Evan Mudgett
The story at 6A all season has been Edmond North and every other team chasing 2nd. As I type that I hate saying it, but in all reality it is the absolute truth. That is not a knock on any of the other top teams, but that is just how insanely good Edmond North was this tournament and throughout the entire year. They not only won every Oklahoma tournament they were in, but set the all-time scoring record at each event as well. There are 32 teams in 6A this year and state champions were crowned at only 3 schools: Edmond North, Bixby and Stillwater. Take what you may from that, but that is how it shook out this year.
The Top 5 Teams finished as follows:
- Edmond North 260.5
- Bixby 129.5
- Stillwater 110.5
- Broken Arrow 84
- Mustang 57.5
I think everyone knew Edmond North was going to win it, the question was how high could they go and boy did the huskies deliver. Edmond North broke previous scoring record for 6A (set by Stillwater last season) as well as the all-time scoring record in all-classes (previously held by Tuttle) with a ridiculous 260.5 points. Edmond North brought 14 to the state tournament and all 14 wrestlers finished in the top 3. Not 100% sure, but I would bet every dollar in my wallet (which probably isn’t much tbh) that going 14 for 14 with state placers has not been done before. At least from a numbers perspective, the Edmond North team is the best team to ever do it in Oklahoma history, which is honestly wild to say.
Edmond North put 10 wrestlers in the finals and finished with 8 champions. Goodin got things started for the huskies, winning his first state title at 106. Miller has gone back and forth with Donell and an early takedown gave him the edge for his 1st title as well. At 144 Schneider pinned his way through the tournament, which gave him the honor of Outstanding wrestler for 6A. 150 was one that I had circled as one to watch when Guerrero made the move down from 157 and it did not disappoint. The funk from Jeter proved to be the catalyst as he gets the victory and his first title as well. McCollom missed a majority of the 2nd half of the season after he broke his elbow during the holidays. A broken elbow couldn’t keep him out and he gutted out a win for his 2nd title at 190. Williams and Thomas have dominated the upper weights all season. Williams gets his first title before heading out to Maryland next year and Thomas gets his second title and will be going down the road to Norman (Boomer). Skidmore had a bit of a rough start, partially due to the weight, but was able to bounce back and finish 3rd. Belford, Hackbarth and Lucas all took tough losses in the semi-finals but were able to put in behind them and finish with the next best thing. Edmond North has 9 seniors in the lineup this year and will definitely be a different team next year. Will be interesting to see if they are able to fill those spots and continue what the team this year has started. Those are some tough shoes to fill.
After coming off an exciting regional championship last weekend, Bixby was looking to finish with a team trophy this weekend and they did just that. Bixby has some super-star power in their lineup and those guys were able to end their careers on a high note. Gage Walker became #46 as he won his 4th state title with a dominant performance all weekend and bonus points in each match. Jace Roller followed that up with his third state title at what I would say was probably the most anticipated matchup of the night. Roller scored the takedown at the buzzer in the 1st which was HUGE, then the defense proved to be the deciding factor which gave him the edge, 3-1. Walker and Roller will continue to be teammates as they have both committed to wrestle at Missouri next year. Clay Giddens-Buttram decided to make the move up to 175 and it paid off as he won title #3 with a takedown in overtime over Randall of Edmond North. Interestingly Clay and Jude will be teammates next year as they both have committed to OU. Isaiah Jones fell short in the finals, but was able to avenge a loss from dual state in the semi-finals over Hackbarth (EN). Hausler and Hank Puckett were able to battle on the backside and both finish with a win and a third place medal. The Spartans finished with 7 state placers! Bixby also won the academic state championship for 6A and got a really cool picture with nerdy glasses which I really enjoyed.
Stillwater was in a bit of new territory this year as they were coming off of back-to-back state titles but finished just short of a trophy this year. The pioneers did not leave empty handed though as 3 finished on top of the podium. Aydan Thomas won his 2nd state title, moving up form 106 last year and bonus his way through the tournament. He looked dominant at 113 this entire year and was the heavy favorite going into the tournament. JJ McComas ended his career on a high note winning his 2nd state title as well and also bonus his way through the tournament. Talking with JJ afterwards…
