Oklahoma Cadet Dual Team places fifth at Freestyle Nationals

The Oklahoma Cadet Dual Team finished fifth in the nation in freestyle and seventh in Greco-Roman this weekend in York, Pennsylvania. Incoming Sand Springs freshman Carter Young (27-4 FS, 22-1 GR) represented the Sandites in both styles and finished with a winning record.

SEE RELATED: Oklahoma Dual Team places 7th at Greco-Roman Nationals

Oklahoma got off to a good start in freestyle with a 54-27 win over New Jersey Blue, aided by a 15-4 tech fall from Young over Thomas Fischer. Next to fall was Minnesota Storm Team 2 by a dominating score of 57-18. Young handed three-style State Runner-Up Cael Swensen a 10-0 tech.

Young won his third match 10-0 against Junior High State Champion Dustin Norris, but it wasn’t enough to propel his team past Ohio Red, and the Okies fell 42-32 in the D-Pool finals.

Oklahoma lost their next two duals as well, falling 41-31 to Pennsylvania Red and 60-18 to Minnesota Storm. Young topped Chris Kim 16-6, but fell 17-6 to Minnesota Junior State Champion Paxon Creese.

The Okies finished strong, however, with a pair of close wins. They defeated Missouri Red 45-31 and edged out Washington 39-35 in the fifth-place match. Young won a close 14-13 decision over Missouri State Champion Korbin Shepherd but fell 5-2 to Washington State Champion Yusief Lillie.

Oklahoma went 4-3 in both styles, while Young went 6-1 in Greco and 5-2 in freestyle.

Their fifth-place finish in freestyle was a big improvement over a tenth-place finish in 2016 and is their best result since taking fourth in 2014.

Beginning Wednesday at the Cox Business Center, Tulsa will host the Junior Dual Nationals. Team Oklahoma will feature a star-studded cast of Sandites. Charles Page High School Assistant Coach Derek Fix will also serve as an assistant coach on the Junior Team.

Oklahoma previously placed seventh in freestyle and fifth in Greco Roman last year.  

Oklahoma Dual Team places 7th at Greco-Roman Nationals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandite of the Week: Daton Fix qualifies for World Championship in Finland

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Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate and incoming Oklahoma State University freshman Daton Fix defeated Arizona State freshman Brandon Courtney at the Junior World Team Trials in Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend.

Courtney finished his senior season ranked 11th in the country at 126 pounds according to Flowrestling. He was a four-time Arizona State finalist, three-time State Champion, and the 2015 USAW Junior Freestyle National Champion.

Fix is ranked first in the country both at 132 pounds and pound-for-pound. He finished his high school career as a four-time undefeated State Champion with multiple UWW and USAW National Championships. 

Fix has made the World Team the past three seasons. In 2016 he took Bronze at Junior Worlds in France, in 2015 he took Bronze at Cadet Worlds in Bosnia, and in 2014 he placed tenth at Cadet Worlds in Slovakia. He also won Silver at the Youth Olympic Games in China in 2014.

As the defending World Team member, Fix got a bye through the World Team Trials bracket and met Courtney in a best-of-three series in the finals.

Courtney had to win three matches to make his way to the finals. He defeated Buffalo freshman Derek Spann 12-2, Nebraska-committed and undefeated high school senior Alex Thomsen 7-5, and Indiana freshman Liam Cronin 10-0.

Courtney had an impressive trip to the finals, but once he got there he was quickly shut down by Fix. In the first match the Sandite handily rolled to a 12-0 tech fall. In the second match Courtney managed to score a four-point throw, but Fix still prevailed with another tech fall at 15-4 to secure his place on the world team.

The Junior World Championship will be held August 21-26 in Tampere, Finland. 

Fix was one of five State Champions on the 2017 Sand Springs Wrestling Team that won both the State and Dual State Championships this year. Click here to view our commemorative magazine.

Click here to view previous Sandites of the Week. 

To nominate a Sandite of the Week, fill out the form on our homepage.

Sand Springs wrestlers compete at Dual Nationals, place 4th with Team Oklahoma

Four Sand Springs junior high students represented Oklahoma this past weekend at the Schoolboy National Duals in Indianapolis, Indiana. Oklahoma sent two teams to the tournament and competed in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Team Oklahoma Red went 6-3 in Greco, defeating Missouri in the fifth-place match. Kaden Glass (15-2 GR) was one of the top wrestlers on the team, competing at 190 and 210 pounds, and amassing a 7-1 record. Rhett Peak (9-7 GR) and Christian Forbes (4-5 GR) also represented Sand Springs and went 2-5 and 1-1, respectively.

They placed fourth in Freestyle with a 5-2 record, falling to Illinois and Washington. Glass (16-1 FS) went 5-1, suffering his first freestyle loss of the season. He recorded three tech falls and two pins, and his only loss was by a single point. Forbes (19-3 FS), who was also undefeated prior to the tournament, went 2-3. Ethan White (12-4 FS) went 0-3.

Oklahoma Blue placed 27th in Greco with a 3-4 record. White (1-1 GR) split his first two Greco matches of the season. They placed 20th in Freestyle with a 5-4 record. Peak (15-9 FS) went 3-3 with each of his wins coming via tech fall.

Georgia Blue took first place in Greco Roman and second in Freestyle, while Illinois won Freestyle and placed third in Greco.

The Cadet National Duals will be held this week in York, Pennsylvania. Incoming CPHS freshman Carter Young will represent the Sandites on Team Oklahoma at the 100 pound weight class.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Delvin Jordan hoists the 2017 Dual State trophy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Assistant coach Derek Fix gets heated while coaching Beau Bratcher.

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

Payton Scott celebrates his first State Championship with Daton Fix.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Homecoming Queen Sarah Noble with Kissing Captain Daton Fix.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Noah Almy qualified for State for the first time.

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

Sand Springs had plenty of fans in the stands.

Riley Weir won the first State Championship of the night.

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

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

It was an emotional night for each of the Sandites.

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

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

Sand Springs Wrestling fans cheer on Payton Scott.

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

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

The three State Champions from the Class of 2017.

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

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

The 2016-2017 Sand Springs Wrestling coaching staff.

Three Sand Springs wrestlers win gold at Southern Plains Regional Championship

Several members of the Sand Springs Team Big wrestling club competed at the Southern Plains Regional Championships in Dodge City, Kansas this weekend. The Sandites brought home four gold and three silver medals from United Wireless Arena.

Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate Jack Karstetter (4-0 FS, 4-5 GR) took first place in junior freestyle. He pinned Bryson Krohn in 47 seconds, teched Rocky Sisco and Garrett Miller, then won a 13-10 decision over Ponca City’s Dylan Schickram. He also competed in Greco but was eliminated one round short of placement.

Clayton Giddens (21-0 FS) continued his undefeated season with four-straight 10-0 tech falls. He handily took first place in Novice freestyle at 65 pounds without giving up a single point.

Kaden Glass (11-0 FS, 8-1 GR) competed in both styles at 190 pounds and drew only one competitor in Schoolboy. In freestyle he dealt Ethan Kremer a pin and a decision in a best-of-three series for first place. He has yet to lose a freestyle match this season. Kremer won a 10-4 decision in Greco, but Glass won the next two matches for first place.

Nation Johnson (11-9 FS, 11-10 GR) came in Runner-Up in both styles at 80 pounds in Intermediate. In freestyle he teched Ashtyn Meeks 10-0 and won an 18-17 decision over Cooper Reves before falling 11-0 to Joseph Jeter in the finals. In Greco he teched Meeks 12-0 and pinned Brodie Bedford in 1:09 before falling to Jake Miller in the finals.

Abraham Flores (13-7 FS, 14-4 GR) placed second in Novice Greco and fourth in freestyle at 100 pounds. In Greco he won two tech falls and defeated Isaac Barchicha 4-3 before falling to Xerarch Tungjaroenkul in the finals. In freestyle he lost his first match, won two tech falls, and was defeated by Tungjaroenkul in the consolation finals.

Cole Brooks (15-4 FS, 10-5 GR) took fourth in Schoolboy freestyle at 91 pounds. He fell to Carson Laughery in the second round, but picked up three-straight tech falls in the consolation bracket and topped Laughery 14-12 before falling to Brady Hankin in the finals. He also competed in Greco but was eliminated one round short of placement.

Braden Anderson (13-10 FS, 7-10 GR) placed fourth in Schoolboy freestyle at 112 pounds. He lost his opening match, but won three-straight in consolation before falling to Collin Creach in the finals. He also competed in Greco but was defeated one round short of placement.