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Articles by Mark Kirk
Record Crowd Celebrates Oklahoma Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
Sunday was a spectacular day for wrestling in Oklahoma as a record breaking number of people celebrated the 2026 inductees into the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (NWHOF). The richly-deserved recognition took place Sunday afternoon at the 31st annual banquet held at the Edmond Conference Center. The old record for attendance was 385, but that was shattered this year, with 511 people there to recognize this year’s honorees.
Bella Williams Set to Represent Team USA at U20 World Championships in Bratislava
Bella Williams has just about done it all. State champion, Fargo champion, Pan-American champion, and USA Women’s national champion. And those are just a few of the incredible accomplishments the 19-year old has achieved on the mat. Now, Williams looks to add to her already impressive résumé as she represents Team USA at 62 kg in the U20 World Championships taking place August 19-20 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Team Oklahoma Girls Claim Two National Titles, 11 All-Americans, Runner-Up Finish at Fargo
The women of Team Oklahoma turned in a masterful performance, crowning two national champions and earning nine other All-American honors at the renowned US Marine Corps 16U and Junior National Tournament. Led by national champions McKenna Wilson and Rachel Garcia, the 16U Girl’s Team finished as the national runner-up team. The well-known tournament, better known as “Fargo” is the largest and most prestigious tournaments of the year. Wrestling took place July 10-18, in the FargoDome in Fargo, ND.
Team Oklahoma Claims Two National Titles, 19 All-Americans at Fargo Nationals
Two national champions, 17 other All-Americans, and a 3rd place team finish highlighted Team Oklahoma’s performance at the prestigious US Marine Corps 16U and Junior National Wrestling Tournament, recognized as the largest wrestling tournament in the world. The renowned tournament, better known as “Fargo” took place July 10-18, in the FargoDome in Fargo, ND. July 10-12 was the Junior and 16U Boys Freestyle Tournament with July 13 being a day of rest.
Oklahoma Girls Help Power LTD to Undefeated Title at Ultimate Club Spring Freestyle Duals
A team of Oklahoma girls turned in a spectacular performance to capture last weekend’s Ultimate Club Spring Freestyle Duals in Harrisburg, PA. Teaming up with girls from Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota, the Living the Dream Team (LTD), dominated the opposition, going 8-0 and outscoring their opponents, 486-118, to capture the team title.
A First-Class Journey: Memories Outweigh Match Results for Team Oklahoma in Pittsburgh
Although it wasn’t the wrestling results they were looking for, wrestlers from Team Oklahoma still came away from the heralded Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic with an incredible experience. Victories were hard to come by for the Men’s and Women’s Oklahoma All-Star teams, but the results of the duals will soon be forgotten.
It is an exciting week for Oklahoma wrestling as both a men’s and women’s team will travel to Pittsburgh to compete in the 52nd Annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic (PWC). Billed as the “Rose Bowl of High School Wrestling” the PWC is the premier scholastic All-Star event for amateur wrestling. The duals take place Saturday, March 28 at the AHN Arena in McMurray, PA.
Oklahoma Women Bring Home Eleven All-American Honors from NJCAA Wrestling Nationals
Oklahoma high school graduates turned in strong performances in last weekend’s NJCAA Women’s National Tournament, earning 11 All-American honors, including crowing one national champion and three earning runner-up finishes Union’s Azreal Smith won a national title at 235 lbs. for Indian Hills, IA with teammate Kali Hayden (Union) placing 5th to help lead Indian Hills to their fourth straight NJCAA Women’s national title.
Oklahoma Men Earn Twelve All-American Honors at NAIA and NJCAA Wrestling Nationals
Oklahoma high school graduates turned in strong performances in last weekend’s NAIA and NJCAA National Tournaments, earning 12 All-American honors, including five runner-up finishes. Competing at the NAIA National Tournament, OCU had five All-Americans, including three from Oklahoma to earn a 3rd place finish, which is the highest national tournament finish for the program.
State Finals Rewind: Every Champion, Record, and Honor from 2026 Boys State Championships
Wrapping up the 2026 State Tournament and recognizing the state champions and other highlights of the tournament.
Historic Firsts and Family Legacies: Recapping the 2026 Girls State Championships
Wrapping up the 2026 State Tournament and recognizing the state champions and other highlights of the tournament.
Union Girls Wrestling Shocks 6A Field; Bixby’s Azlin Makes History
Union came in the underdog, but placing seven wrestlers in the top three, including three champions propelled them to the Girls Class 6A state championship. Broken Arrow finished as runner-up with Westmoore in 3rd and Bixby in 4th. Fielding their entire lineup for the first time all season at regionals and dedicating the tournament to teammate, Lydia Suniga, who passed away last June, the inspired Union team could not be stopped.
A Record-Breaking Run: McLoud Crowns Three Champions to Secure Class 5A Crown
Last year, McLoud won the Girls Class 5A state title, by one single point over Little Axe. This year’s powerful team made it back-to-back championships, but in a much different way, wrapping up the championship after the semifinals and winning the title by 93 points over runners-up Perry and Harrah. McLoud, coached by Chad Whitney, had eight state placers, including three champions to score a Girls State Tournament record 146 points.
Blackwell and Marlow Extend Regional Dynasties; Blackwell Smashes Class 3A Scoring Record
For the fourth straight year, Blackwell and Marlow are your Class 3A regional champions, as Blackwell set another record for most tournament points, winning the East Regional title by a staggering 144 points over runner-up Pawhuska, with Pawnee finishing in 3rd place. For Marlow, it was their sixth straight regional title as they won the West Regional by 15 points over runner-up Salina, with Lincoln Christian finishing in 3rd place.
Coweta Shatters Class 5A Records in East Regional Rout; Carl Albert Edges Chickasha in West Thriller
The 5A regional tournaments saw a record breaking performance in one regional, while the other went down to the wire before being decided. Coweta claimed 10 individual titles to win the East Regional by 156 points over runner-up Elgin, while Carl Albert and Chickasha went back-and-fourth for two days before Carl Albert pulled out a four-point victory in the West Regional.
Bixby Clips Stillwater in 4-Point East Thriller; Edmond North Stuns Mustang with Massive West Comeback
Two thrilling down to the wire finishes at the Class 6A regional tournaments set up what promises to be an incredible State Tournament. Bixby held off Stillwater in a tight battle to win the East Regional, while Edmond North staged a big second day comeback to win the West Regional over Mustang. Bixby and Stillwater battled neck and neck throughout the tournament with Bixby’s bonus point advantage helping them hold off Stillwater and win the title by just four points.
Tuttle Extends Historic Streak to 19; Bristow Ends 17-Year Drought for East Regional Title
Class 4A regional action saw Tuttle once again win the West Regional Tournament and Bristow claim the East Regional title. Tuttle finished 88 points ahead of runner-up Sallisaw, with Cache finishing in 3rd place. Bristow finished 58 points ahead of runner-up Ft. Gibson, with Berryhill finishing in 3rd place. Tuttle, coached by Bobby Williams, has12 state qualifiers, including six regional champions.
Girls 5A East Recap: Perry Makes History with First Regional Title in Inola
The Perry Lady Maroon wrestlers continued an historic season, claiming their first ever regional title, winning the Class 5A East Regional title by 20 points over runner-up Harrah, with Bridge Creek finishing 3rd, 14 points behind Harrah. Perry had never won an invitational tournament prior to this year, but won the Tuttle Tournament and the Will Rogers Conference Tournament, before claiming the regional title.
Girls 6A West Regional Recap: Bixby Dominates with 307 Points and 12 State Qualifiers
Bixby had 12 placers, including 10 in the top three and crowned two champions to win the Girls Class 6A West Regional Tournament at Shawnee. 2X state champion and 3X finalist, Addison Morse and 3X state champion Millie Azlin won titles, with Abbey Miller and Gracie Cooper placing 2nd, Aubrey Flores, Brynlyn Sullivan, Larra Mullin, state runner-up Madyn Novosad, Lily Turgeon, and Malana Miller all placing 3rd, and Lynette Mullin and Aubrey Martin-Hall adding 5th place finishes.
Defending state champion McLoud, turned in a powerful performance to win the Girls Class 5A West Regional Tournament held Monday and Tuesday in Weatherford. McLoud went a perfect 11 for 11 in the medal round, including crowing six regional champions, to score 273 points, with Cache finishing in 2nd with 169.5, and Little Axe placing 3rd with 168 points.
May Owen (Tonkawa) 110 lb. state qualifier
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6A Dual State Recap: Stillwater Solidifies the Dynasty; Pioneers Secure 4th Title in Five Years
As expected there was some intense wrestling to decide the Class 6A dual state champion, but for the 4th time in five years, Stillwater walked away with the title. The Dual State Tournament took place Saturday at Tulsa Union, with Stillwater opening the day with a win over Choctaw, getting past a stubborn Broken Arrow in the semifinals and claiming the title with a win over Bixby.
5A Dual State Recap: Record-Breaking Tigers! Coweta Shatters 5A Scoring Marks in Dominant Championship Run
A powerful Coweta wrestling team came in as the favorite to win the dual state title and that is exactly what they did as the Tigers rolled over McAlester, Claremore, and Carl Albert to claim the 2026 Class 5A Dual State championship Saturday at Tulsa Union. Coweta, not only won the Class 5A title, they did it in record breaking fashion. Coweta’s strong performance put them in the Dual State Record Book in the following categories.
3A Dual State Recap: Blackwell Rewrites Record Books in Dominant Title Run
Domination! While everyone expected defending champion Blackwell to win the Class 3A Dual State title, few outside of Blackwell thought it would be such a dominating, record-breaking performance. Taking place Saturday at Tulsa Union, Blackwell started the day with a 67-12 win over Hobart, followed by a 63-6 semifinal win over Perry and then saved their best for last, blasting Salina 73-6 in the finals to claim the 2026 Class 3A Dual State championship.
4A Dual State Recap: 17 and Counting! Tuttle Overcomes Early Deficit to Extend Historic Streak
Tuttle did it again! For the 17th straight year, the Tigers are the Class 4A Dual State Champions. Taking place Saturday at Tulsa Union, Tuttle opened the tournament with a 64-8 win over Skiatook and then advanced to the finals with a 49-24 win over Cushing. In the finals, Tuttle defeated Bristow, 43-22 to claim the 2026 Class 4A Dual State title. Bristow 4A runner-up.
6A Dual State: Loaded Roster vs. Unblemished Record: Stillwater’s Title Defense Meets 10-0 Edmond North
It is time to crown the 2026 Class 6A Dual State champion. Stillwater, Edmond North, Bixby, Mustang, Broken Arrow, Yukon, Union, and Choctaw all won district titles and will be competing for the title. While it may be hard to top last year’s finish at the Dual State Tournament, the overall depth of this year’s field promises exciting and intense wrestling throughout the day to determine this year’s champion.
3A Dual State: 69-9 Average Score: Can Anyone Stop the Undefeated Blackwell Juggernaut?
Defending champion Blackwell comes in as the heavy favorite to claim the Class 3A Dual State title. It appears that Marlow or Salina have the best chance of derailing Blackwell, with Lincoln Christian, Berryhill, Perry, Sperry and Hobart also in the field. The Dual State Tournament will take place Saturday, February 14 at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center (UMAC) on the campus of Union High School at 6836 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa, OK.
4A Dual State: 16 Straight and Counting: Can Anyone Break the Tuttle Tiger Stranglehold?
Tuttle, the winner of a hard to believe, 16 straight Dual State titles, comes in as the favorite to capture the 2026 Class 4A Dual State title. Bristow or Ft. Gibson appear to have the best chance to knock off Tuttle with Cache, Cushing, Sallisaw, Sulphur, and Skiatook looking to be the spoiler. The Dual State Tournament will take place Saturday, February 14 at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center (UMAC) on the campus of Union High School at 6836 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa, OK.
5A Dual State: 72-5 Average Score: Can Anyone Survive the Staggering Coweta Juggernaut?
Coweta comes in as an overwhelming favorite to win the Class 5A Dual State title, with a number of schools hoping to challenge them for the title. Other district champions qualifying for Dual State were Carl Albert, Chickasha, Claremore, Duncan, Elgin, Guthrie, and McAlester. The Dual State Tournament will take place Saturday, February 14 at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center (UMAC) on the campus of Union High School at 6836 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa, OK.
Broken Arrow head coach Tori Liles
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Broken Arrow’s Dynasty Continues with Convincing Dual State Championship Win
It took a while to get it in and even had to change the location of the Redskin Rumble Dual Tournament, but for the third year in a row, a powerful Broken Arrow team emerged as the team champion. The tournament was originally scheduled as a 16-team tournament on January 16-17 in McLoud, but as everyone knows, weather played havoc with the schedule. Finally rescheduled for February 4 at Harrah, 11 teams were able to make it and battled for the “unofficial” Girls Dual State championship.
Mustang crowned two champions and had ten placers to easily outdistance runner-up Broken Arrow, 3rd place Tuttle, and 24 other teams to claim the team title at the 81st Annual Geary Invitational. Champions Van Smith and Theron Davis, led the way, with Easton Pierce and Jaren Peterson earning runner-up finishes. Other placers included; Jace Reed – 3rd, Levi Dicksion – 3rd, Mason Hoffman – 4th, James Anderson – 4th, Coleman Iker – 5th, and Max Baca – 6th.
The Weekend Recap
The weekend before Christmas Break was an extremely busy one with at least seven tournaments in Oklahoma and teams hitting the road to compete in tournaments in Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Texas, and Louisiana. Team champions for the boys include Stillwater, Carl Albert, Cache, Southmoore, Pawnee, Weatherford, Hobart, and Bartlesville. Girls champions include Norman, Claremore, Douglass, Guthrie, and Stillwell. Listed below are brief recaps of some of the tournaments.
Cache Invitational Shatters Records Again: 665 Wrestlers - Thriving with 400% Growth Since 2021
Girls Wrestling is alive and well in Cache, Oklahoma as the 5th Annual Wrestle Like a Girl Cache Invitational, once again shattered their record for the number of wrestlers competing in this prestigious tournament. 665 junior high and high school wrestlers from Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas competed in this year’s tournament.
From 68-Dual Win Streak to Seven State Champs: Bristow Honors Legendary 2000 State Championship Team
Monday was a great night to celebrate the past and present Bristow wrestling teams as the Class 4A number two ranked Purple Pirates easily disposed of Class 6A Jenks by a 61-14 score. It was also Alumni night and one of the best in Oklahoma’s rich wrestling history, Bristow’s 2000 state championship team was recognized before an appreciative crowd. Following the recognition of the 2000 team, Bristow won 11 of the 14 matches to defeat Jenks, 61-14.
Season Preview: 3A Boys
Last year, Blackwell ran away with the Class 3A state title, crowning six state champions and breaking the Class 3A State Tournament scoring record by 15 points. With three state champions returning along with two runners-up and a Fargo All-American, Blackwell is the early favorite to win this year’s title. Salina returns a strong group with tons of State Tournament experience, plus some new additions as they will look to battle for the state championship.
Season Preview: 5A Boys
Defending Class 5A state champion Chickasha returns two state champions, a state placer, two state qualifiers and a room full of talented wrestlers ready for their turn on the mat. In most years, that might get them the early nod as the favorite, but not this year. A tough Coweta team that returns three state champions, two state placers, and five state qualifiers is the early favorite to win the title.
Season Preview: 6A Boys
2026 appears to be the next chapter of the ongoing battle between Stillwater and Edmond North to rule Class 6A wrestling, with Bixby and Broken Arrow also looking to make some noise this year. Stillwater, winner of four of the last five team titles, is once again loaded with two returning state champions, three runners-up, two state placers, and four junior high state placers.
Season Preview: 4A Boys
Tuttle, winner of 22 state championships, including a hard to believe 17 in a row, once again enters the season as a heavy favorite to extend their ongoing record breaking streak to 18 in a row. Bristow, Ft. Gibson, Harrah, Sulphur, Sallisaw, and Berryhill appear to be the top teams set to challenge for a top spot. There are six returning state champions in Class 4A.
Season Preview: 6A Girls
Broken Arrow set the Girls State Tournament scoring record in winning the 2025 Class 6A State Tournament and with eight returning state placers, including two state champions, they enter this season as this year’s favorite. Bixby, Union, Westmoore, and Stillwater also have strong teams and look to challenge for the state title. Led by Bixby’s 3X state champion Millie Azlin, there are 13 returning or past state champions in Class 6A.
Season Preview: 5A Girls
Last year, McLoud and Little Axe battled to the end, with McLoud winning a thriller, taking the Class 5A Girls team title by one single point. McLoud is loaded again this year and enters as the preseason favorite. Little Axe Oologah, Tonkawa, Tuttle, Harrah, Perry, Comanche and a host of other schools hope put together strong seasons and claim the 2026 state title.
Comanche 2025-26 Season Preview - Owrestle
When Brook West started wrestling in 6th grade, she was the only girl on the Comanche wrestling team. Flash forward six years later and the 2X state champion and 3X state placer excitedly enters her senior year with a room full of teammates! In fact, Head Coach Casy Rowell says that not only are the numbers way up, but they will fill all 14 weights this year. That is very impressive growth for any school, but even more remarkable considering Comanche in one of the smaller Girls Class 5A teams.
Comanche season preview: Facility Tour
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Duncan: JH state placer Korben Torrez - Season Preview
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Season Preview: Duncan
area dedicated only to wrestling. No working around basketball or any other activity, to schedule your duals and practices, just wrestling. In 2015, the old middle school gymnasium was scheduled for demolition. Fortunately, Duncan alum and former wrestler Randy Hoover stepped in, making a generous donation to save the building. Following Hoover’s lead, others contributed to rebuilding what was fittingly renamed the Hoover Wrestling Center.
Family State Champions
Wrestling has always been a family affair with the whole family getting involved and doing their part to support the wrestlers. A question was raised recently about brothers that won state titles and that set in motion the latest obsession… lets go with project :), in compiling a list of brothers that won state titles.
Ed Hanna receives Maxwell Flame Award
By Mark Kirk for Lockhart Post-Register I met Ed Hanna for the first time, in person, in July of 2019. I’d heard about him many times before though, as he was a familiar face and name in the fire service. When I met him, it was a difficult time for the Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department. We had lost one of our founding members, Ronnie Duesterheft, and we were at a loss on how to honor him properly. How do you honor a founding member that provided 56 years of service to our community?
2025 Inductees into Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (NWHOF)
Sunday was a special day for Oklahoma Wrestling, as close to 400 people celebrated the 2025 inductees into the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (NWHOF). The well-deserved recognition took place Sunday afternoon at the 29th annual banquet held at the Edmond Conference Center. Robert Nale was recognized as the Medal of Courage recipient, with Dr. Kelly Laughlin being inducted as an Outstanding American.
A Twist of Fate: The Incredible Story of a Medal's 43-Year Journey
A treasured memento once thought lost 43-years ago in a house fire made a miraculous return to its owner recently. As a freshman wrestling for McGuinness in 1982, Jerry Stanbrough won a regional title at 115 lbs. and received the distinctive OSSAA arrowhead gold medal for his efforts. Only freshmen at the time, Jerry and twin brother Larry, were already accomplished and well-known wrestlers. They had won too many medals to count since beginning wrestling at age five.
Girls All-State Nail biter: 36-34 East wins
For the second year in a row, the Girls All-State Dual came down to the final matches with Tahlequah’s Jordan Bread and Union’s Azreal Smith both earning 1st period falls to give the East team an exciting 36-34 win in Wednesday’s All-State Wrestling Duals taking place at Catoosa High School.
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