Sandites Qualify 12 Boys, 4 Girls for State Wrestling Tournament

Charles Page High School will be well represented at the OSSAA State Championship Thursday afternoon when 6A action starts.

Both the boys and girls will begin wrestling at 4:30 p.m. in Session II at Jim Norick Arena in the State Fairgrounds at Oklahoma City.

The Sandites qualified 12 boys for State after a strong second place finish at the West Regional in Moore on Saturday. It was their highest Regional placement since 2017 and their most total State qualifiers since at least 1996, if not ever. They also had their first Regional Champion since 2019 in Zander Grigsby.

The girls meanwhile qualified four for State at the East Regional in Glenpool on Tuesday, taking eighth place as a team. Bailey Copeland became the first-ever girls State qualifier from Sand Springs in the Sandites’ second year with a girls program.

The Sandites’ fourth and fifth placers from Regionals will be first to wrestle in the wrestle-in round on Thursday, followed by the quarterfinals at 6:00 p.m. Consolation matches will begin Friday at 5:00 p.m. followed by semifinals at 7:00 p.m. Consolation semifinals will be Saturday at 11:30 a.m. followed by 3rd place matches at 1:30 p.m. and finals matches at 6:30 p.m.

Girls Regionals

Copeland (17-4), a freshman, took third place at 100 pounds with three pins. Her only loss was a 2-0 decision to Broken Arrow’s Alina Peralta in the semifinals. In the placement round she earned a 6-1 decision over Ponca City junior Camila Bohon.

Laila Mirza (38-8) took fourth place at 115, going 3-2. She pinned her first foe and won a 5-2 decision over El Reno’s Brooklynn Huggins before falling 15-3 to returning Stillwater State qualifier Abigail Rivero. In consolation she pinned Claremore’s Cambry Suskey a second time but fell 11-4 to Bixby freshman Larra Mullin.

Kelsi Hilton (37-7) placed fourth at 135, pinning her first two opponents before falling to returning State finalist Mak Gregg in the semifinals. She added another pin in consolation before falling to returning State placer Adisyn Ivers from Ponca City. Hilton actually led 2-0 after the first period but was pinned after starting the second on bottom.

Freshman Ambrielle Chambers (22-8) took fifth place at 105 with three pins, falling to Durant senior Addison Polk, a returning State qualifier, in the quarterfinals. In the consolation semis she fell to Ada junior EllaBabe Fisher but bounced back with an 8-4 decision over Muskogee’s Grace Fraser to punch her ticket to State.

The girls finished in eighth place with 83 points, just one point behind Sapulpa and one point ahead of Shawnee. Broken Arrow won the Regional over runner-up Bixby. It was a drastic improvement for the Lady Sandites, who placed 42nd last year with no State qualifiers.

Boys Regionals

Zander Grigsby (38-2) manhandled the 165-pound bracket, outscoring his opponents 36-8 without giving up anything but escape points. He pinned two opponents and had a 24-7 technical fall en route to the finals, where he earned a 6-1 decision over top-seeded Brayden Lucas, a returning State placer from Edmond North

Freshman Jaxon Grigsby (18-9) placed second at 126, dominating Gavin Horn 12-1 before eking out a 3-2 overtime tie-breaker against two-seed Barrett Byers of Piedmont. In the finals he lost 3-0 to returning State finalist Christian Belford of Edmond North.

Mason Harris (34-3) was runner-up at heavyweight, winning his first three matches by fall. In the finals he lost a 1-0 decision to defending State Champion Ricky Thomas of Edmond North.

Matthew Moore (26-13) placed third at 132 with three pins, only losing a close 4-3 decision to top-seeded Hudson Hackbarth of Edmond North. In the consolation finals he pinned Deer Creek’s Parker DeGraffenreid in 5:36.

Jaxon Trotter (39-8) placed third at 175 with a 3-1 sudden victory overtime takedown against two-seeded Alex Wilson of Yukon, a returning State placer. He teched his first opponent in 4:31 before falling 3-2 to Westmoore State placer Cole Olguin. In consolation he pinned his next two opponents before decisioning Putnam North’s Ryan Gooch 3-1 in the semifinals.

David Ritchey (20-9) placed fourth at 120, pinning his first opponent and winning a 5-1 decision in the quarterfinals before falling 9-0 to two-time State Champion Cash Donnell from Piedmont. In consolation he pinned Southmoore’s Noah Reynolds before falling 7-0 to Yukon’s Hayden Wright.

Preston Reyna (26-11) finished fourth at 150, pinning his first foe before falling to Piedmont’s Jayden Fuston. In consolation he won a major decision, a pin, and a 9-5 upset of four-seed Axton Wright from Moore before falling once again to Fuston in the placement match.

Dawsen Briscoe (23-13) took fifth place at 106, winning his first match by 5-1 decision against Yukon’s Caleb Schneider, who also finished a State qualifier, before falling to top-seeded Jake Goodin from Edmond North. In consolation he fell 6-1 to third-placer Blake Thomas of Piedmont before earning a 6-5 decision over Putnam North’s Jaaziel Benman.

Jayden Pait (17-5) placed fifth at 138, losing his first match 3-1 to Westmoore’s Gannon Morales before winning his next two matches by fall. In the consolation semis he fell 8-4 to Yukon’s Dillon Ryan but he won his placement match by 9-1 major decision against Piedmont’s Ethan Applebee.

Jesse Moore (28-10) placed fifth at 144, losing his first match 3-2 to Moore’s Seth Shouse. In consolation he pinned one foe and teched another in just 3:10 before taking a 6-3 loss against Piedmont’s Kolton Mullings. In the placement round he got a rematch with Shouse and this time won 5-2.

Brody Ensten (30-15) placed fifth at 157, bouncing back from an opening 7-5 loss to Westmoore’s Sam Gibson with three dominant wins. He pinned his next two foes and earned a 16-1 technical fall before falling 11-2 to two-seeded Barrett Weathers of Deer Creek. In the placement round he won a 2-1 rematch with Gibson, scoring an escape in overtime.

Peyton Callis (36-13) placed fifth at 190, winning his first match by decision before falling 4-3 to Yukon’s Ryan Martindale. In consolation he received a medical forfeit then pinned his next opponent before falling to Piedmont’s Jackson Blackburn. In the placement round he won a 9-2 decision over Norman’s Lance Eubanks.

Boys Win Glenpool Classic, Ambrielle Chambers is Sandites' First-Ever Girls JH State Champ

The Charles Page High School boys’ wrestling team brought home its third team title of the season from the Glenpool Warrior Classic on Friday, defending their prior year’s crown with five individual champions.

The team title was decided by half a point and came down to the heavyweight placement round where Mason Harris took first place while Broken Arrow’s Kahlen Thompson settled for third.

No. 4 Broken Arrow settled for second place, followed by Owasso in a distant third place.

Harris (30-2) earned a 9-3 decision over Christian Heritage’s Chase Graham for his 15th win in a row and second consecutive tournament title, making his way to the finals with three consecutive pins.

Also winning titles were Dawsen Briscoe, Kase Skaggs, Zander Grigsby, and Jaxon Trotter.

Briscoe (20-11) earned his first gold medal of the season after pinning all four of his foes at 106 pounds. In the finals he trailed 2-0 after giving up a first-period takedown to Owasso’s Chace Hill, but he started the second period on top and worked the Ram over for a fall in 2:57.

Skaggs (32-7) followed it up with a win at 113. The junior lightweight has now won nine matches and two tournaments in a row, also taking home gold at the Nathan Hale tournament two weeks ago.

Skaggs earned one technical fall and one pin in pool play before eking out a pair of decisions in the championship bracket. In the finals he took Sapulpa senior State-placer Cavin Peper to overtime, scoring a pair of third-period takedowns after trailing 3-0. He added a third takedown for the 6-4 sudden victory win.

Zander Grigsby (34-1) picked up his fourth tournament title of the season and has now won 12 matches in a row since his only loss of the year. Grigsby pinned his first three opponents in the first period at 165 pounds. In the finals he won a 10-2 major decision against Jenks junior Josh Henderson.

Trotter (33-7) won his second title in a row after winning the Skiatook tournament last month. He pinned his first three opponents at 175 before dominating the last two by way of technical superiority. In the semifinals he won 16-1 in only 2:48 and in the finals he defeated Glenpool senior Mason Buzbee 17-2 in 3:27.

David Ritchey (16-7) took third place at 120, only losing an 8-5 semifinal decision to Owasso senior State-placer Bryson Humphries. In the placement round he pinned Glenpool’s Jayden Worledo in 1:04.

Jayden Pait (14-2) placed third at 138, pinning his first three opponents before falling 15-3 to Broken Arrow State Champion Jake Miller in the semifinals. In the consolation finals he pinned Sapulpa State qualifier Ethan Peterson in 1:42.

Peyton Callis (32-10) placed third at 190, pinning two opponents before losing 4-2 to Jenks State qualifier Owen Jones in the semifinals. In the placement match he won a 16-0 technical fall against Broken Arrow senior Braden Jones in 3:26.

Jesse Moore placed fifth at 144, Preston Reyna placed fifth at 150, Hunter Spencer placed sixth at 126, Colt Hood placed seventh at 126, Brody Ensten placed seventh at 157, Gage Gunn placed eighth at 132, and Isaac Sensintaffar placed ninth at 157.

The Sandites (10-1) will return to action Friday at noon against No. 4 Stillwater (13-2) in the first round of Dual State at the Stride Bank Center in Enid. The winner of that dual will face the winner of No. 1 Edmond North (15-1) vs. No. 8 Edmond Deer Creek (12-7) at 2:00 p.m. The Championship finals will be at 6:30 p.m.

Junior High

The boys took seventh place and the girls took fourth place at the Junior High All-State tournament, led by freshman Ambrielle Chambers as the Sandites’ first-ever girls State Champion.

The junior high State tournament is arguable tougher than the high school tournament because there are no divisions based on school size.

Chambers pinned her first five opponents in the first period while outscoring them 15-1. In the 108-pound finals she won a 9-5 decision over Union’s Lydia Suniga with a takedown, two reversals, and three nearfall points.

Kenzie Johnson was runner-up at 87 pounds, pinning each of her first three opponents in the first period before falling to Lawton Eisenhower’s Emalyn Johnston-Stewart in the finals. She actually led 4-0 early in the match before giving up a takedown in the second.

Bailey Copeland was runner-up at 94 pounds, pinning her first three opponents before falling to Edmond North’s Alexandria Skidmore in the finals.

Kasen McAffrey was runner-up at 138 pounds, only dropping a close 1-0 decision to Ft. Gibson’s Brendan Bell. He started the tournament with a major decision, three falls, and a technical fall, outscoring his opponents 35-2 without giving up a single takedown.

Griffin Sensintaffar was runner-up at 87 pounds, losing a 6-5 decision to Hobart’s Jett Kline in the finals. He pinned his first four opponents and added an 11-0 major decision in the semifinals.

Ryder Richardson placed sixth at 76 pounds in the 6th and 7th-grade division and Jaxon Grigsby placed sixth at 128 in junior high.

Sandites Win Skiatook Tournament With Three Champions

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The Charles Page High School boys’ wrestling team crowned three champions en route to a team title at the one-day Skiatook tournament Friday - the second team title of the season for the Sandites.

No. 6 Sand Springs locked up first place very early on, scoring 254.5 points to runner-up 4A No. 2 Catoosa’s 194.

It was a strong bounce-back performance for the Sandites (10-1), who suffered their first dual loss of the season the night before. No. 3 Broken Arrow (8-0) won 12 out of 14 matches in a 45-11 rout.

“We responded well,” said head coach Ty Bowling. “Last night, it was rough, but I think we needed that. I think we will learn a lesson from it, we’ll get better from it. And today I think we started the process. We had a good day and rebounded well.”

The Sandites put seven in the finals with Jayden Pait, Zander Grigsby, and Jaxon Trotter winning their brackets while Dawsen Briscoe, David Ritchey, Isaac Sensintaffar, and Peyton Callis finished as runners-up.

Pait suffered an MCL tear in the quarterfinals of the Mid America Nationals last December in Enid, but he looked very much back to form, winning the 138-pound bracket with four falls.

“I was pretty upset going throughout the whole season,” said Pait. “You never want to get hurt your senior season…I’ve been out for about a month and a half now so getting these wins today really boosted my confidence.”

After pinning his first three opponents in the first period, he took a 2-0 lead into the second period against Catoosa State qualifier Michael Blendowski before reversing into a fall.

“Getting that reversal meant a lot because I knew that he was good at riding legs and I knew what I had to do on bottom,” said Pait.

“I’ve been battling some recovery, battling some confidence issues in some of my matches, but I feel confident now…I’m feeling good, I’m ready to come back, ready to compete some more and qualify for State.”

Zander Grisgby earned his third tournament title of the season, winning the 165-pound bracket with a technical fall, a forfeit, and three pins. In the finals he easily handled Hilldale’s Nathan Stroble with a second-period fall.

Trotter picked up his first tournament title of the year at 175, pinning his first two opponents and earning a 20-5 technical fall in the semifinals before meeting Bixby State qualifier Colton Kaiser in the finals.

“I knew I’d have a good match in the finals,” said Trotter. “Throughout the day I was just trying to focus on my shots and really dial in my neutral to help me in this match and just have me warmed up. I think it helped out a lot.”

The two stayed neutral throughout the first period but Trotter scored an escape early in the second before scoring a double-leg takedown for the 3-0 lead. Kaiser managed an escape in the third but Trotter’s defense kept the Spartan at bay for a 3-1 decision.

Briscoe won his first four matches at 106 before falling 9-0 to Skiatook State qualifier Cole Smith in the finals.

Ayreson Reiss went 4-1 and placed third at 113, losing only to Skiatook State runner-up Jagen Jones. He received a forfeit in the third-place match.

Kase Skaggs and Ritchey both went 4-1 at 120, with their only losses coming to Bixby State qualifier Colden Dyer. Dyer teched Skaggs in the semifinals before winning a 4-1 decision against Ritchey in the finals. Skaggs bounced back with a 19-3 technical fall against Tonkawa’s Tate Coffey for third place.

Jaxon Grigsby pinned his first two opponents at 126 before falling 12-4 to eventual champion Logan Hargrove, from Catoosa, in the semifinals. Grigsby bounced back with a 16-0 technical fall against Skiatook’s Landon Dodd.

Matthew Moore pinned his first three opponents at 132 before falling 7-0 to Catoosa State qualifier Tucker Collinsworth in the semifinals. He bounced back with a 10-1 major decision over Darin McWhorter for third place.

Jesse Moore teched his first two opponents at 144 before falling 3-0 to tournament champ Tharyn Hausler of Bixby. In consolation he pinned Inola’s Bryson Faulkner for third place.

Brody Ensten and Sensintaffar both competed at 157 and suffered their only losses to the champion.

Ensten pinned two opponents before falling to Wagoner State placer Bryce Steele in the semifinals. He bounced back with an 8-3 decision over Catoosa State qualifier Fernando Dominguez for third place.

Sensintaffar pinned his first three opponents and beat Dominguez 7-3 in the semifinals before falling 5-0 to Steel in the championship.

Callis pinned his first three foes at 190 and won an 8-4 decision in the semifinals before falling 3-2 to Bixby State placer Hank Puckett in the finals.

Heavyweight Ryley Kester pinned his first two opponents before falling to Catoosa’s Tank Love in the semifinals. In consolation he won a 5-1 decision over Wagoner’s Dax Griffin

Preston Reyna placed fourth at 150, Jaden Allen placed fourth at 215, Hunter Spencer placed fifth at 126, Nathan Feather placed seventh at 113, Jackson Burdge placed seventh at 144, Brock O’Dell placed seventh at 157, and Gage Gunn placed 10th at 132.

Varsity Girls

The varsity girls took second place at the Ray Murphy Jr. Memorial Tournament on Saturday with 144.5 points, just a hair behind Rogers, Arkansas with 147.

Ambrielle Chambers, Trinity Owens, Laila Mirza, Audree Robinson, and Kelsi Hilton all took first place.

Chambers recorded three first-period pins and a major decision at 105 pounds; Owens had three pins at 110; Mirza had two pins and a tech fall at 115; Robinson had two pins and a decision at 125; and Hilton had three pins at 140.

Samantha Baker placed fourth at 125, Mia Bruns placed third at 130, Kayla Arnold placed fourth at 145, Tessa Urrey place fourth at 155, and Emily Ambriz placed fifth at 235.

JV Boys

The junior varsity Sandites took third place at the Ray Murphy tournament with 154.5 points and three champions.

The mostly varsity tournament was led by Coweta’s JV with 190 points and Bartlesville’s varsity with 183.5.

Skaggs took first place at 120, Spencer won at 126, and Kaden Pope won at 132.

Brody Wilson placed second at 113, Caleb Childers placed fourth at 113, Scott Halpain place fourth at 150, Reiss placed fifth at 113, Nathan Feather placed sixth at 120, Dallas Flores placed sixth at 165, Jeffery Norton placed seventh at 120, Jesse Kerr placed eighth at 113, Logan Childers placed eighth at 126, Gage Gunn placed eighth at 132, and Alex Lahmeyer placed eighth at 175.

Sandite Wrestling Routs Enid, Owasso & Union for District Championship

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Sand Springs is headed back to Dual State after winning its 19th overall District Championship Thursday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

Sand Springs has now won back-to-back district titles under second-year head coach Ty Bowling, who has won five in a row including his days at Glenpool.

“I love Dual State,” said Bowling. “It’s an honor to be able to compete there. I’ve been on both sides. Having to stay home isn’t very fun. Having the opportunity to give ourselves a chance is special.”

The No. 5 ranked Sandites improved to 10-0 for the first time since 2017 after winning 77-6 against Enid (1-8), 46-18 against Owasso (1-7) and 53-16 against No. 15 Union (3-4).

“I think we all wrestled good, battled hard, and even if we lost, we did our job to not get pinned or whatever,” said junior middle-weight Preston Reyna.

The Sandites started off with a dominant win against Enid, jumping out to a 36-0 lead with six pins before the Plainsmen earned their one and only victory.

Dawsen Briscoe (6-5), Ayreson Reiss (4-3), David Ritchey (5-3), Colt Hood (10-6), Matthew Moore (16-7), and Jackson Burdge (1-2) all pinned their foes before Steven Brooks broke up the run by pinning Jesse Moore (13-4) at 144 pounds.

Reyna (15-4) got the home team back on track with a 17-1 technical fall in 4:44, followed by first period falls from Brody Ensten (17-6), Zander Grigsby (19-0), Jaxon Trotter (20-5), Peyton Callis (20-5), Jaden Allen (7-7), and Ryley Kester (2-0).

It was at least the 14th consecutive win against Enid in a streak dating back to before any of the current Sandites were alive.

Sand Springs got in an early hole against Owasso and trailed through the first eight matches before rallying to their third consecutive win over the Rams.

Dallas Thorpe pinned Reiss to open the dual and returning State placer Bryson Humphries won an 8-2 decision against Ritchey before Hood got the Sandites on the scoreboard with a 5-0 decision against Jaxon Truitt.

Matthew Moore picked up a big 7-5 decision against State qualifier Jaxson Humphries at 132, but Burdge suffered a pin by Ryder Seago and Jesse Moore lost a 6-2 decision to Mason Moore to make it 18-6.

Finally, Reyna kicked off an eight-match win streak with a close 4-3 decision over Derek Lockridge at 150. Lockridge scored a takedown in the opening period, but gave up a penalty point in the second and Reyna tied it with an escape in the the third before scoring a takedown.

“He was getting in his own head and I kind of felt that, so I just kept pushing it,” said Reyna.

“That was a good win,” said Bowling. “That kid was one match away from being a State qualifier last year. Preston was wrestling up to 150. Every time we’ve bumped him up to 150, he’s won every one of those matches so he’s done well for us.”

Ensten followed it up by pinning Kam Miller on a second period reversal and Grigsby gave his team their first lead with a 46-second pin of Corbin Smith.

Trotter pinned Ari Davis in 48 seconds, Callis received a forfeit, and Allen won a 6-0 decision against Chris Turner at 215 to clinch the dual.

Mason Harris (20-2) had the fastest pin of the night in just 29 seconds against Alijah Hills and Briscoe wrapped it up with a 13-5 major decision against Chace Hill.

In the Union dual Kase Skaggs (17-3) started things off with a bang, working up a 17-2 first-period technical fall against Jaraett Sims, then Hood pinned Ben Mielcarek to make sure the Sandites never trailed.

Matthew Moore lost a close 1-0 decision to State qualifier Dariuz Black and Burdge was pinned by State qualifier Thomas Toteh to make it 11-9, but Sand Springs won the next five matches.

Jesse Moore kicked off the streak with a pin of Asher Davidson and Reyna won a 2-1 decision against Reyon Williams.

“Those last two were tough kids,” said Reyna. “I can’t wait to wrestle them again. I love matches that are close like that.”

Ensten added a 7-3 decision against Uriah Delonia and Grigsby continued his undefeated season by working up an 7-1 lead against State qualifier Tanner Jarvis before pinning him in 2:33.

Trotter also played with his food before eating it, taking an 11-2 advantage against Ethan Kimrey before pinning him in 2:48 to make it 35-9.

State qualifier Wura Yinusa won a 17-5 major decision against Allen at 190, but Callis pinned Ezequiel Palos to clinch the dual at 215.

Harris added a 35-second pin of Contrell Richardson and Briscoe pinned Mason Mitchell in 2:23 for a 40-point advantage before Derrick Elmore won an 11-6 decision against Nathan Feather (0-1) to wrap up the night.

It was the Sandites’ fourth consecutive win against Union.

Technically there are no All-District accolades in wrestling, but if there were they would go to Briscoe, Hood, Reyna, Ensten, Grigsby, Trotter, and Callis who all went 3-0 on the day. Harris went 2-0 and Kester and Skaggs both won the only matches they wrestled.

Sand Springs has just one dual left in the regular season and will travel to No. 3 Broken Arrow (4-0) next Thursday, but first it will host the 56th annual Bobby Lyons Invitational Friday and Saturday.

“We’ve wrestled a good schedule,” said Bowling. “Each time we’ve wrestled they get tougher and tougher and we’re going to finish with probably the toughest one yet with Broken Arrow next week.”

Sandites Defeat Jenks on Senior Night, Ryley Kester Wins Joe Cole Classic

The No. 9 ranked Charles Page High School boys wrestling team is undefeated at Christmas break for the third year in a row, wrapping up the semester with a 59-15 win over Jenks (1-1) Tuesday on Senior Night.

Sand Springs (5-0) never trailed, trading pins to open the dual before the Sandites went on a nine-match win streak and clinched the victory early.

“We’re on a break, so we had to come in today and get a little practice in and try to keep somewhat of a normal routine so we weren’t laying around all day,” said head coach Ty Bowling. “They responded well and I thought we looked really good.”

Dawsen Briscoe (1-0) made his season debut at 106 pounds and reversed for a pin against Cale Lawson late in the first period. It was the first time this season that the Sandites had a wrestler at the lightest weight.

“He took a little hiatus there for a couple of months but when he figured out that we didn’t have a six-pounder, he said ‘I’m going to do my best to get down and get there for you,’” said Bowling.

Seattle Lindsey won a first-period fall against Ayreson Reiss (3-2) to tie the dual, but Kase Skaggs (10-1) got the Sandites back on track with a 7-3 decision over Isaac Newton.

The next few Sandites decided to play with their food before they ate it.

Colt Hood (5-3) worked up a 9-1 lead on Reggie Bombita before pinning him in the first period.

Jaxon Grigsby (9-3) took a 10-0 lead on Holden Brolick before pinning him in the third.

Then Kasen McAffrey (3-0) won a 12-0 major decision against Bradley Hamilton, with the buzzer sounding just a second before he was about to either get the fall or a set of back points.

Jesse Moore (5-0) pinned Creek Shavney in 1:22 and Preston Reyna (10-2) pinned Pau Khai in 38 seconds. Brody Ensten (8-3) clinched the dual with a 9-1 major decision against Kade Hodges at 157 then Zander Grigsby (10-0) and Jaxon Trotter (11-2) received forfeits.

The Trojans finally snapped their losing streak when Peyton Callis (10-3) was disqualified after a big slam knocked the wind out of Alex Dombrow. Owens Jones added a 9-5 decision against Ali McCoy (5-6).

Mason Harris wrapped up the dual with a 14-second pin of Zay Goodman at heavyweight.

“Really top to bottom, we’re tough,” said Bowling. “We’ve wrestled five duals and we’ve not had the same lineup for five duals. We’ve had guys out injured or ineligible or whatever it may be and it’s next man up.”

The Sandites will return to action on January 4th with home duals against Ponca City (0-2) and No. 5 Westmoore (1-0).

Over the weekend, the junior varsity boys took eighth place out of 35 mostly varsity teams at the Joe Cole Classic in Cleveland, led by Ryley Kester with a first-place finish.

Kester (6-0) won a 10-1 major decision against Stillwater’s Jacob Mohler before earning a 3-0 upset against Cleveland State qualifier Brock Powell. From there he pinned Pawnee’s Connor McClendon in 5:19, Bristow’s Marley Branscum in 2:39, and Pawnee’s Anthony Stewart in 2:40.

Logan Childers placed third at 126, winning his first match by decision before falling to Perkins-Tryon State qualifier Cadyn Burns in the quarterfinals. He bounced back in a big way with four consecutive falls to win the consolation bracket, pinning Elk City’s Lake Hargrove in the finals.

Moore placed third at 150, winning his first three matches before falling to Blackwell State qualifier Grant Rowe in the semifinals. He bounced back with a pair of consolation wins, including 5-3 decision over Bristow’s Hank Powell in the finals.

Reiss took fourth place at 113, winning his first two matches via pin and major decision before falling to undefeated Blackwell State qualifier Jaxon Brown in the semifinals. He bounced back with a 2-1 decision over Berryhill’s Malaki Venetoff before falling to Chandler State qualifier Landon Earp.

Decade of Dominance: Sandites Continue Highway 97 Win Streak

Sapulpa took an early lead in its Thursday night dual against Sand Springs, but a major decision from Jaxon Grigsby kicked off an eight-match win streak and the visiting Sandites picked up their eighth consecutive victory over their Highway 97 rivals.

“It’s always a good day when we can beat our rivals,” said head coach Ty Bowling.

The No. 9 Sandites (4-0) trailed 16-0 through the first four matches but rallied to a 49-20 victory in a rivalry win streak dating back to 2013 against 5A No. 14 Sapulpa (0-2).

“It’s good that we didn’t get down,” said Bowling. “We got the momentum back in our favor so that’s always good to see. It’s easy to get down and stay down but those guys behind them - they picked each other up.”

Sapulpa benefitted from a forfeit at 106 pounds, a weight class that’s been vacant all season for Sand Springs, though Bowling says they’re working on getting somebody in there soon.

Then Ayreson Reiss (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season in an 11-7 decision to Jack Madden.

The Chieftains then hit their strongest weights where returning State qualifiers Cavin Pepper and Jackson Willingham earned 12-0 and 3-2 decisions over Caden Rodriguez (0-2) and Hunter Spencer (0-2), respectively.

Finally, Jaxon Grigsby (8-3) broke the Chieftains’ run with a 10-2 major decision over Jackson Mills at 132 pounds, collecting a trio of nearfall points in the third period to earn the bonus point.

Kasen McAffrey (2-0), Preston Reyna (9-2), and Isaac Sensintaffar (6-2) collected forfeits at 138, 150, and 157, while Jesse Moore (4-0) won a 5-3 decision over Alexander Henderson at 144.

Brody Ensten (7-3) picked up the first fall of the night, pinning Nicholas Dobbs in 3:25, then Jaxon Trotter (10-2) pinned Ryan Peterson in 2:46 to clinch the dual for the Sandites.

“We knew coming in if we had the dual locked we were going to go one direction, and if we needed a couple wins we were going to go another direction in the lineup,” said Bowling. “So it was big that we were able to lock it up after 175.”

Peyton Callis (10-2) pinned Sequoyah Hall in 48 seconds before Micco Jones finally snapped the Chieftains’ losing streak with an 8-0 major decision against Ali McCoy (5-5).

Heavyweight Mason Harris (10-1) capped off the night with a pin of Isaiah McCall-Watashe in 1:16.

The Sandites are now 4-0 in duals and will be favored Tuesday when they host Jenks (1-0) in the 2023 finale. Sand Springs was also supposed to travel to a tournament in New Orleans this weekend but cancelled that trip to focus on getting healthy.

“We started with two duals then we wrestled at Mid-America which has some of the toughest teams around the country,” said Bowling.

“We had teams from Washington and Utah and Texas, and of course all of the Oklahoma teams are always tough. Wrestling ten matches over a three-day period, then turn around and Claremore and Sapulpa are always tough, so a lot of hard matches back-to-back-to-back.”

The Sandites were missing several of their top wrestlers against Sapulpa, including Zander Grigsby (9-0), Matthew Moore (7-4), Jayden Pait (6-0), and Kase Skaggs (9-1), but none of their injuries are serious.

"They’ll be back soon,” said Bowling. “It’s more precautionary, just making sure that we have them for the long term.”