Edmond North sets records at wrestling state

The Edmond North wrestling program added some more hardware to their trophy case this weekend after taking home a record-breaking number of state titles at the 2024 OSSAA State Wrestling Championships.

Huskies’ boys coach Andy Schneider and girls’ coach Charles Jones put on a masterclass of wrestling excellence rarely seen in high school athletics. Edmond North walked away with a total of 11 individual state champions between both teams, with eight boys and three girls earning first-place finishes at the three-day final tournament.

Schneider’s team won a team championship as well after finishing the tourney with a record 260.5 total points after all matches were concluded. Jones’ girls finished as state runners-up.

Both coaches were also named 6A Coaches of the Year by the Central Oklahoma Officials Association.

Out of the 14 Huskies boys to qualify for the state tournament, all of them medaled when all was said and done Saturday (a feat which has never been done in the state of Oklahoma) with 10 reaching a state championship final match.

Jake Goodin won the 106-pound state title after defeating Broken Arrow’s Rudy Rojas via a 9-1 decision. Devon Miller took home the 120-pound title after squeaking out a 3-2 decision over Piedmont’s and OU commit Cash Donnell. Layton Schneider picked up the Huskies only fall of the finals by pinning Broken Arrow’s Kadence Roop in the 144-pound championship.

Joseph Jeter won the 150-pound title over Bixby’s Ishmael Guerrero by 7-3 decision. Kody Routledge brought home the 157-pound title by beating Stillwater’s Landyn Sommer by 4-3 decision. Talon McCollum posted a shutout in his 3-0 decision victory over Unions’ Wura Yinusa in the 190-pound title. Oscar Williams won by decision in the 215-pound championship over Piedmont’s Brogan Hardy.

Finally, Ricky Thomas picked up win No. 44 on the season by defeating Sand Springs’ Mason Harris for the heavyweight state title by 1-0 decision.

Hunter Hollingsworth (138) and Jude Randall (175) finished as 6A state runners-up after falling in their state final matches. Madden Skidmore (113), Christian Belford (126), Hudson Hackbarth (132) and Brayden Lucas (165) each came in third place in their respective weight classes after winning their consolation brackets.

For the Huskies’ girls, 11 wrestlers qualified for the 6A tournament and three ended the weekend on top of the podium for a state title. Taylor Ellis-Hishaw (125), Bella Williams (140) and Kinslee Collier (235) each pinned their final opponents to become state champions for the runner-up Huskies. Ellis-Hishaw pinned Ardmore’s Adyson Lewis in just 53 seconds.

Huskies’ freshman Clover Williams brought home third place in the 130-pound tournament.

A couple other Edmond-area schools were represented at the state event. Deer Creek’s boys’ team sent seven qualifiers to compete in the 6A brackets but didn’t finish with any medalists. Nash Neeley (113) and Jace Province (138) advanced the farthest out of any Antlers, making it to the second round of their respective weight classes’ consolation bracket.

Oklahoma Christian School had three wrestlers attend the state title in the Class 3A championships. Rhett Nelson (113), Jace Lillie (132) and Ryder Gray (215) were each knocked out in consolation matches.

Edmond Santa Fe freshman Kimberly Hernandez qualified for the girls 6A 110-pound state tourney but was knocked out in the play-in match.

The 2023-2024 wrestling season is now over and some of the best action in the state and the country took place right here in Edmond. Edmond North fully cemented itself as a powerhouse in both boys and girls wrestling, and other schools in the area saw elite-level play all the way through to state competitions. Rest assured, you won’t find much better wrestling than in Edmond, Oklahoma.