The Oxford High School boys and girls wrestling teams won several awards at the Individual State Championships last week, including three state champion titles.

The teams qualified for the Individual State Championships on Feb. 3 at the Team State Championships in Hattiesburg.

The Individual State Championships were held on Feb. 23 and 24 in Ridgeland.

Day one of the State Tournament was a great showing for the team as they had many victories and hard fought losses. Kamar Houston, Luke Pharr, Knox McGown and Zadd Alowdi all won their two opening matches and put themselves into the semifinals on Saturday morning.

Saturday was an emotional rollercoaster for the boys and girls. Zadd Alowdi and Knox McGown both took losses in the semifinals while Kamar Houston avenged a loss that he took just three weeks earlier to Jordan Sherrod of Vancleave. Luke Pharr also found himself on the winning side of his semifinals match as he beat Mason Ruble of Picayune in an overtime thriller.

The girls wasted no time working their way through their brackets and punching their ticket to the finals match Saturday night. Izzy Balkin, Lexi Wilks, Prashna Tamang and Nhari Jones all won their quarterfinals and semifinals matches giving the Oxford girls four wrestlers in the state finals.

Balkin was the team’s first finals match of the night, which was against an opponent she had faced three weeks prior to this second meeting. Izzy wrestled a great match and threw her opponent to her back and secured the win by fall with nine seconds remaining in the first period

Wilks was the second state champion of the night. She and her opponent from Oak Grove both attempted to throw each other, with Wilks being the one overpowering her and ending on top. She sank a half nelson in and that was it.

Houston, the third state champ of the night, was looking to defend his state title from last year against a tough opponent in Case Kincade of Saltillo. Kincade had beaten Kamar twice this season and the most recent loss just a week before at the state qualifier. He wrestled hard and remained in the top position for a good part of four minutes of the match.

 

Girls: 

Izzy Balkin: State Champion

Lexi Wilks: State Champion

Prashna Tamang: State Runner-up

Nhari Jones: State Runner-up

Sasha Sandoval: Fourth Place

 

Boys: 

Kamar Houston: State Champion

Luke Pharr: State Runner-up

Chris Perez: Third Place

Knox McGown: Third Place

Zadd Alowdi: Third Place

Tripp Sudduth: Fifth Place

Gavyn Shaner: Seventh Place

Sam Bain: Eighth Place