Royal night for KHS wrestling
Jackets honor seniors, host homecoming, topple Geary at the APB
HOMECOMING ROYALTY - Kingfi sher High School seniors Blake Neal and Sicily Leck were named wrestling homecoming captain and queen, respectively, during a coronation ceremony last Tuesday at the APB. Members of the homecoming court were, from left, Joe Harris, Ashley Poarch, Jon Henry, Emma Barnett, Neal, Leck, Gye Roedel and Makenna Whitworth. Junior attendants were Briar Darnell, the son of Bryce and Ellie Darnell, and Emry Vasquez, the daughter of Ashley Chlouber and Josh Vasquez. She is in pre-kindergarten at Gilmour Elementary. [Photo by KHS Photography/www.khsphotography.smugmug.com]
GEARY’S Major Lewis does his best to avoid being pinned, but to no avail. Kingfisher’s Brady Friesen earned a fall in their 145-pound bout in 2:34. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]
The Kingfisher High School wrestling program squeezed a lot into two hours Tuesday at the APB.
Seniors were honored, the homecoming captain and queen were announced, they honored assistant coach Stan Blundell on his 50th birthday and junior high and high school duals were contested.
The night ended with KHS being victorious over Geary with a slim 39-36 margin.
Freshman Eddie Ortiz outlasted Geary’s Mark Perez 5-2 at 170 pounds to give the Jackets a comfortable 39-12 lead.
With four matches left, KHS eventually needed all of those points.
Geary earned pins at the next two weights and forfeits in the final two to pull within three points at the end.
The first contested match of the night was at 113 pounds after a double forfeit at 106.
Dawson Garvin put KHS up 6-0 after scoring a quick takedown and pinning Estephon Martinez in 1:51.
Cesar Rodriguez picked up a forfeit at 120 pounds for a 12-0 lead.
Geary got on the board at 126 pounds as Michael Blackcrow pinned Ben Erwin in the second period.
KHS senior Jon Henry got a forfeit at 132 pounds and junior Presten Coughlan another at 138 as the Jackets built a 24-6 lead.
Brady Friesen pushed it up to 30-6 with a pin at 145 pounds over Major Lewis.
Friesen scored a take-down and near fall in the final seven seconds of the first period, then used that momentum to pin Lewis 26 seconds into the second period.
The lead ballooned to 36-6 after a Joe Harris forfeit victory at 152 pounds.
The Bison got their second win of the night at 162 pounds.
Gye Roedel led Max Glasgow 4-1 entering the third period, but got caught early in the third and was pinned.
Ortiz was up 4-0 entering the third period of his match with Perez.
He was able to ride Perez for most of the period, but gave up a late reversal before scoring his own escape to survive.
Geary’s Landon Holt earned a pin over KHS senior Blake Neal at 182 pounds.
Holt, a two-time state runner-up, was up 4-1 after a period, then pinned Neal 52 seconds into the second frame.
Kale Smith and Grayson Bromlow went into the third period of their 195-pound match before Smith got the pin at 4:32.
That pulled Geary within 39-24 before the final two forfeits gave the Bison 12 more points.
Prior to the dual, Neal was crowned the homecoming captain and Sicily Leck the queen during the coronation.