KHS wrestlers consolation champs at Newkirk

Especially considering how short-handed his team was, Steven Wilson liked what he saw over the weekend.

The Kingfisher High School boys wrestling team brought home the consolation championship from the Newkirk Dual Tournament.

The Jackets went 6-4 over the weekend, including two wins over Newkirk, the second of which wrapped up fifth place.

And they did it with multiple starters out.

The likes of Brayden Kochenower, Mason Alig and Ryker Long missed the entirety of the tournament while Robert Barnett was out Saturday to take the ACT.

“We used six freshman and three or four others who were first-year wrestlers,” said Wilson. “Considering who was there and who wasn’t there, the guys wrestled really well.”

That includes sophomore Jaxon Sheppard, who wrestled in every dual and won every match.

Sheppard wrestled at 132 pounds all day Friday, then at 138 on Saturday.

Jose Santoyo, wrestling at either 215 pounds or heavyweight, went 7-2, Adan Mendez went 7-4 and freshman Chance Dunn was 6-4.

“He earned a starting spot this year and he’s really coming along,” Wilson said of Dunn.

Friday’s duals consisted of pool action as the Jackets opened with losses of 58-21 to Blackwell JV – “it might be their JV, but they’re still loaded,” said Wilson – and 51-29 to Pawhuska.

The Jackets then knocked off Hennessey 6912 before defeating “Mystery,” which consists of wrestlers from multiple teams, 70-6.

KHS finished up the day by downing Tonkawa 42-40.

Santoyo wrapped up that win with a pin just 19 seconds into the final match.

The Jackets trailed 4024 entering the final three weights.

Sloan Merrill got a pin at 190 and then Kody Penwright picked up a forfeit at 215 to set up Santoyo’s match.

Saturday started with a 45-34 victory over Ponca City, which set up the first dual with Newkirk, this one in the quarterfinals.

The Jackets won all but one of the contested match- es in a 64-18 victory.

That gave Kingfisher another shot at Pawhuska.

The Huskies were again too much and won 60-22 before eventually winning the tournament championship.

That knocked KHS into the consolation bracket where it lost 42-34 to Altamont- Labette County (Kan.).

Diego Arreguin and Mendez picked up pins at 157 and 175 pounds, respectively. Those were sandwiched around an Abe Prieto 18-8 major decision at 165.

Those three wins got KHS to within 30-28 before Altamont-Labette County got first-period pins at both 190 and 215 to put the dual out of reach.

Santoyo did close with a fall at heavyweight.

The Jackets faced Newkirk again, this time for the consolation championship, and won 57-21.

Maliki Haynes (120 pounds), Sheppard (138), Cameron Haynes (150), Prieto (157), Arreguin (165) and Jack Barnett (HWT) all earned falls.

Dunn (144) grabbed a 10-7 decision and all other Jacket points were forfeits.

Kingfisher hosts its annual wrestling tournament this weekend.

It will feature 15 boys teams and 18 girls teams.

Action begins at 3 p.m. Friday and then again at 11 a.m. Saturday at the APB.