Christopher Shelton
It sounds worse than it was.
Stillwater High fell 41-29 to Sapulpa at the Fieldhouse in Stillwater on Thursday night, but it was more balanced than the score reflected.
Sapulpa came away with a 12-point win at the end of the night, but the 12 points in two matches were arguably unearned.
At 152 pounds, Stillwater had a rare vacancy, which gave Sapulpa an automatic six points in a forfeit. At 103, Pioneer Garrett Guthrie held his own in what should have been a hopeless situation. Guthrie, who weighed in at 91 pounds, was up against Phil Draffin, who weighed in at 97.
The 6-pound difference basically put the wrestlers in two separate weight classes. Guthrie valiantly struck first blood with a first-period takedown and survived through to the final four seconds of the second period. Draffin closed the match with a pin.
“All you can ask for those kids to do is get their hand raised,” SHS coach Doug Chesbro said. “We won seven (matches), they won seven. It looks like a big win on the scoreboard, but in my mind, we exceeded what I thought we would have.”
A fully stocked Stillwater might have found a different final score, but as they were, there were still several matches that impressed.
After back-to-back Sapulpa pins to open the dual, 119-pound Pioneer Jared Elmore slapped a 16-1 technical fall on Nate Shellady. After Elmore racked up 11 nearfall points in the first period, Shellady chose to be on top to start the second period to avoid more back points. However, a lightning-quick Elmore reversal almost as soon as the whistle blew ended the match.
At 130 and 135, sophomores Daniel Marshall and Angus MacIntyre picked up wins for Stillwater. Marshall beat Justin Baret 7-3, and MacIntyre plastered Ben Kiegley to the mat early in the second period to pick up the Pioneers’ only pinfall of the night.
Seeming to adjust to his two-weight jump from 152 to 171, senior Reed Clanahan clobbered Sapulpa’s Sam Johnston 15-0 in four minutes. The Pioneer picked up 11 back points, a takedown and a reversal for the final.
“It’s a really big adjustment,” Clanahan said of his new weight class. “I think I’ll feel better once we get into the season, but right now it’s tough.”
Another Sapulpa wrestler topped Clanahan at regionals last year to advance and beat the Pioneer out of a place in the state tournament. This year, both wrestlers moved up to 171, but that Sapulpa wrestler wasn’t at the dual Thursday night. Still, Clanahan said he found some satisfaction in the tech fall.
“Both my sophomore and my junior years, I don’t think I’ve won at the Stillwater-Sapulpa dual, so I’m happy that my senior year I finally got to win that one,” Clanahan said.
At 189, after Clanahan’s win, Luke Bean started a streak for Stillwater, picking up a another victory in a 15-10 decision. At 215, Bean’s older brother, Blake, muscled his way to a 12-2 major decision. Finally, Travis Morgan closed the night with a 3-1 victory.
It’s a big relief for a coach to have such a solid base in the heavier weights.
“We’ve just been blessed with having good big kids,” Chesbro said. “All my coaching career here, I’ve had good big kids. I don’t know where that’s come from, but we’ve even got some good ones in the stables.”
SJHS has tough time
Before the varsity dual, the Stillwater Junior High squad had a rough night against Sapulpa, falling 49-12 to the visitors.
Among the Pioneers’ wins, Kaid Brock edged Ryan Heiden 6-5, Jo Smith handled Cambdon Peper 4-0, King Williams doubled Bryant Corely 12-6, and Jake Meyer beat out Lance Luper 7-5 in sudden-victory overtime.
Sapulpa High 41,
Stillwater High 29
103: Phil Draffin (SAP) fall Garrett Guthrie (STW), 3:54
112: Travis Lowry (SAP) fall Kyle Rogers (STW), 2:34
119: Jared Elmore (STW) tech. fall Nate Shellady (SAP), 2:03
125: Jordan Boland (SAP) fall Jase Depperschmidt (STW), 4:43
130: Daniel Marshall (STW) dec. Justin Baret (SAP), 7-3
135: Angus MacIntyre (STW) fall Ben Kiegley (SAP), 2:17
140: Blake Decker (SAP) tech. fall Brandon Morrison (STW), 2:29
145: Austin Phillips (SAP) fall Jesse Rains (STW), 3:49
152: Mason Decker (SAP) wins by forfeit
160: Cody Blevins (SAP) fall Scott Caldwell (STW), 1:48
171: Reed Clanahan (STW) tech. fall Sam Johnston (SAP), 4:00
189: Luke Bean (STW) dec. Caleb Cotter (SAP), 15-10
215: Blake Bean (STW) maj. dec. Chase Duke (SAP), 12-2
285: Travis Morgan (STW) dec. Blake Shields (SAP), 3-1
