Sandite Blake Sargent wins Regional Championship, headed to State

View fullsize

Blake Sargent works on a takedown against TaJuan Daniels.

Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School sophomore Blake Sargent (36-11) won his first Regional Championship by a single point, earning the #3 ranking in 6A. In the first round he pinned Garett Koss (Owasso) in 0:46, then defeated Grant Fox (Jenks) 3-2. Next to go down was #5 Justin Gundlach (Moore) by 6-3 decision, and Sargent was pitted against #4 TaJuan Daniels for the third time this season.

It's tough to beat an incredible wrestler three times in a season, especially one so close to you in talent. In the Broken Arrow dual the two ended the third period tied 2-2 and Sargent narrowly got the win with a sudden victory takedown. They next met at the Sand Springs Invitational in the finals round where it came down to a 3-2 decision for the Championship. Once more the crucial matchup was decided by a single point as the Sandite won his second tournament of the season with a 1-0 decision.

Sargent got to see a fair bit of action his freshman year, placing 3rd at both the Perry Tournament of Champions and the Jay Hancock Memorial Invitational. This year he repeated his 3rd place finish at Perry, came in 9th at the Kansas City Stampede, and finished 5th at Yukon.

This year he went undefeated in regular season duals before finally falling 9-8 to Wesley Hardin (30-11) during the Dual State Quarterfinals against Westmoore, then getting majored 10-1 by Garrett Rowe (37-5) during the Championship dual against Choctaw. He also gave up a 12-3 major to Rowe at Perry. Hardin will be wrestling at 113 at State. 

Rowe is the #1 seed in 120 going into State and is the biggest obstacle in Sargent's path. The two are on opposite sides of the bracket, though, and first Sargent must overcome #8 Zackery Bibb (23-5) of Capitol Hill in the opening round. This will be the first time the two have met. Bibb was last year's 5A State Runner-Up whose only losses were to the State Champ.

From there he will either get a rematch against Gundlach, or meet #2 Tanner Cole (34-1) of Deer Creek for the first time this season. That match will be every bit as difficult as Rowe. Cole was undefeated in the season till he met Rowe in the West Regional finals and was pinned. He also pulled off a one-loss season last year en route to a 5A State Championship title. Cole and Sargent have met once before, at the OK USA Freestyle State Tournament last May. Cole walked away with a 10-0 major decision that time. 

Other opponents that the Sandite could encounter include #7 Cordney Chairs (17-17) of Union, #6 Josh Suter (28-8) of Norman, and #4 TaJuan Daniels (24-11) of Broken Arrow. 

Sargent has yet to encounter Suter, but he has 3-0 records against both Daniels and Chairs. His most recent matchup with Chairs wasn't even close as he recorded an 11-0 major decision at Dual State. He also posted a 7-1 regular season dual victory, and defeated him at the Sand Springs Invitational semifinals. That one was a lot closer however, at 1-0.

Sandite Michael Ritchey wins Regional Championship, headed to State

View fullsize

Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School junior Michael Ritchey (22-17) won his first 6A East Regional Championship with a pair of close decisions Saturday night at Broken Arrow. The Sandite narrowly overcame Shawn Tillman (Muskogee) 1-0 in round one, but then pulled off his first technical fall of the season 17-2 in 5:59 over Caron Watson (Union). In the finals he was pitted against Broken Arrow's Tyler Lawley and triumphed 3-1.

Before this year Ritchey's only experience on the varsity mat was the Jerry Billings Tournament and the Jay Hancock Memorial Invitational his sophomore year where he placed 5th and 6th respectively. 

This year he made his dual debut with a 3-0 decision over Owasso's Wyatt Johnson and followed it up with a 5th place performance at the Perry Tournament of Champions where he only lost two matches. Both were to the same opponent, a highly ranked Kansas wrestler. 

From there he placed 4th at both the Bobby Lyons Tournament and the Jay Hancock Memorial before winning his first tournament at Regionals. 

His first round at State will be against Westmoore's #3 Wes Hardin (30-11). From there he will take on either #7 Spencer Schickram (14-7) or #2 Conner Holman (36-6).

Ritchey narrowly defeated Schickram 7-5 at the Ponca City dual and narrowly lost 6-4 to Holman during the Dual State Championship dual against Choctaw. Either of those matches could easily go either way.

Other contenders include #1 Paxton Rosen (40-2) who's been having a remarkable season with Edmond North. Ritchey defeated Rosen 14-11 last May at the OK USA Freestyle State Tournament, but so far as scholastic wrestling goes, it's Rosen with the 2-0 record. Rosen defeated Ritchey 9-3 at Geary, then became the only foe to tech fall the Sandite when he won 15-0 at the Yukon tournament. 

Ritchey has a 2-0 record against #8 Chase Slatton (31-14) of Jenks with close decisions of 5-1 at Yukon and 9-8 during the final regular season dual. Ritchey beat #5 Tyler Lawley (22-11) at Regionals, but has yet to meet #6 Taylor Holman (31-10) of Midwest City. 

Sandite Freshman Riley Weir headed to State Championship

View fullsize

Sandite freshman Riley Weir puts up a fight against Choctaw's Colt Newton

Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School freshman Riley Weir (21-10) came in Third Place at the 6A East Regional Tournament at Broken Arrow Saturday night, pinning Dominic Fitzpatrick (Moore) in 0:52 in the first round, but falling 11-2 to #4 Brandon Blose (Sapulpa) in round two. In the consolation bracket he pinned Brady Bristow (Ponca City) in 1:53, then defeated #9 Cameron Picklo (Mustang) by 6-3 decision.

Weir has been a force to be reckoned with all season since he inherited the varsity 106 spot from Cody Randall who graduated last year. He made his debut in the Owasso dual where he recorded a 10-0 major decision over Eric Merida.

Since then he's ran up an 8-2 dual record and a 13-8 tournament record against some of the toughest opponents in the state. He placed 4th at the Perry Tournament of Champions and 9th at the prestigious Kansas City Stampede and won a crucial major decision during the Dual State Quarterfinal dual against Westmoore. Oklahoma Wrestling currently has him ranked 7th in 6A.

Weir drew a tough opponent for the first round of State. Friday morning he'll have to take on fellow freshman #3 Colt Newton (39-3) of Choctaw. Newton dealt Weir a 3:19 pin at the Perry tournament, a 1:12 pin at the Geary Invitational, and a 0:55 pin at the Dual State Finals.

After Newton, he'll have to take on either #1 Mason Naifeh (26-4) of Union, or #6 Braden Fowler (23-11) of Yukon. Naifeh and Fowler have spent much of the season wrestling at 113 so the Sandite has yet to meet either of them. 

In fact, of his seven potential opponents, he's only met three thus far. He hasn't met #2 Canon Randall (28-4) or #4 Jakob Houston (36-4) either. #5 Brandon Blose (22-4) of Sapulpa defeated Weir 11-2 in the first round of Regionals, then Weir defeated #8 Cameron Picklo (25-8) of Mustang by 6-3 decision. 

Despite the toughness of his class, only a fool would count the freshman out. He's more than proven his ability to overcome the odds, most notably when he was injured at Geary and came from behind to pin Union's Caron Watson in a dual later that week with his arm in a brace. He's spent the last half of the season wrestling with his injury, demonstrating the severe toughness and dedication that only a homegrown Sandite can display. 

Seven Sandites take First Place at OK USA Youth State Championship

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Carter Wood, Michael Johnson, Clayton Giddens, Carter Young, Blake Jones, Sammy Naugle, and Jared Hill all placed first in their divisions at the Oklahoma USA Youth Wrestling State Championship last month, wrestling for Sand Springs Team Big, a club started by Charles Page High School assistant coach Derek Fix. Those champions are but a few on the long roster of incredible youth talent that represents the future of Sandite wrestling.

Jared Hill won the 92 lbs bracket in Division 5, the oldest division, in a close overtime matchup with Bryce Dauphin of Tuttle. Hill pinned his first opponent, Kilian McNichol of Owasso, in 1:06, then outlasted Copper Gibson (NEO) 11-7 on his way to the finals. Hill and Dauphin were tied 0-0 when regulation expired and the two entered into a sudden victory overtime period where the Team Big wrestler came out on top with a 2-pt takedown. This marks Hill's first tournament win of the year after coming in second at both the US Jr. Open Championships and the Ted Anderson Open.

Carter Young competed at 76 lbs in Division 4 and majored Collinsville's Jordan Cullors 10-1 in the opening round, then pinned Hunter Waits (RAW) in 1:29 before registering a 6-2 decision over John Wiley (Matrix WC) for his ninth tournament championship this school year. Young is a two-time consecutive ASICS Kids National Freestyle Champion and two-time consecutive ASICS Kids National Greco-Roman Runner-Up.

Blake Jones competed at 92 lbs in Division 4 and breezed through four opponents while only allowing a single point. He teched his first foe, Kaden Murray (Jay), 16-0, then defeated Jack Golowenski in the quarterfinals by 5-1 decision. His narrowest match was against Landon Valenzuela (Southmoore) 3-0 in the semis, but he finished up with a solid 6-0 decision over Reese Davis of Tuttle for his sixth tournament championship of the school year.

Michael Johnson competed at 52 lbs in Division 3 and didn't allow a single point over his three matches. Hunter Jackson (Elgin) and teammate Zander Grigsby each went down by way of major decision, 9-0 and 8-0 respectively. In the finals he defeated Jason Goodin (Moore) 7-0 for his ninth Championship this school year. Last summer he claimed his second consecutive ASICS Kids Freestyle National Championship title in Wisconsin.

Clayton Giddens competed at 58 lbs in Division 3 and pinned his first two opponents in nearly the exact same amount of time. Cash Donnell (StandFast Wrestling) fell in 2:51, followed by Dylan Abbott (Sperry) in 2:52. In the finals he was pitted against Bryson Humphries of Catoosa and triumphed by 6-0 decision. This makes Giddens's sixth tournament championship this school year. He also placed runner-up at the U.S. Jr. Open Championships. 

Sammy Naugle competed at 80 lbs in the Novice Division 4 bracket and defeated Keaton Story (Creek) 3-0 and Ransom Cosby (Blanchard) 2-0 en rout to the finals. There he was pitted against Garrett Washington (Glenpool) and won 6-3 for his fourth tournament championship of the school year and first of 2016.

Carter Wood competed at 60 lbs in the Novice Division 1 bracket, scoring a 0:46 fall over Trevor Engles (Blanchard), then defeated his next three opponents by decision. Alex Munoz (Collinsville) went down 2-0, Rylan Rinehart (Newcastle) fell 6-3, and Promised Johnson (Bristow) lost 8-6. This marks Wood's fifth championship this school year, winning tournaments at Owasso, Catoosa, and Sand Springs, as well as the 2016 Flo Novice Nationals. Not bad for a 6 year old. 

Other results are as follows...

Division 5

76 Dylan Luker, 4th Place

• defeated 6-2 by Caleb Hight
• defeated Jose Becerril 1-0
• teched 18-1 by Cryce Cockrell 
• defeated 4-2 by Cooper Britton

100 Brendon Wisely, DNP

• majored 9-0 by Josh Taylor
• defeated 4-1 by Agustus Edwards

100 Brandon Elrod, 4th Place

• pinned Mason Watts in 1:06
• defeated 3-0 by Ryder Ramsey
• majored Sheldon Roberts 9-0
• defeated Peyton Messenger 2-1
• defeated Eli Benham by 7-2 sudden victory
• defeated 4-2 by Ryder Ramsey in sudden victory

106 Seth Jones, 6th Place

• defeated 4-2 in sudden victory by Blake Gonzalez
• defeated Michael Harjo 5-2
• defeated 4-2 by Luke Surber
• defeated 3-0 by Remington White

120 Caleb Phillips, 5th Place

• pinned Brent Ingram in 0:34
• defeated 3-2 by Hunter Hall
• defeated 5-0 in sudden victory by Timothy Trigg
• pinned Matthew Thompson in 0:46

Division 4

63 Owen Martin, 2nd Place

• majored Gehrig Furr 9-0
• defeated Christian Forbes 6-2
• defeated 5-2 by Cole Brooks 
• majored Sam Smith 11-0

76 Colton Luker, DNP

• majored Silas Carney 8-0
• pinned in 1:21 by Reece Moffett
• pinned Owen Zellers in 0:44
• defeated 3-0 by Case Rich

80 Kaden Clark, DNP

• pinned in 1:24 by Micheal Edwards
• defeated Cohlson Peper 13-6
• pinned Sutton Little in 0:55
• majored 10-0 by Cutter Sheets

84 Cody Spann, DNP

• defeated 7-0 by Gabriel Fontanez
• majored Gunnor Yates 12-0
• defeated 2-0 by Casey Goss

Division 3

52 Jackson Martin, DNP

• pinned in 1:50 by Christopher Kiser
• defeated 4-2 by Cavin Pepper

52 Zander Grigsby, 4th Place

• defeated Iziah Tusler 6-2
• majored 8-0 by Michael Johnson
• defeated Cavin Pepper 4-3
• defeated 6-3 by Christopher Kiser

64 Mitchell Smith, 5th Place

• pinned Keller Kizarr in 2:48
• pinned Blade Walden in 2:36
• defeated 5-0 by Dylan Sie Palmer
• defeated 5-2 by Kason McGill
• defeated Louden Wolfe 4-2

110 James Winn, DNP

• pinned Jared Young in 0:29
• pinned in 2:03 by Balance Johnson
• defeated 2-0 by Julian Rash

285 Tyler B Smith, 5th Place

• pinned in 2:03 by Brezlyn Hightower
• pinned in 1:21 by JaKobe Sanders
• pinned in 1:51 by Lane Gourley
• pinned in 2:32 by Jarrod Whitmore

Division 2

43 Jaxon Grigsby, 3rd Place

• pinned Paxton Shultz in 0:37
• pinned in 2:44 by Jesse Justice
• majored Cooper Jackson 13-0
• pinned Will Meredith in 0:50
• defeated 8-2 by Mason Burnham

49 Ayreson Reiss, 6th Place

• majored 11-1 by Brynton Handshy
• teched Kannon Henn 15-0
• majored Evan Colbert 8-0
• pinned in 0:34 by Cayden Cupps
• pinned in 3:27 by Brynton Handshy

55 Hunter Spencer, DNP

• defeated 4-2 by Maddox Jackson
• defeated 3-2 by Terrel Parker

61 Zane Swafford, 5th Place

• majored Jase Winchester 10-1
• majored Bo Ware 17-3
• defeated 1-0 by Hayze Ivvey
• defeated 6-1 by Greyson Zellers
• teched Bo Ware 17-2

61 David Ritchey, DNP

• pinned Bradley Gallia in 0:30
• defeated 5-0 by Cache Pierson
• defeated Jace Simms 5-1
• defeated 11-8 by Greyson Zellers

70 Dallas Flores, 6th Place

• teched 18-1 by Gunner Tate
• defeated 6-0 by Pierce Davis
• pinned in 1:44 by Clete Gilbert

75 Jaxon Trotter, 3rd Place

• defeated Wyatt Hiesler 6-5
• defeated Owen Vaught 1-0
• pinned in 3:00 by Aiven Robbins
• defeated Wyatt Hiesler by 5-3 sudden victory
• majored Owen Vaught 9-1
• defeated 5-1 by Haydan Yocham

Division 1

52 Kasen McAffrey, 2nd Place

• defeated Maddox Young 9-5
• lost 5-0 to Andrew Moro

Novice 4

84 Ryder Barnes, 4th Place

• pinned Levi Rodgers in 1:49
• pinned in 0:23 by Gunnor Yates
• defeated 6-3 by Bryson Rouse

Novice 3

58 Dawsen Briscoe, 2nd Place

• pinned Preston Proffitt in 1:39
• pinned Carson Owen in 1:54
• defeated DJ Peterson 8-5
• pinned in 2:27 by Carson Orr

61 Blake Stewart, 4th Place

• pinned in 0:50 by Daniel Hernandez
• defeated Zoey Freeman 6-1
• pinned Dayton Aguilar in 2:33
• pinned in 0:35 by Nick White

85 Evan Williams, DNP

• defeated 8-2 by Vincent Vandiver 
• majored 12-0 by Tyler Hockett

Novice 2

49 Bradie Adams, 5th Place

• defeated 7-0 by Wiley Wilson
• pinned Matteo Carrasco in 2:27
• majored Andrew Howard 11-0

majored Brayden Harrison 11-2

• defeated 7-6 by Aidan Graves
• defeated Isaiah Carrasco 7-1

52 Kaden Pope, 3rd Place

• lost 1-0 in tie breaker to Jarrett Patty
• defeated Joseph Ketcher 6-0
• defeated Jaden Bixler 7-2
• majored Xzaivier Buzzard 8-0
• defeated Brock Copass 2-0

55 Colt Cothran, 3rd Place

• pinned AJ Oyer in 0:29
• defeated Luke Shaffer 9-2
• defeated 4-2 by Camden Whitby
• defeated Johnathan Blau 4-0
• defeated Aydin Machado 8-2

58 Landyn Barnes, DNP

• pinned in 0:46 by Jake Wassom
• pinned in 0:32 by Aiden Cox

61 Hunter Jewell, DNP

• pinned Bradley Gallia in 2:37
• majored 9-1 by Toby Shipman
• defeated 5-3 by Brody Byers

Novice 1

37 Asher Giddens, 3rd Place

• pinned Maddox Masters in 0:59
• pinned William Vaughan in 0:49
• pinned in 2:30 by Tabor Reiss 
• defeated Brynlyn Sullivan 7-3
• defeated Daxen Delaserta 9-7

37 Tabor Reiss, 2nd Place

• pinned Dalton Perkins in 0:43
• pinned Asher Giddens in 2:30
• lost 8-6 to Jon Zerzavy

46 Brody Bates, DNP

• pinned in 1:55 by Ashlyn Masters
• pinned Olen Appleton in 1:15
• majored Paul Howe 14-0
• majored 10-2 by Kale Shultz

49 Jayden Bussell, 5th Place

• pinned in 1:40 by Revin Flipps
• pinned Jakoby Bussell in 1:11
• pinned Hunter Stanford in 0:19
• pinned Jordan Weems in 0:25
• pinned Nathan Griffin in 0:31
• defeated 7-6 by Jaycob Graves
• defeated Kale Fruits 5-4

Sandite of the Week: Delvin Jordan, Jr.

View fullsize

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

This week Sandite Pride would like to recognize Charles Page High School junior Delvin Jordan as Sandite of the Week for his outstanding upset win at the OSSAA 6A East Regional Championship. 

Jordan was one of seven Sandite wrestlers to claim the title of Regional Champion this weekend as the team placed first overall at Tiger Field House in Broken Arrow, and qualified ten wrestlers for State.

Jordan pinned his first three opponents en rout to the finals. First to fall was Jackson McNeil (Mustang) in 1:17, followed by Brennon Melvin (Enid) in 1:35, and #10 Sam Wilson (Jenks) in 2:35.

The final round pitted him against Nic Roller of Bixby. Roller was last year's State Runner-Up and hadn't been beaten since. Undefeated 19-0 for the season, Roller had already beaten Jordan 7-3 at the Yukon Tournament in January and was the heavily favored candidate for State Champion this year. This time Jordan came out on top with a 6-3 decision that was nearly a first period pin that ended in nearfall points after time ran out.

Roller and Jordan have also stood in each others' way on the gridiron as well. Roller was the star runningback for the Spartans in their State Championship run this fall. Jordan was one of the leading linebackers for the Sandites. Jordan sacked Roller multiple times in the Sandites' regular season 20-0 shutout of the Spartans, but three weeks later Bixby caught up with Sand Springs in the State Championship game and avenged themselves 38-28 to retain their State Title. 

Sand Springs and Bixby have developed quite the rivalry in recent years as Bixby has knocked the Sandites out of the playoffs in back to back years, but Sand Springs dealt the Spartans their first shutout in over a decade. With Roller as the heart of the Spartan offense, it will be particularly sweet to see Jordan potentially get some payback for December's heart-breaker.

Jordan has an 18-5 record this season and this marks his second time qualifying for State. In the brackets released Sunday, Jordan has been pitted against Markeylo Cavers of Midwest City in the quarter finals. Cavers has a 31-11 record this year, but the two have not met before this season. If Jordan wins that round he will go up against either Seth Mischler (Union) or Mason Lancaster (Putnam City). He hasn't met Lancaster yet, but he has defeated Mischler 4-2 at Dual State where the Sandites were Runners-Up. Roller is on the opposite side of the bracket from Jordan, so the two could get a rematch in the finals.

Jordan tied with Jacob Taber at 87 for second-most tackles this season, and has the edge in unassisted tackles. He has 15 for losses of 64 yards and 8 sacks for 36 yards. He also has one pass-breakup, two blocked kicks, four fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown, and is the only player on the team with a safety.

Jordan is the son of Portia Pouncil and Delvin Jordan, Sr. who was the starting quarterback for the Sandites from 1993-1994 under head coach L.D. Baines. 

---

Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. Bylaws prevent the giving of the award to anyone for two consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of a three-person staff committee. 

Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.

Sandite Wrestling wins first Regional Championship in 19 years

View fullsize

Story and photography by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

By an 18 point margin, the Sand Springs Sandites overcame Broken Arrow at Tiger Field House for their first Regional Championship since 1997. The Dual State Runners-Up finished the East Regional Tournament with 10 State Qualifiers, 13 Regional Placers, and 7 Regional Champions, meaning that despite the Dual State upset by Choctaw, Sand Springs could still bring home gold at the State Tournament.

113 Michael Ritchey (21-15), 120 Blake Sargent (35-9), 126 Daton Fix (43-0), 132 Jack Karstetter (37-7), 138 Beau Bratcher (39-6), 152 Payton Scott (17-4), and 220 Delvin Jordan (17-6) all won their brackets for first place finishes.

106 Riley Weir (20-10) placed third, 160 Zane Basma (31-11) placed second, and 170 Trace Fleischman (9-4) placed third, all qualifying for State.

145 Cody Mathis (18-14) placed 5th, 195 Zach Sims (25-22) placed fifth, and 285 Gage Fain (13-21) placed sixth. Only the top four immediately qualify for State, but should any of the top four be unable to wrestle due to injury or ineligibility, the fifth and sixth place wrestlers may fill the spot. Though it is a rarity, it's still possible that Sand Springs could qualify Mathis, Sims, or Fain should unusual circumstances prevent the qualifiers from traveling to Oklahoma City next weekend.

Check back tomorrow for full individual results and photo galleries!