Former Brusly state champion Kendon Lee completed a stellar first year at the highest level of Oklahoma high school wrestling.  Lee place third in the OSSAA 6A state championships for Stillwater High School Saturday night at the State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City.  During the year he posted a mark of 42 wins versus six losses.  Of those losses, three came from the finalists of his state championship brackets, another to a 4A 145 Oklahoma state champion, another from a runner-up at 145 pounds in Oklahoma, and a kid from Blair Academy of New Jersey, the #1 ranked team in the nation.

The event exemplified what Carl Valley, the coach of the Team Valley, Iowa, that won last summer's Jazz Town duals, said was the difference between wrestling in Louisiana and wrestling in states that are generally considered the best in the nation: there are no easy matches.

Lee lost his first match in the eight-man bracket 4-3 to the eventual champion, Jaxen Gilmore of Yukon.  In his first consolation round match he required a takedown in a Sudden Victory to prevail 3-1.  In the consolation semifinals he won 12-11 after a match that went into the first tie-breaker round.  In the consolation finals he opened up a "CAN OF THE APOCALYPSE" in a 10-5 win.  (Actually in this case, the phrase is actually a compliment on the caliber of Oklahoma wrestling.)

His tournament record in Oklahoma is outstanding:

1.  He placed third at the Perry Tournament of Champions, losing to Beau Bratcher, the 138 lbs. state runner-up in Lee's weight class at the state championships;
2. He placed second at the Kansas City Stampede, falling to Brik Fillipo of Tuttle, OK, who would later win the OSSAA 4A state championship;
3. In the Geary Tournament he lost to the eventual winner, Andrew Merola.  Merola wrestles for Blair Academy in New Jersey, who are the top-ranked team in the nation according to Intermat's top-ranked high school teams.  Lee placed a "true second" in that event, however, defeating the finalist Merola beat in the finals, Justin Walker of Colliersville 2-1;
4. In the Ponca City Big 4x4 Lee won his first event which included two falls, a major decision and a technical fall;
5.  Lee placed 2nd at the COCA tournament with a 1-0 loss to Yukon's Chase Vincent, who would later place second in Oklahoma at 145 lbs.  Vincent placed 2nd at 145 in Oklahoma;
6. He placed second behind Beaux Bratcher in the OSSAA 6A East Regional which was enough to propel him into the state championships:
7. Bratcher and Gilmore were the ones who placed second and first in Kendon's weight class in the state championships;