No. 1 Sandites take first place at Jerry Billings Invitational with four champions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Team Scores

1. Sand Springs (229.5)
2. Broken Arrow (226.5)
3. Collinsville (174.5)
4. Ponca City (154.0)
5. Union (102.5)
6. Cascia Hall (95.0)
7. Bixby (93.0)
8. Sperry (91.5)
9. Sapulpa (91.0)
10. Sallisaw (55.5)
11. Pryor (23.0)

Tournament Champions

106 - Riley Weir (Sand Springs)
113 - Caleb Tanner (Collinsville)
120 - Gunner Hamm (Collinsville)
126 - Jet Taylor (Sallisaw)
132 - Daton Fix (Sand Springs)
138 - Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs)
145 - Nate Keim (Collinsville)
152 - Tanner Skidgel (Cascia Hall)
160 - Caleb Wise (Broken Arrow)
170 - Dalton Abney (Cascia Hall)
182 - Gavin Potter (Broken Arrow)
195 - Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow)
220 - Delvin Jordan (Sand Springs)
285 - Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow)

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team traveled to the Jerry Billings Invitational tournament in Sapulpa this weekend and narrowly defeated No. 3 Broken Arrow for first place with eight finalists and four champions.

The tournament alternates annually between Sand Springs and Sapulpa, with the Sandite counterpart being dubbed the Bobby Lyons Invitational. Last year the Sandites sat out five varsity wrestlers with injuries and forfeited one weight class, and still managed to take third place. This year they voided three weight classes and still managed to take first place, dethroning the back-to-back champions from Broken Arrow.

Riley Weir (106), Daton Fix (132), Jack Karstetter (138) and Delvin Jordan (220) all took first place in the 54th annual tournament, while Tanner Ward (113), Michael Ritchey (120), Beau Bratcher (145), and Zane Basma (170) claimed second place.

Weir (20-6 season, 41-18 career) sat out last year's tournament with an elbow injury, but dominated this year's competition, pinning all four of his opponents in a total of 8:45. He took down Chance Granger (Sapulpa) in 1:21, Martezz Carnes (Ponca City) in 0:50, Jackson Cockrell (Broken Arrow) in 1:36, and finished the weekend with Rocky Stevens (Collinsville) in 4:58. 

Fix (25-0, 143-0) continued his undefeated career with his fourth-straight championship win in the tournament. He breezed through his competition in 12:05 with three pins and a technical fall. He took down Tanner Frew (Sapulpa) in 3:10, Ashad Rufia (Union) in 1:09, and Dylan Schickram (Ponca City) in 2:32. In the finals he scored a 22-7 victory over State Qualifier TaJuan Daniels of Broken Arrow in 5:14.

Karstetter (11-1, 84-16) won the tournament for the third straight year, in dominating fashion. He pinned Johnathan Donahue (Sapulpa) in 0:21 and Derek Vandyke (Bixby) in 0:52, then majored Bryce Mattioda (Broken Arrow) 14-5. In the finals he scored an 8-3 decision over Louden Akin (Sperry).

Jordan (23-2, 54-14) took third place in the tournament as a freshman and hasn't competed since. He made his return to the tournament by manhandling his way past some tough competitors. He pinned Ben Downs (Sapulpa) in the first round and scored a 5-1 decision over State Qualifier Austin Fry (Ponca), then wrapped up the tournament with a pin of State Qualifier Cody Adams (Bixby) in 2:22.

Ward (16-8, 92-20) also wrestled in the tournament for the first time, having been at Berryhill for the past three years. The senior State Runner-Up pinned Kaleb Harris (Sallisaw) in 0:49 and received a forfeit from Brandon Blose (Sapulpa) to earn his way to the finals. In the Championship round he was defeated 3-1 by Caleb Tanner of Collinsville. 

Ritchey (18-8, 47-32) improved over his last year's fourth-place finish by majoring his first two opponents 10-1. He made his way to the finals by defeating Caron Watson (Union) and Michael Harjo (Sapulpa), but was defeated 3-1 by Gunner Hamm of Collinsville. 

Bratcher (21-6, 112-29) was the defending tournament champion at 145 pounds and went to the finals for the second straight year. He majored Bryce Carter (Sperry) 11-3, pinned Nenebah Biggoose (Ponca City) in 1:04, and scored a 4-0 decision over Miles Waller (Cascia Hall), but fell 7-1 to State Qualifier Nate Keim of Collinsville in the championship match.

Basma (9-2, 67-26) was the defending tournament champion at 170 pounds and earned his way back into the finals with three-straight pins in only 3:28. He took down Joe Hall (Broken Arrow) in 0:44, Aaron Lytle (Sapulpa) in 1:10, and Lane Newlin (Ponca City) in 1:34. In the finals he was defeated 5-1 by Dalton Abney of Cascia Hall. 

Blake Sargent (19-7, 71-21) was the defending tournament champion at 126 and pinned Verdell Schoats (Union) in 1:35, but was defeated 11-8 by State Qualifier Spencer Schickram of Ponca City. In the consolations he had a tough matchup against teammate Irwin Portillo, but won 3-1 in overtime, then he pinned State Qualifier Xavear Cullors (Collinsville) in 3:43 for third place. 

Noah Almy (11-12) competed at 160 and took fourth place. He defeated Grayson White (Ponca City) 9-4, but was majored 13-5 by State Qualifier Caleb Wise of Broken Arrow. He defeated teammate Mikey Burns 2-1 to earn his way into the consolation finals, but was defeated 6-4 by State Qualifier Ryce Haymaker of Collinsville. 

Portillo (3-2, 6-5) suffered a first round pin in 3:05 by State Champion Jet Taylor of Sallisaw, but rebounded with a 3-2 decision over Bennett Sherrer (Pryor). After his defeat by Sargent he scored a 5-2 win over Zach Phares of Broken Arrow for fifth place.

Mikey Burns (3-3) competed at 160 and took fifth place. He was pinned in 1:12 by Jake Hall (Cascia Hall) in the opening round, but rebounded with a pair of consolation wins. He pinned Joey Cook (Sperry) in 4:59 and scored a 4-2 decision over Skylar Johnson (Union) before falling 2-1 to teammate Noah Almy. In the placement match he defeated Dalton Turner (Cascia Hall) 5-3.

Gage Fain (15-9, 28-31) competed at 220 and took fifth place, one spot better than his last year's performance. He was pinned in 4:48 in the opening round by State Qualifier Cody Adams of Bixby, but pinned Noah Cortes (Broken Arrow) in 1:40. He came out on bottom of a close 4-3 decision to State Qualifier Austin Fry (Ponca City), but majored Noah Davis (Sallisaw) 11-3 in the placement match. 

Derek Davis (2-2, 19-14) made his season debut at 145 pounds, but was eliminated one round short of placement. He was pinned in 5:07 by State Qualifier Nate Keim (Collinsville) in the opening round, but rebounded with a dominating 15-0 tech fall over Colton Konell (Sapulpa) in only 3:37. He scored an 8-4 decision over Nenebah Biggoose (Ponca), but was pinned in 4:19 by Braden Roller of Bixby. Davis didn't compete at the Bobby Lyons Tournament last year, but took fourth in Sapulpa the year prior. 

The Sandites (5-0) will return to action next Thursday when they host the district dual quad. They will take on U.S. Grant (3-3), Enid (1-6), and Putnam City West (1-5) and the winner of the series will advance to Dual State this February. 

No. 1 Sandite Wrestling sends eight contenders to finals matches at Sapulpa

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team is currently sitting in first place at the Jerry Billings Invitational in Sapulpa, by a significant margin. The tournament began Friday morning and Sand Springs entered wrestlers in only ten of fourteen weight classes while resting several athletes with minor injuries.

The Sandites currently lead No. 3 Broken Arrow 194 points to 142, with 5A No. 3 Collinsville holding 133 points. The Sandites' massive lead is made even more impressive considering they didn't wrestle anybody at 152, 182, 195, or 285 pounds. Eight Sand Springs wrestlers will be competing for first place in their brackets, while six others have the possibility of placing as high as third place.

The consolation matches will begin Saturday at noon and the finals matches will be wrestled at 4:00 p.m. in the Sapulpa Chieftain Center at 1201 East Lincoln Avenue.

106 Riley Weir (Sand Springs) vs Rocky Stevens (Collinsville) - 1st Place
113 Tanner Ward (Sand Springs) vs Caleb Tanner (Collinsville) - 1st Place
120 Michael Ritchey (Sand Springs) vs Gunner Hamm (Collinsville) - 1st Place
126 Irwin Portillo (Sand Springs) vs Bennett Sherrer (Pryor) - Consolation Quarterfinals
126 Blake Sargent (Sand Springs) vs (Sherrer/Portillo) - Consolation Semifinals
132 Daton Fix (Sand Springs) vs TaJuan Daniels (Broken Arrow) - 1st Place
138 Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs) vs Louden Akin (Sperry) - 1st Place
145 Derek Davis (Sand Springs) vs Braden Roller (Bixby) - Consolation Quarterfinals
145 Beau Bratcher (Sand Springs) vs Nate Keim (Collinsville) - 1st Place
160 Mikey Burns (Sand Springs) vs Skylar Johnson (Union) - Consolation Quarterfinals
160 Noah Almy (Sand Springs) vs (Burns/Johnson) - Consolation Semifinals
170 Zane Basma (Sand Springs) vs Dalton Abney (Cascia Hall) - 1st Place
220 Gage Fain (Sand Springs) vs Noah Cortes (Broken Arrow) - Consolation Quarterfinals
220 Delvin Jordan (Sand Springs) vs Cody Adams (Bixby) - 1st Place

Colt Savage scores 34 as No. 18 Sand Springs tops No. 19 Bixby 76-71

Colt Savage led all scorers with 34 points in the Sandites' first conference win of the season. (Photo: Morgan Miller)

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 76 Bixby 71

1Q Bixby 16-14
2Q Bixby 20-15
3Q Sand Springs 20-13
4Q Sand Springs 27-22

Fouls: Sand Springs 16, Bixby 18.
Free Throws: Sand Springs 21-of-28, Bixby 18-of-24. 

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 34, Garbey 21, Cale Savage 8, Wash 5, Taber 4, Golightly 2, Smith 2. (Bixby) Fiser 22, Hink 13, King 10, Waggnor 10, York 7, Moore 7, Homan 2. 

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Wash 2, Taber 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Colt Savage 4, Wash 3, Cale Savage 2, Golightly 2, Durkee 1, Bogans 1, Smith 1, Taber 1.
Steals: Garbey 3, Colt Savage 1, Durkee 1, Taber 1.
Assists: Garbey 2, Wash 2, Colt Savage 1, Cale Savage 1.
Fouls: Colt Savage 3, Cale Savage 3, Durkee 3, Golightly 3, Garbey 2, Taber 2.

Muskogee 47 CPHS 42

1Q Muskogee 15-7
2Q Muskogee 12-12
3Q Sand Springs 17-12
4Q Muskogee 8-6

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 20, Keener 9, Garbey 9, Durkee 4. (Muskogee) Berry 18, Haddock 16, Davis 6, Evans 5, Cherry 2. 

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Keener 3, Durkee 2, Colt Savage 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Keener 6, Colt Savage 5, Golightly 2, Garbey 1, Cale Savage 1, Bogans 1.
Assists: Cale Savage 2, Keener 1, Durkee 1.
Blocks: Keener 1.
Fouls: Colt Savage 4, Cale Savage 4, Garbey 3, Golightly 2, Durkee 1.

The No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School boys varsity basketball team (6-5) hosted the No. 19 Bixby Spartans (5-6) Friday night at the Ed Dubie Field House and rolled to a wild 76-71 finish for their first conference win of the season. 6'5 junior Colt Savage led all scorers with a career-high 34 points, and two other Sandites also set personal records in one of the highest scoring games of the season.

The Sandites were without 6'6" senior power forward Kyle Keener, who averages more than 16 points per game this season, but the rest of the team more than stepped up to make up for his absence. Savage, Jacob Garbey, and Caleb Wash all had career-high scoring performances and seven players got in the scoring column. Wash also led the JV game with 15 points earlier that evening.

The first half belonged to the Spartans, though the home team was competitive throughout. The Sandites got the lead to start before Will Fiser hit three straight free throws to tie it up at 6-6. From there it was a back and forth shootout that ended with a two-pointer from Parker Moore to take the 16-14 lead shortly before the buzzer. Tre Smith made his varsity debut and shot a two in the first period.

The second quarter was equally back-and-forth with four lead changes and two tied scores. The Sandites led 24-22 midway through after a two-pointer from Josh Taber, but the Spartans outscored the home team 14-5 in the final minutes for a 36-29 halftime lead after a last second three from Logan York.

It was the Sandites' time to shine in the second half, though the Spartans led for the entire third quarter. Midway through the period Colt Savage his a two, Josh Taber had a steal and a layup, then Savage hit a two and free throw to cut it to 45-44. Savage and Staton King both sank free throws and York hit a two, but Wash launched a buzzer-beater three to tie things up 49-49. 

The final stretch saw a combined 49 points and was the highest scoring quarter of the night. Fiser reclaimed the lead for his team with a free throw and a two-pointer to start, but Colt Savage did the same and younger brother Cale Savage shot a three to take the penultimate lead.

Fiser shot another two and added one from the charity stripe, but a three pointer from Garbey gave the Sandites the lead once and for all. Cale and Colt Savage each sank a pair of free throws to make it a seven-point game. Half of the fourth quarter was spent at the free throw line, where Colt Savage scored eleven of his thirteen points for that period. 

At one point the Sandites led by as much as 69-59 after a pair of free throws from Peyton Golightly. The Sandites let Fiser end the night with an uncontested three-pointer and officially put away their first conference win of the season.

The Sandites traveled to No. 9 Muskogee (7-1) on Tuesday and suffered a close 47-42 defeat, partially at the hands of a former teammate. Junior standout and former Sandite Brooks Haddock transferred to Muskogee shortly before the season began and has led his new team in scoring with 21.7 points per game. He posted only sixteen against Sand Springs, but he had the final four of the night, effectively sealing the victory for Muskogee.

The Sandites dug themselves in a hole early-on, trailing 15-7 after the first period, but matched their opponents in the second and won the third 17-12. The Sandites were within a field goal going into the final stretch and back-to-back layups from Keener and Colt Savage put them within a point of their first conference victory at 43-42. With under a minute to play, Muskogee was playing keep-away and the Sandites had to foul three times quickly to get the Roughers to the line. Haddock sank the first two and made it 45-42. Jacob Garbey, who was four-of-six for the evening, was driving up court to shoot when he stumbled and was called for traveling with 2.9 seconds left. The Sandites fouled Haddock once again, but once again he sank both of his shots to seal the deal. 

Colt Savage led all players in scoring with 20 points and six rebounds, shooting eight-for-ten on field goals. Muskogee senior Tyreece Berry led his team with 18 points.

Kierra McGee scores 16 as undefeated No. 3 Lady Sandites top Bixby 67-51

Senior Kierra McGee scored a team-high 16 points for the Sandites in a double-digit victory over Bixby. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (9-0 overall, 5-0 conference) continued their undefeated streak with a 67-51 victory over the Bixby Lady Spartans (4-9, 0-5) Friday night at the Ed Dubie Field House. 

The first and second quarters were both blowouts, but each was for a different team.

CPHS 67 Bixby 51

1Q Sand Springs 24-15
2Q Bixby 15-6
3Q Sand Springs 19-11
4Q Sand Springs 18-10

Fouls: Sand Springs 12, Bixby 15.
Free Throws: Sand Springs 9-of-13, Bixby 8-of-11.

Scoring: (Sand Springs) McGee 16, Kersgieter 14, Mutiri 13, Pennington 11, Regalado 9, Johnson 4. (Bixby) Bittle 17, Sloan 10, Pirtle 9, Stout 5, Tyree 5, Fuhr 3, Brown 2.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Mutiri 5, Kersgieter 3, Johnson 3, McGee 1, Collins 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 4, Mutiri 2, Pennington 2, McGee 2, Regalado 1, Johnson 1.
Steals: Pennington 5, Kersgieter 3, McGee 3, Johnson 2, Regalado 1.
Assists: Johnson 3, McGee 3, Kersgieter 3, Regalado 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 3
Fouls: Johnson 3, Pennington 3, Kersgieter 2, Mutiri 2, Regalado 1, McGee 1.

The Lady Sandites came out hot, building a 22-5 lead with back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore Isabella Regalado before letting the visitors back into the game.  Maddie Bittle was fouled on a layup and made her free throw, and officially took the lid off the basket for the Lady Spartans. Cassidy Sloan, Sarah Tyree, and Madison Fuhr all got in on the action and cut the lead to 24-15 to end the first. 

They ran away with it in the second. Regalado hit a three, Mutiri scored a two, and those were the only field goals the Sandites would score in the lopsided quarter, as the visitors outscored their foes 15-6. The Spartans nearly entered the half with the lead after Kenedy Brown sank a two for the go-ahead points with two seconds left. The Lady Spartans cleared the bench and stormed the court in excitement, but there were two seconds left on the clock and Holly Kersgieter got to shoot a free throw on a technical foul to tie it up 30-30.

The Lady Sandites made up for the second quarter in the second half, however, handily dominating both periods. Sophomore Destiny Johnson hit a basket to start the third in the Sandites' favor, but Kyndal Pirtle sank a three and Bittle shot a free throw to make it 34-32. That would be the last time the Spartans led. 

Kersgieter hit a three for the lead, added a pair from the charity stripe, and Sydney Pennington sank a two to make it 39-34. Bittle shot a three to try and slow the Sandites down, but Gloria Mutiri made a layup and a free throw immediately after. Sloan scored the last two Spartan baskets of the evening, but they were broken up by a seven-point run from the Sandites, who led 49-41 going into the final stanza. McGee scored nine in the fourth quarter, including a steal and layup to ice the cake at 67-51.

Bittle led all scorers with 17 points, followed by McGee with 16, Kersgieter with 14, Mutiri with 13, Pennington with 11, and Sloan with 10. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action next Tuesday when they host Highway 97 rival No. 19 Sapulpa (5-5), while Bixby will take on No. 10 Owasso (9-5) next Tuesday at home. 

Oklahoma Men's High School Basketball: Week Eight Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The last of the undefeated teams have fallen, leaving Union as the indisputable top-dog in 6A basketball. 

No. 1 Union (Last week No. 1)

Union (9-0) pulled in 28 first-place votes after winning the Putnam City Invitational last week. They defeated No. 20 Mustang (4-4) 49-37, 4A No. 7 Heritage Hall (5-4) 84-77, and No. 7 Putnam City West (8-5) 58-50. The Redskins hold the No. 15 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A, while playing one of the toughest schedules. They will return to action Tuesday when they host 5A No. 13 Bishop Kelley (4-3), then they will host unranked Owasso (5-4) on Friday. 

The picks:
Union 57 BK 45
Union 59 Owasso 47

No. 2 Edmond North (2)

Edmond North (8-1) pulled in two first-place votes and held on to their second-place spot after a bye week. The Huskies hold the No. 3 offense, No. 13 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A and will travel to unranked Southmoore (1-8) on Tuesday and No. 13 Norman (6-3) on Friday. 

The picks:
EDN 65 Southmoore 52
EDN 62 Norman 59

No. 3 Midwest City (3)

Midwest City (9-2) picked up a dominating 83-54 win over No. 16 Lawton (5-3) last week. The Bombers hold the No. 2 offense and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action when they host 5A No. 6 Eisenhower (4-2) on Tuesday. 

The pick: MWC 73 Ike 64.

No. 4 Putnam City West (7)

Putnam West (8-5) leapfrogged over the competition after a pair of quality wins at the Putnam City Invitational. They topped Putnam City (4-6) 65-56 and No. 6 Putnam City North (7-4) 91-88 in overtime before falling 58-50 to No. 1 Union (9-0). The Patriots hold the No. 10 offense and No. 17 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host No. 15 Lawton (5-3). 

The pick: PCW 66 Lawton 63.

No. 5 Putnam City North (6)

Putnam North (7-4) moved up a spot in the rankings despite losing two out of three games last week. They defeated the OKC Storm (16-14) 77-55 in the first round of the Putnam City Invitational, but fell 91-88 to Putnam West (8-5) and 71-55 to 4A No. 7 Heritage Hall (5-4). The Panthers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 11 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action at No. 20 Putnam City (4-6) on Monday, then will host unranked Choctaw (4-4) on Friday. 

The picks:
PCN 64 Putnam 61
PCN 63 Choctaw 61

No. 6 Westmoore (5)

Westmoore (10-1) slipped a spot in the rankings after giving up a 78-63 upset to No. 8 Norman North (6-2). The Jaguars hold the No. 9 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 1 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Thursday when they host No. 17 Edmond Memorial (4-6). 

The pick: Westmoore 59 EDM 51.

No. 7 Norman North (8)

Norman North (6-2) is coming off a big week as they swept the Bishop McGuinness Tournament and upset No. 5 Westmoore (10-1) 78-63. They topped No. 12 Norman (6-3) 70-68, the OKC Knights (4-12) 120-42, and No. 14 Yukon (7-4) 72-51. The Timberwolves hold the No. 1 offense and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday with a rematch at No. 12 Yukon. 

The pick: NN 80 Yukon 68.

No. 8 Booker T. Washington (9)

Booker T. Washington (7-3) moved up a spot in the rankings after taking second place at the Skiatook Invitational, despite suffering an overtime upset to an unranked team. They defeated 5A No. 20 Pryor (4-5) 67-49 and No. 11 Broken Arrow (7-3) 62-50, but fell 72-71 to Owasso (5-4). The Hornets hold the No. 8 offense and No. 13 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday against Will Rogers (5-7), then will travel to 4A No. 2 Tulsa Central (8-3) on Friday.

The picks:
BTW 68 Rogers 60
Central 70 BTW 67

No. 9 Muskogee (10)

Muskogee (6-1) finally lost their first game of the season, 77-69 to Life Prep Academy (2-6) at the Muskogee Shrine Tournament, but they're still undefeated against Oklahoma teams and in conference. The Roughers hold the No. 6 offense, No. 19 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and will host No. 18 Sand Springs (5-4) on Monday before traveling to unranked Jenks (1-6) on Friday. 

The picks: 
Muskogee 59 CPHS 57
Muskogee 68 Jenks 56

No. 10 Edmond Santa Fe (4)

Edmond Santa Fe (7-3) dropped hard in the rankings after a stunning 47-45 upset by 5A No. 17 Bishop McGuinness (3-8), whom they were expected to throttle. They also lost a close 44-39 matchup to unranked Deer Creek (5-6) before finally snapping out of it with a 103-41 victory over the OKC Knights (4-12). The Wolves hold the No. 13 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they get a home court rematch against Deer Creek. 

The pick: ESF 60 DC 50

No. 11 Broken Arrow (11)

Broken Arrow (7-3) won two of three games at the Skiatook Invitational, hammering Daniel Webster (2-9) 72-42, falling 62-50 to No. 9 Booker T. Washington (7-3), then topping 5A No. 5 East Central (7-4) 59-45. Caleb Huffman averaged 16.3 points per game, followed by Tony Hall with 14.3 and Braden Boyer with 12. The Tigers hold the No. 19 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 14 Sapulpa (5-2). 

The pick: BAHS 60 Sapulpa 57

No. 12 Yukon (14)

Yukon (7-4) won two of three games at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament and took second place last week. They topped Deer Creek (5-6) 64-57 and 5A No. 17 Bishop McGuinness (3-8) 65-58 before falling 72-51 to No. 8 Norman North (6-2) in the finals. The Millers hold the No. 11 offense, No. 18 defense, and No. 14 margin of victory in 6A and will get a rematch against Norman North on their home court Friday. 

The pick: Norman North 68 Yukon 65

No. 13 Norman (12)

Norman (6-3) took a slight dip in the rankings after winning two of three games at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament. They topped No. 15 Edmond Memorial (4-6) 41-38 and 5A No. 17 Bishop McGuinness (3-8) 50-48, but fell 70-68 to No. 8 Norman North (6-2). The Tigers hold the No. 14 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at Mustang (4-4), then will host No. 2 Edmond North (8-1 on Thursday).

The pick: Norman 57 Mustang 52

No. 14 Sapulpa (13) 

Sapulpa (5-2) dropped a spot despite a 78-66 win over Newcastle (2-6) in the first round of the Ada Tournament, which was cancelled on day two. The Chieftains hold the No. 6 offense and No. 16 margin of victory in 6A and will host No. 11 Broken Arrow (7-3) Tuesday before traveling to No. 16 Bartlesville (5-4) on Friday. 

The pick: Sapulpa 58 Bartlesville 56

No. 15 Lawton (16)

Lawton (5-3) moved up a spot in the rankings despite getting hammered 83-54 by No. 3 Midwest City (9-2). The Wolverines hold the No. 12 offense in 6A and will travel to No. 4 Putnam City West (8-5) Tuesday, then will host No. 20 Putnam City (4-6) on Thursday. 

The pick: Putnam City 62 Lawton 60.

No. 16 Bartlesville (17)

Bartlesville (5-4) moved up a spot in the rankings after a second place performance at their home tournament. They defeated Enid (3-10) 63-57 and Southmoore (1-8) 44-36, but fell 63-44 to 5A No. 1 Carl Albert (11-0). Barron Tanner led the team with 14 points per game, followed by A.J. Archambo with 13.3. The Bruins hold the No. 6 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 19 Bixby (4-5) before hosting No. 14 Sapulpa (5-2) on Friday. 

The pick: Bartlesville 52 Bixby 51.

No. 17 Edmond Memorial (15)

Edmond Memorial (4-6) had a rough go at the Bishop McGuinness tournament, defeating the OKC Knights (4-12) 79-27, but falling 41-38 to No. 12 Norman (6-3) and 52-51 to unranked Deer Creek (5-6). The Bulldogs hold the No. 2 defense and No. 19 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host unranked Stillwater (4-6). They will travel to No. 6 Westmoore (10-1) on Thursday.

The pick: EDM 53 Stillwater 49.

No. 18 Sand Springs (19)

Sand Springs (5-4) moved up a spot in the rankings after a bye week. The Sandites hold the No. 16 offense, No. 1 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in 6A and will travel to No. 9 Muskogee (6-1) on Tuesday, then will host No. 19 Bixby (4-5) on Friday. 

The pick: CPHS 58 Bixby 50

No. 19 Bixby (18)

Bixby (4-5) dropped a spot in the rankings after winning only one of three games at the Bartlesville Tournament last week. They fell 79-61 to 5A No. 1 Carl Albert (11-0) and 52-51 to 5A No. 15 Del City (4-6) before topping unranked Enid (3-10) 62-60 in overtime. The Spartans hold the No. 14 defense in 6A and will host No. 16 Bartlesville (5-4) on Tuesday before traveling to No. 18 Sand Springs (5-4) on Friday. 

No. 20 Putnam City (unranked)

Putnam City (4-6) entered the rankings after winning one of two games at the Putnam City Invitational last week. They fell 65-56 to No. 7 Putnam West (8-5) and 54-48 to No. 20 Mustang (4-4), but defeated the OKC Storm (16-14) 64-53. 

Conference Strength

1. Big Ten (52.5)
2. Central Oklahoma (46)
3. Green Country (45.33)
4. Frontier Valley (45.3)
5. All-City (31.5)

No. 1 Sandites remain undefeated with 46-21 victory at No. 3 Broken Arrow

Delvin Jordan and Zach Marcheselli are both ranked No. 1 in their weight classes. Marcheselli moved up a division and lost a 4-3 decision to Jordan Thursday night in Broken Arrow.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 46 BAHS 21

106 #3 Riley Weir t.f. #7 Jackson Cockrell 16-1
113 #3 Tanner Ward t.f. #4 Andrew Police 15-0
120 #4 Michael Ritchey d. Blake Gonzalez 1-0
126 #5 Blake Sargent p. James Phares 0:55
132 #1 Daton Fix p. Matt Police 1:33
138 #3 Jack Karstetter d. #5 TaJuan Daniels 5-2
145 #2 Beau Bratcher p. #7 Bryce Mattioda 1:15
152 #1 Payton Scott p. Aedan Cottle 3:20
160 #10 Brady Mattioda d. #8 Noah Almy 7-3
170 #2 Zane Basma d. #3 Caleb Wise 4-2
182 #1 Gavin Potter inj. Luke Bratcher
195 Noah Cortes p. #10 Gage Fain 5:59
220 #1 Delvin Jordan d. #1 Zach Marcheselli 4-3
285 #3 Trenton Lieurance p. Dominique Pipes 2:28

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team (5-0) traveled to No. 3 Broken Arrow (2-2) Thursday night and won ten out of fourteen matches to continue their undefeated start to the season. Only two other undefeated teams remain and Sand Springs won't meet either in the regular season.

Sand Springs has held the No. 1 spot in the tournament rankings since winning the Perry Tournament a month ago, and they have been tied for first in the dual rankings with Choctaw (3-0) for two weeks now. Both teams received nine first-place votes this past week and neither will get the chance to knock each other off till Dual State. No. 4 Edmond North (5-0) is also undefeated, but they will end their regular season at Choctaw in early February. 

The Sandites will return to action Friday and Saturday at Sapulpa High School for the Jerry Billings Invitational against a tough field that includes No. 3 Broken Arrow, No. 6 Union, No. 8 Ponca City, 4A No. 6 Cascia Hall, 5A No. 3 Collinsville, and 3A No. 4 Plainview.

The dual started off at 106 with State Qualifier Riley Weir (16-6 season, 37-18 career) versus freshman Jackson Cockrell. It took Weir less than twenty seconds to take down his opponent and he worked him over for back points with half a minute left in the period. Weir started the second period neutral with a 5-0 lead and doubled it going into the final stretch. He start the third period on bottom and quickly reversed for nearfall points before cutting his opponent loose. He ended things with a takedown for a 16-1 tech fall in 5:20.

Senior State-placer Tanner Ward (14-7, 90-19) and Andrew Police came out fast and aggressive, and it was the Sandite who took the early 5-0 lead with nearfall points. He added two more back points soon after and started the second period on bottom with a 7-0 advantage. A quick reversal and nearfall points finished it off 15-0 in 3:44. 

Senior State-placer Michael Ritchey (16-7, 45-31) met Blake Gonzalez in a well-matched bout that ended the first period 0-0. Ritchey got the first and only point after escaping to start the second period, and once again neither contender could secure a takedown. Ritchey never allowed his opponent to break free and secured the 1-0 decision for a 13-0 team lead.

Junior State-placer Blake Sargent (16-6, 68-20) came out jacked for the Sandites and phinned James Phares in 0:55 after taking an early 2-0 lead. Senior three-time State Champion Daton Fix (21-0, 139-0) worked his typical mayhem against Matt Police at 132 pounds and built an 8-3 lead before getting the pin in 1:33 to give his team a 25-0 advantage. 

State Qualifier TaJuan Daniels put up a tough match against State Runner-Up Jack Karstetter (7-1, 80-16), but the Sandite was resilient despite having wrestled only one match in the last month. The match was tied 2-2 going into the third period when Karstetter took the lead with an escape. His Broken Arrow counterpart was looking desperately for an open shot, but the Sandite came out on top to end things 5-2.

State Runner-Up Beau Bratcher (18-5, 109-28) wasted no time in taking down Bryce Mattioda and pinned his foe in 1:15. State-placer Payton Scott (20-1, 41-8) wrestled a page out of the Daton Fix playbook, working up a quick 8-4 lead by taking down his opponent just to cut him loose repeatedly. He eventually pinned Aedan Cottle in 3:20 to officially secure the dual as a Sandite victory with a 40-0 lead.

Sophomore Noah Almy (9-10) was equally matched against State-qualifier Brady Mattioda throughout the first period and started the second 0-0. Almy scored first on an escape, then gave up a takedown, but escaped again to tie it up at 2-2. Mattioda started the third period down, escaped, scored, and led 5-2. Almy escaped, but Mattioda came out on top once again to end things 7-3 and officially put points on the board for Broken Arrow. 

Zane Basma (6-1, 64-25) and Caleb Wise both took third in State last year and were very close for the entirety of their match. Wise struck first, but Basma didn't stay under for long. He trailed 2-1 starting the second on top, but never let his opponent loose and added nearfall points to make it 3-2. He cushioned his lead with a third period escape and stayed up through the remainder for a 4-2 decision.

Luke Bratcher (3-1) suffered an unfortunate loss after a great start to a tough match. The Sophomore took on top-ranked Gavin Potter at 182 and the two were all knotted up early on, leaving a literal blood trail in their wake. After a timeout for cleanup, Bratcher quickly put points on the board for a 2-0 lead before giving up the match on an injury default. 

Gage Fain (13-7, 26-29) wrestled against Noah Cortes and suffered a literal last-second pin. The Tiger scored first, but Fain reversed almost immediately before letting Cortes out with seconds to go in the first period. Cortes started the second with another escape, gave up a point on an illegal hold, then added a takedown with twenty seconds to go. Trailing 6-3 to start the third, Fain scored an escape and picked up another caution point to cut it to a one point deficit before giving up another takedown. This time Cortes added nearfall points before Fain was saved by yet another illegal hold to make it 11-7. Cortes added another takedown, cut Fain loose, took him down again, cut him loose again, then got the pin with a single second left.

The marquee match-up of the evening was State Qualifier Delvin Jordan (20-2, 51-14) against State Champion Zach Marcheselli. Jordan is ranked first in the State in 220 after winning the Perry and Geary Championships, while Marcheselli is ranked first in 195 with Geary, Cascia Hall, and Gardner-Edgerton Championships this season. The two top-dogs of their divisions put on one of the most intense matches of the night. Jordan led 2-0 after a wild first period and added an escape to start the second. Marcheselli tied it up immediately to start the third with an escape and a takedown, but Jordan cut loose to make it 4-3, which he held till the end.

Sophomore Dominique Pipes (0-2, 0-4) wrestled his second dual of his career, and for the second time was pitted against a State-qualifier. He took on Senior Trenton Lieurance and trailed 8-1 before getting pinned in 2:28.