Edmond North, Stillwater neck and neck after first day of Oklahoma high school state wrestling tournament

Nick Sardis, Oklahoman
·5 min read

Ricky Thomas got out of bed bright and early Friday morning.

The Edmond North standout has put together a stellar junior wrestling season.

But all the wins don’t mean much when the state tournament begins. Each wrestler has to prove himself on the mat.

“I woke up with all my adrenaline running,” said Thomas, who competes in the 285-pound division in Class 6A. “We started the day off, woke up at 4:30 just ready to go. I was pretty hyped. I came in pretty confident.”

Thomas certainly looked ready when the tournament began at State Fair Arena.

He broke an Edmond North single-season record as he recorded his 34th pin in the first round against Yukon’s Brayden Brock. Thomas advanced to the finals with a 4-1 win against Stillwater’s Cameron Johnson and will face Owasso’s Tyler Rich on Saturday night.

Thomas’ performances came on a day that included a tight race in the team standings.

Two-time defending champion Stillwater leads with 144 points, but Edmond North isn’t far behind. The Huskies have 131 points, while Bixby is third with 114½.

Stillwater will have eight wrestlers in the finals – Aydan Thomas (106 pounds), Beric Jordan (113), JJ McComas (126), Cael Hughes (132), Kael Voinovich (150), LaDarion Lockett (157), Landyn Sommer (165) and AJ Heeg (190).

Edmond North will have seven boys competing for titles – Jake Goodin (106), Hunter Hollingsworth (132), Layton Schneider (144), Jude Randall (165), Talon McCollom (175), Oscar Williams (215) and Thomas.

The title race could come down to the wire, and it will likely be an exciting Saturday in Class 6A.

More:How Stillwater wrestler Cael Hughes is trying to wrap up a rare, undefeated career

Hunter Hollingsworth of Edmond North celebrates over Jayce Caviness of Bixby after a Class 6A 132-pound semifinal match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
Hunter Hollingsworth of Edmond North celebrates over Jayce Caviness of Bixby after a Class 6A 132-pound semifinal match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

Westmoore’s Devon Miller tops Stillwater’s Sam Smith

The Class 6A 120-pound semifinals included an intriguing matchup.

Westmoore’s Devon Miller faced off against Stillwater star and Oklahoma State signee Sam Smith and gutted out a 3-1 victory.

An early takedown ended up being the difference in Miller’s win over Smith, the son of Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith.

“That’s the first takedown that’s been scored in three matches (between Miller and Smith this season), and unfortunately, it came for him less than 10 seconds in the period,” Stillwater coach Ethan Kyle said. “Sam just got a little over-aggressive and walked into a nice shot by the kid. … Just a really cagey guy, knows how to win and got his hand raised tonight.”

Miller, a sophomore, will face Piedmont’s Cash Donnell in the finals. Donnell won the 113-pound title as a sophomore.

More:Oklahoma high school wrestling 2023 state championship results

Carl Albert leads in Class 5A

Carl Albert has a legitimate shot at winning the Class 5A title over five-time defending champion Collinsville.

The Titans lead with 75½ points, something most people didn’t expect. Collinsville (53) and El Reno (52) are second and third.

Carl Albert’s Kasen Miller (138), Grant Gober (150), Isaiah Matanane (165) and Alex Sutterfield (215) earned a spot in the finals.

Carl Albert has a dominant athletic program but isn’t necessarily known for being a wrestling powerhouse. The Titans have two titles in the sport, and they came in 1991 and 1992.

More:Tuttle claims 20th dual state wrestling tournament title, tying Perry for the most in state history

Kasen Miller of Carl Albert, top, wrestles Brock Roberts ofCoweta in a Class 5A 138-pound semifinal match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
Kasen Miller of Carl Albert, top, wrestles Brock Roberts ofCoweta in a Class 5A 138-pound semifinal match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

Tuttle sends 10 wrestlers to finals

Tuttle had 12 boys wrestlers who advanced to the Class 4A semifinals.

All but two of them will compete for titles Saturday.

Among those advancing for the Tigers were Braden Potts (120), Triston Grounds (126), JJ Head (132), Beau Hickman (138), Jaxon Koeltzow (144), Shawn Rounsaville (150), Ethan Teague (157), Tucker Waitman (165), Sam Schmidt (175) and Cody Abston (215).

Tuttle leads in the team standings with 164½ points, while Catoosa is second with 75.

“Things just started going well,” Tuttle coach Bobby Williams III said. “We got a lot of momentum going there, so it turned out well. We wrestled well.”

Tuttle will also have a girl in the finals for the first time in school history.

Rayleigh Fisher will wrestle Putnam City’s Ryleigh Lefkowitz for the 140-pound crown.

More:Carlson: Tuttle wrestling adds another big win. It has nothing to do with state titles.

Triston Grounds of Tuttle, top, wrestles Camden Webb of Cascia Hall in a Class 4A 126-pound semifinal match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
Triston Grounds of Tuttle, top, wrestles Camden Webb of Cascia Hall in a Class 4A 126-pound semifinal match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

Bixby has narrow lead in girls tournament

The girls tournament, which has just one classification, includes several teams that remain in the championship hunt.

Bixby leads with 41 points, while Tulsa Union is second with 39½.

Not far behind are Edmond North (39), Moore (36), Jay (32), Norman North (32) and Owasso (32).

The tournament has several girls from the Oklahoma City area who will compete for championships Saturday.

Those wrestlers are Harrah’s Addie Morse (100), Moore’s Hannah Lopez (105), Norman North’s Coty Sessions (110), Choctaw’s Peyton Hand (115), Edmond North’s Bella Williams (120), Norman North’s Devin Jansing (120), Guthrie’s Khaleah Kirk (125), Blanchard’s Lynn Horn (125), Westmoore’s Aubrianna Smith (130), Moore’s Shelby Kemp (135), Putnam City’s Ryleigh Lefkowitz (140), Tuttle’s Rayleigh Fisher (140), El Reno’s Kaylee Davis (145), McLoud’s Stacey Nash (190), Edmond North’s Kinslee Collier (235) and Del City’s Sorrell Hurd (235).

More:'Had to get it done': Jacobe Johnson delivers in clutch as Mustang beats Edmond Memorial

Peyton Hand of Choctaw, top, wrestles Kyrstan Perez of Westmoore in the 115-pound semifinal girls match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
Peyton Hand of Choctaw, top, wrestles Kyrstan Perez of Westmoore in the 115-pound semifinal girls match during the Oklahoma state wrestling tournament at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

Blackwell tops the field in Class 3A

Blackwell claimed the dual state title in Class 3A earlier this month and will likely add a state tournament crown Saturday.

The Maroons lead with 100½ points, while Berryhill is second with 79 and two-time defending champion Marlow is third with 71½.

Kaiden Ailey (126), Jake Miller (132), Jason Osgood (175), Kruz Goff (190) and Kolby Looper (215) are the five wrestlers from Blackwell who have made it to the finals.

Reporter Nick Sardis covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nick_sardis. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at oklahoman.com/subscribe or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSSAA wrestling: Edmond North battling Stillwater in 6A state tourney