No. 1 Oklahoma State beats No. 3 Iowa, 24-11, led by Brock, Collica and Rogers
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by Roger Moore, Oklahoma State
Anthony Collica of OSU celebrates after a grueling overtime win over Iowa's Brandon Sorensen at 149 pounds. Photo by Austin Bernard
STILLWATER, Okla. – As usual, the Oklahoma State-Iowa dual had a little bit of everything. Surprise outcomes, intense discussions about one second here, two seconds there, and down-to-the-wire matches.
In the end it was top-ranked Oklahoma State with seven wins and a 24-11 dual win in front of 7,801 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday afternoon. In a dual with many highlights, redshirt-freshman Kaid Brock beat Cory Clark, 7-6, at 133 pounds, Anthony Collica won an 11-minute, two-tiebreaker grindfest at 149 pounds, and Chandler Rogers pinned Skyler St. John in the first period at 165 pounds.
“Rivalries don’t exist unless you win both ways,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad improved to 6-0 and ended a three-match losing streak to the Hawkeyes. “Overall, it was kind of what I said all week, you have to be able to win tough matches, matches that might be 12 minutes.”
Iowa fell to 7-1 and starts a gauntlet that includes Penn State and Ohio State in the coming weeks.
“I don’t know if it was a wild dual, they are all wild; I think this sport is wild,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “It’s a fight, it’s a brawl, that is what you love about it.
“Close matches, you have to make them go your way. You have to give a tremendous effort to make close situations go your way. We didn’t do that at 133, didn’t do that at heavyweight, at 149, our best position we never got to it but maybe once.”
Both coaches agreed – Sunday was about toughness.
Iowa senior Thomas Gilman (16-0) delivered the first salvo, a classic third-period push to beat Nick Piccininni, 12-4, at 125 pounds.
The wildness began at 133 pounds with Brock and Clark, an NCAA finalist last March and top-ranked entering the weekend. After an initial scramble initiated by a Brock 360-shot attempt, the Cowboy rookie countered a Clark shot for a takedown. Another two-pointer had Brock leading 5-0 with 1:37 left in the second. But Clark mounted a charge, eventually scoring a takedown with just under 50 seconds of riding time showing. An escape in the closing seconds kept Clark’s riding time under a minute and Gallagher-Iba exploded following a razor-thin, 7-6, victory.
Both coaching staffs hit the stage for an extended dispute with official Josh Briscoe in the middle, but nothing was changed and Iowa led 4-3.
National champion Dean Heil remained unbeaten with an 8-5 decision of Topher Carton at 141 to give the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.
Much like 133 pounds, the 149-pound finish included disputed time on the clock. Eleven minutes of hand-fighting between Collica (10-0) and Sorensen ended with the Cowboy senior earning the victory due to riding time in the tiebreakers. The only points scored were escapes. Again, coaches traded verbal assaults, and OSU led 9-4.
“I’ve worked hard all off-season, I’ve changed my style a little bit,” Collica said. “I had to get better and stronger in certain positions that I wasn’t last year. I felt much better this year (against Sorensen).”
Following freshman Michael Kemerer’s 4-3 win over Joe Smith at 157 pounds, Iowa trailed 9-7. But the Cowboys seized control of the dual when Chandler Rogers, who pinned Missouri’s Daniel Lewis in the finals of the Southern Scuffle two weeks ago, flattened Skyler St. John with 18 seconds left in the opening period at 165 pounds.
“I think going for the pin has always been my go-to,” Rogers said. “(Coach Chris) talked about being patient and an opportunity might present itself. I don’t try to rush my pins, because if I rush it I might end up getting pinned. The opportunity presented itself and I took it.
“I’m trying to work on breaking guys, really being able to withstand a long match.”
Rogers’ fall gave OSU a 15-7 cushion, and Kyle Crutchmer (9-2) followed with a 5-2 win over Alex Meyer at 174 pounds for more breathing room.
Sammy Brooks (15-1) gave Iowa a fighting chance, nearly pinning Nolan Boyd but settling for a dominating 13-3 major decision at 184 pounds. Brooks’ win drew Iowa to 18-11 with two bouts to wrestle.
“Our philosophy is that when it’s my time to go, (earlier matches) don’t matter,” Brooks said. “I don’t let what happens before or after me let it affect my thinking. If I go out and do my job things will work out.”
However, Iowa rookie Cash Wilcke could not get away from Preston Weigel (13-2), who rode out the final two minutes and added a four-point turn to wrap up OSU’s first win over Iowa in four matches.
Austin Schafer finished the dual with a third-period takedown to beat Sam Stoll in yet another match that included plenty of post-match discussion concerning time on the clock, number of warnings, et cetera, et cetera. Three of the 10 bouts will provide national chatter in the coming days for various reasons.
#1 Oklahoma State 24, #3 Iowa 11
125-Thomas Gilman (I) maj dec Nick Picininni, 12-4
133-Kaid Brock (O) dec Cory Clark, 7-6
141-Dean Heil (O) dec Topher Carton, 8-5
149-Anthony Collica (O) dec Brandon Sorensen, 5-4 tb1
157-Michael Kemerer (I) dec Joe Smith , 4-3
165-Chandler Rogers (O) pin Skyler St. John, 2:18
174-Kyle Crutchmer (O) dec Alex Meyer, 5-2
184-Sammy Brooks (I) maj dec Nolan Boyd, 13-3
197-Preston Weigel (O) dec Cash Wilcke, 6-0
285-Austin Schafer (O) dec Sam Stoll, 5-4
STILLWATER, Okla. – As usual, the Oklahoma State-Iowa dual had a little bit of everything. Surprise outcomes, intense discussions about one second here, two seconds there, and down-to-the-wire matches.
In the end it was top-ranked Oklahoma State with seven wins and a 24-11 dual win in front of 7,801 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday afternoon. In a dual with many highlights, redshirt-freshman Kaid Brock beat Cory Clark, 7-6, at 133 pounds, Anthony Collica won an 11-minute, two-tiebreaker grindfest at 149 pounds, and Chandler Rogers pinned Skyler St. John in the first period at 165 pounds.
“Rivalries don’t exist unless you win both ways,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad improved to 6-0 and ended a three-match losing streak to the Hawkeyes. “Overall, it was kind of what I said all week, you have to be able to win tough matches, matches that might be 12 minutes.”
Iowa fell to 7-1 and starts a gauntlet that includes Penn State and Ohio State in the coming weeks.
“I don’t know if it was a wild dual, they are all wild; I think this sport is wild,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “It’s a fight, it’s a brawl, that is what you love about it.
“Close matches, you have to make them go your way. You have to give a tremendous effort to make close situations go your way. We didn’t do that at 133, didn’t do that at heavyweight, at 149, our best position we never got to it but maybe once.”
Both coaches agreed – Sunday was about toughness.
Iowa senior Thomas Gilman (16-0) delivered the first salvo, a classic third-period push to beat Nick Piccininni, 12-4, at 125 pounds.
The wildness began at 133 pounds with Brock and Clark, an NCAA finalist last March and top-ranked entering the weekend. After an initial scramble initiated by a Brock 360-shot attempt, the Cowboy rookie countered a Clark shot for a takedown. Another two-pointer had Brock leading 5-0 with 1:37 left in the second. But Clark mounted a charge, eventually scoring a takedown with just under 50 seconds of riding time showing. An escape in the closing seconds kept Clark’s riding time under a minute and Gallagher-Iba exploded following a razor-thin, 7-6, victory.
Both coaching staffs hit the stage for an extended dispute with official Josh Briscoe in the middle, but nothing was changed and Iowa led 4-3.
National champion Dean Heil remained unbeaten with an 8-5 decision of Topher Carton at 141 to give the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.
Much like 133 pounds, the 149-pound finish included disputed time on the clock. Eleven minutes of hand-fighting between Collica (10-0) and Sorensen ended with the Cowboy senior earning the victory due to riding time in the tiebreakers. The only points scored were escapes. Again, coaches traded verbal assaults, and OSU led 9-4.
“I’ve worked hard all off-season, I’ve changed my style a little bit,” Collica said. “I had to get better and stronger in certain positions that I wasn’t last year. I felt much better this year (against Sorensen).”
Following freshman Michael Kemerer’s 4-3 win over Joe Smith at 157 pounds, Iowa trailed 9-7. But the Cowboys seized control of the dual when Chandler Rogers, who pinned Missouri’s Daniel Lewis in the finals of the Southern Scuffle two weeks ago, flattened Skyler St. John with 18 seconds left in the opening period at 165 pounds.
“I think going for the pin has always been my go-to,” Rogers said. “(Coach Chris) talked about being patient and an opportunity might present itself. I don’t try to rush my pins, because if I rush it I might end up getting pinned. The opportunity presented itself and I took it.
“I’m trying to work on breaking guys, really being able to withstand a long match.”
Rogers’ fall gave OSU a 15-7 cushion, and Kyle Crutchmer (9-2) followed with a 5-2 win over Alex Meyer at 174 pounds for more breathing room.
Sammy Brooks (15-1) gave Iowa a fighting chance, nearly pinning Nolan Boyd but settling for a dominating 13-3 major decision at 184 pounds. Brooks’ win drew Iowa to 18-11 with two bouts to wrestle.
“Our philosophy is that when it’s my time to go, (earlier matches) don’t matter,” Brooks said. “I don’t let what happens before or after me let it affect my thinking. If I go out and do my job things will work out.”
However, Iowa rookie Cash Wilcke could not get away from Preston Weigel (13-2), who rode out the final two minutes and added a four-point turn to wrap up OSU’s first win over Iowa in four matches.
Austin Schafer finished the dual with a third-period takedown to beat Sam Stoll in yet another match that included plenty of post-match discussion concerning time on the clock, number of warnings, et cetera, et cetera. Three of the 10 bouts will provide national chatter in the coming days for various reasons.
#1 Oklahoma State 24, #3 Iowa 11
125-Thomas Gilman (I) maj dec Nick Picininni, 12-4
133-Kaid Brock (O) dec Cory Clark, 7-6
141-Dean Heil (O) dec Topher Carton, 8-5
149-Anthony Collica (O) dec Brandon Sorensen, 5-4 tb1
157-Michael Kemerer (I) dec Joe Smith , 4-3
165-Chandler Rogers (O) pin Skyler St. John, 2:18
174-Kyle Crutchmer (O) dec Alex Meyer, 5-2
184-Sammy Brooks (I) maj dec Nolan Boyd, 13-3
197-Preston Weigel (O) dec Cash Wilcke, 6-0
285-Austin Schafer (O) dec Sam Stoll, 5-4
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