When Will Delk took over as head coach of the Mustang wrestling program, growth was a word you would hear over and over.
He wanted to plant a seed and watch it blossom. He just needed the right mix to help it sprout.
Delk is far from a gardener, but last week at the 6A East Regional Tournament at Broken Arrow High School, the Mustang Broncos proved their coach has a green thumb in the wrestling room.
The Broncos finished fourth as a team and qualified six individuals for the 6A State Tournament this weekend at Jim Norick Arena in Oklahoma City. That’s double the qualifiers (3) from 2023 plus Nevaeh Kent (Sr.) and Kady Theriot (So.), who qualified for the 6A Girls State Tournament.
“To be honest, we probably had about the best possible finish that we could have,” Delk said. His squad finished only behind Bixby, Broken Arrow, and Stillwater.
“And we’re extremely happy with where we’re at with the turnaround from last year to this year. We’re just excited about the performance and the growth of these guys and the program.”
Sam Pritz (Sr. – 225) and Daegan Reyes (Jr. – 157) each finished runner-up while Van Smith (Fr. – 113) and Javin Douglas (Sr. – 126) each finished third. Trusten Douglas (Fr.) finished fourth at 106 pounds and Jace Reed (Fr.) finished fifth at 120.
Nate Prtiz (Jr. – 175) and Blake Davis (Jr. – 285) each placed sixth.
Trusten Douglas and Reed will wrestle today at 4:30 p.m. in the Wrestle-In round before the first championship rounds kick off a 6 p.m.
“Just trying to get better and improve,” Delk said of the squad’s preparation heading into the weekend. “You’re not going to increase what kind of shape you’re in going into state so it’s more of a mental thing.
“Short, intense workouts to feel fresh and then get into the right mindset.”
Trusten Douglas won his first two matches at regionals, pinning Union’s Zeb Tibbles and Owasso’ Chase Hill. However, after a loss to Ponca City’s Garrett Short, Douglas fell to the consolation bracket. He again pinned Tibbles before falling to Bixby’s Caleb Crawford in the third-place match.
“He lost a very tough match in the semis,” Delk said of Douglas’ performance. “Made a couple of moves we wish we could have back, but proud of his effort and coming back through the back end.”
Smith received a first-round bye before pinning Bartlesville’s Bradley Lazzerini. He lost a 7-2 decision to top seeded Aydan Thomas from Stillwater in the semifinals before rolling off two straight wins over Putnam City’s Jayden Henson and Lazerini again for third place.
“Van wrestled lights out,” Delk said. “Tough match against the defending state champion in the semis, but we feel like he is closing the gap there. That puts us on the opposite side of the bracket for state, but on the same side as the kid from Edmond North.
“We want to wrestle that match and see where we’re at.”
Reed opened the tournament with a bye before winning a 6-0 decision over Ponca City’s Blake Parker. He lost a major decision to Owasso’s Bryson Humphries in the semifinals before losing a 6-5 decision to Choctaw’s Wesley Davies in his first consolation bout.
He bounced back with a second win over Parker for fifth place.
Jace Reed (Fr.) wrestles during a match earlier this season at the Mustang Event Center. Reed finished fifth at 120 pounds in the Class 6A East Regional at Broken Arrow High School. (Photo by Shelly Holinsworth / Freelance Action Photography)
“Jace is wrestling up a weight class, but he is another kid that has been wrestling lights out,” Delk said. “He’s a little undersized but has been scrappy all year long and takes care of business.
“One of the things that is exciting for us is that the first three guys are all freshmen. That’s huge for our program. You typically don’t get that shot or experience as a freshman, especially if you’re a middleweight.”
Javin Douglas, now a three-time state qualifier, pinned Edmond Memorial’s Josh Barnes in his first match, but lost a 2-0 decision to Ponca City’s Cameron Kiser in the semifinals.
Douglas quickly avenged that loss, defeating Broken Arrow’s Hunter Knox 4-1 in his first consolation match before pinning Kiser in the third-place match.
“That first match against Kiser is another one we’d like to have back,” Delk said. “But he came back and avenged it so we’re proud of that effort. This will be his third time at state, so we’ll lean on his experience there.”
Reyes, the two-seed at 157 pounds, cruised to the championship match with three straight falls over Ponca City’s Anderson Bivins, Jenks’ Kade Hodges, and Bixby’s Rhys Novosad. He lost to Stillwater’s Landyn Sommer in the finals.
This will be Reyes’ second trip to state after qualifying as a sophomore in 2023.
“Daegan has been lights out for us all season long,” Delk said. “We feel like he is closing the gap on the Stillwater kid. We kind of relaxed in the last few seconds and gave up a takedown or else the score would have been different in that match.
“He’s tracking and competing with some of the best in the country. This year he will be right there in the mix for that title.”
Daegan Reyes (Jr.) stands on the podium after finishing runner-up in the 6A East Regional Tournament at Broken Arrow High School last week. This will be Reyes’ third trip to the State Tournament. (Photo provided by MHS Wrestling)
Pritz also made his way to the championship match as the second seed at 215 pounds. He pinned Choctaw’s Dillon Smart and Enid’s Dylan Nelson before winning a 3-2 decision over Union’s Ezequiel Palos in the semifinals.
Pritz lost by fall to Broken Arrow’s Gunner Wilson in the finals.
“Sam is a kid that wrestled heavyweight last year, but found his spot at 215,” Delk said. “He’s an extremely coachable kid who progressed a lot through the year. Having him in the room has been awesome. He got here because he holds himself accountable and makes changes when he needs to.”
Delk and his staff are now ready to step away and let the wrestlers do their thing. Of course, he will be on the chair, but he knows it’s the athletes’ time to shine.
“With everything these kids have put into this, we as a staff don’t like taking credit too much,” Delk said. “At the end of the day, they’re on the mat and putting it on the line when they go out there. There aren’t any halftime adjustments that we can make, so we never take credit for what our kids accomplish.”
Class 6A Wrestle-In matches are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today followed by the first round at 6 p.m. For more information and brackets, visit www.ossaa.com.
