Jackets drop first dual of season at Hinton

Three of Kingfisher’s four returning state qualifiers picked up wins in the team’s first wrestling dual of the season.

However, it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome Hinton as the Comets claimed a 60-21 victory Tuesday on their home mat.

The matchup was the dual debut of new KHS wrestling coach Bryan Dutton.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys with not much experience,” Dutton said.

However, one such Yellowjacket was able to grab a win.

Senior Marcus Lemon, who had never wrestled a match before, pinned Hinton’s Trayven Archuleta about a minute into their 145-pound match.

“That was definitely a highlight,” Dutton said. “Marcus has been in the wrestling room for only about two or three weeks, but was able to get a win.”

Lemon’s win was the second for KHS in which it won three of four matches between 138 and 160 pounds.

That’s when the Jackets scored 15 of their points, but they were already down 30-0 before the run began.

Hinton got forfeit wins at 106, 113 and 126 pounds and pins at 120 and 132.

Rhylee Toepfer ended the stretch by pinning the Comets’ Sameal Reyes at 138 pounds.

Toepfer was a state qualifier at 120 pounds last season.

Isaac Long reached state as a junior at 160 pounds.

He was back at that weight in Hinton and earned a 7-1 decision over Hinton’s Hunter Helms.

The Jackets were pinned in each of the next four weights before heavyweight Braxton Shellstrom took the mat.

A state qualifier in that weight class last year, Shellstrom ended a dual with a fall over Zack Hucksoll.

Gant Browning, Kingfisher’s other state qualifier in 2020-21, didn’t take part in the dual.

The Jackets have their first home dual Tuesday when they host Guthrie.