Oklahoma Freestyle breezes through South Dakota at Nationals

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahoma Outlaws put the whole arena on high notice that they were on a warpath in the opening round of Freestyle Friday morning. The back-to-back Junior Dual National Champions have every intention of threepeating this weekend at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa. 

South Dakota's Nick Casperson won the first round with a back-and-forth 20-10 tech fall over Dan Baker, but Zach Marcheselli got Oklahoma in the win column with a 12-2 tech against Payson Dirk. 

The Outlaws got the lead with a forfeit at 220 and never looked back. Trenton Leiurance had little difficulty running up an 11-0 tech fall over Truman Ashes in 5:34. 

Kellyn March won a 10-0 tech over Alex Fields for South Dakota, but Oklahoma went on a run from there. Wyatt Adams received a forfeit at 106, Colt Newton teched Trevor Klinnert 10-0, and Jet Taylor did the same to Caden Lamer. 

Brandon Carroll put up a solid attempt on Daton Fix, but the National Champ prevailed 11-0 in 2:33. Jacob Butler continued the undefeated streak he began in Greco with an 8-4 decision over Jebben Keyes, Jaxen Gilmore teched Bailey Mennis 14-4, and Beau Guffey teched Josh Cid 10-0. 

Wyatt Sheets received a forfeit at 152, Dayton Garrett teched Blake Beitz 10-0, and Drew Hinkle wrapped the dual up with a 10-0 tech fall over Jesse Mikrut for a final score of 55-11. Up next for the Outlaws will be an untested Iowa Blue team who received a bye in the first round. 

Payton Scott, Team Oklahoma place sixth at Junior Greco Roman Nationals

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahoma Outlaws put up a tough fight, but lost back-to-back duals for a sixth place finish Thursday evening at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa. The USA Wrestling Junior Greco-Roman Dual Nationals featured thirty-four teams from twenty-six states and drew nearly 600 of the best wrestlers in the nation. Last year the Oklahoma Greco team included two Sandites in Kyler Childers and Cody Karstetter, and placed fifth overall. This year Payton Scott was the lone Charles Page student to compete in Greco.

Team Oklahoma got off to a fast start against Team Georgia Blue Wednesday morning and won every weight for a 68-2 finish. Read that story here.

Next to go down was a scrappy team from Pennsylvania who put up a tough battle but ultimately fell 38-30. Read that story here.

In the Pool D finals, Oklahoma pulled off a surprisingly easy 41-29 upset over the top-seeded team from Iowa. Read that story here.

Day two was far tougher for the Outlaws as they faced off against the toughest teams in the nation in the Gold/Silver Pool. Their dominating win streak came to an end at the hands of California in a fiercely contested battle that wasn't decided till the final match. Read that story here. 

Scott had the honor of clinching the win in the next dual, however, as the Okies edged out Florida 36-30. Read that story here. 

The final two duals would not be as kind to Oklahoma, however, as they lost to Minnesota Blue and Michigan Blue back-to-back. 

Trenton Lieurance, Wyatt Adams, Jet Taylor, Jacob Butler, and Jaxen Gilmore all won their matches against Minnesota, but the home team lost 43-22 to the eventual National Champions. Oklahoma can take some solace in the fact that they didn't lose by any more than the eventual Runners-Up from Illinois. Both teams lost by 21 points.

Lieurance won a 9-2 decision over Trenton Rogich, Adams teched Minnesota State Champ Ashton Clark 10-0, and Taylor teched Curtis LeMair 10-0. Butler pulled off a huge 12-10 upset decision over Brent Jones, who placed third at last year's Fargo Nationals. Probably the biggest win went to Jaxen Gilmore who pinned Cadet National Runner-Up Calvin Germinaro in 1:45. 

Scott lost his match by 10-0 tech fall to Southern Plains Regional Champion Travis Ostby. Alec McDoulett put up a great performance against nationally ranked No. 9 Patrick McKee that ended in a close 16-15 decision. Bear Hughes also went the distance for a 14-10 decision to Nationally ranked No. 11 Taylor Venz. 

In the placement match against Michigan Blue, the Okies were noticeably drained after a long day of brutal competition. Dalton Duffield defeated Michigan State Champion Jordan Hamdan with a 16-5 tech fall. Butler finished out the tournament undefeated after holding off Central Regional Champion Nick Freeman for a 3-0 decision. Butler was the only Oklahoma wrestler to go undefeated. Brik Filippo won a 12-0 tech fall over Trent Lashuay and Jaryn Curry pinned Dustin Gross in 1:54. Dan Baker went the distance against Nationally ranked No. 11 Jelani Embree for a 15-8 loss. 

After placing sixth in the country, the Oklahoma team earned All-American status for the third straight year.

Friday morning will begin the Freestyle Dual tournament in which Team Oklahoma is the back-to-back defending National Champions. Thirty-nine teams will be competing, including two from Oklahoma. Riley Weir and Daton Fix will be representing Sand Springs on the Oklahoma Blue team.

OK Blue is the fifth-highest seeded team in the tournament, behind California, Illinois, Iowa Red, and New Jersey, but boasts an impressive roster of nationally ranked wrestlers. Paxton Rosen is ranked 12th in the nation, Fix is ranked second, Kaden Gfeller is ranked fourth, and Wyatt Sheets is ranked 11th. Up first for team Blue is South Dakota at 9:00 am, followed by Texas Blue immediately after.

Photos of Team Oklahoma can be found at this link.

Payton Scott clinches 36-30 victory for Team Oklahoma over Florida

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahoma Outlaws got off to a rough start Thursday morning at the Greco-Roman Junior National Duals. After going undefeated in day one, the Okies went down 35-32 to California in a hotly contested battle that wasn't decided till the final match. The Gold may be out of reach for Oklahoma now, but the scrappy team proved their hearts are still in it with a stellar 36-30 victory over Florida in round two.

State Champion Nick Mahan (Lawton) started the dual off with a 19-9 tech fall over Mikall Fundora, State Champ Dan Baker (Sulphur) came out on the winning end of a high-scoring 15-11 decision over Josiah Gittman, and State Champ Bear Hughes (Coweta) dominated Fidel Lara with a 13-0 tech fall for an 11-2 lead.

Florida finally picked up their first win with a 13-2 tech fall by Darius Hamilton over Tanner Hawkins. Broken Arrow's Trenton Lieurance went the distance for a 4-2 decision over Kyron Taylor, then Florida went on a run.

Jacob Cochran won an 18-10 decision over Alex Fields (Guthrie), Elijah Varona teched Wyatt Adams (MacArthur) 12-0, and Malyke Hines picked up a 20-10 tech fall over Alec McDoulett (Little Axe).

National Champion Dalton Duffield (Westmoore) quickly handled Luis Hernandez with a 0:42 pin. Jet Taylor (Sallisaw) went down 11-0 to Jordan Marshall. State Champion Jacob Butler (Elgin) won a 7-1 decision over Marcus Abreu and State Champ Jaxen Gilmore (Yukon) teched Demetrius Anderson 11-0. 

Brik Filippo, a State Champ from Tuttle, put up a valiant effort against nationally ranked No. 16 Anthony Artalona but went down in a 6-1 decision.

With a 30-26 lead and two matches left, Sand Springs's Payton Scott had the chance to clinch the dual, and the pressure was on. The next match would be Ezequiel Rubio (Ponca City) as a heavy underdog against Max Wohlabaugh, who just won the Cadet Greco-Roman National Title in Akron three weeks ago. The Sandite didn't disappoint, and pinned Christian Febus in 3:39 to put the victory just out of reach for Florida. Wohlabaugh won his match 11-1, but Oklahoma won the dual 36-30.

Up next for Oklahoma is the undefeated top-seeded Minnesota Blue team. Minnesota features nationally ranked No. 11 Jake Allar, No. 11 Taylor Venz, No. 12 Lucas Jeske, and No. 13 Owen Webster.

Oklahoma falls by a hair to tough California team in Greco Dual Nationals

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahoma Outlaws saw their dominating win-streak come to an end at the hands of California Thursday morning. The back-and-forth battle was decided by the final match and the Sunshine State came out on top 35-32.

California took the lead right off the bat with an 11-0 tech fall by Andrew Cervantez over Ezequiel Rubio (Ponca City) and a 1:05 pin of State Champion Nick Mahan (Lawton) by Flo World Champion and No. 10 nationally ranked Anthony Mantanona. The Outlaws retaliated with an 11-0 tech of Juan Rosales by State Champ Dan Baker (Sulphur) and a 1:58 pin of Bonifacio Escobar by State Champ Bear Hughes (Coweta) to tie things up, but California quickly regained the edge.

Cristian Ayala, who placed fifth in Fargo last year, pinned State Champ Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow) in 0:31 and Flo Worlds Champion Gavin Nye pinned State Runner-Up Gage Johnson (Norman North) in 0:46 for a 19-9 advantage. Southern Plains Champ Alex Fields (Crescent) dealt Moises Duran a 12-0 tech fall, Eric Sanchez paid it back with an 18-7 tech over State Champ Wyatt Adams of MacArthur. 

Oklahoma won the next four straight matches and still had two of their strongest competitors ahead of them and it looked like it would be a clear surge to victory, but California pulled off some surprising upsets for the win.

Alec McDoulett (Little Axe) defeated Oscar Nellis by way of 8-2 decision and National Champion Dalton Duffield (Westmoore) pinned Mason Hartshorn in 0:32. State Champs Jet Taylor (Sallisaw) and Jacob Butler (Elgin) each scored 13-2 tech falls over Chase Zollman and National Champion Patrick Ramirez, respectively. Sitting at a 30-26 lead with State Champions Jaxen Gilmore (Yukon) and Brik Filippo (Tuttle) up next, it seemed like Oklahoma was on the cusp of victory.

Unfortunately for the host team, California had some talent left of their own. Flo Worlds Runner-Up Jaden Enriquez got the 4-3 edge over Gilmore. Filippo hadn't lost a match yet in the tournament, but he met his match in Cadet Greco National Champion Peyton Omania with a 12-0 tech fall. The pressure was on Sand Springs's Payton Scott, but Joshua Kim went the distance for a 7-4 decision to pull of the come-from-behind win. 

Up next for Oklahoma is Team Florida who placed second in Pool B behind Illinois and just lost 47-22 to the top-seeded Minnesota Blue. Florida boasts some big guns in No. 16 nationally ranked Anthony Artalona, Southeast Regional Champion Malyke Hines, Southeast Regional Champion Luis Hernandez, National Champion Anthony Artalona, and National Champion Max Wohlabaugh.

Oklahoma routs Iowa 41-29 to remain undefeated after day one

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahoma Outlaws are sitting pretty after day one at the Junior Greco-Roman Dual Nationals. The host team destroyed Georgia in round one 68-2, pushed past a scrappy Pennsylvania team 38-30 in the semis, and handled Iowa with surprising ease in the Pool D finals Wednesday night to advance to the Gold/Silver Pool Thursday morning.

Team Iowa entered the dual as the top seed in the Pool, but that didn't deter an ambitious Oklahoma team. The Outlaws are the defending National Champions in Freestyle, and they're clearly on a warpath to add Greco to the resume this year. 

The dual started off with a 14-3 tech fall from Brik Filippo, the State Champ from Tuttle, over Nelson Brands. Iowa rebounded with a 22-9 tech fall by Matt Malcomb over Payton Scott of Sand Springs, but Jaryn Curry got the Outlaws back on track with a huge upset. The State Champion from Choctaw came down hard on No. 9 nationally ranked Fargo All-American Colton Clingenpeel for a 10-0 tech fall.

Brandon Haas returned the favor with an 8-0 upset over State Champ Nick Mahan of Lawton MacArthur, but Oklahoma swept the next three straight matches. State Champ Dan Baker of Sulphur teched Bailey Chyma 18-8, State Champ Bear Hughes of Coweta pinned Isaac Bartel in 1:25, and Tanner Hawkins of Weatherford pinned Caleb Ring in 4:50 for a 23-9 lead.

Iowa broke the streak as No. 11 Carter Isley took out State Runner-Up Gage Johnson of Norman North with an 8-0 decision at heavy weight, but Oklahoma continued to push the lead in the lower weights. 

Crescent's Alex Fields picked up a 16-4 tech fall over Cobe Siebrecht and MacArthur's State Champ Wyatt Adams pinned Carter Weeks in 1:53 before Iowa found another win. Drew Bennett pinned Alec McDoulett in 4:35, but Fargo National Champ Dalton Duffield of Westmoore clinched the dual with an 11-0 tech fall over Brenden Baker. Sallisaw State Champ Jett Taylor tacked on the exclamation point with a 0:45 pin of Dante Tacchia to make the score 41-19 and the Okies forfeited the last two weights to finish 41-29.

The Outlaws will return to action Thursday morning against California, Florida, and Minnesota Blue before the placement match. California placed second in Pool C after falling to Michigan Blue in a close 34-33 knockdown drag-out. Florida placed second in Pool B after going down 42-25 to Illinois. Minnesota Blue is the top-seeded favorite and didn't even blink as they bulldozed through the A Pool by a minimum of 38 points per dual. 

Oklahoma fends off Pennsylvania to remain undefeated at Junior Dual Nationals

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahoma Outlaws got off to a great start at the 2016 Junior Dual Nationals Wednesday morning. In the first round of pool play they dominated Team Georgia 68-2, winning every match. Their next opponent would be far tougher, but the home team still got the win 38-30. 

The first match was a slow starter as State Champion Jacob Butler (Elgin) and Cary Palmer seemed fairly matched, but midway through the second period Butler got the tech fall with a massive bomb.

Pennsylvania responded quickly as Wyatt Long went the distance for a 4-2 upset over State Champion Jaxen Gilmore of Yukon. The Keystone State boasted an impressive roster of Nationally ranked wrestlers, but that didn't intimidate Brik Filippo. The State Champion from Tuttle took a small 1-0 lead over No.6 Sam Sasso into the second half and won the match with a 6-1 decision.

Sand Springs junior Payton Scott had a tough match in Will Kaldes and barely led at the half, but a pair of suplexes helped him to a 15-5 tech fall shortly before the end of the match.  

Pennsylvania pulled off a big win as No.17 Trent Hidlay scored a 10-0 tech fall over Jaryn Curry, a State Champion from Choctaw. No.12 Eric Hong followed it up with a 10-0 tech over State Champion Nick Mahan (Lawton) and Pennsylvania took the lead 13-12.

It looked like Oklahoma would find its feet in State Champ Dan Baker (Sulphur) as he took an 8-0 lead over Anthony Welch, but the Pennsylvania wrestler caught up Baker in a surprising 3:52 pin for the upset. 

Edmond's State Champion Zach Marcheselli received a forfeit at 195 and the Okies trailed 18-17. Zane Black bombed Tanner Hawkins (Weatherford) for a 5-0 lead midway through the first period and wrapped it up 11-1 with seventeen seconds left before the half. 

State Runner-Up Gage Johnson (Norman North) finally got the Outlaws back on track, leading Brendan Furman 7-0 at the half and finishing with a 13-2 tech fall with 37 seconds remaining. Southern Plains Regional Champ Alex Fields (Guthrie) received a forfeit and the Okies were back in the lead at 27-23.

No.16 Nationally-ranked Jaret Lane worked over State Champ Wyatt Adams (Lawton MacArthur) for a 12-0 tech fall in 1:58 to tie the dual up. Alec McDoulett (Little Axe) fell into an early 6-0 hole against Northeast Regional Champ Ryan Green, but put in work for a 10-8 decision with two matches left. 

Fargo National Champion Dalton Duffield, of Westmoore, kept the dual alive with a 12-1 tech fall over Northeast Regional Champ Zurich Storm midway through the first period and State Champion Jet Taylor (Sallisaw) finished things off with a 15-2 tech over Brandon Bach to seal the deal. 

Up next for Oklahoma will be a Pool D finals bout with Iowa. The Hawkeye State steamrolled Utah 60-7 in the first round and beat out North Dakota Blue 39-28 in the semis. Last year Oklahoma handed Iowa a solid 42-25 defeat on their way to a fourth-place finish nationally, but a lot can change in a year.

Iowa is seeded slightly ahead of Oklahoma and boasts three nationally-ranked wrestlers.