Comanche wrestlers open season with win over Elgin

The Comanche wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, took down Class 5A No. 11 Elgin in exciting fashion last Thursday. The Indians and Owls finished their match with a 36-all tie and it took until the ninth tiebreaker (first wrestler to score points) for Comanche to be declared the winner.

It was an unusual match in more ways than one. Comanche head coach Casy Rowell had to watch virtually from home as he was under COVID-19 quarantine. The Indians were also missing three other projected first team wrestlers due to injury or quarantine.

“I thought everybody did a great job,” Rowell said. “Coach (Connor) Kelly and coach (Keith) Hare did a great job of preparing them and getting everything organized and ready. I also thought the leaders on the team stepped up and showed the younger ones how it’s done and what to do. So, for me to be sitting at home, it was satisfying for me to watch them compete without me.”

Neither team could build a lead. Both teams briefly led by 12 points at one point, but the totals stayed within three to six points most of the way.

Jaxson Billingsley opened the dual with a forfeit win at 106 pounds that gave the Indians the early lead.

The Owls then went on a four-match win streak, scoring eight straight points to take an 18-6 lead. Logan Bain, though, snapped the streak, getting a pin to close the gap to 18-12 followed by another pin by Lake Epperson that tied the score at 18-all.
After Elgin retook the lead at 24-18, Bryson Evans and Jose Gomez put Comanche back on top for the first time since the opening match with Evans winning by decision and Gomez winning by fall. Kasen VanBuskirk then extended the lead to 30-24 with a win by decision, followed by a pin from Kooper Doucet that extended Comanche’s lead to 36-24.

Elgin responded with a win at 220 pounds by pin that cut the lead in half before the Indians had to forfeit at heavyweight, which resulted in a tie.

“What these young guys who got beat need to realize is they helped the team win by just weighing in so there is no need to feel down about losing,” Rowell said. “Devon McCarty was ahead most of his match before he lost by fall, but because he was the first one to score, he helped us win. Without those points he gave us, we lose the dual.”

The Indians will be participating in the Southern Oklahoma Invitational this Friday and Saturday in Duncan against several quality teams in different classifications.

“It’s going to be a good experience,” Rowell said. “There will be some teams from Texas there that we normally don’t get to see otherwise and some larger Oklahoma schools there.”