By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
Landis Scoon was up to the challenge of not only switching schools but switching from Class 6A to 5A.
A junior last year, he made an immediate impact for Piedmont after moving from Yukon as a returning state tournament qualifier. His first regular season match was a major decision win against his former team. He followed with 35 more wins, a regional tournament championship and a runner-up finish in the 2019 Class 5A state tournament at Jim Norick Arena.
“Landis threw together a really good season and two good matches to get to the Finals,” Piedmont coach Erik Ford said. “I was really proud of his effort. He did a great job for us all year.”
Scoon and his coach knew it would be a tall order in the finals, squaring off against two-time state champion and undefeated Cougar Andersen from Skiatook. But Scoon battled early, trailing just 2-0 in the first period. Andersen broke through in the second, winning by fall at the 4:36 mark.
“I felt like I didn’t wrestle my best match,” Scoon said of his loss to Andersen. “I had a couple of really good matches on the first day, but wasn’t able to get it done tonight.”
“We knew we were the underdog going in against a two-time champ,” Ford said of Scoon’s final matchup. “He put a lot of effort into it and tried some things that ended up costing us a little bit. Then he got caught and got pinned. But overall, I was proud of the way he prepared for a really tough guy and his effort in the way he wrestled.”
Scoon tried to find a way to compare Class 5A and Class 6A now that he has wrestled in the state tournament in each class.
“Class 5A is tough. It’s hard to compare to 6A, but it’s definitely tough. I really like the team and wrestling for coach Ford and my teammates. I thought we had a great year and I’ve learned a lot about what to take into next season.”
Ford sees Scoon as a leader for his team going forward.
“Landis is a really good kid and really fit in with the team last year,” Ford said.
“As much as we like to have him as a wrestler on the mat, we like him for what he does in the practice room and how he works too.
“Going forward I think he’s a leader by example. He goes out and does what he does and competes as hard as any kid we’ve got in the room.”
Scoon finished the season 36-12 with a fourth-place finish at the Mid-America Nationals, two wins in the Class 5A Dual State tournament and a Regional Tournament championship.
