‘Growth’ the key for Jacket grapplers

Oftentimes, wrestling is about getting smaller.

Grapplers are in a constant state of “cutting” weight - or at least trying to maintain - in order to compete in a certain weight class.

But the buzzword for the Kingfisher High School wrestling program this year is the opposite.

It’s about “growth.” No, coaches aren’t asking wrestlers to pack on the pounds, rather trying to build up the program with numbers.

“We’ve got our high school team up to 45 kids,” said head coach Steven Wilson. “And our junior high program has 40-plus students as well.”

That’s big news for Wilson, KHS wrestling alum who is in his second year back at his alma mater.

He served last season as co-head coach with Stan Blundell, who now steps back into an assistant’s role (Blundell is also the assistant athletic director).

Rounding out the staff are Dylan Blundell and Jacob Farrell. Blundell is also the junior high head coach while Farrell is a junior high assistant as well.

Growing in numbers is pivotal for KHS, a program that once frequented the dual state tournament, but hasn’t made an appearance since 2018.

For a number of years, the Jackets have had numerous gaps in filling out a dual team, unable to fill all the weight classes.

Though there are still some gaps in 2023-24, that number is dipping.

“Our dual team will be competitive, although we are missing essential weights to win many duals,” Wilson said.

The Jackets open their dual season Tuesday at Hinton and then travels to Chickasha a week later.

Both Hinton (3A) and Chickasha (4A) are projected to be ranked in the top-10 in the dual rankings, Wilson said.

The showdown with Hinton could be pivotal down the road, he added.

Both teams are in Class 3A in tournament classification for boys and Class 5A for girls.

“There will be some key matchups with Hinton that will be used as seeding criteria for regionals for both the boys’ and girls’ teams,” Wilson said.

The boys’ team is led by senior Gant Browning.

As a junior, Browning reached state for a third consecutive year in 2023 and eventually placed fourth at 126 pounds.

He became the first Jacket wrestler to make the medal stand since 2018.

Wilson said Browning is looking to return to 126 pounds as he makes his way through his senior season.

Robert Barnett narrowly missed a trip to state at 190 pounds as a sophomore and is expected to compete at that weight again as a junior.

Among the other notable returners are Damien Haynes, Jace Johnson and Brayden Kochenower.

Haynes and Johnson will compete at or around 144 pounds while Kochenower aims to build on the momentum he started over the summer, which included qualifying for a national tournament in Greco-Roman style.

Newcomers who will be fighting for a starting spot in the high school lineup include freshmen Jaxon Sheppard and Gabe Jackson.

“These two have had a great preseason, have shown significant promise in practice and have grown since their junior high season,” Wilson said.

Among the fastest growing sports nationally is girls’ wrestling.

Wilson said KHS is no exception.

“It has grown exponentially around the state and in the Kingfisher wrestling room,” he said.

Oklahoma currently has just two classes and KHS will be in 5A, the smallest of the two.

Senior Zoey Padilla and sophomore Rylee Hamil are among the Lady Jackets to watch. Both were one match from qualifying for state last season.

“Our girls have had an outstanding preseason with an excellent outing at the Marlow Pre-Turkey Classic,” Wilson said.

Whether in tournaments or duals, Wilson said expectations go up this year for both the boys and girls programs.

“Expectations are to improve in the win column across the board this season,” Wilson said. “At this point, it is key for our coaching staff to focus on our in-dividual growth throughout the season.”

One way to do that, he said, is to be more aggressive on the mat.

“As a coaching staff, we have discussed in detail that our offense needs improvement. We struggled with some wrestlers to score points early in matches,” Wilson said.

“We have preached offense extensively in the preseason, pushing our kids to work more offense than ever. This will translate into more confidence in the upcoming season.”

Wilson said mat skills overall should also see spikes this year.

“Several of our kids have been wrestling for less than three years,” he said. “We, as a team, must continue to improve our mat wrestling.”