Tulsa, OK — Lucas Franklin of the Madill Takedown Club isn’t old enough to drive, but he just became legend at the 2025 USAOKW Freestyle / Greco State Championship held at the Arvest Convention Center on May 24, 2025, over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Franklin took the gold medal in both the Freestyle and Greco events, wrestling in the 16U 285-lb brackets as a 14-year-old. In wrecking all his older opponents, he punched his ticket for the 2025 USMC Junior Nationals in both disciplines. Those Nationals are commonly referred to as “Fargo”, when qualified youth wrestlers converge upon Fargo, ND, for 10 days in July.
Franklin also pulled off an historic trifecta that cements his name in the Oklahoma youth wrestling books. He became a Triple Crown winner and earned the rarely awarded Golden Singlet.
Triple Crown winners are in a stratosphere other wrestlers dream of, and usually those who achieve it come from renowned wrestling programs in the northern part of Oklahoma. Though from Coalgate, Franklin works with the coaches out of the Madill Takedown Club.
What was this hat trick Franklin pulled off?
In securing his spot for Fargo, 14-year-old Franklin also won all 3 USAOKW State Championships for 2025:
• USAOKW Folkstyle State Champ
• USAOKW Freestyle State Champ
• USAOKW Greco State Champ Consequently, Franklin made history not just for the Madill Takedown Club, but also for all southern Oklahoma.
Franklin’s Freestyle Record at the Freestyle / Greco State Championship shows him destroying the older competitors in under two minutes:
• Round 1: Win - TF 12-2 (1:53) • Round 2: Win - TF 10-0 (1:46)
• Round 3: Win - TF 10-0 (1:03) Franklin’s Greco Record on the same day was equally impressive:
• Round 1: Win - TF 8-0 (1:02)
•Round2:Win-Dec12-10 Franklin reflected on his phenomenal wins and gave kudos to his coaches.
“I’m so happy that I finished what I came here to do,” Franklin said. “It was pretty cool to complete this series the first year the organizers had it. I’m super pumped about winning another singlet. I’ll be forever grateful to my coaches who believed in me and pushed me to be my best.”
Franklin’s mother, Maurica, was quick to add in support of her son.
“He works extremely hard and has good coaches in his corner,” she said. “I know Lucas is exactly where he needs to be. We drive two hours roundtrip a few times per week to attend practice in Madill. It’s worth it. His coaches are committed 110%. Lucas sees that and matches their energy.”
“We are fortunate for how Coach Hammer is opening new opportunities for the club kids,” she continued. “As a parent, I know Lucas is excelling quickly and the game changer to his performance has been his respect for all of the coaches.”
Coach Peter Hammer said Franklin is a rare find.
“Lucas is a true unicorn in a herd of rhinos,” Hammer said. “He became a State Champ in both Freestyle and Greco with only 2 months of training in both disciplines. He’s highly coachable and self-assured. He’s strong both in technique and agility. He’ll be a force to reckon with.”
All the Madill Takedown coaches and board members are elated for Franklin and his family.
As summer training continues, the Madill Takedown Club coaching staff said they hope to channel Junior Nationals momentum into preparing the next generation of champions. They have been running a five-month long Freestyle & Greco practice that ends on July 31, 2025.
For more information, to register, or to schedule an interview, please send an email to madilltakedownclub@gmail.com or visit madilltakedownclub.com.
For up to date news on the Club, you can follow them on Instagram @madilltakedownclub.