Years of hard work pays off in gold for Jackets’ Santoyo

Some kids are easier to cheer for than others.

Jose Santoyo is one of them.

“He’s always done the right thing,” said his Kingfi sher High School wrestling coach Steven Wilson.

“He’s a team leader. He’s a team favorite.”

So when the referee blew his whistle and slapped the mat to signify Santoyo’s victory by fall with nine seconds left in the heavyweight championship at the Kingfisher Invitational Tournament, the crowd erupted.

“There were tears,” admitted Wilson.

By him. By Santoyo. For good reason. It was the senior’s first championship in any tournament.

The closest he’s gotten was a runner-up finish at the Hub City Classic earlier in his career.

But it’s not due to a lack of hard work.

“Watching Jose the last three years has been a journey,” said Wilson. “Jose has worked harder than most kids I have ever seen or been around.”

Santoyo is also a standout on the football field for the Jackets. He earned District 3A-1 Defensive Lineman of the Year honors and two days before the Kingfi sher tournament, he was honored at the Chisholm Trail Broadcasting awards banquet in Enid for being named a CTB All-Star.

On the mat, Friday and Saturday, he was dominant.

Santoyo went 8-0. He received one forfeit, but pinned all seven opponents he faced.

He pinned Newkirk’s Wyatt Hollingsworth in 15 seconds, Hennessey’s Eric Rojo in 3:21, teammate Jack Barnett in 1:00, Enid’s Wyatt Newman in 1:48 and got a forfeit against Crossings Christian’s William Rauschkolb.

Then it was time for the bracket portion of the tournament.

It was more of the same.

Santoyo pinned teammate T.J. Washington in 4:43, Anadarko’s Isaiah Fragua in 4:42 and then beat Anadarko’s Jasiah Raines at 5:51 of the championship match.

Reality hit Santoyo as his hand was raised.

“In my four years of wrestling, I have never won a gold medal,” Santoyo said.

“So winning that for me was somewhat of a testament of the work I had put in over the years.”

Wilson sees that work everyday.

“His work ethic makes up for what he might lack in natural talent,” said Wilson. “It just shows you what hard work can get you.”

Santoyo was one of two gold medalists for the Jackets as they placed third… just two points shy of Edmond Memorial and Watonga, who tied with 206 points each.

The other champ was Brayden Kochenower at 138 pounds.

The reigning state runner- up at that weight, Kochenower barely - if at all - broke a sweat on his way to the medal stand.

Kochenower pinned all eight foes…and all in the first period.

His matches lasted a grand total of 6:45.

None of his three matches once he reached the bracket portion of the tournament even went 1:00.

He pinned Davis Ganer of Casady at 41 seconds of their quarterfinal, Johnny Bratcher of Marlow in just 15 seconds in the semifinals and then Colton Mills of Newkirk at 24 seconds of the championship bout.

Both Kochenower and Santoyo scored 40 points for KHS.

Diego Arreguin also wrestled in the finals for the Jackets as he was the 150-pound runner-up.

Arreguin pinned Watonga’s Zac Boeckman at 1:44 of their semifinal before being pinned by Edmond Memorial’s Wes Madden at 1:14 of their title bout.

Madden was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.

KHS teammates Robert Barnett and Ryker Long split a pair of narrow matches when they faced off at 215 pounds.

Long won their first matchup 3-1 in sudden victory in the fourth round.

When the two met again for the bronze medal, it was Barnett’s turn.

Barnett edged Long 4-2 to take third.

Long scored 18 points on his way to fourth place while Barnett notched 17 points for the Jackets.

Multiple KHS wrestlers outside of Long placed fourth: Maliki Haynes at 120 pounds, Aden Jonson at 175 and Mason Alig at 190.

Dexter Fletcher was fifth at 126, Abe Prieto fifth at 157, Jack Barnett sixth at heavyweight and Washington seventh at heavyweight.

Jones, Otey win weight classes for Lady Jackets Mylene Jones and Taygen Otey captured gold to lead the Kingfisher High School girls to a fourth-place finish.

The Lady Jackets scored 66 points over two days.

McLoud won the team title with 95.5.

Marlow was the runner- up with 86.5 and Hinton took third with 81.

Jones won the 110-pound championship, pinning Hinton’s Samantha Ellis at 1:48 and Henryetta’s Peyton Wind at 3:53 on the way to her gold medal.

Otey’s championship came at 120 pounds She picked up three pins as she beat Marlow’s Montana Marzullo in 3:30, teammate Sydnie Toepfer in 1:20 and Henryetta’s Molly Arthur in 1:17.

Otey notched 20 points for KHS.

Rylee Hamil was the 115-pound runner-up.

She went 2-1 in her matches, losing only to Mc-Loud’s Launa Troutt.

Hamil beat Hinton’s Aleyda Herbert with a pin at 3:35 and earned a 6-5 decision over Newkirk’s Teagyn Beliel.

Delissa Evans was also a silver medalist with hers coming at 135-140 pounds.

Evans went 2-1, beating Evelyn Woods of Hinton with a fall at 1:25 and Kaydence Belving of Guthrie with a fall at 2:59. She lost to McLoud’s Kendra Perrian.

Hinton’s Dru Turner was named Outstanding Wrestler as she claimed the 125-pound title.

Turner was undefeated last season and won the Class 5A state title at 115 pounds.

Wildcats have 2 champs The Cashion boys had two champs as they placed fifth overall.

The Wildcats notched 129 points (Henryetta was fourth with 166.5).

Cale Browning won at 113 pounds and Carlos Martinez at 165 for coach Fay Barnett’s team.

Martinez was a state qualifier at 157 last season and picked up two pins and a major decision en route to gold at Kingfisher.

He pinned Watonga’s Joeseph Youngbear at 4:09 and Crossings Christian’s Paxton Dunn at 1:27 to land him in the finals.

There, Martinez blanked Jason Powders of Henryetta 11-0.

Browning grabbed three first-period falls.

He needed a combined 1:59 to pin Patrick Wright and Kale Beverly, both of Watonga.

In the finals, Browning needed just 24 seconds to pin Blake Wind of Henryetta.

Kaleb Durant (190) and Matthew Stockton (heavyweight) both won bronze medals for the Wildcats.

Aiden Bowen was sixth at 215.

The Cashion girls placed seventh overall with 40 points.

Madison Lawther was fourth at 100-105 pound and Roman Davis fourth at 190-235 to lead the way.

2 earn silver for Eagles Hennessey’s boys were right behind Cashion in the team standings.

The Eagles placed sixth with 125.5 points.

They were led by Kason Scruggs, who was the runner- up at 132 pounds, and Westyn Hopkins, the silver medalist at 120.

Hopkins went undefeated through the pool play matches, then pinned Anadarko’s Alejandro Zamacona just 30 seconds into their quarterfinal bout.

Watonga’s Dakota Cox made it to the second period of their semifinal, but was pinned at 2:25 to land Hopkins in the championship.

Konrad Kosanke of Crossings Christian proved too much as he pinned Hopkins at 3:09.

Scruggs had everyone’s number except Bennett Dickinson of Edmond Memorial.

Dickinson pinned Scruggs at 3:55 of their pool play match.

Scruggs won every other match en route to the bracket.

He pinned Edmond Memorial’s Josh Barnes in 4:00 and then earned a 21-4 technical fall over Raden Berg of Geary in the semifinals.

That set up a rematch with Dickinson.

Scruggs went the distance this time, but it was Dickinson who got the gold with a 15-7 major decision.

Adin Dickens was the 157-pound bronze medalist.

Dickens lost his semifinal match to Edmond Memorial’s Ben Graham.

However, he came back to pin Kingfisher’s Abe Prieto at 2:59 of their consolation semifinal and then Capitol Hill’s Ismael Rodarte at 1:35 of their third-place match.

Also for Hennessey, Tryton Moreno placed fourth at 126 pounds.

The lone entrant for the HHS girls, Madison Owens, was third at 100-105 pounds.

She was defeated by Carli Sisco of McLoud in their semifinal bout, but came back to pin Gabriela Deatherage of Hinton and Madison Lawther of Cashion for third place.