Sallisaw girls wrestling program continues to grow

Sallisaw’s girls wrestling program is growing during its third year as an officially sanctioned OSSAA entity. The Lady Diamonds are transitioning to a separate team, and are dealing with organic growing pains that are being resolved.

One of the biggest issues that needed to be addressed was the lack of standard nationally recognized weight classes for the girls’ programs. Everyone that knows wrestling understands the fundamental need for weight classes, which in a landmark move last year, the Wrestling Rules Committee of the National Federation of State High School Associations recommended separate interscholastic wrestling weight classes for girls.

Beginning with the 2023-24 season, states will have a choice of 12, 13 or 14 weight classes for both boys’ and girls’ competition.

All recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

“We have more and more state associations sponsoring girls’ wrestling and holding state championships for girls, so the committee believed it was time to establish uniform weight classifications for girls,” Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the federation’s Wrestling Rules Committee, said in a statement. “The recommended weights were established based upon more than 215,000 assessments from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. We are excited about these changes to weight classes in high school wrestling, as we believe it will provide more opportunities for male and female student-athletes to be involved in this great sport.”

The Lady Diamonds, competing at matches in Arkansas, have had to address this issue multiple times at weigh-ins. These new national standards addresses these issues, and they are effective next year, so hopefully these will soon become as seamless as the boys’ tournaments.

The OSSAA started the process of allowing schools to create separate girls wrestling programs unofficially two years ago. The past two years were pioneer years, but this is the first “official” year for the OSSAA to recognize girls programs. Sallisaw has had a girls wrestling program from the start of the program. Sallisaw started its program with two girls, and now the Lady Diamonds’ roster has grown to 11 varsity members and many more junior varsity and junior high school girls led by head coach Darrel Hume.

“We have a very good program here, and we are working hard for it,” Hume says. “Last year we had two qualify for State, Emma (Wissman) and Hannah (Lightfoot).

“We took them both to the state tournament, and both of them brought home medals. They were both standing on the podium.”

Caris Morris and Hannah Lightfoot met in the 185-pound third-place match at the OSSAA girls state championships. Morris, a freshman from Sapulpa, had a record of 23-5 going into the match, while Lightfoot’s record was 17-10. The match was close until late in the second period when Morris was able to score a takedown and secure the win with a 5:23 fall.

With the win, Morris secured third-place honors at the tournament and became only the second freshman girl to earn a medal at the state tournament in OSSAA history. Lightfoot, on the other hand, earned fourthplace honors for her effort throughout the tournament. Lightfoot should be proud of her accomplishments, as they are continuing to help grow girls wrestling in Sallisaw.

Lightfoot is a junior, and she continues working and getting better this season and hopes to win another state tournament.

In the 100-pound third-place match, Addison Polk, a sophomore from Durant, faced off against Emma Wissman, a junior from Sallisaw. Polk entered the match with a 23-2 record, while Wissman had a 24-8 record.

After two intense periods of wrestling, it was Polk coming out with the win via a 7-1 decision. With the win, Polk secured third-place honors at the tournament and became only the third female wrestler to earn a medal at the state tournament in OSSAA history. Wissman’ efforts throughout the tournament were admirable, and although she didn’t get the result she wanted, she should still feel proud of her accomplishments as she is continuing to help grow girls wrestling in Oklahoma and the Sallisaw program.

Wissman is continuing to work on her technique and discipline in hopes of another chance at a state title this year as a senior.

“So we are very proud of that,” Hume says. “Emma is a senior this year, and we are expecting her to place even higher, while Hannah is a junior this year, and she is looking great so far.”

The 2022-23 Lady Diamonds varsity wrestling team has grown to 11 athletes this year, including members Halle Wassenberg, Lani Smith, Landen Throne, Mattie Schuh, Isadabella Morales, Ellie Bryars, Kasey Adame, Zoie Reed, Bailie Hanshew, Wissman and Lightfoot.

“Emma has won both tour- naments she has been to this year, and she’s an outstanding wrestler. Hannah has placed second at one and first place at the other, so she’s coming on strong, too. We are really feeling very confident about it,” Hume says.

“My younger girls are getting better every weekend. We’ve wrestled quite a few open tournaments already this year. Our season this year has already started, so we’ve already wrestled two season tournaments, and we’ve done real well with that.”

The Lady Diamonds went to five tournaments before the Christmas break, so they’ve been working hard trying to get better. The junior high program has great numbers, and they are doing their part to ensure that Sallisaw will have a strong program for years to come.

“We’ve got so many girls, and everyone is invested in what we’re doing. We’re looking good and working hard, going to all of the open tournaments that we possibly can,” Hume says.

Sallisaw hosted a quad at Paul Post Fieldhouse, as well as duals for the school’s annual chili fundraiser. The boys and girls teams are wrestling in a Fayetteville tournament, and other duals are on the schedule. “I’ve been wrestling these girls as often and as much as the state will let me. We are trying to do the best we can for them, of course,” Hume says.

Hume is a long-time coach at Sallisaw, and he’s worked on building the boys program from the ground up. “We were the worst team in the state when I started, and I’ve coached 20 state champions, so it’s been a very successful program.

“I’m very happy about the fact that we’ve got Mark Smith now as our new boys coach, and that’s fabulous. He is an OSU guy just like I’m an OSU guy. We’re working great together. He’s allowing me to help with the high school program, and I’m in the room helping with the boys now, so the kids are loving that. It’s all working out well. You can see that our programs are really picking up and taking off,” Hume says.