01/21/2026
The Stucker Stories
MAKING HISTORY
Writtwn by Hall of Fame Coach Mike Henry
If you're reading this, then you well know that February is the month that all high school wrestling teams are working toward. Prior to 1989, the final two weeks of the month was where almost all of the focus was placed.
That's because those are the annual dates for the grand finales known as the regional and state tournaments. But in '89, for the first time, there was not just a change but a drastic shift in the traditional way that all future schedules would be directed.
For many years, coaches in Oklahoma along with many other states were campaigning their athletic associations to hold a state dual meet championship tournament. It wasn't a new idea as Iowa began hosting such an event in 1921, while over the decades, individual schools held their own dual meet competitions.
In January 1988, Shawnee shook Oklahoma's wrestling world to its core when it hosted a 10 team invitational known as the " Tournament of Champions." The concept became so popular that the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) immediately sanctioned a State Dual Meet Championship Tournament to begin the following season. The guidelines would be established by a panel of coaches but were identical to Shawnee's version that had been previously set forth by coaches Mark Leen and Mike Henry.
The new format kept the teams in their established classes (5A, 4A, 3A, and 2A). Each would have eight - four team districts with those champions advancing to the state duals. The chosen sites for the inaugural edition were Broken Arrow (5A), Tuttle (3A), and Chandler (2A). Based on their experience of hosting this type of event in '88, Shawnee was tabbed as the 4A venue.
" We were very excited about hosting this history making tournament," said Henry.
The first thing on the agenda was qualifying. The Wolves were placed in a district (4A-5) with Okmulgee, Durant, and McAlester (ranked 5th in 4A) which held the district festival. Okmulgee and Durant, whose program was only in its third year, elected to forfeit the Wolves due to Shawnee's high ranking ( #2 in 4A) and reputation. The squad claimed their first ever district title with a 40-16 thrashing of the Buffaloes and a trip to the championship round.
Henry had used the match to make a major lineup change that would affect his team for the remainder of the season. Senior Cody Wilcoxen had compiled an impressive 22-4-1 record at 130 pounds after struggling with his weight throughout his junior season. The coach pointed out that his best chance at state was to drop down to 123 but, after his previous experiences, he was uncertain about such a move.
As opposed to the previous year, Wilcoxen followed assistant coach Willie Homer's directives of controlling his poundage to a tee. The results were stellar with immediate success as he scored a 9-0 major decision against McAlester. Additionally, Henry and Homer got a glimpse of the future as underdog freshman Jarrett Smith was inserted into the lineup at 148 and defeated state placewinner Brandon Beck, a junior, 9-2.
The win placed Shawnee in the eight team field along with Tulsa Webster, Bixby, Carl Albert, Ardmore, Coweta, El Reno, and Lawton MacArthur. The single elimination tournament got underway on Friday February 10 at Shawnee High School's Physical Education Building (before it was renamed the Stucker Wrestling Complex). In the quarterfinal/opening round, Bixby edged Ardmore, 36-34; Webster easily handled Carl Albert, 53-12; and Coweta beat a young but talented El Reno team, 33-20.
Shawnee opened their quest for the title with a workmanlike 34-22 effort over MacArthur. Henry had suited up every member of his team which gave him the option of mixing personnel in gaining better matchups against each opponent. One of those came in the opener when former state champ Darrien Gordon, a regular 178 pounder, bumped up to 190 pounds to hand future state titleist Rod McSwane a 7-4 loss along with the support of three teammates (Brian Janney, Brantly Sober, and Tony Sheldon) who scored valuable falls.
In 1991, McSwane went on to earn All-America honors for Mark Leen at Garden City Community College. In turn, Gordon had been a state champion for Leen and the Wolves in 1987.
The semi-finals took place on Saturday afternoon with Webster besting Bixby, 42-14 in an all-Tulsa area match up. In the other contest, Shawnee toppled Coweta, 30-17 as junior Chad Humphrey came away with an 8-3 victory over state placer Ron McGill to help solidify the win. The victory advanced SHS's season record to 16-1.
That evening, it was Saturday night under the lights for the first ever Class 4A Oklahoma Dual Meet State Wrestling Championship between Shawnee and Tulsa Webster. The Warriors strength was in their first four weights with Biff Jones (101), Bubba McClary (108), All-American Shawn Harrison (115), and Mike McClary (123) who had already combined for more than 100 victories during the season. In most duals, the quartet would usually post their team to a big lead which took the pressure off of their middle and upper weights. That strategy, plus a weak schedule, had carried them to a perfect 17-0 record.
Shawnee's plan was simple - don't give up any bonus points especially to those first four weights. After three matches, Webster led 13-0 but hadn't recorded a fall and then the tide completely turned at 123 when a highly motivated Wilcoxen faced off against the two-time defending state champion McClary.
The Shawnee senior had a clear understanding of the situation as he later stated, "I knew we couldn't let them get too far ahead. I was really pumped up."
" Cody hurdled a chair as he ran onto the circle, " recalled Henry. " I looked across the mat into McClary's eyes and knew, at that moment, he was rattled. The roar from our fans in the stands was unreal and Cody rewarded them with a huge win."
Following Wilcoxen's stunning 8-2 upset, the Wolves got consecutive victories from Shawn Rounsaville (130), James Roberson (136) and Michael Brittain (141) to tie the match at 13-13. Webster was now in serious trouble as Jess Abel (157) and Richard Wilsie (168) each won by major decisions followed by technical falls from Humphrey (178) and Gordon (190). The Tulsans usual blueprint of building a big lead on the strength of their standout lightweight foursome had been shredded as they were only able to score bonus points in three matches as opposed to Shawnee's five bonus victories which proved too much for the visitors to overcome.
Wilsie, a true 148 pounder, bumped up two weights and scored a key 13-5 win over Webster's top upper weight grappler, Frank Simon.
However, the celebration was brief because the regional tournament was only six days away. But on Saturday night February 11, 1989, the first ever State Dual Meet Championship was not only held in Shawnee, more importantly, it was won by the host team, 31-22.
(Below) Cody Wilcoxen's thrilling upset of two-time state champion Mike McClary was the beginning of the end for Tulsa Webster as they were defeated by the Wolves in the finals of the first ever State Dual Meet Wrestling Championships.
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