State Championship: Choctaw leads Sandites 24-6 with 6 matches left
/By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
#3 Zane Basma (29-10) kicked things off at160 with a takedown of #4 Chase King but King escaped for a takedown of his own that added nearfall points before Basma managed to escape. King started the second period on bottom and escaped quickly for a 6-3 advantage. Basma did the same to start the third 6-4 and both battled back and forth before King got a takedown with near-fall points and pushed the match to 12-6 decision.
Choctaw rode a 3-0 lead into the 170 that saw #4 Trace Fleischman (6-2) against #9 Kalob Blackwell. The two were fairly evenly matched for most of the first, but Fleischman scored a takedown with 19 seconds left and maintained control into the second where he started on bottom and scored a quick escape. The Sandite added another takedown midway through the period and cut his opponent loose for a 5-1 advantage. Blackwell added another escape to start the third and nearly got a takedown but lost control on the way down and Fleischman rolled back to his feet. Blackwell did get his first takedown with 11 seconds left, but cut the Sandite loose and he fended off the rally to tie the match up with a 6-4 decision.
#4 Lane Lettich (12-8) represented the Sandites at 182 against Choctaw's #2 Easton Rendleman in the closest match thus far. Rendleman scored first with an escape to start the second, followed by Lettich to start the third and they were tied 1-1 till Rendleman got a takedown with 45 seconds left in the third. Lettich got the escape but was unable to chase down the Yellowjacket and went down 3-2.
195 #9 Zach Sims (22-20) walked all over Caulin Poole for the first two periods before running out of steam in the third. He took a 2-0 lead into the second, a 7-1 into the third, and finishing up 7-3 with three takedowns and an escape.
The back and forth affair continued at 220 as Choctaw's Tyrel Bell upset Delvin Jordan (14-5) by way of narrow 3-2 decision.
At Heavyweight it was Zach Austin with the 2:19 pin over Gage Fain (11-19) and Colt Newton with the 0:55 pin of Riley Weir (18-9) at 106 for a Yellowjacket lead of 21-6.
Choctaw won their fourth straight in Conner Holman over Michael Ritchey by 6-4 decision.
