Local wrestler national runner-up twice in Iowa tournament

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Sequoyah County has itself a national runner-up wrestler.

Sallisaw Takedown Club member Miles Sanders got two second-place finishes at the 2025 Freestyle and Greco-Roman Nationals, which took place last weekend.

Wrestling for Team Tulsa, Miles Sanders won the national runner-up at 49 pounds in both the freestyle and Greco-Roman divisions.

In the freestyle portion of the national tournament, Sanders, wrestling in the age 8-and-younger division, defeated William Scott of the Backyard Bullies Wrestling Club by pinfall in 1:16 in the quarterfinals, pinned Graham Werner of Askren Wrestling Academy in 3:36 in the semifinals but lost by technical fall in 3:48 to Theseus Yang-Elson of Summit Wrestling Academy in the title match.

Miles Sanders also had a similar path to earning national runner-up in the Greco-Roman portion of the three-day tournament.

Sanders beat Connor Check of Lake Zurich Cubs Wrestling Club by pinfall in 2:44 in the quarterfinals, pinned Minnesota’s Alan Peterson in 1:47 in the semifinals but lost once more to Yang-Elson as he pinned Sanders in 43 seconds in the championship match.

Sanders’ brother Lincoln participated in the 67-pound class in the age 10-and-younger division in the Greco-Roman portion of the event.

Lincoln Sanders, a Sallisaw Takedown Club member who also was representing Team Tulsa, suffered two pinfall losses — getting pinned by Tucker Jackson of Contenders Wrestling Academy in 37 seconds in the Round of 16 followed by being pinned in 2:47 to Cai Sontz of Ruthless Wrestling Club in the consolation sub-quarterfinals.

Gore Pirates Youth Wrestling wrestler Jaydan Gates, who was representing the River Valley Freestyle Academy, was in the freestyle portion of the national tournament. Gates finished seventh in the age 14-andyounger division in the 175-pound class.

Gates’ seventh-place finish capped off a successful summer for the soon-to-be Gore Pirates freshman.

Gates won both the Greco-Roman championship and the freestyle championship at 175 pounds in the age 14-and-younger division at the Southern Plains Regional Tournament on May 17 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, then he went 9-5 in combined matches in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition for Team Oklahoma at the 2025 Age 14-and-Younger National Duals during the second weekend of June in Oaks, Pa.