A core of solid returnees will be expected to lead the way for a youthful Durant High School wrestling team entering the 2025-26 season.
The youth-laden Lions, which have just four seniors on the roster, are slated to open the campaign at home Tuesday against Plainview.
“We have a lot of kids back but still are not very old,” head coach Jim Taylor commented. “We’ve got some holes in the lineup this year though, especially at the bottom and top end. We don’t really have a 106 pounder and for the first time I can remember don’t have a heavyweight wrestler. It seems like most of our depth is around the same weights.”
There is high optimism for the rapidly growing girls program that totals a record 18 girls grapplers this year.
Talented youth will be in abundance for the Lady Lions, led by returning sophomore Olivia Crossland, who was one match away from placing in the regional tournament a year ago.
Junior Lillian Stilwell is the lone upperclassman on the girls roster but Taylor has seen tremendous improvement from sophomores Madison Rivera and Emma Lee Davis. Toss in extremely talented freshmen Camila Amaya and Malorie Day to highlight a solid freshman group and there is definite reason to be optimistic. Amaya won the 190-pound division at the Southmoore Preseason Open and Day took a state qualifier to the wire in her division.
“We have great numbers for the girls and they have wrestled really well at our two preseason tournaments,” the Durant head coach said.
“They are like sponges in that they want to learn and are soaking up everything. They are working hard every day. There are so many opportunities opening up for the girls because it’s a sport that suits just about everybody no matter how big or small.
“We have most of the weights filled on the girls side besides the lowest two. I think Crossland, Rivera and Amaya should all have a really good chance of qualifying for state this year while Day and a few others will have opportunities. We are still a ways to go but they are improving every day they get on the mat.”
Leading the charge for the Lions will be junior Aiden Polk, who placed third at state last year and should be contender for the state title in whichever weight division he winds up in.
Polk will team with returning seniors Britton Trotter and Mac Barbush for one of the toughest trios in the state that will likely wrestle consecutively in the Lion weight division lineup. Initially, Coach Taylor expects Polk to end up at 157 pounds with Trotter flanking at 165 and Barbush penciled in early at 150.
“I think we should be able to hand out some licks in those three weight classes with the experience we have,” Taylor said. “It’s going to be really hard to say what the lineup is going to be from day to day in our duals. You may see us with one lineup on Tuesday and a lot different faces on Thursday. We have so many young sophomores that we need to get on the mat as much as possible. They got a little time last year but need quite a bit more.”
One veteran spot that could propel the Lion success is at 190 or 215 pounds where the athletic Axel Thurman should end up after being virtually cursed by injuries over the past two years that have derailed his season.
Junior Evan Smith also is back with a little experience and showed promise with a third place effort in the 215-pound division at the Southmoore Preseason Open.
The Lions should have an opportunity for plenty of mat time with a bevy of tournaments on the schedule. They’ll have a girls tournament at Tahlequah and boys’ event at the Southern Oklahoma Invitational in Duncan during December. In the second semester there are tournaments at Glenpool, Pauls Valley, Carl Albert and Ardmore on the slate along with the Midwestern Conference Tournament, which will be held locally at the Choctaw Event Center this year on January 30-31.
In addition to Tuesday’s dual, Durant will also host Madill, Ardmore and Davis in addition to a home festival event when they host grapplers from Caddo, Coalgate and Dickson.
“We are going to try and get them on the mat for competition as much as possible in order to get that experience and get better,” Taylor added.
