Bartlesville wrestlers eye Senior Night, regionals
Bartlesville High School’s Avery Hitchings will be one of six seniors honored Thursday night in the Bruins’ final meet of the regular season at the Bartlesville High Phillips Fieldhouse.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Bartlesville High School assistant wrestling coach Sonji Ketiku, left, and head coach Bryan Vashus coach during an earlier season meet. Bartlesville will honor six seniors Thursday night in the final regular season meet at the Bartlesville High Phillips Fieldhouse.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
February 12, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Perhaps the best label for Bartlesville High School’s wrestling season is the Year of the Catalyst.
The lessons and lumps absorbed this year by underclassmen could well harden their competitive character into the nucleus of a grappling power in the next few years ahead.
Installing the vision and the expertise into the process has been first-year head coach Bryan Vashus.
On Thursday (weather and driving conditions permitting) Vashus will lead his team into battle at the Bartlesville High Phillips Fieldhouse for the final time this season.
It will be Senior Night — an opportunity to honor those stalwarts who have fought hard this season and before to uphold Bartlesville’s proud mat tradition.
Providing the opposition in the tri-meet will be the valiant warriors from Barnsdall and Caney Valley (Kan.) high schools.
Bruin seniors slated to be recognized include Jeremy Wilson (144), A.J. Kerr, (138), Marquise Johnson (150), Mitchell Hurst (157), Jon Ramirez (175) and Avery Hitchings (285).
__________
Bartlesville High School’s Marquis Johnson wrestles in an earlier season match. Johnson is one of six seniors to be honored Thursday night prior to the Bruins’ final meet at the Bartlesville High Phillips Fieldhouse.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
__________
Bartlesville’s varsity program has clawed out some impressive performances both individually and as a squad.
Junior James Coleman (120) has strung together the most successful showing and will represent one of Bartlesville’s strongest hopes to qualify at next week’s regionals for a state berth.
“It’s still James who is leading the front of the pack,” Vashus said.
Kerr is another veteran that has stepped up to help lead the team.
Johnson “is having a good season,” Vashus said.
Ramirez is without a doubt the most improved wrestler from last year, Vashus said.
“He won three matches total last year,” the coach explained. “He has a winning record this year.”
Freshman Joshua Vashus (126) owns a noteworthy 12-7 record on varsity while also splitting his time with the junior high team.
Wilson, Hitchings, Camden Dainty (215) and Ezekiel Mieir (165) all have worked hard and shown notable improvement, the coach added.
Bartlesville will attend the Bixby regional the weekend of Feb. 21-22.
The state meet is scheduled the following weekend in Oklahoma City.
In related news, Bartlesville was represented by 25 wrestlers at last weekend’s junior high state meet plus another two grapplers from Bartlesville that entered as at-large participants.
Three of the Bartlesville matters finished with winning records but none of them placed.
__________
Nick Davis wrestles in an earlier season match. The Bruins hold their last regular season meet on Thursday at the Bartlesville High Phillips Fieldhouse. The Bruins will attend the Bixby regional the weekend of Feb. 21-22.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports