It was a night that Blackwell wrestling fans will be talking about for a very long time! Friday night, at the Charles Hetrick Fieldhouse in Blackwell, Class 3A number one ranked Blackwell battled Class 4A powerhouse and number one ranked Tuttle in an “Instant Classic.” Before a large, boisterous and at times deafening crowd, Blackwell picked up three crucial dual changing wins at 120, 126 and 132 to post the 38-24 upset win over the Tigers, winners of the last 16 Class 4A state championships.
Blackwell won eight of the 14 matches, getting falls from Louden Wolfe, Kelby Ingram and Jason Osgood, tech falls from Garrett Short and Grant Rowe, a major decision from Kruz Goff and Madden Edgar and Payton Head winning by decision.
Tuttle countered with tech falls by Beau Hickman, Eli Probst and Adrian Avelar and decisions by Maxwell Bradley, Bode Wilson, and Rylend Slover.
It was a night that had it all and what makes Oklahoma high school wrestling so special. Two premier programs giving it their best and battling on the mat in an electric atmosphere – it was a great night of wrestling!
Before the action started on the mat, it was Alumni Night and Senior Night and what a night to have the alumni back in town! The evening started with the recognition of a large number of past Blackwell wrestlers and coaches. Special recognition was given to their 11 state championship teams, including the 2012 team coached by E.J. Edgar and the 2023 team coached by current head coach Connor Cline.
Next it was time to recognize an incredible group of seniors that won the 2023 State title and finished as runners-up in 2022 and 2024. They were also 2023 Dual State champions, 2024 Dual State runner-up, and 2022 Dual State semifinalist. The seniors have led the team to a 59-13 dual record since their freshman year. Seniors recognized were Louden Wolfe, Payton Head, Laker Ingram, Jason Osgood, Kruz Goff, Lane Looper, and Stoney Hutson.
Another highlight was Coach Cline being recognized by his team for recently earning his 100th career win as Blackwell’s head coach.
Now it was time to wrestle, and Blackwell was definitely ready to turn the special night into a spectacular night. Sophomore Garrett Short only led 3-0 after the first period, but got the crowd going, scoring six takedowns in the next 3:30 to pick up a 22-5 tech fall win for Blackwell. Next, freshman Kole Hetrick battled to the end before falling to Tuttle state runner-up Maxwell Bradley by a 4-0 score. Hetrick and Andrew and Mason Young are great grandsons of the late Charles Hetrick, who led Blackwell to three state titles and for whom the fieldhouse is named.
At 120 lbs., Blackwell state champion Louden Wolfe faced Tuttle state runner-up Cooper Jackson in one of the key match-ups of the night. Jackson already had two wins over Wolfe this season, including winning by fall at a December tournament in Florida. Not this time. After a scoreless 1st period, Wolfe used a punishing 2nd period ride, threatening to turn Jackson the last 30 seconds of the period. In the 3rd period, Wolfe earned a quick escape and takedown and he went back to cranking on Jackson and really got the crowd fired up and the first of many deafening outbursts from the crowd when he turned and pinned Jackson in 4:55.
Another pivotal match took place at 126, where Blackwell sophomore state placer Madden Edgar took on Tuttle senior Cason Rumley. Rumley defeated Edgar in a preseason tournament back in November, but the ever improving Edgar was ready to even the score. The two traded escapes in regulation, but in the sudden victory period, Edgar hit for the winning takedown, once again igniting the huge Blackwell crowd into a frenzy.
At 132 lbs., Blackwell state placer Payton Head was also looking to even the score against Tuttle 2X state placer and 1X runner-up, Chance Fisher. Similar to Wolfe’s situation, Head had two losses this season to Fisher, including getting pinned in December. It was a highly entertaining match with lots of action from two very talented wrestlers. There were several intense scrambles that could have gone either way, but Head always figured out a way to come out on top. Trailing by one, the explosive Head, scored a late reversal and near fall to take the thrilling 14-9 win and the overjoyed Blackwell crowd reached a new level of earsplitting noise.