Tuesday, the Choctaw Yellow Jackets, ranked 13th in the state, took to the mat with Carl Albert wrestling teams and ended up claiming the win over the Titans 60-5.
Carl Albert was off to a great start with Logan Shelton (106 pounds) who won in the second period at the 2:13 mark by pinning Jordan Brandon.
Michael Moody (120) also scored for Carl Albert with a decision ending with a 4 point victory over Tyler Rhodes after stealing an escape and getting a takedown in the third period.
After the first two matches, things turned for the Yellow Jackets. Blake Hoppis (132) pinned his opponent, Bryce Smith, in a mere 43 seconds after one takedown.
Later, Thomas M’ Grath (weight 145) won by a technical fall in the second period against Carl Albert’s Nikko Bernard after earning 12 total back points.
Though they may have not come out on top in the team score, the Titans did exhibit 5 takedowns, 4 reversals, 8 escapes and seven points gained from near falls.
On the other hand, the Jackets ruled the scoreboard with 18 takedowns, 1 escape, 5 reversals and 32 back points.
Three other Jackets, who pinned their men, were Chase King (152), Clay Lester (160) and Alex Thelin (182).
Both, Lester and Thelin won by falls in the first two minutes of the match. Lester held down Braxton Black after the Titan had been awarded one penalty point due to Lester’s illegal hold.
Thelin had a hard time keeping a hold on Austin Grantham, but eventually took him down and earned 6 team points for Choctaw with a pin.
A reversal by King in the second period also led to a fall against R.T. Sherman. Choctaw Head Coach Benny Coleman pretty much let his boys’ performance speak for itself after the match.
“The boys wrestled tough and they worked hard,” he said. Carl Albert Head Coach Curt Hodges was a bit disappointed in his kid’s effort.
“They [Choctaw] came out swinging, and we just could not get in a counterpunch,” said Hodges. “They were aggressive. When you’re aggressive, you score points. We definitely did not show our full potential; every time you step out on the mat you have to be ready and our boys were not.”
Carl Albert will get a nice time break from action not wrestling again until Jan. 23 at Del City.
