CPHS Wrestling Coach Kelly Smith presented with Pacesetter Award

View fullsize

Charles Page High School Head Wrestling Coach Kelly Smith was recognized by the Sand Springs Board of Education at their regular monthly meeting Monday evening. Smith led the 2016-2017 Sandites to their most successful season in program history.

"We are blessed with superstar teachers," said board-member Mike Mullins. "Kelly Smith is a wonderful wrestling coach. But he's not as good a wrestling coach as he is a teacher. It's a blessing to have you as part of the Sand Springs community and Sand Springs schools. We appreciate not just what you did but what you do."

Last year's Sandites won the State and Dual State Championships with five individual champions in their weight classes. He was recently named the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) Coach of the Year. 

In addition to the Pacesetter Award, Smith also received a Coin of Excellence inscribed with "Think Right, Challenge Minds, Inspire Hearts." 

"We don't give these out very often," said Mullins. "We give these out when somebody goes above and beyond. Kelly does that every day."

Youth Wrestling: Sandites crown eleven champions at Claremore Invitational

The future of Sandite wrestling is looking as bright as ever as the 2017-2018 youth wrestling season kicks off. A few weeks into the season, the Sandites have had strong showings at each tournament with several first and second place finishes.

The Sand Springs Team Big wrestling club crowned eleven champions at this past weekend's Claremore Youth Invitational and had seven runners-up. 

Champions

Michael Johnson (4-0) took first place in Division Four at 64 pounds. He pinned Jackson Martin in 1:33 and Simon Hartline in 0:22, and scored decisions of 6-0 and 4-0 against Jagen Jones and Iziah Tusler, respectively. 

Bentley Furr (4-0) took first place in Novice Division Two at 64 pounds. He pinned Hayden Smith in 23 seconds, Mateo Baldez in 2:29, and Colton Waldon in 28 seconds before scoring a 9-4 decision against Zavier Campion in the finals.

Chris Kirby (3-0) pinned Veronica Cooper in 22 seconds and Jose Flores in 24 seconds before scoring a 16-1 tech fall over Jonathan Gatz in the Division Five 155-pound finals.

Clayton Giddens (3-0) breezed through Division Four, pinning Joaquin Moralez in 2:48 and Keith Sanders in 3:52 before teching Dylan Abbott 18-3 in the finals.

Jaxon Grigsby (3-0) won Division Three at 58 pounds in dominating fashion. He pinned Owen Kiesel in 1:20 then teched Zane Filtz and Ty Michael Clark 15-0 each. 

Blayton Collins (3-0) took first place in Novice Division Two at 61 pounds with a thirty-second pin of Hunter Belcher and a 12-4 major decision against Maleah Zinn.

Owen Martin (2-0) took first place in Division Five at 84 pounds, pinning Korbyn York in 1:52 and teching Julian Briones 17-2. 

Skyler Wood (2-0) took first place in Novice Division Three at seventy pounds with a 1:57 pin of Edward Jones and a 15-2 major decision against William Laffoon.

Kasen McAffrey (2-0) won Division Two at 70 pounds, pinning Noah Boulware in fifteen seconds and Ethan Starks in 3:29. 

Rollin Fish (2-0) won Division One at 66 pounds, defeating David Tusler 13-9.

Connor Beals (2-0) won Novice Division Three at 76 pounds, pinning Mia Adams in 2:41 and scoring a 14-6 major decision against Bobby Brockman.

Runners-Up

Abraham Flores (2-1) took second place in Division Four at 120 pounds. He pinned Adrian Flores in 0:32 and Cameron Braswell in 0:21 but fell 2-0 to Blake Gilkey of Collinsville.

Carter Wood (2-1) pinned Josiah Moss in seventeen seconds and Caiden Estrada in 24 seconds, but fell 9-0 to Mason OBanion in Division Two at seventy pounds.

Ethan White (1-1) was majored 10-0 by Nathan Dekker in the Division Five 134-pound bracket, but pinned Thomas Moralez in 2:14 for second place.

Zander Grigsby (1-1) pinned Kynndrick Brooks in 3:31 but fell 2-0 to Bryson Humphries in the finals.

Ethan Starks (1-1) competed in Division Two at seventy pounds and teched Noah Boulware 18-3 before falling to teammate Kasen McAffrey.

David Cline (1-1) placed second in Novice Division Three at eighty pounds, edging out Drake Blue 6-5. 

Taytum Parker (1-1) placed second in Novice Division Two at 52 pounds with a pin of Tucker Daniels in 1:19.

Consolation Champions

Mitchell Smith (4-1) took third in Division Four at 84 pounds. He pinned Jim Watkins in 1:50 and defeated Jaxson Humphries 6-2 before falling 6-3 to Blade Walden. In the consolation bracket he pinned Dayton Moison in 44 seconds and repeated against Humphries with a 10-7 decision.

Robert Burke (3-1) took third in Division Three at seventy pounds, pinning Jace Simms in 1:55 and teching Aaron Wyrick 20-5. His lone loss was a close 7-5 decision to Daxton Sullivan. 

Asher Giddens (3-1) competed in Division One at 46 pounds. He defeated Rowden Benavidez twice, once in the first round and once in consolation. He was pinned by Parker Ingram but scored an 11-0 major decision against Kyson Buckner and a 9-0 major decision against Venvidez to win consolation.

Matthew Moore (2-1) competed in Division Three at 64 pounds. He defeated Jack Hooe 5-2 and Jimmy Groden 9-0. 

Sand Springs's Daton Fix wins World Championship in Tampere, Finland

Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate and Oklahoma State University freshman Daton Fix (30-0) traveled to Tampere, Finland this week for the United World Wrestling Junior World Freestyle Championship. The four-time undefeated High School State Champion breezed through the competition to attain his longtime goal of winning a World Championship.

Fix has previously competed in three World Championships. Last summer he took Bronze at Junior Worlds in Macone, France, and in 2015 he took Bronze at Cadet Worlds in Sarajevo, Bosnia. In 2014 he placed tenth in Snina, Slovakia. He also won Silver at the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. 

The Sandite sailed through the tournament with unreal ease, outscoring his opponents by a combined score of 53-1, not giving up a single point till the finals.

Building up to the finals, Fix defeated Mediterranean Champion Salah Eddi Kateb of Algeria, defending World Champion Afgan Khashalov of Azerbaijan, fellow World Bronze medalist Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan, and Asian Bronze Medalist Nader Amir Nasrisamakoush of Iran all without giving up a single point. In the finals he topped Youth Olympic Gold Medalist Ismail Gadzhiev 12-1 to seal the deal.

Fix was joined in the winner's circle by Mark Hall of Penn State and Gable Steveson of the University of Minnesota. Zahid Valencia, Ryan Deakin, and Mitchell McKee came in runner-up and together the six finalists secured the team title for the United States by a one-point margin over Russia.

Weir/Karstetter compete at Greco-Roman National Duals, place 6th

Jack Karstetter competes against a Perry wrestler at the 2nd Annual Ram Duals. (Click to view full gallery).

Two of Sand Springs’s folkstyle State Champions competed on the Oklahoma Junior Dual Team at the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Nationals. Riley Weir (0-2) and Jack Karstetter (7-7) both won scholastic State Championships this past season for Charles Page High School, helping their team to its first State Title since 1971. Karstetter graduated this year, while Weir will be a junior in the fall.

Click here to view the Sandite Pride special edition wrestling magazine commemorating the 2016-2017 season.

The Greco-Roman style of wrestling differs from high school folkstyle primarily in that it forbids holds below the waist. 

The Junior Duals were held in downtown Tulsa at the Cox Convention Center. Thirty teams from twenty-three states vied to wrestle the title away from Minnesota. The results were a familiar site as Illinois and Minnesota ended up in the finals for the third-straight year. This year it was Illinois’s time to shine with a 41-21 victory. Oklahoma took sixth place for the second-straight year.

The Outlaws got off to a great start, going undefeated in Pool C. They defeated Texas Blue 41-26 with help from Karstetter’s 3-1 decision over Colton Williams. Next to fall was Utah Blue, though neither Sandite won their matches. Weir was defeated 11-0 by Jordan Haskins in the Texas dual and went down in a 26-24 affair with Braydon Mogle in the Utah dual. Karstetter lost his second match 5-2 to Utah State Champion Stockton O’Brien. In the final dual, Oklahoma defeated Nebraska Blue 55-11.

After earning their way into the Gold pool, the competition was far tougher. They lost their first dual 33-29 to Kansas Blue and Karstetter fell by a close 6-6 decision to three-time State Runner-Up Conner Ward. Both the Sandite and his team rebounded with wins against Tennessee. Karstetter won his match 13-0 against Garrett Bowers and the Okies prevailed 52-16.

The next dual was another close one and Minnesota came out on top, 36-33. In the fifth-place dual Karstetter won another tech fall, 10-0 against Hunter Kosco, but Ohio won the dual 33-30.

Karstetter finished with a 3-2 record while Weir went 0-2. 

Oklahoma Dual Team places 7th at Greco-Roman Nationals

Incoming Charles Page High School freshman Carter Young (22-2 FS, 21-1 GR) competed on Team Oklahoma at the 2017 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Cadet National Duals this week in York, Pennsylvania and was only one win shy of attaining All-American status.

While the team as a whole went 4-3 for seventh place in the nation, Young went 6-1 for the second-best record on Team Oklahoma. Young’s six wins were the most of any wrestler on the team, and Reece Witcraft was the only Okie to go undefeated at 4-0. Micah Lugafet (0-1), Gage Hockett (3-1), Talon Borror (4-1), Cabe Dickerson (5-1), and Josh Heindselman (4-1) were the other one-loss members of Team Oklahoma.

Twenty-four states participated in the National Championship with thirty total teams. Minnesota defended their National Championship from last year with a close 40-38 finals victory over Illinois, who placed third last year, but won it in 2015. Oklahoma slipped two spots from their previous performance when they placed fifth in 2016, but still made it to the Gold Pool for the second year in a row.

To qualify for the Cadet Dual Teams, wrestlers must be born in either 2001 or 2002. Selections are then based upon five levels of qualification. Young qualified as an Oklahoma USAW Freestyle State Champion and returning Dual Team member. He was a two-style All-American at the Schoolboy classification after going undefeated in last year’s Dual Nationals.

Oklahoma got off to a great start Thursday, going undefeated in the D Pool. They dominated Virginia 63-18 and Georgia Red 63-19, then topped Michigan Red 42-32 to earn their way to the Gold Pool on Friday.

On day one, Young defeated Georgia two-style State Champion Tucker Kinsaul via 12-0 technical fall, then topped Michigan Freestyle State Champion and U.S. Open Runner-Up Sam Freeman 12-2.

Day two was far tougher, however, as the Okies lost their opening dual 45-28 to Iowa Gold, who would go on to finish fourth. Young suffered his first defeat of the year to Cullan Schriever, an undefeated freshman State Champion from Mason City, who won the USAW National Titles in all three styles last year.

Oklahoma lost their next two duals as well, 41-33 to Ohio, who would place fifth, and 52-24 to Illinois.

Young rebounded from his loss and finished the day with three-straight wins, all by tech fall, and Oklahoma won a rematch with Michigan Red for seventh place.

The Cadet teams will return to action Friday for the Freestyle tournament. The event is being held at Memorial Hall on the York County Fairgrounds.

Illinois has won four-straight National Titles in freestyle and has made the finals every year since 2009. Team Oklahoma placed tenth last year and hasn’t won a Cadet Freestyle Title since 2008 when they defeated Pennsylvania 35-33.

2017 Sand Springs Wrestling Photo Gallery: Best moments from the best team in school history

The 2016-2017 Sand Springs Wrestling season was one for the history books. In fact, Sandite Pride News just published our first-ever commemorative Sand Springs Sports magazine to preserve the monumental accomplishments of our State and Dual State Championship team.

Relive the journey with some of our favorite moments of the season in the following photo gallery, and visit this link to purchase your own copy of our new magazine!

Click here to visit our full photo galleries from this season.

The Sandites started the season with the No. 2 ranking but improved to first after dominating Owasso 62-6 and winning the Perry Tournament of Champions.

One of the most exciting matches of the season, Delvin Jordan defeated defending State Champion Zach Marcheselli 4-3 in the Broken Arrow dual.

Zane Basma tied a 48-year-old national record by pinning his Putnam West foe in four seconds.

Beau Bratcher won a 3-0 decision over 2X Kansas State Champion Mason Wallace at the Ram Duals.

The Sandites claimed the 2nd Annual Ram Duals Championship with a 48-18 victory over 3A No. 1 Perry.

Homecoming Queen Candidate Jasmine Brown, escorted by Derek Davis and Mikey Burns.

Homecoming Queen Candidate Anna Andrews, escorted by Delvin Jordan and Cody Mathis.

Gage Fain and Blake Sargent escort Little Princess Sawyer Briscoe, Little Prince Max King, and Little Prince Westyn Avey. 

Delvin Jordan defeated defending State Champion Skyler Haynes 4-3 in the Dual State Finals.

Sandite Wrestling fans packed out Firelake Arena for the Dual State Championship.

Charles Page High School Principal Stan Trout presents the Sandites with their Dual State Championship trophy.

Delvin Jordan hoists the 2017 Dual State trophy.

Regional Runner-Up Tanner Ward qualified for State for the fourth-straight year.

Blake Sargent qualified for State for the second-straight year.

3X Regional Champion Jack Karstetter qualified for State for the third-straight year.

Regional Runner-Up Payton Scott qualified for State for the second-straight year.

2X Regional Runner-Up Zane Basma qualified for State for the third-straight year.

That look on Riley Weir's face when he realized there were mere seconds left and he had the lead.

Coaches Kelly Smith and Derek Fix hug Riley Weir in celebration of his first State Championship.

Daton Fix won his fourth State Championship and finished with an undefeated career.

Daton Fix leaped into his father's arms after winning his fourth State title.

Jack Karstetter made the finals as a junior, and won his first State Championship as a senior.

Assistant coach Derek Fix gets heated while coaching Beau Bratcher.

State Champion Daton Fix joined Head Coach Kelly Smith to coach Payton Scott in the finals.

Payton Scott celebrates his first State Championship with Daton Fix.

These young fans had signs for each of the Sandite finalists. 

Sand Springs brought home the gold for the first time since 1971.

Dacee Smith holds a sign bragging on her brother, Daton.

The 2016-2017 wrestling team brought home the first State Tournament trophy since 1971.

The entire varsity wrestling team received recognitions from the Sand Springs Board of Education.

The five State Champions received Mayoral Proclamations for their accomplishments, and the team as a whole received two for their two team State Titles.

The Sandites had their first big test at Broken Arrow and passed with flying colors, defeating the third-ranked Tigers 46-21.

The Sandites won their district duals by a combined score of 245-0 and set a national record for fastest dual, pinning the entire U.S. Grant team in 14:02. Jack Karstetter tied a 14-year-old national record by pinning his Putnam West foe in four seconds.

The Sandites steamrolled their way through the Owasso Ram Duals with two shutouts.

Michael Ritchey won a 4-0 decision over State Champion Cale Betchan at the Ram Duals.

Homecoming Queen Sarah Noble, escorted by Beau Bratcher and Payton Scott.

Homecoming Queen Candidate Katie Godown, escorted by Zane Basma and Tanner Ward.

Homecoming Queen Candidate Julia Lewis, escorted by Jack Karstetter and Michael Ritchey.

Homecoming Queen Sarah Noble with Kissing Captain Daton Fix.

Head Coach Kelly Smith is presented with the Coach's State Championship plaque by Sand Springs Superintendent Sherry Durkee.

The 2017 Sandites brought home the first Dual State Championship in school history.

Regional Champion Riley Weir qualified for State for the second-straight year.

Regional Runner-Up Michael Ritchey qualified for State for the second-straight year.

OSU-commit Daton Fix won his fourth-straight Regional Championship.

Regional Runner-Up Beau Bratcher qualified for State for the fourth-straight year.

Noah Almy qualified for State for the first time.

2X Regional Champion Delvin Jordan qualified for State for the third time.

Sand Springs had plenty of fans in the stands.

Riley Weir won the first State Championship of the night.

Coaches Kelly Smith and Derek Fix celebrate Daton Fix's State Championship win.

Jack Karstetter celebrates his first State Championship win with coaches Dustin Kinard and Jay Fleischman.

It was an emotional night for each of the Sandites.

State Champion Beau Bratcher hugs his coach and uncle Kelly Smith.

Sand Springs alumnus and referee Josh Briscoe eagerly watches Payton Scott's finals match.

Sand Springs Wrestling fans cheer on Payton Scott.

After the adrenaline subsided, each of the Sandite Champions was overcome with emotion.

Delvin Jordan defeated Skyler Haynes twice in the regular season, each time by a single point. This time the defending State Champ came out on top.

The three State Champions from the Class of 2017.

Head Coach Kelly Smith gives a post-tournament interview, Beau Bratcher tries to get him to mention "The Beau Show."

Sand Springs Athletic Director Rod Sitton presents the State Tournament trophy to CPHS Principal Stan Trout, Head Coach Kelly Smith, and Superintendent Sherry Durkee.

The 2016-2017 Sand Springs Wrestling coaching staff.