The Regional finalists from the previous week had a good showing at the State Wrestling Tournament over the weekend, with Max Rinehart (150) winning fourth place and Randy Nix, Jr. (215) winning second.
Head Coach Zach Hale said Aundrea Estrada (235), Rinehart, Shane Lovejoy (175), and Nix were spurred on early in the tournament when Estrada and Rinehart placed fourth in the wrestle-ins to get into the brackets of the State Tournament.
Hale said they really helped set the tone.
Newcastle placed 10th overall as a team, with Carl Albert number one, Collinsville number two, and Elgin number three.
Hale said, “I think the difference for the wrestlers this year as in previous years was that they came to the tournament ready and willing to work, and they did just that.”
Hale said this being the Racers’ first trip to the tournament as a 5A school, he was nervous as a coach.
“We have been in Class 4A for so long, that we didn’t know the first thing about 5A. But I think that we will settle in nicely,” Hale said. “We finished 10th overall tied with Del City, so for our first year I was pleasantly surprised seeing as how our last season’s performance we had eight instead of five qualifiers and we placed 11th overall as a team. I am confident we can continue to find success in Class 5A.”
Hale said, “Rinehart had to go through the wrestlein matches and battled back from the consolation side to place 4th in 150 lbs. Shane Lovejoy had a tough bracket in 165 lbs weight class, came out with a first match win over the number three seed from the west, but ultimately lost in the consolation finals round.
“Blake Johnson, a returning State placer in 2022 (third), was a Regional champ and had a great first match and then lost by fall in the third period of the semifinals round. He then lost in the consolation semifinals as well. Randy Nix, Jr. had a great tournament and made it all the way to the Class 5A 215 lbs finals where he drew Carl Albert’s Alex Sutterfield, whom we had a previous loss to earlier in the year, 3-1. Nix ended up losing the match 4-3, but hey, State runner-up is pretty good too.”
Hale said Johnson beat Cameron Leake of Tulsa Bishop Kelley, who had beaten Jayden Moore of Tahlequah.
“Both of those individuals were in the State finals at 175,” Hale said. “Even though it was our first year in 5A, I’m pretty confident that we will find success here in the future and get settled in and hopefully soon cement ourselves into a top 5 power team in the class. That’s our goal anyway.”
Hale said the Racers graduate seven seniors this year and they will be missed. He added that there are a lot of youth coming up in the program.
“I feel as though this senior class has helped create and set a standard for the underclassman to follow,” he said. “Now that the shoes and headgear from our seniors have been passed down to the underclassman, it’s going to be in their hands for next season’s success.”
