B.A. Wins State Wrestling Championship
Broken Arrow High School wrestling again reigns supreme in Oklahoma 6A after the Tiger grapplers captured the 2010 6A State Championship in come from behind fashion.
The Tigers head coach Shawn Jones oversaw the crowning of three individual state champions to overcome an eight point first day deficit to win Broken Arrow’s first state wrestling tournament championship since 2002.
Zach Skates won his second straight individual state title, capturing the 160 lb. category. Cody Johnson won the 189 lb. championship and Terry Williamson joined Skates as a repeat state champion, taking top honors in the 285 lb. or heavyweight division.
Coach Jones says, “Zach Skates is now a two-time State Champion and a Junior. His tournament went as expected as he dominated in his three matches. We knew Cody Johnson could win it, he wrestled a kid who had previously beaten him in the Semi’s, but we felt good about the rematch. He dominated the Choctaw kid in the finals. Terry Williamson won his second title versus the same Stillwater kid he faced in the finals last year. Always a tough match, Terry wrestled a very smart match, and got the win.”
Other Tiger wrestlers also performed well in the clutch as Keithen Cast was runner-up at 171 lbs. and Chase Ferman at 125 lbs. and Seth Calvert at 152 lbs. each picked up bronze medals.
“It was a great weekend.” Jones adds, “In four of the five matches we wrestled and lost, we were not favored. Chase Ferman was upset, and Seth Calvert had a big win against a Muskogee kid he had been beaten by two previous times. We knew Chase had to come back and take third and he did, pinning two of his three opponents. Seth went out and did what we thought he could do the entire year. He had a great tournament and in taking third, helped to win the championship.”
Jones says the team began thinking about the 2010 state tournament moments after falling just short in the team championship race in the 2009 state tournament.
“We knew last year with what we had returning, we could win it. You still have to go and do it, but we were confident with the team we had. From the day the State Championship 2009 was over, we went to work preparing for this weekend. We repetitively talked to the kids about how we’re working and doing these things to be state champs next year.”
It’s another state championship for what many call the first coaching family of Oklahoma high school wrestling. Head coach Shawn Jones, who is assisted by his brother Rodney Jones, now has a state championship, as does his other brother Biff Jones, who won a crown at Glenpool in 2002. Their father, the legendary Ernie Jones has eight state championships to his credit during stops at Booker T Washington, Tulsa Webster and Cascia Hall.
Updated 03-24-2010
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