By Audrey Dodgen/Staff Writer

In a title run spanning 11 years, the El Reno High School wrestling squad has had three wrestlers produce undefeated seasons. Two of those wrestlers, seniors Kevin Frazier and Jeff James, were named to the 2005-2006 All-State wrestling squad.

“It feels really good to know that all of my hard work paid off,” James said.

Both Frazier, who will wrestle at 152, and James, who will wrestle at 171 in the all-state meet, signed with Division I schools before the season began. Frazier will wrestle at Oklahoma State University. He follows in the footsteps his older brother, Tyrone Lewis, who was the only other wrestler to post an undefeated season in the Archie Randall era.

James will wrestle at the University of Oklahoma. He will be joined there by fellow senior Brian Shelton, who suffered only one loss in his final season with the Indians, a late-match pin in the state finals.

Frazier said his senior season at El Reno helped prepare him for collegiate competition.

“My senior year was just a preparation, a place to start for the next level,” he said.
James said he spoke with former El Reno head coach Archie Randall after being named to the team.

“He told me I deserved for my hard work, but not to get a big head,” he said.

“I know there is a lot of improvement I need to make before I’m ready to compete at the next level.”

In the all-state match, James will face Eugene Young, from Shawnee. James has a career 2-2 record against Young.

“I wrestled him three times my junior year. I beat him once during the year, and lost to him in the regional final and in the state final,” he said.

James avenged the loss with a win in this year’s senior national meet, where he placed fifth. The opportunity to travel has been one of the rewards of his career, he said.

“Being able to go across the country and wrestle is one of the things that make it an exciting sport. We don’t have the crowds like football or basketball, but we get to go all over and compete,” he said.

Frazier said the travel helped them hone their wrestling skills. He was eliminated from senior nationals one round away from placing.

“Traveling gets you ready for more and better competition. We saw a lot of guys we wouldn’t have been able to see here in Oklahoma,” he said.

Despite the long-standing rivalry between their future schools, both wrestlers said they look forward to seeing one another in competition.

“We’re gonna whip them boys when we see them,” Frazier said of James’ Sooners.

James predicts Fraziers Cowboys will be upset by the Sooners in the coming years.

“I hope we have somebody who can make him work. It’d do him good to lose,” he said.

“Really, though, I’ll be cheering for him when our teams meet. Maybe not out loud, but I’ll definitely be cheering for him.”