty seconds left, the Sandite scored the winning takedown.

Bratcher (45-7, 136-30) battled former two-time Louisiana State Champion and Stillwater senior Kendon Lee (35-3) in the 145-pound finals. Bratcher and Lee were evenly matched throughout, remaining neutral through the first period. The Sandite scored an escape midway through the second period and added a takedown at the minute mark. He cut Lee loose midway through but was unable to score again. Bratcher started the final stretch on top and was nearly reversed on but managed to hold tough till a "potentially dangerous" call returned him to a more comfortable position. Lee continued to show his explosiveness on the scramble, but Bratcher had a vice grip and held off a reversal attempt as time expired for the 3-1 victory.

Scott (40-3, 61-11) squared off with Enid senior Austin Loza (36-9) in the 152-pound finals. Loza selected the down position after a neutral first period and quickly escaped for the lead, but Scott found a buzzer-beating takedown for the advantage. He started the third period on bottom, immediately broke loose, and stayed on his feet for a 3-1 decision.  . 

Jordan (44-2, 75-14), a Pittsburg State University football-signed senior, took on defending State Champion and Broken Arrow senior Skyler Haynes (12-2) in the 220-pound finals. Jordan wasted no time with his first shot and had the defending State Champ on the ropes before Haynes worked his way out of danger and ended up scoring on the Sandite. He cut Jordan loose soon after and the Sandite was just a second short of a takedown. Instead he entered the second period trailing 2-1 and Haynes elected the defensive position. Jordan cut him loose almost immediately but was unable to find points. He chose to start the third period on bottom and was in danger of a cradle for a while before finding the escape. He was unable to score, however, and Haynes prevailed for his second State title. Jordan may have lost this match, but he bested the Tiger two other times this season and still finished his career as a three-time State Qualifier and State Runner-Up.

Eleven Sandites qualified for the State Tournament. Michael Ritchey (36-12, 65-36), Blake Sargent (37-11, 89-25), Noah Almy (24-20), and Zane Basma (26-5, 88-30) were eliminated without placing. 

Senior Tanner Ward (34-12, 110-24) finished his career as a four-time State-placer, taking fourth place in the 113-pound bracket. He met Mustang sophomore Cameron Picklo in a rematch of the first-round and looked to be in good shape, leading 3-1 in the final minute of the match. Picklo scored a takedown with twenty seconds left, however, and rolled the Sandite onto his shoulder for a pair of nearfall points and a 5-3 decision. 

Sand Springs will be in a bit of a rebuilding year next season after graduating seven of their eleven State Qualifiers, but the Sandite bench is loaded with talented underclassmen waiting their turn. Simply returning two State Champions will be huge, but the Sandites will also have incoming Junior High State Champion Carter Young, Runner-Up Brett Black, and placers Kaden Glass, CJ Kirby, and Seth Jones. 

The future is as bright as ever in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. 

Eight Sandites take first place at Gage Underwood Memorial Wrestling Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Thirty-one members of the Sand Springs elementary and junior high wrestling teams competed at the Gage Underwood Memorial Tournament recently in Pryor. Twenty-nine placed in the top four in their divisions and eight took first place. 

Dariuz Black (17-12) competed in both Division Three and Division Four Open at 73 pounds. He took first in Division Three and second in the older division. In Division three he pinned Aidan Wolfe (Pryor) in 2:06, received a forfeit from Kenyon Encinas (Pryor), then scored a 23-8 technical fall over Andrew Haynes (Glenpool). In Division Four he pinned Riley Kuder (Broken Arrow) in 0:40 and scored a 22-7 tech fall over Encinas, but was pinned in 1:06 by Corban Zugelder (Catoosa). 

Jaxon Trotter (18-15) competed in both Division Three and Division Four Open at 85 pounds. He took first place in Division three, majoring Jaxon Turner (Vinita) 10-1 and defeating Jake Miller (Threestyle) 4-2. In Division Four he majored Dakota Allphin (Glenpool) 12-0, but was pinned in 2:23 by Lane Wheeler (Glenpool). 

Jaxon Grigsby (18-3) competed in Division Two Open at 49 pounds and took first place. He received a forfeit from Ethan Boyd (Claremore) then pinned his next three opponents. He pinned Tommy Parker (Pryor) in 0:36, Malaki Venetoff (Berryhill) in 3:55, and Parker Lapham (Owasso) in 0:45.

Grady Mittasch (32-7) competed in Division Three Open at 70 pounds and took first place. He defeated Jaxson Humphries (Catoosa) 4-0 and Logan Hargrove (Catoosa) 6-0, then pinned teammate Hunter Jewell in 0:36. 

Clayton Giddens (27-1) competed in Division Four Open at 67 pounds and took first place. He pinned Andrew Havens (Sperry) in 1:11, Caydon Miller (Sapulpa) in 1:06, and Jackson Willingham (Glenpool) in 3:28. 

Abraham Flores (13-7) competed in Division Four Open at 96 pounds and took first place. He defeated Chad Herbert (Owasso) 12-7 in sudden victory overtime, then teched Kevin Lund (Glenpool) 16-0.

London McGinnis (14-7) competed in both Division One Novice and Division One Open at 46 pounds and took second place in each. In Novice he defeated Corde Williams (Bristow) 12-5 and pinned Cash Pope (Glenpool) in 0:56 before falling 5-4 to Blake Ketcher (Pryor). In Open he lost his opening match 7-4 to Braylon Freeman (Cleveland), but rebounded with a 9-0 major decision over Ketcher, then topped Aiyden Robertson (Claremore) 8-2.

Hunter Spencer (13-6) competed in Division Two Open at 61 pounds and took second. He lost his opening match 9-2 to Javon Freeman (Cleveland), but won his next two handily. He majored Gunner Murray (Claremore) 10-0 and Seth Kysar (Cleveland) 9-0.

Zander Grigsby (18-5) competed in Division Three Open at 61 pounds and took second. He defeated Isaiah Jones (Glenpool) 11-1 and Jagen Jones (Sperry) 4-0 before falling 1-0 to Gage Walker (Jay) in the finals. 

Adrian Flores (14-11) competed in Division Three Open at 100 pounds and took second place. He pinned Kole Lamont (Broken Arrow) in 2:31, but was pinned in 1:06 by Bryson Kelley (Cushing). 

Carter Wood (11-5) competed in Division Two Open at 70 pounds and took third place. He lost his opening match 0-0 to Jake Wassom (Pryor), but scored a 20-4 tech fall over Eli Warer (Pryor) and received a forfeit from Jackson Vaught (Threestyle).

Robert Burke (15-5) competed in Division Three Open at 67 pounds and took third place. He was pinned in 1:20 by Bryson Humphries (Catoosa), but received a forfeit from teammate David Ritchey and defeated Elijah Green (Broken Arrow) 9-7. 

Asher Giddens (8-7) competed in Division One Open at 43 pounds and took fourth place. He defeated Daxen Delacerda (Bristow) 9-7 in the opening round, but was pinned in 0:28 by Roman Tyler (Berryhill). In the consolations he pinned Camden Reid (Pryor) in 0:19, but lost a rematch in the final 6-4 to Delacerda in sudden victory overtime. 

Matthew Moore (14-3) competed in Division Three Novice at 61 pounds and took first place. He scored a 10-2 major decision over Wiley Welch (Glenpool), pinned Justin Kendall (Sapulpa) in 0:28, and teched Jarrett Graves (Pryor) 16-0.

Skyler Wood (10-1) competed in Division Two Novice at 64 pounds and took first place. He scored a 1-0 decision over Jase Loftis (Pryor) and a 10-2 major decision over Ethan Oglesbee (Coweta). 

Jesse Moore (9-5) competed in Division Three Novice at 76 pounds and took second place. He pinned Eli Phemister (Glenpool) in 1:56 and Teryn Kegley (Pryor) in 1:59, but lost a close 5-4 decision to Clay McKiddy (Cushing). 

Jeziah Boatman (4-5) competed in Division Four Novice at 76 pounds and took second place. He was pinned in 1:51 in his first match by Xavier Wolfe (Pryor), but snapped back with a 6-4 sudden victory decision over Hudson Sams (Collinsville) and decisioned Jacob Taylor (Cleveland) 5-2.

Samuel Moore (18-8) competed in Division One Novice at 49 pounds and took third place. He pinned Jordyn Garrett (Owasso) in 0:21 and Isaiah Wilkerson (Claremore) in 1:59, and received a forfeit from Karson Johnson (Berryhill). He was pinned in 2:35 by Bentley Mefford (Pryor), but majored Ryker Eichelberger (Pryor) 15-2 in the consolation finals.

Dayne Ficken (8-5) competed in Division Two Novice at 55 pounds and took third place. He defeated Jameson Allen (Sperry) 6-0, but was sent to the consolation bracket after an 18-2 tech fall loss to Josiah Hall (Oologah). He bounced back with a pin of Hayden Smith (Blackwell) in 0:42 and majored Carter Williams (Pryor) 10-1.

Jareb Boatman (9-2) competed in Division Two Novice at 52 pounds and took third place. He pinned Dylan Cook (Coweta) in 0:15 and scored a 1-0 decision over Slade Theriot (Berryhill), but was pinned in 1:50 by Jonas Howell (Oologah) and in 2:23 by Caleb Kendall (Sapulpa).

Sand Springs wrestlers compete at Virginia Duals on Team Oklahoma; two attain All-American status

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Team Results

18th Place - Oklahoma Outlaws Elementary (6-4)
31st Place - Oklahoma Energy Elementary (5-5)
50th Place - Oklahoma Lightening Elementary (6-5)
(60 Teams Participating)

19th Place - Oklahoma Storm Middle School
38th Place - Oklahoma Tornadoes Middle School
47th Place - Oklahoma Thunder Middle School
(60 Teams Participating)

Several Sand Springs elementary and middle school wrestlers recently joined Team Oklahoma at the Virginia National Holiday Duals. Clayton Giddens and Carter Young both attained All-American status by going undefeated through the entire tournament.

Clayton Giddens (24-1) went undefeated at 64 pounds for the Oklahoma Outlaws elementary team and earned All-American status. Giddens outscored his ten opponents by a total 56-8 with one pin and one tech fall. He scored an 18-3 tech fall over Maryland State Champion Morgon Corwine, and was only one point shy from a tech fall when he defeated North Carolina State Champion Jax Forrest 14-0. He also topped USJOC Runner-Up Christian Fretwell 7-0. Giddens went into a tie-breaker round against Nevada State Champion Muhammad Badery and came out 1-0, then defeated USJOC Champion Shawn Ryncarz 2-1 in a sudden victory round. The Outlaws competed against Team Ohio Scarlet for fifth place in the Silver bracket but fell 44-30. Giddens defeated his final opponent, Jace Jett 1-0 for a perfect tournament record. 

Carter Young (20-2) went undefeated at 92 pounds for the Oklahoma Storm middle school team and earned All-American status. Young outscored his nine opponents 72-14 with two pins and one technical fall. He defeated Freakshow Runner-Up and Flo Reno Worlds Runner-Up Drew Lang (Utah) 5-0, and Southeast Regional Champion David Panone (Minions Black) 7-3. In the seventh place match the Storm defeated Terps Express 50-26 and Young overcame Ohio State Champion Richard Delsanter 4-1 to complete his undefeated streak. 

Christian Forbes (7-6) competed at 70 pounds for the Oklahoma Storm middle school team. He went 5-4 overall and it could have easily been 6-3 as one of his loses was an overtime tie-breaker. 

Rhett Peak (16-8) competed at 76 pounds for the Oklahoma Outlaws elementary team. He went 5-5 in the tournament overall with two major decisions and three decisions. He scored an 11-0 major decision over Maryland State Champion Alexander Rodrigues, a 7-3 decision over Southeast Regional Champion Lane Foard, and a 4-0 decision over USAW Preseason National Runner-Up Carson Thomas. Luke Burdette (14-7) also competed for the Outlaws and went 4-6 with three forfeits and one decision. He defeated Caleb Beaty 4-0. 

Grady Mittasch (29-7) competed at 68 pounds for the Oklahoma Energy elementary team. He went 5-5 in the tournament overall, recording three pins, and scored a 13-6 decision over Georgia State Champion Colin Dragon. Three of his loses were by three points or less and he was never pinned nor defeated by technical fall. In the final dual of the tournament the Oklahoma team competed against Team Morrison Fitness for seventh place in the Bronze bracket and prevailed 57-21. Mittasch went into sudden victory overtime against Southeast Regional Champion Tyson Sherlock, but fell 4-2. 

Josh Taylor (10-5) competed at 112 pounds for the Oklahoma Tornadoes middle school team and went 4-5. He pinned two opponents and two of his losses were by a single point. Sam Harris (9-14) competed at 119 for the Tornadoes and went 2-7. He scored a 4-0 decision over Reno Worlds Champion Ryan Rutherford (California Black) and pinned Gavin Gregory (Michigan Select Red) in 0:30. 

Dariuz Black (12-11) competed at 72 pounds for the Oklahoma Lightening elementary team. He went 2-9 overall, but four of his losses were by three points or less and two were by a single point. Both of his victories were by fall, including 1:15 over Virginia State Runner-Up Anthony Lucchiani.

Ethan White (4-13) competed at 112 pounds for the Oklahoma Thunder middle school team. He didn't win any matches, but two of his losses were by two points or less and he took on some of the toughest competitors in the country.