NJCAA Wrestling: Jack Karstetter places 7th at National Championship

Jack Karstetter after winning the 2017 OSSAA State Championship.

Labette Community College sophomore and Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate Jack Karstetter attained All-American status for the second time this past weekend at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championship in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Karstetter was one of five State Champions on the 2017 Sand Springs State Championship team, and he first earned All-American status at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M with a seventh-place finish at 133 pounds. He took a year off from wrestling before enrolling this past fall at Labette.

At the NJCAA West Central District Championship he came in runner-up at 133 with an 11-5 decision against fellow State Champion Kolton Smith and a 7-5 decision against TaJuan Daniels before falling 9-0 to No. 2 ranked three-time New Mexico Champion Mikey Mascarenas.

At the National Championship he lost his first match 5-2 to No. 6 Hector Candelaria, but bounced back in consolation with four straight wins. He won a 9-8 upset of No. 9 Miles Knuckles and a 9-7 decision against Matrice Smith, then pinned Payton Jackson and won 12-10 against James Davis before falling 3-1 to No. 7 Anthony Sobotker. In the seventh place match he cruised to an easy 10-3 decision against No. 8 David Kerr to end the season 32-5. He is 63-10 in his college career.