2017 Dual State Preview: No. 1 Sandites enter post-season undefeated 17-0

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

No. 1 CPHS (17-0) 
No. 2 Choctaw (9-0)
No. 3 Broken Arrow (8-2) 
No. 4 Edmond North (10-1) 
No. 5 Yukon (7-2) 

No. 6 Ponca City (8-2) 
No. 10 Stillwater (8-3) 
No. 11 Norman (15-2) 

The brackets have been released and the countdown to Dual State has begun, with only three days left till the eight best teams in Class 6A converge at Firelake Arena in Shawnee. 

The top-seeded teams were no surprise. No. 1 Sand Springs (17-0) and No. 2 Choctaw (9-0) ended up on opposite sides of the bracket, setting up a potential rematch of last year's State Finals, where the Yellowjackets upset the top-ranked Sandites 41-18 for their first Dual State Championship since 1997. 

While the Sandites and Yellowjackets have been the heavy favorites throughout the season, there are several other talented teams that could have legitimate upset potential. All four quarterfinal duals will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, with the semifinals at noon Saturday, and the finals at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

No. 1 Sand Springs (17-0) has been on a warpath this season, winning five shutouts and the Second Annual Ram Duals tournament. The Sandites are 12-0 against 6A opponents, winning by an average score of 68-9. They won their district 248-0 against Enid, U.S. Grant, and Putnam West. They pinned the entire Grant team in 14:02. They beat the No. 1 team in Kansas 53-24, Broken Arrow 46-21, Ponca City 51-12, Stillwater 59-9, and 3A No. 1 Perry 48-18. The Sandites have ranked wrestlers in twelve divisions and ten State Qualifiers.

The Sandites' first opponent will be No. 11 Norman (15-2). The Tigers have had an outstanding season, but it's tough to assess them against the rest of the Oklahoma field as half of their opponents were out of state. They placed fifth at the Grapevine Duals but they didn't wrestle a single Dual State-qualifying 6A team. Their toughest Oklahoma opponents were No. 9 Mustang and No. 8 Westmoore. They topped the Broncos 42-24, but barely edged out the Jaguars 39-37. They are 7-0 against 6A opponents, winning by an average score of 48-23. The only mutual opponent between the Sandites and Tigers is Midwest City, who fell 69-9 to Sand Springs and 58-13 to Norman.

No. 2 Choctaw (9-0) is still riding the seventeen-straight win streak they started last season. They topped Broken Arrow 38-22 and Edmond North 31-29. The Yellowjackets are 6-0 against 6A opponents, winning by an average score of 53 to 18. They have ranked wrestlers in ten divisions and seven State Qualifiers.

Choctaw will take on No. 10 Stillwater (8-3) in the quarterfinals. The Pioneers are 5-2 against 6A opponents, winning by an average score of 35-33. They fell 59-9 to Sand Springs and 41-24 to Ponca City. Choctaw and Stillwater have two mutual opponents in Deer Creek and Southmoore. Choctaw defeated the SaberCats 69-12 and Stillwater won 56-21. Choctaw defeated the Antlers 60-15, and Stillwater won 35-30. The Pioneers have wrestlers ranked in five divisions and five State Qualifiers.

No. 3 Broken Arrow (8-2) dropped a 38-22 dual to Choctaw and fell 46-21 to Sand Springs, but since then they've returned 195 State Champion Skyler Haynes to their lineup, who was out with a football injury for most of the season. They've recorded two shutouts this season, 73-0 against Muskogee and 78-0 against Bixby. They also topped No. 7 Union 38-20. The Tigers are 7-2 against 6A opponents, winning by an average score of 51-18. They have ranked wrestlers in twelve divisions and seven State Qualifiers.

Broken Arrow's quarterfinal opponent will be No. 5 Yukon (7-2). The Millers hold a 36-30 win over No. 9 Mustang and nearly shut out Lawton at 70-3. Their only losses their season are 40-19 to Edmond North, and 59-0 to 4A No. 1 Tuttle. They are 6-1 against 6A opponents, winning by an average score of 44-25. They have ranked wrestlers in seven divisions and three State Qualifiers. They will travel to Norman Tuesday night in their final dual of the regular season.

No. 4 Edmond North (10-1) may as well be undefeated. They went 10-0 this year before falling 31-29 in their regular season finale at Choctaw. That dual came down to the final match and was far too close to be considered decisive on who would win in a rematch. They have topped No. 9 Mustang 47-24, Yukon 40-19, and No. 8 Westmoore 46-20. They shut out Moore 69-0 and nearly shut out Putnam City West 73-6. All eleven of the Huskies' duals were against 6A opponents, and they won by an average score of 51-16. They have ranked wrestlers in ten divisions and three State Qualifiers. 

Edmond North will take on No. 6 Ponca City (9-2). The Wildcats have a 41-24 win over Stillwater, and a 43-17 win over No. 7 Union. Their only losses are 51-12 to Sand Springs and 36-27 to 3A No. 1 Perry. They are 8-1 against 6A opponents, winning by an average score of 49-21. They have ranked wrestlers in nine divisions and three State Qualifiers.

Oklahoma Wrestling: Week Twelve High School 6A Individual and Team Rankings

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

106

  1. Riley Weir (Sand Springs sophomore) 
  2. Gabe Johnson (Choctaw freshman) 
  3. Braden Fowler (Yukon senior)
  4. Garrett Steidley (Edmond Memorial freshman)
  5. Jackson Cockrell (Broken Arrow freshman)
  6. Brandon Blose (Sapulpa senior)
  7. Nate Becker (Edmond North freshman)
  8. Austin Hall (Southmoore senior)
  9. Corwin Strachan (Bartlesville sophomore)
  10. Yoshi Orikasha (Norman)

Gabe Johnson pinned Nate Becker in 4:29 in a dual.

113

  1. Colt Newton (Choctaw sophomore)
  2. TJ Long (Union sophomore)
  3. Tanner Ward (Sand Springs senior)
  4. Johnathan Warford (Sapulpa junior)
  5. Andrew Police (Broken Arrow freshman)
  6. Brayden Strachan (Bartlesville sophomore)
  7. Will Pham (Deer Creek freshman)
  8. Joe Lupton (Mustang junior)
  9. Yves Worou (Norman North)
  10. Noah Hanscom (Yukon) 

120

  1. Paxton Rosen (Edmond North senior)
  2. Canon Randall (Westmoore senior)
  3. Tyler Lawley (Broken Arrow senior)
  4. Michael Ritchey (Sand Springs senior)
  5. Caron Watson (Union junior)
  6. Cameron Picklo (Mustang sophomore)
  7. Laif Jones (Bartlesville sophomore) Previously #8
  8. Jacob Swenson (Ponca City junior) Previously #9
  9. Chase Slatton (Jenks senior) Previously #10
  10. Cameron Clark (Sapulpa senior) Previously unranked

No. 7 Blake Gonzalez moved up to 126 at Bishop Kelley. Cameron Clark moved into the tenth spot after placing fourth at Jenks and fifth at Yukon. 

126

  1. Drew Wilson (Midwest City senior)
  2. Spencer Schickram (Ponca City sophomore)
  3. Blake Sargent (Sand Springs junior)
  4. Blake Gonzalez (Broken Arrow) Previously #7 in 120
  5. Wyatt Johnson (Owasso senior) Previously #4
  6. Brandon Bright (Edmond North senior) Previously #5
  7. Trent Higginbotham (Edmond North junior) Previously #6
  8. Alaisa Rubio (U.S. Grant) Previously #7
  9. Logan Herrell (Enid sophomore) Previously #8
  10. DaQuan Carbajal (Moore junior) Previously #9

Blake Gonzalez moved up from 120 and placed fourth at Bishop Kelley, pinning Logan Herrell and defeating Wyatt Johnson 6-2. No. 10 Irwin Portillo was bumped out of the rankings.

132

  1. Daton Fix (Sand Springs senior)
  2. Drake Vannoy (Edmond North freshman) Previously #5
  3. Connor Holman (Choctaw junior) Previously #2
  4. Tanner Cole (Deer Creek senior) Previously #3
  5. Dylan Schickram (Ponca City junior) Previously #4
  6. Sam Avant (Norman North senior)
  7. Baylor Smith (Owasso junior) Previously #9 in 138
  8. TaJuan Daniels (Broken Arrow senior) Previously #7
  9. Easton Hudson (Bixby senior) Previously #8
  10. Jacob Blumenthal (Westmoore senior) Previously #9

Drake Vannoy upset Connor Holman 6-3 in a dual. Baylor Smith cut from 138 and upset TaJuan Daniels 7-4 at Bishop Kelley, bumping No. 10 Trey Edwards out of the rankings.

138

  1. Jaxen Gilmore (Yukon junior)
  2. Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs senior)
  3. Tyler Dieringer (Stillwater senior)
  4. Kruz Simons (Edmond North sophomore)
  5. Josh Suter (Norman senior) 
  6. Elijah Barnett (Booker T. Washington)
  7. Bryce Mattioda (Broken Arrow freshman) 
  8. Cody Mathis (Sand Springs junior)
  9. Dawson Hunt (Ponca City senior) Previously #10
  10. Austin Daniels (Jenks) Previously unranked

No. 9 Baylor Smith cut to 132 at Bishop Kelley. Austin Daniels slipped into the bottom spot thanks to a fourth place finish at the Chuck West Invitational, a second place finish at Jenks, and a sixth place finish at Yukon. 

145

  1. Kendon Lee (Stillwater senior)
  2. Beau Bratcher (Sand Springs senior)
  3. Ryan Swanson (Westmoore junior)
  4. Seth Graves (Edmond Memorial senior)
  5. Zane Taylor (Yukon) 
  6. Brandon Conrad (Owasso senior)
  7. Shamar Duncan (Putnam City senior)
  8. Killian McGrew (Jenks freshman)
  9. Noah Austin (Edmond North senior)
  10. Micah Lugafet (Deer Creek)

152

  1. Payton Scott (Sand Springs junior)
  2. Baywiin Hollingshead (Yukon)
  3. Kyle Knowles (Edmond Memorial freshman)
  4. Robert "RJ" Walker (Midwest City senior)
  5. Ezequiel "Zeke" Rubio (Ponca City senior)
  6. Jacob Swafford (Edmond North) Previously #10
  7. Jeff Speer (Choctaw junior) Previously #6
  8. Zach Johnson (Westmoore sophomore) Previously #7
  9. Jermain Harring (Union) Previously #8
  10. Brady Mattioda (Broken Arrow junior) Previously #9

Jacob Swafford pulled off a 6-3 upset of Jeff Speer in a dual. Brady Mattioda placed second at Bishop Kelley and defeated Austin Loza 10-3.

160

  1. Jaryn Curry (Choctaw junior)
  2. Chase Vincent (Yukon senior)
  3. Caleb Wise (Broken Arrow junior)
  4. Connor Wilcoxen (Stillwater senior)
  5. Joseph Messer (Norman North senior)
  6. Cooper Meadows (Mustang senior)
  7. Nolan Miller (Owasso junior) 
  8. Chase Kelvington (Jenks) 
  9. Noah Almy (Sand Springs sophomore) 
  10. Grayson White (Ponca City junior)

Caleb Wise placed first at Bishop Kelley.

170

  1. Zane Basma (Sand Springs senior)
  2. Zane Coleman (Choctaw sophomore)
  3. Christian Bahl (Stillwater senior)
  4. Payden Brown (Putnam City senior)
  5. Tyren Robb (Norman) 
  6. Gage McBride (Mustang senior)
  7. Sam Hensley (Edmond Memorial junior)
  8. Joe Speno (Edmond Santa Fe senior)
  9. Kaleb Mertz (Owasso junior) 
  10. Lane Newlin (Ponca City)

182

  1. Gavin Potter (Broken Arrow)
  2. Easton Rendleman (Choctaw junior)
  3. Justin "JD" Johnson (Owasso junior)
  4. Jace Brownlee (Stillwater senior)
  5. Shane Flandermeyer (Westmoore junior)
  6. Dakota Carnes (Sapulpa senior)
  7. Noah Hooks (Edmond North junior)
  8. Declan O'Brien (Deer Creek)
  9. Jaylen Childs (Putnam North) 
  10. Joe Curtis (Bixby sophomore)

Gavin Potter placed second at Bishop Kelley. 

195

  1. Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow sophomore)
  2. Blake Minnick (Edmond North sophomore)
  3. Jesse Wetherington (Norman North)
  4. Rafe Johnson (Deer Creek freshman)
  5. Gary Dockery (Choctaw junior)
  6. Fisher Jones (Putnam City) 
  7. Arin Copas (Mustang senior)
  8. Colin Foster (Yukon)
  9. Riley Corona (Westmoore senior)
  10. Luke Bratcher (Sand Springs sophomore) 

Zach Marcheselli took first at Bishop Kelley. Blake Minnick  defeated Gary Dockery 6-2 in a dual. Luke Bratcher is expected to be back in action at Dual State this weekend.

220

  1. Delvin Jordan (Sand Springs senior)
  2. Skyler Haynes (Broken Arrow senior)
  3. Mason Lancaster (Putnam City junior)
  4. Jon Martinez (Westmoore senior)
  5. Austin Fry (Ponca City senior)
  6. Caulin Poole (Chcotaw junior)
  7. Cody Adams (Bixby senior)
  8. Yousef Aliya (Union senior)
  9. Gage Fain (Sand Springs junior)
  10. Parsa Lessani (Edmond North)

Skyler Haynes placed second at Bishop Kelley in his first tournament of the season and pinned Keland Bearpaw in 4:20. Caulin Poole defeated Parsa Lessani 6-2 in a dual.

285

  1. Brey Walker (Southmoore junior) 
  2. Gage Johnson (Norman North senior)
  3. Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow senior)
  4. Zach Austin (Choctaw senior)
  5. Elwood Tomlin (Union senior)
  6. Ryan Tilbury (Midwest City senior)
  7. Malik McGee (U.S. Grant)
  8. Blake Russell (Mustang senior)
  9. Brett Bridges (Ponca City)
  10. Trey Cossey (Mustang senior)

OSSAA Tournament Rankings

  1. Sand Springs (1486)
  2. Choctaw (1432)
  3. Broken Arrow (1320)
  4. Edmond North (1240)
  5. Yukon (1071)
  6. Ponca City (876)
  7. Union (787)
  8. Stillwater (777)
  9. Westmoore (769)
  10. Mustang (628)
  11. Edmond Memorial (607)
  12. Norman (399)
  13. Norman North (371)
  14. Deer Creek (252)
  15. Sapulpa (220)

OSSAA Dual Rankings

  1. Sand Springs (1344)
  2. Choctaw (1334)
  3. Broken Arrow (1154)
  4. Edmond North (1086)
  5. Yukon (941)
  6. Ponca City (759)
  7. Union (675)
  8. Westmoore (641)
  9. Mustang (493)
  10. Stillwater (483)
  11. Norman (428)
  12. Edmond Memorial (388)
  13. Claremore (307)
  14. Jenks (195)
  15. Sapulpa (184)

Sandite Pride Tournament Rankings

  1. Sand Springs (94)
  2. Broken Arrow (80)
  3. Choctaw (77)
  4. Edmond North (56)
  5. Yukon (46)
  6. Stillwater (40)
  7. Westmoore (36)
    Ponca City (36)
  8. Norman North (30)
  9. Owasso (29)
  10. Edmond Memorial (26)
    Union (26)
  11. Mustang (25)
  12. Putnam City (24)
  13. Deer Creek (22)
    Midwest City (22)
  14. Sapulpa (18)
  15. Southmoore (13)
    Norman (13)
  16. Bartlesville (11)
  17. Jenks (9)
  18. U.S. Grant (7)
    Bixby (7)
  19. Booker T. Washington (5)
  20. Edmond Santa Fe (3)
  21. Enid (2)
    Putnam City North (2)
  22. Moore (1)
  23. Putnam City West (0)
    Muskogee (0)
    Lawton (0)
    Capitol Hill (0)

Carter Young wins third-straight Junior High State Championship, three Sandites place second

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Top 25 Team Scores:

  1. Choctaw (440.5)
  2. Tuttle (249.5)
  3. Collinsville (246)
  4. Owasso (193)
  5. Deer Creek (186.5)
  6. RAW (173)
  7. Sperry (170)
  8. OWA (168.5)
  9. Ponca City (158)
  10. Westmoore (150.5)
  11. Mustang (147.5)
  12. NEO (145.5)
  13. Indian (140)
  14. Duncan (138)
  15. Sand Springs (138)
  16. Vian (128.5)
  17. Cushing (127)
  18. Piedmont (118.5)
  19. Wagoner (113.5)
  20. Claremore (109)
  21. Durant (107)
  22. Berryhill (104)
  23. LawtonMac (103)
  24. Yukon (101
  25. Broken Arrow (100.5)

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team (17-0) will be graduating seven wrestlers this season, but if this weekend's Junior High Allstate results are any indicator, the Sandites are still in good shape for the years to come. 

The Allstate Wrestling tournament was held at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City this weekend, and the Sandites entered nineteen wrestlers. Eight placed, twelve had winning records, four made the finals, and Carter Young took first place for the third-straight year. 

More than a hundred teams competed in the tournament, which doesn't separate by school size. The Sandites placed fifteenth overall, and were seventh among 6A schools. 

Young (26-2) competed in the junior high division at 94 pounds and took first place. He pinned Daylen Sauls (El Reno) in 1:04 and Jose Becerill (Highlander) in 1:44 then teched Suan Sang (Jenks) 24-7 and Caleb Hight (Catoosa) 22-6. In the semifinals he topped Blazik Perez (Broken Arrow) 7-4, then pinned Eli Griffin (Cascia Hall) in 3:30 in the finals.

Brett Black (14-4) competed in the junior high division at 128 pounds and took second place. He pinned Traylon Jackson (Del City) in 3:23, teched Michael Reza (GWZOO) 16-0, majored Tristan Bradley (Berryhill) 10-1, then topped Roarke Simpson (Southmoore) 5-3. In the semifinals he defeated Timothy Trigg (Deer Creek) 9-3, but fell 6-2 to Kolby Depron (Bridge Creek) in the finals.

Christian Forbes (12-8) competed in the sixth/seventh grade division at 76 pounds and took second place. He pinned Cade Carter (Choctaw) in 1:17, majored Jaedan Ellis (Lawton) 23-13, teched Jaxon Klaassen (Weatherford) 22-7, and majored Josey Jernegan (Skiatook) 17-5 before falling in 4:20 to Christian Kaiser (Bixby).

Blake Jones (18-6) competed in the sixth/seventh grade division at 96 pounds and took second place. He pinned Zane Campbell (Okmulgee) in 0:31, majored Gannon Allen (Heritage Hall) 10-2 and Brock Mattioda (Broken Arrow) 15-2, then topped Shaun Muse (Choctaw) 7-0 before falling 12-2 to Jordan Cullors (Collinsville).

Seth Jones (21-2) competed in the junior high division at 108 pounds and took third place. He pinned Joey Hardbarger (Sequoyah) in 0:47 and Luke Young (Sapulpa) in 0:49, then majored Tyson Stevens (Warrior Wrestling) 13-1 and Logan Smith (Perry) 11-0 before falling 4-3 to Jaylon Otero (Catoosa). In the consolations he pinned Stevens in 1:00, Levi Buckridge (Prodigy) in 0:12, Gabe Valencia (Perry) in 1:45, then got payback on Otero with a 4-3 decision in the finals. Jones previously won State in 2015

Brooks Dudley (7-4) competed in the sixth/seventh grade division at 161 pounds and took fourth place. He pinned Nash Hill (Weatherford) in 1:15 and Jakobe Sanders (Stillwater) in 1:12, but fell in 4:09 to Anthony Smiddy (Duncan). In the consolations he pinned Bryson Cook (Weatherford) in 1:06, topped Joseph Rooker (Bethel) 3-1, and pinned Adam Brown (Stilwell) in 3:23 before falling in 3:41 to Thad Hicks (Geary).

CJ Kirby (11-3) competed in the junior high division at 138 pounds and took fifth place. He majored Christian McCoy (Bristow) 18-6, pinned Miguel Ortiz (Edmond Santa Fe) in 0:25, teched Jose Cervantes (Shawnee) 19-4, and edged out Landis Scoon (Yukon) 13-10 before falling in 3:12 to Cougar Andersen (Skiatook). In the consolation semifinals he was majored 10-2 by Nathan Adamson, but he pinned Brier Smith (Salina) in 2:24 in the placement round.

Kaden Glass (20-3) competed in the junior high division at 200 pounds and took eighth place. He pinned Tag Butler (Cascia Hall) in 0:49, and edged out Micah Walker (Union) 2-1, but fell 6-1 to Cooper Webb (Davis). In the consolations he pinned Adam Denham (Eisenhower) in 1:09, won a 5-3 tie-breaker over Nico Lopez (Berryhill), and pinned Jeremiah Thomas (Del City) in 3:19 before falling in 3:38 to Cabe Dickerson (Worx). 

Sand Springs Wrestling wins Nathan Hale Tournament with six Champions

The Sand Springs JV Wrestling team took first place at the Nathan Hale Tournament this weekend, beating out numerous varsity squads. Sixteen wrestlers placed, twelve made the finals, and six brought home the gold. 

Top-Five Teams:

  1. Sand Springs JV (214)
  2. Checotah (157)
  3. East Central (122)
  4. Tulsa Edison (84)
  5. Sand Springs B (64)
  6. Nathan Hale (56)
  7. Coweta JV (53)
  8. Tulsa Webster (48)
  9. Tulsa Edison JV (46)
  10. Bishop Kelley (44)
  11. Crossing Christian School (31)
  12. Tulsa Memorial (29)
  13. Bishop Kelley JV (18)
  14. Tulsa NOAH (7)
  15. Will Rogers (7)

Brendon Wiseley (106), Colten Roberts (120), Irwin Portillo (126), Cody Mathis (138), Dayvon Taylor (170), and Hayden Cramer (182) all took first place, while Colby HeckenKamp (132), Derek Davis (145), Mikey Burns (160), Kris Edwards (220), Scott Patton (126), and Gabe Wakefield (170) came in runner-up. 

James McDougal (113) and Mike Brown (182) placed third, Dominique Pipes (285) placed fourth, and Gavin Garcia (145) came in fifth.

Sand Springs Elementary Wrestling places second at Ponca City Tournament with 12 Champions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Team Scores:

  1. Ponca City (599)
  2. Sand Springs (336)
  3. Stillwater (248)
  4. Broken Arrow (223)
  5. Guthrie (204)
  6. Cushing (196)
  7. Sperry (196)
  8. Bristow (195)
  9. Ark City (192)
  10. Catoosa (149)
  11. Cleveland (133)
  12. Sapulpa (111)
  13. Bartlesville (99)
  14. Winfield (89)
  15. Blackwell (82)
  16. Berryhill (80)
  17. Matrix (69)
  18. Owasso (63)
  19. Collinsville (61)
  20. Enid (55)
  21. Harrah (50)
  22. NEO (37)
  23. Newcastle (32)
  24. Sallisaw (32)
  25. Pryor (26)
  26. Standfast (24)
  27. Stilwell (23)
  28. OWA (22)
  29. Creek (20)
  30. Threestyle (19)
  31. Shute (18)
  32. Greyhorse (11)
  33. Edmond (9)
  34. Newkirk (9)

While the Charles Page High School varsity wrestling squad is making headlines as the No. 1 ranked team in Oklahoma, the younger generations of Sandite wrestling are working hard to carry on the tradition. Sand Springs Team Big sent thirty-five elementary and junior high wrestlers to Ponca City this weekend for the Blubaugh-Wilson Battle for Gold and came in runner-up behind the host team with 20 finalists and 12 champions. The host team entered three times as many wrestlers as Sand Springs and finished with 23 finalists and 14 champions.

Jayden Bussell (4-0, 14-3) competed in Division One Open at 60 pounds and took first place. He scored a 15-0 technical fall over Zane Agnew (Bartlesville), majored Jaden O'Kelley (Cushing) 15-3, defeated Ryder Rosholt (Ark City) 6-3, then pinned Noah Boulware (Broken Arrow) in 1:50. 

Hunter Spencer (4-0, 19-8) competed in Division Two Open at 61 pounds and took first place. He pinned Aidan Aldridge (Ark City) in 2:19, Bowdy Thomason (Blackwell) in 2:57, and Lane Simpson (Cushing) in 1:02, and scored a 6-0 decision over Seth Kysar (Cleveland). 

Bentley Cole (3-0, 11-2) competed in Division One Open at 37 pounds and took first place. He scored a 16-0 technical fall over Bryson Cupps (Catoosa), then pinned Ivy Mullin (Stilwell) in 0:36 and Mekko Stites (Berryhill) in 2:13.

Balance Johnson (3-0) competed in Division Three Open at 120 pounds and took first place. He pinned Shane Lovejoy (Newcastle) in 1:09, majored Treg Bowman (Stillwater) 14-0, and teched Adyn Peugh (Collinsville) 16-1. 

Clayton Giddens (3-0, 33-2) competed in Division Four Open at 67 pounds and took first place. He pinned Andrew Havens (Sperry) in 2:49, and teched Elijah Green (Broken Arrow) 20-3 and Caydon Miller (Sapulpa) 17-0.

Blake Jones (3-0, 14-5) competed in Division Five Open at 100 pounds and took first place with three pins. He took down Shayden Trant (Ponca City) in 1:19, Nathaniel Sparks (Cleveland) in 2:40, and Noah Smith (Team NEO) in 4:14. 

Riley Magee (2-0) competed in Division Five Open at 190 pounds and took first place. He pinned JaKobe Sanders (Stillwater) in 3:30 and scored a 21-6 technical fall over Cayson Badley (Ponca City).

Sammy Naugle (2-0, 16-12) competed in Division Four Open at 88 pounds and took first place. He majored Tyler McCall (Catoosa) 12-3, then pinned Colby Wilder (Guthrie) in 1:20. 

Thomas Naugle (2-0, 7-6) competed in Division Five Open at 134 pounds and took first place. He drew only one competitor and pinned Brent Ingram (Pryor) in 2:58 and 1:48 in a best-of-three series. 

Grady Mittasch (3-1, 35-8) competed in Division Three Open at 67 pounds and took first place. He didn't draw enough competitors for a full bracket and instead wrestled a round-robin. He lost a 4-1 decision to Devon Miller (Stillwater), but the Pioneer wrestler fell in three other matches and Mittasch emerged with the best record to win the division. He topped Daxton Sullivan (Bristow) 2-0, teched Elijah Green (Broken Arrow) 15-0, and pinned Dylan Abbott (Sperry) in 2:22.

Ethan White (3-1, 8-16) competed in Division Four Open at 120 pounds and had a similar situation to Mittasch. He defeated Corey Chilcoat (Catoosa) 4-0 and pinned Anthony Amador (Ponca City) in 1:21, but fell 6-4 to Cameron Jackson (Ponca City). Despite his loss, a forfeit from Joseph Jeavitt (Ponca City) left him with a better round-robin record and he won the division. 

Rhett Peak (3-1, 19-9) competed in Division Four Open at 80 pounds and took second place. He majored Johnny Leverich (Cushing) 10-2, pinned Elijah Lunn (Ponca City) in 1::12, and edged out Ryker Agee (Blackwell) 3-2, but fell 7-0 to Cole Brooks (Collinsville).

Chase White (3-1, 8-5) competed in Division Four Open at 110 pounds and took second place. He topped Caden Kelly (Ponca City) 8-3, pinned Andrew Mullin (Stilwell) in 1:11 and Wesley Silvis (Guthrie) in 0:39, but fell 12-8 to Braxton Bacon (Owasso). 

Sam Harris (2-1, 11-15) competed in Division Five Open at 126 pounds and took second place. He pinned Nathen Moore (Owasso) in 3:53 and Malachia Rogers (Ponca City) in 1:06, but lost a close 2-1 decision to Brayden Henson (Broken Arrow). 

Asher Giddens (1-1, 9-8) competed in Division One Open at 43 pounds and took second place. He pinned Parker Ingram (Cleveland) in 0:41, but fell 13-3 to Gannon Wilson (Catoosa) in the finals.

Will Meredith (1-1, 19-5) competed in Division Two Open at 46 pounds and took second place. He pinned Aiden Bruner (Winfield) in 1:30, but fell in 0:57 to Aberic Scott (Threestyle).

Christian Forbes (1-1, 8-7) competed in Division Five Open at 84 pounds and took second place. He topped Danny Green (Broken Arrow) 8-6, but fell 11-2 to Shelton Chastain (Matrix). 

Owen Martin (3-1, 20-3) competed in Division Four Open at 73 pounds and took third place. He pinned Carla West (Ponca City) in 0:43 in the opening round, but fell 3-0 to Landyn Sommer (Stillwater) 3-0. In the consolations he edged out Corban Zugelder (Catoosa) 3-2 and majored Blaten Kemble (Ponca City) 8-0. 

Jackson Martin (2-1, 15-6) competed in Division Three Open at 55 pounds and took third place. He fell 7-3 to Max Linthicum (Sallisaw) in the opening round, but topped Talon Suttles (Winfield) 4-2 in sudden victory overtime, then pinned Cavin Peper (Sapulpa) in 0:33.

Promised Johnson (2-2) competed in Division Two Open at 64 pounds and took third place. He pinned Noah McBride (Ponca City) in 1:30 and majored Colten Stevens (Guthrie) 9-0, but fell 10-2 to Tohmi Carney (Broken Arrow) and 7-4 to Jaedan Adams (Stillwater). 

Samuel Moore (4-0, 25-10) competed in Division One Novice at 49 pounds and took first place. He pinned Tristen Cain (Ponca City) in 0:16, Garrett Schoonover (Guthrie) in 0:53, Weston Little (Bristow) in 2:24, and Zayden Merrill (Owasso) in 0:12.

Matthew Moore (2-1, 21-6) competed in Division Three Novice at 61 pounds and took second place. He pinned Mea Amador (Ponca City) in 0:32 and scored a 15-0 technical fall over Tatum Dolan (Berryhill), but fell 9-5 to Aydin Machado (Cushing). 

Chase Kelley (1-1, 5-12) competed in Division Four Novice at 130 pounds and took second place. He defeated Colton Ingram (Pryor) 12-8, but fell 15-4 to Rowdy Jackson (Cushing).

Blayton Collins (3-2, 8-16) competed in Division Two Novice at 58 pounds and took fourth place. He defeated Zavier Campion (Sperry) 7-2 and pinned Caden Sotelo (Ponca City) in 0:14, but fell 7-2 to Ryan Jinks (Sperry). In the consolation he pinned Colt Schickram (Ponca City) in 2:53, but lost a 12-8 decision to Elijah Montgomery (Sapulpa). 

Caleb Basma and Cody Randall place third at Golden Norsemen Open

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Two members of the Charles Page High School Class of 2015 have continued their impressive athletic careers at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. The Golden Norsemen (14-1) are currently ranked first in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Cody Randall (13-11) and Caleb Basma (18-13) were lightweight members of the Sandite varsity squad. Both were State Qualifiers their senior years, and Randall placed third at State and made the All-State Dual Team.

NEO entered the season ranked tenth, and made a big statement in the opening week of dual season. First they shut out Neosho 46-0, then they hammered No. 3 Labette 45-3. The Sandites didn't wrestle those first two duals, but they've worked their way into the lineup since then.

The Norsemen took on No. 20 ranked Barton on November 15th and rolled to a commanding 41-6 victory as both Sandites picked up wins. Randall scored a 10-2 major decision over Greg Bentley in the opening match, then Basma had the biggest win of the night in a 5-4 upset decision over No. 4 Caysen Smith. 

From there the Norsemen steamrolled Wentworth 60-0 and picked up the number one ranking in the NJCAA the following week. On January 5th Basma scored a 7-6 decision over James Taylor as the Norsemen defeated No. 17 NW Kansas Tech 38-3 at Dual Nationals. The Norsemen made it to the finals before falling 23-9 to Clackamas Community College.

On January 13th NEO traveled to Kearney, Nebraska for the UNK Midwest Duals and swept the tournament with five wins by a combined 215-30. The Norsemen hammered No. 7 Otero 42-9, aided by Randall with a 2-1 decision over Adrian Cordova. Basma topped Stuart Brandt 9-5 in a 34-12 victory over Jamestown, then beat Jesus Morales 8-4 in a 48-0 shutout of No. 15 NW Kansas Tech. 

Basma currently leads the entire team in reversals this season with 9, and Randall is fifth with 5. 

Basma placed in his first college tournament back in November at the Joe Parisi Open with a split record. He topped Berkeley Todd (Ellsworth CC) 5-2, pinned Clay Vincent (University of Oklahoma) in 1:17, and scored an 8-5 decision over JD Higdon (Hannibal-Lagrange) before suffering three-straight losses and taking sixth place.

Last weekend Basma came in Runner-Up at the Roger Denker Open in Warrensburg, Missouri at the University of Central Missouri. He defeated the home team's John Feeney 7-4, pinned Tyler Brown (Baker University) in 3:20, then beat Weston Cronan (Ouachita Baptist) 8-4 before falling 4-1 to Brandon Matlock of Grand View Iowa. 

Randall placed in his first college tournament this weekend at NEO's Golden Norsemen Open. Both Randall and Basma took third in their team's home tournament. 

Basma lost his opening match 19-4 to Oklahoma State freshman Gary Wayne Harding, but won out from there with four close decisions. He topped Dakota Bromley (Ouachita Baptist) 3-1 and Michael Sanchez (UCO) 8-4. Two matches went into overtime and Basma defeated Aaron Hane (UCO) 3-2 in a tie-breaker and took down Wyatt Alvis (Fort Hayes) 3-1 in sudden-victory to make his way to the consolation finals. In the placement match he prevailed 6-4 over Noah McQuigg of UCO.

Randall pinned his way to success, finishing four matches in only 6:24. He topped Christian Haynes (Bacone) in 0:20 and Tre Ponce (Labette) in 0:42 before falling 8-5 to Tim Null (UCO). In the consolations he pinned Westone Cronan (Ouachita) in 0:27 and Reid Pfiefer (Bacone) in 4:55.

The Golden Norsemen Open was the regular season finale for NEO, and the Norsemen will return to action February 11th at the NJCAA West-Central District Qualifier in Pratt, Kansas. If Basma or Randall qualify there, they will advance to the National Championships at Council Bluffs, Iowa on February 24th.