Maroon Wrestlers WIN IT ALL

Maroon Wrestlers Win It All

 
It has been an exciting year for the Blackwell High Wrestling squad, and they added the crown jewel to this season on Saturday in Oklahoma City at the 2023 OSSAA Class 3A State Wrestling Tournament.  Coach Conner Cline set his team goal as two championship trophies this year, and his team, along with assistant coaches E.J. Edgar, Bobby Miller and Riley Betchan delivered.  With much fanfare and an excited Maroon fan base, the Maroons earned Blackwell High’s 9th Wrestling State Championship Trophy.  This one adds to the trophy case along with those from Maroon Wrestling State Champion teams of the past in 2012, 1999, 1973, 1957, 1956, 1946, 1943 and 1941.

This trophy will be in the case next to the others, but this one is special.  For the first time in school history, the Maroons won both the Dual State and State Tournament Championships in the same season.  This year’s squad also scored more team points in the State Tournament than any other team in Blackwell History.

Writing about this year’s team has been difficult in the sense that I struggle to keep finding the adjectives to describe just how absolutely dominating this Maroon squad has been.  And the State Tournament this weekend was no exception.  The Maroons completely demoralized and crushed the competition!  Five Maroon wrestlers qualified for the finals matches on Saturday night. 10 out of the 12 wrestlers the Maroons took to the tournament placed.  But the crowd was not in a for a nail biter when it came to team points like they were when Blackwell battled Marlow for the Dual State Title earlier this month. The Maroon’s already had the title locked up.  That’s right folks, the five Maroons in the finals could have sat it out, and the team still would have won the title based on team points.  That is the juggernaut this squad has been.

But wait, there’s more!  Many of the wrestlers from this year’s team are underclassmen who will be back on the mats for the Maroons next year.  I know, I know it is too early to look ahead, but I think there are great things to come.  But, back to the present.  Let’s congratulate and celebrate the young men of this year’s team.  They put in months of early mornings, late nights, holiday practices, and hard work to earn these trophies, and for that we salute them.  There will be a parade on Wednesday March 1, at 5:00 p.m. to honor this team.  It will start at the Blackwell CO-OP, and travel south on Main to the Kay County Fairgrounds.  I encourage everyone to attend and to honor these coaches and young men who worked so hard to represent their school and community this year.

2022-2023 Class 3A State Tournament Team Results              
1. Blackwell – 158 points
2. Marlow – 109.5 points
3. Berryhill – 79 points
4. Comanche – 61 points
5. Salina – 54 points
6. Jay – 52.5 points
7. Perry – 46 points
8. Chandler – 33 points
9. Sperry – 33 points
10. Checotah - 32 points

Blackwell Individual Results

106 lbs Jaxson Brown (30-13) placed 3rd and scored 15.5 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by fall over Gavin Miller (Inola) 38-11 (Fall 0:41)

    Semifinal -  lost by decision to Tommy Miller (Marlow) 39-5 (Dec 7-0)

    Cons. Semi - won by fall over Noah Heitland (Sulphur) 22-11 (Fall 1:33)

    3rd Place Match - won by tech fall over Landon Earp (Chandler) 29-11 (TF-1.5 4:45 (16-0)

113 lbs Louden Wolfe (28-12) placed 3rd and scored 16.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by fall over Joey Bish (Mannford) 23-12 (Fall 1:51)

    Semifinal – lost by decision to Keller Kizarr (Marlow) 42-6 (Dec 2-1)

    Cons. Semi - won by fall over Gage Jessen (Comanche) 26-17 (Fall 1:54)

    3rd Place Match - won by fall over Brady Oldfield (Newkirk) 29-13 (Fall 5:18)

120 lbs Beau Murphy (30-16) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by fall over Carson Orr (Plainview) 32-11 (Fall 0:33)

    Semifinal – lost by fall to Colt Collett (Checotah) (Fall 5:11)

    Cons. Semi - won by fall over Elijah Gardner (Salina) 24-20 (Fall 1:38)

    3rd Place Match -  lost by decision to Gehrig Furr (Marlow) (Dec 6-5)

126 lbs Kaiden Ailey (31-10) placed 1st and scored 19.5 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by tech fall over Liam Sherrill (Sperry) 24-19 (TF-1.5 5:28 (24-6)

    Semifinal - won by decision over Devin Duran (Jay) 37-8 (Dec 9-4)

    1st Place Match - won by decision over Hunter Waits (Berryhill) 35-4 (Dec 5-2)

132 lbs Jake Miller (33-7) placed 1st and scored 20.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by fall over Luke Prince (Vinita) 30-10 (Fall 1:30)

    Semifinal - won by decision over Brantz Bateman (Marlow) 41-7 (Dec 5-4)

    1st Place Match - won by decision over Owen Martin (Berryhill) 35-11 (Dec 10-4) 

138 lbs Kasin O`Dell (30-13) placed 4th and scored 8.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal – lost by decision to Ty Thrasher (Lincoln Christian) (Dec 3-0)

    Cons. Round 1 - won by fall over Coleman Kauffman (Vinita) 28-17 (Fall 1:43)

    Cons. Semi - won by decision over Jack Newton (Comanche) 31-11 (Dec 7-4)

    3rd Place Match – lost by fall to Ty Thrasher (Lincoln Christian) 38-8 (Fall 2:22)

144 lbs Grant Rowe (28-14) placed 3rd and scored 11.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal – lost by decision to Cade Gilbert (Marlow) 45-4 (Dec 7-3)

    Cons. Round 1 - won by fall over Xander Torix (Warner) 18-10 (Fall 5:03)

    Cons. Semi - won by decision over Lane Wheeler (Sperry) 34-11 (Dec 7-1)

    3rd Place Match - won by decision over Baer Webb (Sulphur) 32-7 (Dec 5-2)

150 lbs Lawson Lusk (23-14)

   Quarterfinal – lost by fall to Gavin Montgomery (Salina) 33-5 (Fall 1:39)

    Cons. Round 1 – lost by decision to Jadin Howard (Tonkawa Jr Sr) 34-7 (Dec 10-6) 

175 lbs Jason Osgood (29-12) placed 2nd and scored 18.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by fall over Haydan Yocham (Bristow) 24-5 (Fall 5:25)

    Semifinal - won by fall over Kaden Murray (Jay) 38-11 (Fall 3:31)

    1st Place Match – lost by decision to Kaleb Owen (Perry) 46-2 (Dec 9-3)

190 lbs Kruz Goff (37-4) placed 1st and scored 24.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by fall over Ryder Gray (Oklahoma Christian School) 15-8 (Fall 0:38)

    Semifinal - won by fall over Ethan Rowland (Mannford) 24-11 (Fall 1:25)

    1st Place Match - won by fall over Treg Bowman (Perry) 46-8 (Fall 2:25)

215 lbs Kolby Looper (29-11) placed 2nd and scored 15.0 team points.

    Quarterfinal - won by major decision over Jordyn Miller (Henryetta) 33-13 (MD 9-1)

    Semifinal - won in sudden victory - 1 over Easton Malone (Barnsdall) 35-6 (SV-1 6-4)

    1st Place Match – lost by decision to Kooper Doucet (Comanche) 34-4 (Dec 7-1)

285 lbs J.D. McCleary (29-9)

    Champ. Round 1 – lost by decision to Jonah Marshall (Checotah) 34-9 (Dec 1-0)