Prepare yourself, some of the best wrestling of the season is set to commence this week.
All four classes of Oklahoma high school wrestling will begin with the regional rounds this week, only to be followed by the state tournament in Oklahoma City next weekend.
Quick reminder: The top four spots in each weight class advance to the state tournament. That makes the semifinals of the consolation round vastly entertaining every year. The finals are always high drama, but the conso semifinals are exhilarating, too.
With that, here's a preview of each regional...
Class 6A East - at Broken Arrow
Favorite: Broken Arrow. The Tigers have squared off twice with Sand Springs this season, beating the Sandites in a dual (35-25) on Jan. 15 and in the Sapulpa tournament the two days that followed (Jan. 16-17). Broken Arrow and Sand Springs clashed in three championship matches at the Jerry Billings Invitational in Sapulpa with Broken Arrow prevailing in two of those. Expect plenty of quality matchups between the two schools this weekend.
Darkhorse: Sand Springs. The Sandites had to sit and watch last weekend while other top teams clashed for dual state titles. That had to of angered them somewhat. The combination of Cody Randall (106), Jack Karstetter (113), Daton Fix (126), Cody Karstetter (132), Michael Singleton (152) and Kyler Childers (220) should be locked in and ready to go, and Broken Arrow would be wise to watch out for the Sandites.
Watch out for... Union. Mason Naifeh (106-113) and Chance Wenglewski (220-285) give the Redskins a solid starting place come playoff time. The 220 field could end up being pretty deep at Broken Arrow, so don't be surprised to see Wenglewski bumped up a weight class. Union often gets lost in the scuffle behind Stillwater, Broken Arrow and Sand Springs this season, but the Redskins, after losing a bunch of wrestlers after last year, are proving that they can be perennial contenders.
Wrestlers to watch
- Daton Fix (Sand Springs): Super sophomore should head to OKC as a No. 1 seed.
- Nic Roller (Bixby): As a sophomore, Roller didn't place at 285 last season at the state tournament. Would be shocked if he wasn't at least third at 220 this year.
- Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow): OU signee should be on a mission after second-place finish at state last year.
- Garrett Rowe (Choctaw): Went from third in 2013 to second in 2014. Could 2015 be Rowe's year for a title?
- Que Overton (Jenks): The OU football signee had to settle for third at state last year, and he's been wrestling well this year.
Class 6A West - at Norman
Favorite: Stillwater. The Pioneers stormed their way to the 6A title last year with five individual championships. Now subtract Chandler Rogers from the mix, and you basically have the same Stillwater team this year. Andrew Nieman, Tyler Dieringer, Kaid Brock, Tristan Moran, Joe Smith and Jordan Dieringer will be quite the combo for any other team to overcome.
Darkhorse: Yukon. Boo Lewallen (138) and Tyler Stilwell (285) are solid pillars to head into the playoffs with. The Millers will need some other to emerge to even sniff coming within striking distance of Stillwater.
Watch out for... Edmond North. Losing a state champion trio (the Dixon triplets) and Derek White is a graduation hit no team can overcome. Luckily for the Huskies, they're still good in the lower weights, anchored by Paxton Rosen (113).
Wrestlers to watch
- Boo Lewallen (Yukon): Going for his third straight title after losing to Stillwater's Joe Smith in the 2012 finals.
- Dalton Duffield (Westmoore): A junior now, Duffield finished third last year, a year after winning a title.
- Hayden Hansen (Norman North): Had to settle for third at 145 last year. Massively disappointing for a guy who had only lost twice all year.
- Zach Moore (Putnam City): Moore had the 138 sewn up last year until he injury defaulted in the championship match against Stillwater's Moran. That was one of the more bizarre happenings in OKC last year.
Class 5A East - at Tahlequah
Favorite: Collinsville. Cardinals still managed to win their fifth straight dual state title, this time without Gary Wayne Harding or Will Steltzlen. Impressive. Now comes the regional round, where Collinsville has racked the last couple of years. Expect a stiffer challenge this year.
Darkhorse: Coweta. Tigers nearly upended Collinsville at dual state, and they get another shot this weekend. Coweta -- and the rest of the 5A East field last year was blown out by Collinsville in the regional -- but Coweta may end up being the better tournament team this weekend.
Watch out for... doesn't matter. It's Collinsville, Coweta and everyone else in Tahlequah this weekend.
Wrestlers to watch
- Griffin Qualls (Coweta): What does he have in store this year after launching his head gear into the stands after claiming a state title last season?
- Nate Keim (Collinsville): His regional and state final battles with Deer Creeks's Tanner Cole were superb.
- Reese Davis (Tahlequah): It's now or never for a wrestle who has had the talent to win a state title, yet has never accomplished the feat.
- Aaron O'Brien (Edison): McAlester's Donald Cannon stood in his way of a state crown last year. It could be O'Brien's year with Cannon now graduated.
Class 5A West - at Duncan
Favorite: Lawton Mac. The Highlanders qualified a ton of wrestlers at last year's state tournament, yet only one (Cole Powers) won a title. Seven of those qualifiers graduated, so Mac will have to lean heavily on Colton Jump.
Darkhorse: Altus. Having Gage Gomez (106), Montorie Bridges (120) and Cameron Loving (160) always gives Altus a chance.
Watch out for... Shawnee. Walker Smith may be Shawnee's best bet for a title at 195. The Wolves are always solid and always a tough out.
Wrestlers to watch
- Tanner Cole (Deer Creek): Looking for his second title in as many years.
- Hunter Kelly (Duncan): He didn't place at state last year, but expect that to change this year.
- Michael Lopez (Piedmont): Repeat Kelly's story here.
- Blaise Gorges (Durant): Gorges injury defaulted in the regional finals last year and ended up not placing at state last year. If healthy, he could challenge for a title.
Class 4A East - at Catoosa
Favorite: Cascia Hall. Good things happen when Tanner Skidgel and Scout Skidgel are on your side come regional time. What's a shame is Cascia Hall and Vinita didn't have a one-on-one dual this season.
Darkhorse (read: co-favorite): Vinita. Dylan Enyart and Colston Couch will attempt to lead the Hornets to a regional crown. This regional title may be the most up for grabs out there.
Watch out for... Fort Gibson. The Tigers don't have a lot of great wrestlers, but they have a bunch of scrappy wrestlers that could rack up points in the consolation bracket.
Wrestlers to watch
- Tanner Skidgel (Cascia Hall): Won a state title at 106 as a freshman. How many more championships can he nail down?
- Brock Martin (Oologah): He is Oologah's wrestling team, and he finished fourth as a freshman at 170 last year. Like his chances to get third or higher this year.
- Wyatt Sheets (Stilwell): He's quietly going about his business as one of the best wrestlers in the state. Yet no one every talks about him.
- Alex Kauffman (Vinita): Finished fourth as a freshman last year. How far has he come in a year's time?
Class 4A West - at Clinton
Favorite: Tuttle. Six straight state championships. Six straight dual state titles, including last week's dismantling of the 4A field. Good enough for me.
Darkhorse: Cushing. Hard to believe that Cushing only had one state champ - Gage Stallworth - out of 10 qualifiers last year.
Watch out for... Wagoner. A lot like Fort Gibson: no elite wrestlers, but a bunch of guys that will avoid elimination and keep on advancing far into a tournament.
Wrestlers to watch
- Tanner Litterell (Tuttle): Up two weight classes from last year, Litterell (now at 126) looks for his second title in as many years.
- Jake Castlebury (Elgin): He'd probably like to have last year's state finals against Glenpool's Justin McGinnes to do over. (It was a 4-0 decision for McGinnes.)
- Josh Copeland (Harrah): Could he win a title if Cascia Hall's Tanner Skidgel wasn't in the way? We may find out.
- Jose Cuevas (Weatherford): Lost in epic fashion to Tuttle Dustin Mason in the state finals last year. It was certainly one to stick around for.
Class 3A East - at Sperry
Favorite: Perry. Suggestion for the Maroons: Qualify as many as possible for the state tournament, because Plainview will be a stiff challenge come Oklahoma City time.
Darkhorse: Heritage Hall. Pleasant surprise for wrestling fans in the Tulsa area. Chargers offer up good wrestling, so some HH-Perry showdowns could be fun.
Watch out for... Blackwell. Always a team to keep an eye on.
Wrestlers to watch
- Kaden Gfeller (Heritage Hall): Gfeller and Sand Springs' Daton Fix and Stilwell's Wyatt Sheets will carry the torch of top wrestlers into next season.
- Cale Betchan (Perry): Like Cushing, it's hard to believe that Perry only had one champion last year.
- Sam Schuermann (Blackwell): Looks to defend his title that he claimed at 170 last year.
- Bryson McGowan (Hulbert): A disheartening finish against Davis' Braden Ruth in the finals last year. McGowan is as motivated as ever to win a title.
Class 3A West - at Marlow
Favorite: Plainview. The Indians probably left last year's state tournament with plenty of disappointment. Zach Atencio was the only Plainview wrestler to leave with a title, and he was the only one to wrestle for a championship. Eight Plainview wrestlers qualified for the state tournament and only three placed. With six of those eight back, Plainview has turned that disappointment into momentum this season.
Darkhorse: Chandler. Lost in the yearly tradition of Perry hoisting up hardward at state tournaments is the fact that Chandler is annually pretty good. The Lions had seven qualify for the state tournament last year, and Tanner Wall (138) won a title as a sophomore. If I had to guess, I'd say Chandler wins a couple of titles this year, including Heath Gray possibly ending his high school career atop the podium.
Watch out for... Kingfisher. Same as Chandler; Kingfisher has been a good team that gets overlooked. Brady Smith was second last year, and Kingfisher had three others get third, so don't be surprised when Maddy Roney is wrestling for a title on Feb. 28.
Wrestlers to watch
- Heath Gray (Chandler): Blackwell's Sam Schuermann has been a thorn in his side these last couple of years. A rematch could be in the works in OKC.
- Brady Smith (Kingfisher): Can he turn last year's silver into gold this season?
- Connor Webb (Davis): Nearly knocked off last year's 182 champion (Pawnee's Marlon Houston Jr.) in the semifinals. This season, Houston won't be there to stand in the way.
- Zach Atencio (Plainview): Went from not placing as a freshman to winning a title as a sophomore. Could his second straight title be in the works?
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