By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
SHAWNEE – Piedmont capitalized on its strengths and kept its toughest opponents off the mat Saturday at Firelake Arena.
The third-ranked Wildcats won eight straight matches from 145 to 285 pounds, building a lead big enough to default at second-ranked Collinsville’s top weights – 106, 113 and 120 – and still seal a 39-27 victory and reach the Class 5A Dual State finals for the first time in program history.
Junior Bo Hardy won a 4-3 decision over Wyatt Hartly at 145 pounds followed by a 14-11 win by junior Landis Scoon over Jaren Seabolt at 152 to tie the dual, 9-9 through five matches. Junior Thomas Jenkins followed with a 5-1 decision over Braiden Gurley at 160 and that was all she wrote for Collinsville. Five matches later, Ford surrendered the final 18 points and the Cats celebrated.
“It’s big, especially beating a team like Collinsville for the first time in 5A,” Ford said after the dual. “They’ve been the cream of the crop in the class for the last few years, so to get that win was special for our program and for our guys.
“I’m kind of at a loss for words. It was fun. Nerve racking, but fun.”
Senior Braden Culp won by fall in the first period over Hayden Knight at 170 pounds before a default win for junior Austin Cooley at 182. Freshman Mackaveli Ramirez won by fall late in the third period over Gabe Lion at 195, swinging all the momentum Piedmont’s way before a 5-2 win by freshman James Maguire over Zach Morris at 220 and a first-period fall by senior Oklahoma-commit Josh Heindselman over Kaden Jones at 285.
Piedmont’s run might not have been fueled if not for an opening match win by senior Mitchell Lance at 126 pounds. He gutted out a 7-2 decision over Jordan Cullors, providing a needed spark for the Cats.
“That was huge,” Ford said of Lance’s win. “From there it was about minimizing damage. I believe we won from 145 to heavyweight. So his first win really gave us what we needed from the beginning.”
The Wildcats move on to face top-ranked Skiatook in the finals. The Bulldogs went undefeated, 10-0 during the regular season and defeated No. 4 Duncan, 42-16 in the semifinals Saturday.
“We saw them at the Carl Albert tournament,” Ford said of the team’s state finals opponent. “Tournaments are obviously a little different though so it all comes down to matchups. We’ll go out there and wrestle our best guys against their best guys and see what happens.”
The Class 5A Dual State finals are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Firelake Arena.
