Chickasha wrestling makes preseason debut, claims 7 champions at Lawton Mac Open

The Fightin’ Chicks looked to make a statement in their first taste of preseason action, and it didn’t take long to send a clear message.Chickasha wrestling opened the preseason in dominant fashion Saturday at the Lawton Mac Open at MacArthur High School, claiming seven first-place finishes in its first tournament of the year.The Fightin’ Chick brought nine varsity wrestlers to Lawton. Eight punched their tickets to the finals, seven won their first-place matches and one placed second.1st: Zander Bowen (131), 1st: Cash Bratt (138), 1st: Bryson Merchant (144), 1st: Noah Knight (150), 1st: Charles Wheeler (157), 1st: Landon Beier (165), 1st: Jayden Thomas (215), 2nd: Chase Burrows (113).Chickasha’s seven champions were the most by any team in the boys high school division, and painted a promising picture of the season to come.“It was a great first tournament. We had a couple of guys wrestle some state placers in the finals, and they really did a good job,” said Chickasha coach Chad Randle. “Those were probably their only competitive matches, because we got some really good kids. It’s one of things; when you’ve got good kids, it means most of your matches aren't going to be competitive, so that’s a good thing.”The Fightin’ Chicks were nearly perfect in their finals matches, recording two wins by fall, two by decision and three by tech fall. Chickasha’s junior high and 6th/7th grade boys teams added to the Chicks’ success, combining for nine total champions.The Fightin’ Chicks were hunting for points and didn’t come up empty-handed. Bowen (18-2) , Bratt (17-1) and Merchant (15-0) won by second-period tech falls, outscoring their opponents 50-3.Knight won by 5-2 decision, Wheeler won by major decision and Beier and Thomas won by fall. Burrows came up short in the 113-pound first-place match, and Mason Owens lost both of his matches at 175 pounds.With an experienced group of upperclassmen leading the way, the Fightin’ Chicks know what’s expected of them this season, and that they’re the only ones who can control their fate.“We talk about taking ownership of their own journey, taking ownership of getting better themselves instead of just working out, and that’s a little bit harder in wrestling than other sports,” Randle said. “And now, we’re a little older. We’re mainly a junior team; we’ve got some seniors this year, but we’re definitely a bit older. Very similar to that state championship team when they were juniors, so we’re looking for the same thing.”Next, Chickasha will travel to Oklahoma City to compete in the Westmoore Open Saturday, Nov. 13. The Fightin’ Chicks will look to continue their preseason dominance as they prepare for a challenging season in Class 4A.Lawton Mac Open resultsChase Burrows (113) | 2ndZander Bowen (131) | 1stCash Bratt (138) | 1stBryson Merchant (144) | 1stNoah Knight (150) | 1stCharles Wheeler (157) | 1stLandon Beier (165) | 1stMason Owens (175) | NAJayden Thomas (215) | 1st