Sheppard wins weight class, leads Jackets to runner-up
![KINGFISHER’S Jaxon Sheppard, pictured competing at last year’s state tournament, won the 144-pound title at last weekend’s Kingfisher Invitational. [Photo provided by Anjelica Newcomer]](https://www.kingfisherpress.net/sites/kingfisherpress.etypegoogle10.com/files/styles/article400/public/ee3b88045b_Ar00302008.jpg?itok=3zLYtYzg "KINGFISHER’S Jaxon Sheppard, pictured competing at last year’s state tournament, won the 144-pound title at last weekend’s Kingfisher Invitational. [Photo provided by Anjelica Newcomer]")
KINGFISHER’S Jaxon Sheppard, pictured competing at last year’s state tournament, won the 144-pound title at last weekend’s Kingfisher Invitational. [Photo provided by Anjelica Newcomer]
Three Yellowjackets reached the finals and one secured gold over the weekend at the Kingfisher High School Invitational wrestling tournament.
That showing was pivotal in the Jackets earning runner-up honors in the team standings.
KHS scored 261.5 points, falling just shy of champion Hobart’s 265.5.
Fifteen different teams scored points.
Hennessey was 10th with 106 points and Cashion placed 13th with 74.
Kingfisher’s gold medal went around the neck of Jaxon Sheppard as he went unbeaten through pool matches and then his bracket at 144 pounds at the APB.
A two-time state qualifi er, Sheppard picked up an 8-0 major decision over Edmond Memorial Bennett Dickinson in the championship match on Saturday evening.
That was his only match that didn’t end via fall or technical fall.
In pool action, Sheppard pinned teammate Aden Johnson in 1:27, Watonga’s Gunner Riley in 1:06 and Cordell’s Jaxon Jones in 1:17. He also earned a 19-3 technical fall against Koby Stokesberry of Tonkawa.
Once he hit the bracket, Sheppard pinned Santa Fe South’s Antonio Campos in 1:00 and Blake Hornberger of Perkins in 58 seconds to earn his spot in the finals.
Chase Price reached the finals at 150 pounds, but Asher Digby of Davis proved to be a thorn in his side.
Digby defeated Price 14-8 in the finals, his second win over Price in the tournament.
The first came during pool matches as Digby handed Price his only loss, 6-3.
Price pinned Marlows’ Denton Olinger in 1:22, teammate Brason Pinkston in 58 seconds and teammate Chance Dunn in 2:30. He also picked up a 17-2 technical fall against Max Cloud of Casady.
Price needed only 24 seconds to pin Marcos Ramriez Rodriguez of Santa Fe South in the quarterfinals.
In a rematch against Dunn in the semifinals, Price got a fall at 1:38.
Dunn went on to place fourth.
After his loss to Price in the semifinals, Dunn bounced back to pin Lucas Altstatt of Casady in 1:50 to earn a spot in the bronze medal match.
There, he lost to Olinger for the second time in the tournament, this time via a 5-0 decision.
Olinger had defeated Dunn 7-3 in pool matches.
Dunn beat Altstatt, Pinkston and Cloud in his other pool matches, then downed Dub Montgomery of Hobart 11-6 in the quarterfinals.
Eric Rojo claimed a silver medal for KHS at heavyweight.
Rojo went 3-0 in his pool matches with three falls.
He then pinned Marlow’s Reddie Bruce in 51 seconds in the quarterfinals and picked up a 12-5 decision over Jesse Demoss of Davis in the semis.
Hobart’s Shooter Mayabb ended Rojo’s run in the championship match as Mayabb won gold with a 7-2 decision.
Two Jackets did win bronze medals.
The first came at 138 pounds by Brayden Kochenower.
The senior stormed through his pool matches undefeated, winning by fall or tech fall in each.
In his bracket, Kochenower pinned Dastan Dollarhide of Tonkawa in 37 seconds.
The loss came next as Jake Hart of Perkins edged Kochenower 8-7, sending him to the consolation bracket. There he pinned Erik Marquez of Santa Fe South in 1:57 and James Lockhart of Watonga in 3:22 to placed third. The other bronze went to Kody Penwright. After going undefeated in his pool at 215 pounds, Penwright was quickly sent into the consolation bracket with a quarterfinal loss to Axton Zarecki of Cordell. Penwright came back to win three straight, including exacting some revenge against Zarecki. He did that in the bronze medal match, pinning him in 3:14. Penwright’s consolation semifinal win came against teammate TJ Washington. The senior came back from that loss to beat Gunther Claunch of Cordell in 1:33 to place fifth. Other placers for KHS included Maliki Haynes taking fifth at 126, Dexter Fletcher sixth at 132 and Andrew Takape sixth at 190. Hennessey was paced by Jameson Ladwig, who finished fourth at 165 pounds. Ladwig lost his quarterfi nal match to Brandon Jones of Davis, but came back to win a pair of consolation matches. He pinned Zaden Perales of Capitol Hill in 1:06 and Camden Weinmeister of Kingfisher in 3:42 to land in the third-place match. There he lost to Cashion’s Houston Jerry 11-7. Jerry was Cashion’s top placer. He went 5-0 in his pool matches and then picked up an 11-2 decision over Perales in the quarterfinals. Brandon Jones bested Jerry with a fall at 3:40 of their semifinal. Jerry came back to beat Kaydon Morrill of Tonkawa in 1:43 and then Ladwig. Cale Browning was fourth for Cashion at 126 and Hayden Norrell fourth at 132.