Oklahoma Wrestling: Week One High School 6A Individual Rankings

106

1. Braden Fowler (Yukon Senior) Previously #6
2. Riley Weir (Sand Springs Sophomore) Previously #7
3. TJ Long (Union Sophomore) Previously unranked
4. Austin Hall (Southmoore Senior) Previously unranked
5. Gabe Johnson (Choctaw Freshman) Previously unranked
6. Jackson Cockrell (Broken Arrow Freshman) Previously unranked
7. David Boucher (Bartlesville Sophomore) Previously unranked
8. Jacob Zimmer (Norman North Freshman) Previously unranked
9. Nate Becker (Edmond North) Previously unranked

113

1. Colt Newton (Choctaw Sophomore) Previously #3 in 106
2. Tanner Ward (Sand Springs Senior) Previously #1 in 3A 113
3. Andrew Police (Broken Arrow Freshman) Previously unranked
4. Wyatt Johnson (Owasso Senior) Previously unranked
5. Johnathan Warford (Sapulpa Junior) Previously unranked
6. Joe Lupton (Mustang Junior) Previously unranked
7. Will Pham (Deer Creek Freshman) Previously unranked

120

1. Canon Randall (Westmoore Senior) Previously #2 in 106
2. Tyler Lawley (Broken Arrow Senior) Previously #5 at 113
3. Michael Ritchey (Sand Springs Senior) Previously #4 in 113
4. Spencer Schickram (Ponca City Sophomore) Previously #7 in 113
5. Brandon Blose (Sapulpa Senior) Previously #5 in 106
6. Cameron Picklo (Mustang Sophomore) Previously #8 in 106
7. Laif Jones (Bartlesville Sophomore) Previously unranked
8. Andy Schaepfer (Choctaw) Previously unranked

126

1. Paxton Rosen (Edmond North Senior) Previously #1 in 113
2. Tanner Cole (Deer Creek Senior) Previously #2 in 120
3. Blake Sargent (Sand Springs Junior) Previously #3 in 120
4. Jacob Swenson (Ponca City Junior) Previously unranked
5. Chase Slatton (Jenks Senior) Previously #8 in 113
6. Blake Gonzalez (Broken Arrow) Previously unranked
7. Caron Watson (Union Junior) Previously unranked
8. Alaisa Rubio (US Grant) Previously unranked
9. Gavin Southern (Bixby Sophomore) Previously unranked

132

1. Daton Fix (Sand Springs Senior) Previosuly #1 in 126
2. Connor Holman (Choctaw Junior) Previously #2 in 113
3. Crew Wilson (Midwest City Senior) Previously #3 in 126
4. TaJuan Daniels (Broken Arrow Senior) Previously #4 in 120
5. Dawson Hunt (Ponca City Senior) Previously unranked
6. Easton Hudson (Bixby Senior) 
7. Bobby Robinson (Deer Creek Sophomore) Previously #8 in 126
8. Crash Blumenthal (Westmoore) Previously unranked
9. Ashad Rufia (Union Junior) Previously unranked
10. John Ritchey (Stillwater Junior) Previously unranked

138

1. Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs Senior) Previously #1 in 132
2. Kendon Lee (Stillwater Senior) Previously #3
3. Sam Avant (Norman North Senior) Previously #5 in 132
4. Seth Graves (Edmond Memorial Senior) 
5. Zach Johnson (Westmoore Sophomore) 
6. Josh Suter (Norman Senior) Previously #6 at 120
7. Bryce Mattioda (Broken Arrow Freshman) Previously unranked
8. Baylor Smith (Owasso Junior) Previously unranked
9. Dylan Schickram (Ponca City Junior) Previously unranked
10. Keanu Quinn (Sapulpa Senior) Previously unranked

145

1. Jaxen Gilmore (Yukon Junior) Previously #1 at 138
2. Beau Bratcher (Sand Springs Senior) Previously #2 at 138
3. Tyler Dieringer (Stillwater Senior) Previously #3 at 132
4. Chase Umholtz (Jenks Senior) Previously unranked
5. Brady Mattioda (Broken Arrow Junior) Previously #5 in 126
6. Cameron Traylor (Union Junior) Previously unranked
7. Garrett Spears (Norman North Senior) Previously unranked
8. Brandon Conrad (Owasso Senior) Previously unranked

152

1. Kruz Simons (Edmond North Sophomore) Previously #2 in 132
2. Payton Scott (Sand Springs Junior) Previously #3
3. RJ Walker (Midwest City  Senior) Previously #5
4. Ryan Swanson (Westmoore Junior) Previously #4 in 145
5. Connor Wilcoxen (Stillwater Senior) Previously #8 
6. Jeff Speer (Choctaw Junior) Previously #7 in 138
7. Jermain Harring (Union) Previously unranked
8. Nenebah Biggoose (Ponca City Junior) Previously unranked
9. Killian McGrew (Jenks Freshman) Previously unranked
10. Austin Manley (Bartlesville Junior) Previously unranked

160

1. Christian Bahl (Stillwater Senior)
2. Jaryn Curry (Choctaw Junior) Previously #1 in 145
3. Joseph Messer (Norman North Senior) Previously #2 in 152
4. Chase Vincent (Yukon Senior) Previously #2 at 145
5. Trey Painter (Westmoore Senior) Previously #7 at 152
6. Caleb Wise (Broken Arrow Junior) Previously #3 at 145
7. Sam Hensley (Edmond Memorial Junior) Previously #5
8. Ezequiel Rubio (Ponca City Senior) Previously #4 at 152
9. Austin Loza (Enid Senior) Previously #7 at 145
10. Noah Almy (Sand Springs Sophomore) Previously unranked

170

1. Zane Coleman (Choctaw Sophomore) Previously #1 at 152
2. Zane Basma (Sand Springs Senior) Previously #3 at 160
3. Jace Brownlee (Stillwater Senior) Previously #4
4. Cooper Meadows (Mustang Senior) Previously #5 in 145
5. Payden Brown (Putnam City Senior) Previously #8
6. Trey Odam (Union Junior) Previously unranked
7. JT Stambeck (Norman North Sophomore) Previously unranked
8. Kaleb Mertz (Owasso Junior) Previously unranked
9. Joseph Hall (Broken Arrow Senior) Previously unranked
10. Trey Jezik (Bixby Senior) Previously unranked

182

1. Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow Sophomore)
2. Easton Rendleman (Choctaw Junior)
3. Shane Flandermeyer (Westmoore Junior) Previously #5
4. Austin Fry (Ponca City Senior) Previously #7
5. JD Johnson (Owasso Junior) Previously unranked
6. Jakob Ogden (Stillwater Senior) Previously unranked
7. Gage McBride (Mustang Senior) Previously unranked
8. John Bolton (Union Senior) Previously unranked
9. Jaylen Childs (Putnam North) Previously unranked
10. Joe Curtis (Bixby Sophomore) Previously unranked

195

1. Skyler Haynes (Broken Arrow Senior)
2. Cody Adams (Bixby Junior) Previously #6
3. Dakota Carnes (Sapulpa Senior) Previously #4
4. Blake Minnick (Edmond North Sophomore) Previously #5
5. Gage Fain (Sand Springs) Previously unranked
6. Rafe Johnson (Deer Creek) Previously unranked
7. Gary Dockert (Choctaw Junior) Previously unranked
8. Riley Corona (Westmoore Senior) Previously unranked
9. Arin Copas (Mustang Senior) Previously unranked

220

1. Delvin Jordan (Sand Springs Senior) Previously #2
2. Mason Lancaster (Putnam City Junior) Previously #4
3. Jon Martinez (Westmoore Senior) Previously #7
4. Caulin Poole (Choctaw Junior) Previously unranked
5. Keland Bearpaw (Sapulpa Junior) Previously unranked
6. Yousef Aliya (Union Senior) Previously unranked
7. Julian Flores (Broken Arrow Junior) Previously unranked
8. Griff Stanley (Deer Creek Junior) Previously unranked
9. Beltazar Reyes (US Grant) Previously unranked
10. Camer Harizal (Owasso Sophomore) Previously unranked

285

1. Brey Walker (Southmoore Junior) 
2. Gage Johnson (Norman North Senior) Previously #3
3. Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow Senior) Previously #2
4. Zach Austin (Choctaw Senior) Previously #5
5. Elwood Tomlin (Union Senior) Previously #4
6. Ryan Tilbury (Midwest City) Previously unranked
7. Malik McGee (US Grant) Previously unranked
8. John Carroll (Enid Senior) Previously unranked
9. Trey Cossey (Mustang Senior) Previously unranked

Kaden Glass and Sand Springs Junior High take first place at home tournament

Freshman Caleb Phillips works on his fourth pin of the tournament. Photo: Scott Emigh

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Clyde Boyd Middle School hosted the Sand Springs Junior High Wrestling Tournament this past weekend and the Sandites put forward three teams to compete. The Sand Springs Gold team took first in the tournament by an overwhelming margin while Sand Springs Black took 12th and Sand Springs White took 14th. Twelve other schools also turned out for the event.

Click HERE for the photo gallery.

Kaden Glass (11-0) competed at 200 pounds for team Gold and was the lone Sandite to take first place at the event. He won his first four matches by pin, taking down Gabe King (Claremore) in 1:10, Tucker Wheatley (Perry) in 0:51, Black teammate Alan Becerra in 0:26, and Scott Ghavami (Owasso) in 0:38. In the finals he scored a 9-0 major decision over Caleb Phillips (Coweta). 

Carter Young (11-2) competed at 89 pounds for team Gold and came in Runner-Up. He defeated Calvin Buddy (Perry) by 20-3 tech fall in only 3:00, then scored four straight pins. He took down teammate Sammy Naugle in 0:28, Jaxson Ward (Skiatook) in 1:13, Kai Schultz (Claremore) in 2:14, and Kolby Phipps (Coweta) in 0:37. He defeated Garett Strickland (Collinsville) 10-4 in the semifinals, but fell 5-1 to Jordan Williams (Collinsville) in the finals. 

Brendon Wisely (5-1) competed at 98 pounds for team Gold and came in Runner-Up. He pinned Levi Rodgers (Claremore) in 0:23, Tanner Kernan (Coweta) in 0:58, Jace Woodrow (Skiatook) in 1:38, and Parker Lecoq (Sapulpa) in 0:33. In the semifinals he won a close 4-2 decision over Cameron Steed (Collinsville), but fell 6-3 to Ryan Smith (Perry) in the finals.

Caleb Phillips (8-1) competed at 126 pounds for team Gold and came in Runner-Up. He pinned Anthony Garrett (Bartlesville) in 0:58, Terrance Golden (Nathan Hale) in 0:36, Wesley Spohn (Coweta) in 2:31, and Jacksen Vogt (Ponca City) in 2:36. He majored Jacob Peixotto (Owasso) 9-1, but fell in 1:55 to Chris Dugger (Union) in the finals.

CJ Kirby (6-1) competed at 140 pounds for team Gold and took third place. He pinned Blake Seward (Ponca City) in 2:33, Riley Hoke (Claremore) in 1:15, and Braden Beckham (Skiatook) in 1:32 before being majored 13-2 by Bayden Blocker (Perry). He won out from there with a series of pins. He took down Jace Hightower (Claremore) in 3:09, Bayden Gilkey (Collinsville) in 3:59, and Braden Beckham (Skiatook) in 0:38. 

Seth Jones (5-1) competed at 120 pounds for team Gold and took third place. He pinned Brandon White (Nathan Hale) in 1:50, Ethan Calhoon (Perry) in 3:52, and Carson Young (Claremore) in 1:37 before falling 4-2 to Cody Francis (Collinsville) in sudden victory overtime. He won out from there with an 0:35 pin of Isaiah Walker (Owasso) and a 2:55 pin of Josh Jones (Union).

Josh Fincannon (2-2) competed at 175 pounds for team Gold and came in third place. He won his opening match with an 8-0 major decision over Brandon Russell (Sapulpa), then lost 6-4 in overtime to Herubey Magallon (Owasso). After a 7-1 decision to Bryan Pollard (Skiatook), he finished with a 13-4 major decision over K'Den Stepp (Sapulpa).

Blake Jones (3-3) competed at 106 pounds for team Gold and came in fourth place. He won his opening match with a 1:44 pin of Trevaughn Huber (Nathan Hale), but lost a close 1-0 decision to Kaden Stanley (Claremore) in the next round. After an 11-2 major decision to Jordan Cullors (Collinsville), Jones rebounded with a 2:18 pin of Luke Young (Sapulpa) and a 5-3 decision over Kristopher Humble (Ponca City). He was pitted against Cullors once again in the consolation finals and fell 2-0. 

Braden Dahl (4-5) competed at 150 pounds for team Gold and came in fifth place. He pinned Joshua Norris (Stillwater) in 1:40 before giving up a 9-0 major decision to Cole Mallory (Claremore). He pinned Peyton Williams (Sapulpa) in 3:46, but was pinned in-turn by Aaron Amador (Ponca City) in 2:24 and Laken Clowdus (Bartlesville) in 3:32. He closed out the tournament with a close 12-11 decision over Xavier Forbes (Union). 

Colton Luker (3-3) competed at 80 pounds for team Gold and took seventh place. He was pinned in the opening round of pool play by Caidan Poff (Sapulpa), but he rebounded with pins of Zeke Wheeler (Owasso) and teammate Kaleb Eckfeldt in 1:03 and 3:28, respectively. In the quarterfinals he was pinned in 1:39 by Brody Gee (Coweta) and he gave up a 9-1 major decision to Sam Smith (Stillwater) before pinning Dwayne Lucas (Union) in 1:04.

Caden Vaughn (6-4) competed at 113 pounds on team Gold and took seventh place. He pinned Zach Poff (Sapulpa) in 1:08 and Braxton Tempest (Union) in 0:19 before falling 10-1 to Josh Taylor (Skiatook). He was teched 15-0 in 3:55 by Eli Benham (Collinsville) and decisioned 4-2 by Jesse Collinsworth (Coweta), but finished strong with a pin of Keranie Johnson (Claremore) in 3:39.

Robert Parrish (3-5) competed at heavyweight for team Gold and took seventh place. He was pinned in 1:22 by Kaden Jones (Collinsville), 1:59 by Ryan Cochran (Claremore), and 3:14 by Chaz Polifika (Perry). In his final match he pinned Christopher Watkins (Coweta) in 3:11.

Brooks Dudley (2-2) competed at 162 pounds on team Gold and took ninth place. He was defeated 7-0 by Camron Kirkes (Stillwater) and pinned in 0:54 by Coleman Lecoq (Sapulpa), but rebounded with a 2:44 pin of Logan Mohr (Union) and an 0:45 pin of Black teammate Bryson Pippin.

Tyler Rush (7-4) competed at 132 pounds on team Gold and took ninth place. He was pinned in 1:49 by Antonio Garcia (Ponca City), decisioned 7-2 by Kameron Parra (Bartlesville), and pinned in 1:12 by Demetrice Coronado (Claremore). He won out from there with a series of pins. He took down Rusty Treat (Coweta) in 0:26, teammate Thomas Naugle in 2:58, and Isaac Wilson (Stillwater) in 0:25. 

Kaleb Eckfeldt (2-5) competed at 80 pounds on Team Black and took tenth place. He won his first match with a 1:31 pin of Zeke Wheeler (Owasso), but was in-turn pinned by Caidan Poff (Sapulpa) in 1:03. He fell in 3:28 to Gold teammate Colton Luker, then pinned Hunter Coldiron (Perry) in 0:48. In his placement match he was defeated 4-0 by Wheeler. 

Sand Springs Elementary places fourth at Sperry Open with 8 Champions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Thirty Sand Springs elementary and middle school wrestlers competed at the USA Wrestling Sperry Open this past weekend and eight took first place in their divisions. Overall the Sandites took fourth place out of the fifty teams represented.

Grady Mittasch (14-1) competed in Division 3 at 70 pounds and won his fourth tournament of the season. He pinned Treshaun Tecson (Tulsa WC) in 1:09, teched Elijah Green (Broken Arrow) 17-1, shut out Jaxson Humphries (Catoosa) 6-0, and edged Blade Walden (Muskogee) 8-7. 

Owen Martin (9-0) competed in Division 4 at 70 pounds and won his third-straight tournament to remain undefeated on the season. He pinned Isaac Valencia (Collinsville) in 0:49 and Blade Walden (Muskogee) in 1:27, teched Hudson Henslick (Collinsville) 18-2, then pinned Conner Earwood (Division Bell) in 0:58.

Bentley Cole (5-1) competed in Division 1 at 37 pounds and took first place with an incredible performance. He pinned his first opponent, Pistol Autrey (Sperry) in 0:15, then took down Bentlee Starks (Sperry) in 0:13. In the finals he scored a 12-2 major decision over John Farmer (Cleveland) for his first tournament win of the season.

Clayton Giddens (12-1) competed in Division 4 at 67 pounds and took first place for the third time this season. He pinned Matthew Patton (Sperry) in 1:17, Andrew Havens (Sperry) in 1:30, and Canyon Curtis (Collinsville) in 1:22. 

Luke Burdette (10-1) competed in Division 4 at 130 pounds and took first place for the second time this season. He pinned Nathan Deatherage (Bartlesville) in 1:53, Lyric Wheeler (Owasso) in 1:59, and Micco Jones (Sapulpa) in 0:39.

Will Meredith (8-2) competed in Division 2 at 46 pounds and took first place for his second-straight tournament. He pinned Santos Valencia (Collinsville) in 0:21 and scored 6-0 decisions over both Aberic Scott (Threestyle) and Alden Rockacy (Rogers). 

Jackson Martin (7-2) competed in Division 3 at 52 pounds and took first place with a pair of pins. He drew only one competitor and pinned Parker Warren (Collinsville) in 0:56 and 1:30.

Rhett Peak (11-3) competed in Division 4 at 80 pounds and took third place. He pinned Isaac Grant (Division Bell) in 2:28 and received a forfeit from Peyton Trotter (Oologah) before falling 11-2 to Cole Brooks (Collinsville). He rebounded with a 2-1 decision over Josey Jernegan (Sperry), then took down Jayce Caviness (Stilwell) 6-4. 

Carter Wood (5-4) competed in Division 2 at 67 pounds and took third place. He was pinned in 1:20 in his opening match against Legend Ellis (Glenpool), but rebounded with three-straight victories. He pinned Havoc Crenshaw (Rogers) in 0:58, scored a 6-4 decision over Jake Wassom (Pryor), and pinned Garrett Williams (Division Bell) in 1:48.

Hunter Spencer (4-2) competed in Division 2 at 61 pounds and took second place. He scored an 11-4 decision over Ayden Carlile (Catoosa) and majored Kingston Sikes (Division Bell) 16-6 before falling 6-2 to Gunner Murray (Claremore).

Robert Burke (9-3) competed in Division 3 at 64 pounds and took second place. He pinned DJ Asberry (Team Neo) in 2:28 and scored a 2-0 decision over Dakota Seawright (Collinsville) before falling in 2:19 to Bryson Humphries (Catoosa).

Abraham Flores (9-2) competed in Division 4 at 100 pounds and took second place. He defeated Eli Hynes (Broken Arrow) 5-3 and pinned Chad Herbert (Owasso) in 2:28 before falling 6-4 to Isaiah Matanane (Division Bell) in a sudden victory round.

Jayden Bussell (6-2) competed in Division 1 at 55 pounds and took first place with a pair of pins. He took down Cade Orourke (Sperry) in 0:14 and Keller Murphy (Division Bell) in 0:24. He also competed up to Division 2 and took fourth place. He pinned Mateo Sanchez (Collinsville) in 2:30 and was in turn pinned in 1:00 by Jagen Jones (Sperry). He scored a 6-0 decision over teammate Ty Burdge, but was pinned in 3:35 by Cole Stevens (Division Bell).

Asher Giddens (3-4) competed in Division 1 at 40 pounds and took third place. He was pinned in 1:35 by Maddox Masters (Pryors) and in 1:57 by Jayden Beard (Sperry), but took down Lynette Mullin (Stilwell) in 1:12 and teched Corbin Thomas (Collinsville) 19-2.

London McGinnis (6-3) competed in Division 1 at 46 pounds and took fourth place. He pinned Jonathan Valadez (Sperry) in 1:00 and Santos Valencia (Collinsville) in 0:31 before falling in 0:57 to Carson Voss (Berryhill) 2:41 to Luke Boren (Claremore). 

Jaxon Trotter (10-7) competed in Division 3 at 85 pounds and took fourth place. He teched Frankie Esparza (Cleveland) 17-2 and pinned Noah Hayden (Division Bell) in 2:29, but was decisioned 5-0 by Jake Miller (Threestyle) and pinned in 1:51 by Boomer Lovins (Catoosa).

Mitchell Smith (4-6) competed in Division 4 at 73 pounds and took third place. He was pinned in 3:45 by Corban Zugelder (Catoosa) in the opening round, but rebounded with a 1:26 pin of Drew Auwen (Division Bell) and teched Trey Martin (Sapulpa) 17-2 before falling 4-0 to Zane Helmers (Kansas). 

Ethan White (4-3) competed in Division 4 at 120 pounds and took fourth place. He was pinned in 2:17 by Corey Chilcoat (Catoosa) but rebounded with a 20-5 tech fall over Chandler Ellis (Pryor). He pinned Max Becker (Oologah) in 0:38, but was in-turn pinned in 3:37 by Chilcoat. 

Braxton McGinnis (1-6) competed in Division 2 at 52 pounds. He pinned Tripp Gaches (Cleveland) in 2:39 for his first win of the season, but was defeated 9-3 by Kale Shult (Pryor) and 14-0 by Cash Wiley (Division Bell).

Ty Burdge (2-4) competed in Division 2 at 55 pounds. He was pinned in 2:52 by Braxton Maggard (Sperry) and lost 6-0 to teammate Jayden Bussell, but picked up a 10-0 major decision over Sorenson Crenshaw (Rogers). 

Blake Stewart (1-4) competed in Division 3 at 67 pounds. He scored a 10-8 decision over Easton Olenberger (Bartlesville), but was pinned in 0:44 by Dylan Abbott (Sperry) and 0:35 by Cache Pierson (Bristow). 

Adrian Flores (8-7) competed in Division 3 at 100 pounds and took third place. He majored Adyn Peugh (Collinsville) 9-1, but was pinned in 2:17 by Kole Lamont (Broken Arrow) and majored 13-2 by Jacob Cook (Sperry).

Tyler Smith (1-2) competed in Division 3 at heavyweight and took third place. He pinned Jared Young (Collinsville) in 1:05, but was pinned in 4:05 by Sean Mahoney (Threestyle) and 1:13 by Gunner Wilson (Catoosa). 

David Ritchey (3-7) competed in both Division 3 and Division 4 at 64 pounds. In Division 3 he scored a 9-4 decision over James Shelton (Sperry), but was majored 12-0 by Bryson Humphries (Catoosa) and edged out 2-1 by Keegan Herring (Sperry). In Division 4 he was defeated 15-4 by Canon Acklin (Collinsville), 2-1 by James Shelton (Sperry), and 2-0 by Jacob Caviness (Stilwell).

Colt Cothran (2-7) competed in Division 3 at 58 pounds. He was pinned in 2:37 by Ashton Davis (Muskogee) and 0:40 by Camden Whitby (Collinsville). 

Landyn Barnes (5-2) competed in Division 3 at 67 pounds. He was pinned in 0:18 by Jake Wassom (Pryor) and decisioned 8-4 by Cache Pierson (Bristow). 

Zane Swafford (0-2) competed in Division 3 at 70 pounds. He gave up an 8-0 major decision to Blade Walden (Muskogee) and was pinned in 0:56 by Treshaun Tecson (Tulsa WC). 

Joey Marris (0-2) competed in Division 4 at 80 pounds. He was pinned in 1:10 by Jayce Caviness (Stilwell) and 1:34 by Case Carlile (Catoosa).

Sean Preas (0-2) competed in Division 5 at 76 pounds. He was pinned in 1:50 by Nakaylen Shabazz (Flores) and 2:18 by Ethan Peterson (Sapulpa).

Jacob Burdette (2-4) competed in Division 5 at 113 pounds. He was pinned in 4:29 by Rowdy Waits (Sperry), 2:12 by Cooper Park (Sperry), and 0:41 by Seth Jackson (Sperry).

Sand Springs wrestling brings in No. 2 ranking to start the season, returns 10 State Qualifiers

The 2015-2016 Sandites show off their Regional Championship plaque and brackets. Nine out of ten of last year's State Qualifiers will be returning this year.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team ended last season as Dual State Runners-Up and placed third at the State Tournament. They graduated a lot of talent at the upper weights, but return ten State Qualifiers for one of the most experienced teams in school history. Over the course of the season they defeated 6A No. 1 Broken Arrow (11-2) and 5A No. 1 Collinsville (18-3) to win thirteen-straight duals and go undefeated before falling 41-18 to Choctaw in the finals. 

Though a depleted roster filled with injuries and a couple of ineligible players left the team a tad short of their goal, they were left with one of the most talented and experienced teams in the State coming into the new season.

The Sandites are stacked at the lower weights. Running the season last year at 106 pounds was freshman Riley Weir who amassed a 21-12 record and qualified for State, despite spending the latter half of the season with an injured arm. The only freshman starter on the team, Weir took third place at Regionals while wearing a sling and qualified for State. He's made a stellar recovery over the summer and came in fourth place at the USA Wrestling Junior Men's Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. Weir enters the season ranked second in 106.

Other possible fill ins at the lowest weight include sophomores Scott Patton and Irwin Portillo. Both saw limited time on varsity last season. Portillo went 4-2 at the Perry Tournament of Champions and finished his final year of junior high wrestling with a third-place finish at Junior High State. Patton took fifth place at the Jay Hancock Memorial tournament in Yukon and was undefeated in the four duals he participated in. 

Senior State Qualifier Michael Ritchey finished last season 23-19 as Regional Champion at 113 pounds, though he's likely to move up a weight class this year. Over the summer he won four tournaments, including the USAOK Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championships. Ritchey enters the season ranked third in 120.

The welcome surprise this year is senior Berryhill transfer Tanner Ward who was the 3A State Runner-Up at 113 pounds in both 2015 and 2016. Over the last two seasons he has gone 50-5, only losing to State Champions, and even then the matches were close. He will enter the season ranked second in 113.

Last year's 120 starter for the Sandites was junior Blake Sargent, who went 39-12 on the season and finished third at State. Since then he took second at the OKUSA Cadet Freestyle State Tournament and went 4-1 on the Oklahoma Greco Roman Cadet Dual team. He comes into the new season ranked second in 126. 

Three-time undefeated State Champion and Oklahoma State University-signed senior Daton Fix is most comfortable at 126 pounds, but spent the majority of the season at 132, and even went up to 138 a few times. Fix knows no such thing as an "off-season" and hasn't slowed down a bit since gaining his third title. Since last April, he won the United World of Wrestling Junior Freestyle National Championship, competed in an exhibition dual against Team Iran in Times Square, and earned All-American status for going 8-0 on the Oklahoma Freestyle Junior Dual team. He competed in his first Senior-level event at the Spanish Grand Prix and lost 2-1 to Junior Olympic Gold Medalist Mukhambet Kuatbek. At the Junior World Championships in France he attained his second Worlds Bronze Medal, and most recently he defeated National Champion Austin Gomez 8-2 at the Flowrestling Who's #1 event. He enters the season ranked #1 in the nation at his weight class and third in the nation pound-for-pound.

At 138 pounds is is senior State Runner-Up Jack Karstetter who finished last season 39-8 after a 3-2 decision in the finals. In June he came in second in the nation at the UWW Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals and earned his ticket to Lima Peru for the Pan-American Championship where he took Silver. At the USAW Junior Men's Nationals he took eighth place in Greco Roman and was just short of placing in Freestyle. Between the two he went 8-5 against some of the toughest competitors in the nation. Karstetter enters the season ranked first in 138.

The returning 145 State Runner-Up is senior Beau Bratcher, who finished last season as Regional Champion with a 43-7 record. He also placed first at the Sand Springs Invitational and was runner-up at the Geary Invitational and the Jay Hancock Memorial. He has taken the summer off from competition, but retains the number two spot coming into the new season. 

At 152 is junior State Placer Payton Scott. The star running back finished last season 39-12 as the Sand Springs Invitational Champion, Regional Champion, and took fourth place at State. He never got his shot at State Champion Zane Coleman at any point during the season, but did give Runner-Up Joseph Messer a run for his money, falling 3-2 in an ultimate tie-breaker. He also went 2-1 against third-placer Trey Painter, pinning him in the opening round, but losing 3-2 in the consolation finals. He didn't do a whole lot of summer wrestling, but did go 3-3 on the Oklahoma Junior Greco-Roman Dual Team. Scott will take the number two ranking to start the season.

The 160 pound newcomer for the Sandites is sophomore Noah Almy. Almy never saw action on varsity last season, but he did take second at the Sand Springs Junior High Tournament with a 5-1 record. He pinned his first four competitors in under a minute apiece, but lost by default in the finals after sustaining an injury. He competed at the Flo Kickoff Classic last November and took sixth place, and was Runner-Up at the 2015 OKWA State Championships. He comes into the year ranked tenth at 160.

170 pound senior Zane Basma moves up to the number one ranking after taking third in State last year at 160. The Regional Runner-Up finished the year went 35-12 last season and make a huge statement at State. His only loss was a 4-3 tie-breaker decision to Moses Mayhue. He pinned Cooper Coil and scored a 16-0 tech fall over Anthony Gonzalez in the consolation finals. 

Sand Springs has two talented athletes in the 220 range, both defensive stars on the Sandite Semi-Finalist football team. Senior State Qualifier Delvin Jordan went 18-5 last season and won the Regional Championship with a 6-3 decision over previously undefeated State Champion Nic Roller. Jordan was unable to compete at State and Roller went on to win the Title for his Senior year. Jordan starts the season with the number one ranking.

The uncertain wrestler is junior Gage Fain. Fain has a highly deceptive record of 13-22 last season, due to wrestling up to heavyweight. The 230 pound lineman is unlikely to bump Jordan out of his spot and would do best at 195. The Sandite depth is weakest at the higher weights, lacking a clear starter for 195 and a true heavyweight. Fain could be utilized at either of these. The 182 position is also unclear for the team. 

Sand Springs made their first ever Dual State Finals appearance last season and haven't won a Tournament State Title since 1971. In 1971 they had three State Champions in Frank Peck (136), Rick Warren (141), and Eddie Sullivan (157). Overall the Sandites have had 25 State Champions win 36 gold medals. Eleven wrestlers at Sand Springs have won multiple State Titles. To date, David McGuire and Daton Fix are the only two to ever win three State Titles, and no Sandite has won four. Fix will look to change that this year.

Overall the Sandites are second in OSSAA Dual rankings with one first-place vote and third in tournament rankings with two first-place votes. Choctaw is first in both rankings, while Broken Arrow is third in Dual and second in Tournament. Intermatwrestling has Choctaw ranked 19th in the nation with Sand Springs at 27th and Broken Arrow at 47th. 

The Sandites' season will begin on December 8th at unranked Owasso for their first and only dual of 2016. They will then travel to the Perry Tournament of Champions and the Kansas City Stampede to close out the year before Christmas break. The new year will begin with a tough match at No. 15 Ponca City on January 3rd.

Clayton Giddens and Kaden Glass bring home Battle of the Belt titles

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Seven Sand Springs elementary and junior high wrestlers competed at the Battle for the Belt tournament this past weekend at the Oklahoma City Cox Pavilion and two took first place in their divisions.

Clayton Giddens (9-1) picked up his second first-place finish this season at 64 pounds in Division 1. He won a 12-0 major decision over Lawson Knox (Marlow), defeated Matthew Patton (Sperry) by 16-0 tech fall, and recorded two pins. He took down Andrew Havens (Sperry) in 1:23 and Krystian Moore (C4 WC) in 1:15.

Kaden Glass (6-0) competed in Division 5 at Heavyweight and took first place for his second-straight tournament. He defeated Colin Naney (Tiger WC) 3-0 and pinned Tony Davidson (Geary) in 0:27 to remain undefeated for the season.

Grady Mittasch (10-1) was just one win shy of his fourth-straight first place victory, instead settling for third place after a close 4-2 decision to OKUSA State Champion Camden Webb (Muskogee). He snapped back with a 4-1 decision over Wesley Madden (OWA), then pinned Legend Yates (Marlow) in 1:23 and Bo Ware (Cleveland) in 1:05 for yet another stellar performance. He competed in Division 3 at 70 pounds.

Carter Young (5-1) competed in Division 5 at 100 pounds and took second place. He majored Kolbe Madron (Premier WC) 9-0 and decisioned Caleb Williams (Tironook) 6-3, but was pinned in 2:29 by State Champion and Dual National team member Tucker Owens (Matrix).

Ethan White (2-1) wrestled his first tournament of the season and drew only one competitor. He was defeated 10-1 by Harley Andrews (Tiger WC), but received a pair of forfeits for second place. He competed in Division 4 at 120 pounds. 

Sam Harris (5-6) competed in Division 5 at 120 pounds and took fourth place. He lost 13-5 to Cody Hicks (Durant) and was pinned in 0:58 by Parrish Terry (Tiger WC), but received a forfeit from Luke McCain and defeated Brayden Early (Harrah) 6-4. 

Jaxon Trotter (8-5) competed in Division 3 at 85 pounds. He pinned Kenison Rodgers (StandFast WC) in 3:27 and Trey Linam (Marlow) in 0:43, but fell in 1:25 to Ladarion Lockett (Cowboy WC) and was defeated 6-0 by Tyler McCall (Catoosa).

Sixteen Sand Springs wrestlers take first-place at Sapulpa Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Forty three members of the Sand Springs Team Big elementary wrestling crew competed at the USA Oklahoma Wrestling Tournament at Sapulpa this past weekend, and sixteen took first place in their division. 

Zander Grigsby (8-1) competed in Division 3 at 61 pounds and took first place. He pinned Mason Lapham (Owasso) in 0:18, received a forfeit in the quarterfinal, then pinned Gunner Murray (Claremore) in 2:22 before posting a 9-2 decision over Isaiah Jones (Glenpool) in the finals. 

Cael Knight (4-0) competed in Division 1 Novice at 60 pounds and took first place with four pins. He defeated Preston Hollis (Claremore) in 1:22, Axl Branham (Vian) in 1:21, Josiah Moss (Berryhill) in 2:23, and Preston Hollis (Claremore) in 2:55. 

Skyler Wood (6-0) competed in Division 2 Novice at 64 pounds and took first place. He pinned Drake Blue (Sperry) in 0:45, then won a close 8-6 sudden victory round against Seth Inso (Berryhill). He defeated Brody Stevenson (Glenpool) 5-0 and Payson Robinson (Sapulpa) 6-1 for his second first-place finish this season. 

Jaxon Grigsby (7-0) competed in Division 2 at 49 pounds and won his second-straight tournament with three pins. He defeated Donnie Burgett (Sapulpa) in 0:58, Malaki Venetoff (Berryhill) in 2:33, and Naoh Neal (Glenpool) in 1:30.

Kaden Pope (3-0) competed in Division 2 at 55 pounds and won all three matches by pin. He defeated Bodie Elam (Pryor) in 3:00, teammate Daxton Smith in 1:30, and Kasen Whiteley (Stilwell) in 2:07 for first place. 

Abraham Flores (7-1) competed in Division 4 at 100 pounds and won all three matches by pin. He defeated Kylar Bearpaw (Sapulpa) in 4:22, Kevin Lund (Glenpool) in 1:25, and Jesse Lichtenberger (OWA) in 4:11. This is his second first-place finish this season.

Matthew Moore (4-3) competed in Division 3 Novice at 58 pounds and took first place. He pinned Luis Flores (Sapulpa) in 1:51 and teammate Joshua Spurgeon in 0:48, then scored a 16-9 decision over Elijah Montgomery (Sapulpa).

Landyn Barnes (5-0) competed in Division 3 Novice at 67 pounds and took first place for the second time this season. He pinned Andrew Winkle (Coweta) in 1:31 and Kursten Burns (Bristow) in 0:22 and scored a 15-0 tech fall over Mavrick Aunko (Collinsville).

Jesse Moore (5-1) competed in Division 3 Novice at 76 pounds and took first place with three pins. He defeated Braylen Miller (Sapulpa) in 2:39, Karleigh Blankenship (Owasso) in 2:28, and Mia Fruits (Bristow) in 0:20.

Tabor Reiss (7-1) competed in Division 1 at 37 pounds and took first place with three pins. He defeated Tennessee James (Sapulpa) in 0:27, Ivy Mullin (Stilwell) in 0:19, and teammate Bentley Cole in 1:11 for his second first-place finish this season. 

Robert Burke (7-2) competed in Division 3 at 64 pounds and took first place. He defeated Michael Blendowski (Catoosa) by 11-3 major decision and pinned Mason Moore (Owasso) in 1:09. This is his second first-place finish this season. 

Dariuz Black (5-1) competed in Division 3 at 73 pounds and took first place with a pair of technical falls. He defeated Andrew Haynes (Glenpool) 15-0 and Aiden Wolfe (Pryor) 18-2. 

Jayden Pait (2-0) competed in Division 4 Novice at 64 pounds and drew only one competitor. He pinned Justin Kendall (Sapulpa) in 0:36 and 0:34 in a best-of-three series for first place. 

Ryder Barnes (5-0) competed in Division 4 Novice at 100 pounds and drew only one competitor. He pinned Kaleb Simmers (Sapulpa) in 0:27 and 1:44 for his second first-place finish this season. 

Ayreson Reiss (3-4) competed in Division 3 at 52 pounds and took first place. He pinned Parker Warren (Collinsville) in 3:18 and Cavin Peper (Sapulpa) in 2:14. 

Jacob Lewis (2-2) competed in Division 4 Novice at 88 pounds and took first place. He pinned Cameron Smith (Bristow) in 0:34 and Ashlyn Estes (Sapulpa) in 2:12.

Ryder Flores (7-1) competed in Division 1 Novice at 40 pounds and took third place. He lost his opening match in a 4-1 decision to Noah Thompson (Coweta), but rebounded with four-straight pins. He defeated Noah White (Pryor) in 0:55, Camden Reid (Pryor) in 0:16, Rylan Sams (Sapulpa) in 1:45, and Rowden Benavidez (Sperry) in 0:29.

Daxton Smith (3-1) competed in Division 2 at 55 pounds and took third place. He won his opening match with a 6-4 sudden-victory overtime decision over Kale Fruits (Bristow), but was pinned in 1:30 in the next round by teammate Kaden Pope. In the consolations he pinned Bodie Elam (Pryor) in 1:14.

Bentley Cole (2-1) competed in Division 1 at 37 pounds and took second place. He won his first two matches by pin, taking down William Thompson (Sapulpa) in 0:07 and teammate Wyatt Stott in 0:23, before falling in 1:11 to teammate Tabor Reiss. 

Adrian Flores (7-5) competed in Division 3 at 100 pounds and took second place. He pinned Brennan Watkins (Sapulpa) in 1:30 and scored a 5-2 decision over Kylar Bearpaw (Sapulpa) before falling 13-2 to Jacob Cook (Sperry). 

Dawsen Briscoe (2-1) competed in Division 3 at 58 pounds and took second place. He lost his first match in an 18-7 major decision to Cole Vaughan (Cushing), but rebounded with a 9-2 decision over teammate Colt Cothran and pinned Camden Whitby (Collinsville) in 2:03.

Brody Wofford (2-1) competed in Division 1 Novice at 55 pounds and took second place. He pinned Kelly Tabor (Berryhill) in 0:37 and defeated teammate Hayden Luce by 7-2 decision before falling 15-5 to Sheldin Kelly (Owasso).

Joshua Spurgeon (9-2) competed in Division 3 Novice at 58 pounds and took second place. He won a 16-14 sudden victory round over Elijah Montgomery (Sapulpa) and pinned Luis Flores (Sapulpa) in 1:21, but was pinned in 0:48 by teammate Matthew Moore.

Hunter Spencer (2-1) competed in Division 2 at 61 pounds and took third place. He lost his first match 11-6 to Seth Kysar (Cleveland), but won out with an 0:34 pin of Mack Powell (Bristow) and a 6-3 decision over Tohmi Carney (Broken Arrow).

Carter Wood (2-3) competed in Division 2 at 67 pounds and took third place. He lost his first match in a 9-7 sudden victory round against Dane Jensen (Claremore), but won out with pins of 0:59 and 2:33 against Cooper Barrington (Berryhill) and William Cade (Coweta), respectively. 

Evan Williams (8-3) competed in Division 3 Novice at 90 pounds and took second place. He pinned Cain Clay (Bristow) in 0:34 and scored a 12-5 decision over Christopher Harris (Owasso) before falling 4-0 to Jack White (Berryhill).

Dallas Flores (2-2) competed in Division 2 at 67 pounds and took second place. He pinned Cooper Barrington (Berryhill) in 0:50, but lost a 6-5 decision to Dane Jensen (Claremore).

David Cline (2-3) competed in Division 2 Novice at 70 pounds and took second place. He was pinned in 0:33 by Hudson Claggett (Bristow) and in-turn pinned Braden Cook (Sapulpa) in 0:30.

Chase Kelley (1-1) competed in Division 4 Novice at 130 pounds and took second place. He was pinned in 0:35 by Caleb Turner (Sapulpa) and he won a 7-5 decision over Brady Rodgers (Coweta). 

Samuel Moore (8-4) competed in Division 1 Novice at 46 pounds and took fourth place. He pinned Jonathan Valadez (Sperry) in 0:44 and Hudson Williams (Pryor) in 0:24 before giving up a 9-0 major decision to Luke Boren (Claremore). In the consolation bracket he pinned teammate Aaerick Collins in 2:18 before falling in 1:41 to Blake Ketcher (Pryor) in the third-place match. 

Aaerick Collins (7-6) competed in Division 1 Novice at 46 pounds. He pinned Jerzy Wren (Claremore) in 1:48, but was sent to the consolation bracket after a 12-6 decision to Blake Ketcher (Pryor). He snapped back with an 18-10 major decision over Julian Keys (Catoosa) and pinned Liam Kunkle (Catoosa) in 2:36 before falling in 2:18 to teammate Samuel Moore.

Bennett Mikles (3-2) competed in Division 1 Novice at 49 pounds. He pinned John Draffin (Sapulpa) in 0:32, but was defeated 8-6 in the next round by Karson Johnson (Berryhill). He scored a 7-2 win over Isaiah Wilderson (Claremore) and an 11-4 decision over Liam Chism (Coweta) before falling in 1:44 to Kayson Graham (Pryor).

Dayne Ficken (2-2) competed in Division 2 Novice at 55 pounds and took fourth place. He defeated teammate Blayton Collins 7-0 and pinned Axton Stevenson (Glenpool) in 0:34, but fell in 0:52 to Colten Smith (Vian) and 1:43 to Landyn Smith (Berryhill). 

Colt Cothran (2-5) competed in Division 3 at 58 pounds and took third place. He won his opening match with a 6-5 decision over Camden Whitby (Collinsville), but was defeated 9-2 by teammate Dawsen Briscoe and 7-4 by Cole Vaughan (Cushing). 

Hayden Luce (3-3) competed in Division 1 Novice at 55 pounds and took third place. He lost a 16-4 major decision to Sheldin Kelly (Owasso) and a 7-2 decision to teammate Brody Wofford, but pinned Kelly Tabor (Berryhill) in 0:17.

Wyatt Stott (1-2) competed in Division 1 at 37 pounds and took fourth place. He pinned Tennessee James (Sapulpa) in 0:43, but was in-turn pinned in 0:23 and 0:47 by teammate Bentley Cole and Ivy Mullin (Stilwell), respectively.

Easton Tanner (1-4) competed in Division 1 Novice at 40 pounds. He was pinned in 0:33 by Noah White (Pryor), but rebounded with a 17-0 tech fall over Wyatt Woodson (Owasso) before falling 27-16 to Knox Lopez (Pryor).

Jaxton Grundy (6-5) competed in Division 1 Novice at 43 pounds. He won his opening match 16-10 over Max Dunkelberger (Sapulpa) before falling in 1:25 to Aiyden Robertson (Claremore) and 0:40 to Kyson Buckner (Sapulpa).

Blayton Collins (3-8) competed in Division 2 Novice at 55 pounds. He was defeated 7-0 by teammate Dayne Ficken and gave up a close 6-4 decision to DJ Colley (Glenpool). 

Brody Wilson (0-2) competed in Division 2 at 61 pounds. He was pinned in 0:58 by Jase Loftis (Pryor) and lost a 7-2 decision to Mack Powell (Bristow).

Bryher Collins (1-4) competed in Division 1 Novice at 37 pounds. He was pinned in 0:32 by Mekko Stites (Berryhill) and 0:29 by Rocco Tyler (Berryhill).

Ivan Barham (0-3) competed in Division 3 Novice at 85 pounds. He was pinned in 1:53 by Mathew Franklin (Owasso) and 0:54 by Garritt Hunt (Vian), and gave up a 9-0 major decision to Couper Daniels (Pryor). 

Trey Scott (0-4) competed in Division 3 at 61 pounds. He was pinned in 0:43 by Isaiah Jones (Glenpool) and 3:37 by Gunner Murray (Claremore) and forfeited two rounds.