Sand Springs H.S. Wrestler Achieves National Success

Wrestling is in Daton Fix's blood. His father Derek Fix wrestled and his grandfather on his mother's side wrestled.

But it took some time to get Daton to wrestle.

"My dad, he didn't push me to wrestle; he just wanted me to wait till I was ready," said Daton.

The Sandite junior began wrestling in the family garage when he was in fifth grade, and he quickly ascended when he entered seventh grade.

"I won my first national title going into the summer of my seventh grade year,” Daton reminisced. “Once I got a taste of that, I wanted more of it."

And he got more, quickly learning. "It's mental," Daton explained. "You have to have a big heart and you have to work your hardest."

He went from getting wins over wrestlers in Oklahoma to wins over the best from other states to wins over wrestlers older than him.

"We took him into the Junior World Trials [and] two rounds in he beat the Pac-12 champ,” said Derek. “Next round, he beat the starter for University of Minnesota."

Yes, he was a high school student beating college kids.

And it gets better.

He also conquered wrestling internationally. He's won meets in Columbia, Brazil, Slovakia and in 2014, he won a silver medal in the 120-pound division of the Youth Olympics in China.

For a young kid from Sand Springs, second in the world was humbling for a father. 

"To see him wrestle an Iranian [and] to see him wrestle a Russian and have success, you know, we try to keep it in perspective," said Derek.

Now, it’s time for Daton’s short term goal which is to help Sand Springs win a state dual championship this weekend. 

"We went 11-0 and have an excellent chance to win states," said Daton.

His long-term goal is to become a four-time NCAA champion and qualify for the 2020 Olympics, and at this rate, it's very possible.