Sallisaw state qualifiers looking forward to individual, team championships

Nine Sallisaw Black Diamonds wrestlers will be competing for both individual and a team state championship at the Class 4A State Tournament this weekend at O.G.&E. Pavilion, a.k.a. “The ‘New’ Big House,” in Oklahoma City.

Three of them will be making their first-ever trips to the high school state tournament.

“I’m super excited,” said Drew Simpson, who will face Poteau’s Camden Crew in his state-quarterfinal match at 190 pounds. “This is what I’ve worked for all year. I’m ready to go compete.”

“It was crazy (when I made it),” said Lucas McAllister, who will open up with Oologah’s Andrew Xiong in the state quarterfinals at 113 pounds. “I was so happy. Last year, I didn’t make state. This year, I was proud of myself. I’ve worked hard for it.”

“I’m pretty excited,” said Briar James, who will wrestle Poteau’s Javier Ortiz in the 144-pound state quarterfinals. “I set a goal at the beginning of the year to make state, and I did it.”

Big-time tournaments are nothing new to James, who wrestled in last summer’s United States Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. The Sallisaw freshman believes such tournaments have done nothing but get him as prepared as possible for high school competition such as he will see this weekend.

“I wrestled better and higher competition,” James said. “It’s gotten me ready for high school.”

Then, take Sallisaw 165-pounder Brody Mills, who will begin his state tournament with a quarterfinal match against the winner of Thursday night’s “wrestle-in” match between Bristow’s Shane Bethel and Cache’s Landon Cullins. He did not get to wrestle at state last year, despite qualifying due to injury his sophomore season. He did get to go as a freshman, and is glad to get to wrestle at “The ‘New’ Big House” this weekend.

“I made it my freshman year,” Mills said. “This will be my second time. I’m excited. I’m pumped. I’m glad I’m back. It feels good. I feel good. My body feels great. I have no injuries I’m dealing with right now. I can’t even put into words how anxious I am. I can’t wait.”

While this will be 157-pounder Alex Reed’s first Oklahoma state wrestling tournament, it is by far no means his first ever. Each of the last two years, he was a part of a state champion team and was himself a state champion while a Van Buren (Ark.) Pointers wrestler.

“I feel it’s about the same but harder competition,” Reed said about comparing the two states’ state tournaments and caliber of wrestlers.

Reed, who will be face Inola’s Brennan Lawley in the state quarterfinals, is hoping for his third straight individual state title.

“It would feel great,” he said. The other state qualifiers were just glad to make it to this weekend’s Class 4A State Tournament.

“It’s to be expected honestly with all the time and work I’ve put into it,” said 175-pounder Bodie Adams, who will meet the winner of Thursday’s “wrestle-in” match between Cache’s Mario Famero and Cushing’s Beau Lane. “Making it to state is not the main point. It’s just one of the steps needed to do what I want to do.”

“It’s always an accomplishment to make it to the state tournament,” said 126-pounder Morgan Duke, who will open with Sulphur’s Tristan Barnes. “Qualifying isn’t just it. I want to win it, of course, but it’s always an accomplishment making it.”

“It feels great,” said 150-pounder Cash Mayfield, who will have his state-quarterfinal match against Berryhill’s Bruce Lozinski.

“I think it’s awesome,” said 138-pounder Dawson Glover, who will have his state-quarterfinal match against Fort Gibson’s Caleb Miller. “I’ve been working out trying to get to this point, and I made it. I’m really excited about it.”

First off, all nine wrestlers want to be individual state champions.

“It would feel awesome,” Mills said.

“It would be amazing,” said Adams, who is looking to repeat as state champion. “I would tie with my dad, Kevin Adams. He’s a twotime state champion from Sallisaw as well. Since I was about 7 years old, I’ve want at least be a two-time state champion.”

“I’d feel like I would have a lot more of an accomplishment with all the work I’ve put into it,” Reed said.

“It will mean everything, honestly, because it’s everything I’ve worked for,” Duke said. “It would show that the hard work paid off throughout the years. That’s what I want the most — to win my weight class.”

“I would be ecstatic,” Simpson. “It would be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“That would be pretty exciting to go out and win it as an underdog,” James said.

“It would definitely mean a lot to join him (brother Cole) up on that board (in the wrestling room of the list of state champions),” Mayfield said. “That’s what I’ve been working this whole season for.”

“I honestly couldn’t think what I’d be thinking then,” Glover said. “I would be super surprised.”

“That would be a dream come true,” McAllister said. “It really would be. That’s what I’m going for, and I plan to do it.”

Last year, the Black Diamonds were state runners-up as a team. The nine state qualifiers will do what they can to help them be the team state champions.

“That also would be a dream come true,” McAllister said. “It would show how hard we worked. Everybody has been disciplined and done their part. We’ve worked hard for it.”

“Winning the tournament as a team would be awesome,” Glover said.

“It would mean nothing more than to win it with these guys,” Mayfield said. “It would mean a lot. We’ve all worked out butts off all year.”

“That would be pretty exciting for me and the whole team,” James said. “We got second last year. It would be a good deal to go win it this year.”

“That would be awesome to do it with my guys,” Simpson said. “It would be pretty cool. I don’t think I could think of a better way to go out.”

“That would mean a lot to me,” Duke said. “Our team has worked hard this whole year. Coming down this last stretch, it will show. I’m hoping we do win as a team, too.”

“I feel like it would be a great team bonding thing,” Reed said. “It would be something I wouldn’t forget forever.”

“It would be awesome,” Adams said. “We have more state champions than team (state) championships. For that to happen, you need to have the majority of your team to be good. We have a chance to do that. It would be awesome to see that happen.”

“It would feel like everything we’ve worked on all year kind of paid off,” Mills said. “I think we’ve worked hard. I think our team can do it. We might have the team that can do it this year. Hopefully, it will happen.”