The Marlow High School Wrestling Team had a very successful season to continue their dominance in Class 3A.

The Outlaw wrestlers were defeated in a close battle with the very competitive Blackwell team with a score of 38-32 in Dual State after winning back-to-back Dual State Champion titles. 

MHS wrestlers kept their head in the game though for both the Regional and State Wrestling Tournaments. 

Coach Keith Kizarr strongly believes that the defeat motivated the team going into the next competitions. 

“Any defeat will motivate you, especially this one because of the chance to get revenge on Blackwell,” stated Kizarr.

The Outlaws swept the Class 3A East Regional Tournament that was held on Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18 in Cleveland, Oklahoma. 

Marlow wrestlers collectively earned 263.5 team points, beating the runner-up Jay by 67 points.

This big victory came from individual matches, however; wrestlers that placed 5th place or higher qualified for the Class 3A State Tournament.

Marlow had two first place finishers at regionals, sophomore Keller Kizarr at 113 lbs and junior Lawson Knox at 138 lbs.  

MHS also had a quad of second place state qualifiers.

These wrestlers were freshman Tommy Miller at 106 lbs, sophomore Brantz Bateman at 132 lbs, junior Cade Gilbert at 144 lbs and Zach Dawson at 165 lbs. 

Three Outlaws earned third place at the tournament. 

Seniors Gehrig Furr and Brayden Bowman each won their third place match, Furr wrestled at 120 lbs and Bowman at 126 lbs. 

Sophomore Brock Smith also won his third place match at 190 lbs.

Two more wrestlers from Marlow placed in the top six of their weight class.

Junior David Halliburton placed sixth at 150 lbs while another junior Jase Hunt won his fifth place match at 175 lbs.

Winning in team points gave the Outlaws a boost in confidence.

“Winning always feels good and gives a team confidence in themselves,” Coach Kizarr said.

The Dual State rRunner-ups and Regional Champions had one week after the regional tournament to prepare for the State Championship matches that would wrap up the 2022-2023 wrestling season. 

The ten state-qualifying Outlaw wrestlers had to persist for just one more week by practicing, conditioning, and dieting to stay in shape so that they stayed within their respective weight classes and were able to perform to the best of their ability. 

Sophomore Brock Smith, who wrestled at 190 lbs, talked earlier in the season about these behind-the-scenes aspects of the sport.

“Conditioning is by far the hardest part, but it makes us better,” stated Smith.  

The 2023 State Wrestling Tournament was held Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25 at the State Fairgrounds in Jim Norick Arena. 

Class 3A teams from all over the state competed in the tournament, including the Comanche Indians, a common rival to the Outlaws, along with the Blackwell Maroons who defeated Marlow in Dual State.

The stakes were high for the MHS Wrestling Team in the tournament.

After the first day of competition, Marlow was second in team points, behind Blackwell.

The Outlaws dropped to third at the beginning of day two, but quickly regained their second-place position and ended up coming home as Class 3A Wrestling State Runner-Ups

The individual results are as follows.

Furr, Bateman, and Dawson all won their matches in the consolation bracket finals, each earning third place.

Four Outlaws made it to the winner’s bracket finals.

Miller won his finals match and is the 106 lb Class 3A State Champion.

Keller Kizarr came up one point short in his match and is the 113 lb Class 3A State Runner-up.

Knox also lost his final match, becoming the 138 lb Class 3A State runner-up.

Finally, Gilbert won his match at 144 lb and became a class 3A State champion.

These matches wrapped up the 2022-2023 wrestling season and allowed the MHS wrestling team to become Class 3A State Runner-ups after a great season.

The MHS wrestling teams will continue to strive for greatness as they move on to next year.