Senior Spotlight: George Tahdooahnippah

Senior George Tahdooahnippah wrestles at 165 for Elgin High School and holds a GPA of 3.8. He began wrestling when he was three years old and was in the club all his life.

“I think some of my greatest accomplishments in wrestling is, I think my first one comes when I placed, I won a youth kids state championship when I was a heavyweight in 7th grade,” Tahdooahnippah said.

He also placed fourth at 5A state.

“I was really proud of that, you know, I just, it was unexpected,” Tahdooahnippah said. “I didn't think I was going to place.”

But outside of school, he also boxes. He had his first amateur fight in 2018, stepped away and won both of his recent fights in September and October 2024.

“I think my greatest accomplishment is coming back to boxing and winning both of my fights. Only in boxing for like 3 or 4 months, I just hopped straight back into it,” Tahdooahnippah said. “I think that was really fun. I think I hopped to like a reign of my father's before me, so I was pretty stoked about that.”

He will miss the Elgin environment since he’s lived there his whole life.

“I'm definitely going to miss some of my fans. A lot of people are really excited to watch me,” Tahdooahnippahsaid. “I have a lot of kids that come up to me, and they're like, ‘I want to wrestle just like you.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it's pretty fun.’ I definitely took it in, and I was like, try to live the best moment.”

He keeps in touch with his heritage by being in the area and growing up around it.

“From a young age, I just kind of embraced it. I used to go to the Comanche Nation Youth Program…” Tahdooahnippah said. “They taught us a lot, taught us how to like, we need to preserve our culture and that we should be proud that we're Native and for our heritage and just know we're really strong and that we have warrior blood running through all of us. So, I'm really proud that I get to be Comanche.”

He said he enjoys building teepees and listening to stories.

“I really like it. I think it's pretty cool that we all learn it. And I really like the stories,” Tahdooahnippah said. “I think Martin…told me this one story, and he tells me every few, a lot of moons. And I'm really proud to really know that those stories. It's really nice.”

He said Comanches should be proud of their heritage and hopes to make the Nation proud of his accomplishments.

Tahdooahnippah also plays video games, including UFC5, in which he has a world rank.

After he graduates, Tahdooahnippah plans to attend college, get a degree in business or mechanical engineering and wrestle.