No. 3 Oklahoma State turns up the offense to shut out Big 12 rival Northern Colorado, 47-0, in Greeley
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Nick Piccininni of OSU crunches down Rico Montoya of UNC in a battle of ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds. Photo by Patricia Fox.
GREELEY, Colo. – Oklahoma State is ranked No. 3 in the nation, and came out on the road against Big 12 opponent Northern Colorado looking like you might expect.
The Cowboys won all 10 matches, including both battles featuring two ranked wrestlers, for a dominant 47-0 conference victory. Included in the onslaught were 10 bonus point wins, including five technical falls, four major decisions and a pin.
“We scored a lot of points. I think we wrestled well. Coach Troy (Nickerson) is rebuilding the squad here. He has some of his better wrestlers in redshirt. We will see a lot different team in the future. We did what we hoped to do, come out and put points on the board. We got them in critical matches that I thought could be competitive. We wrestled tough and scored points at the end of periods, which made a difference in the outcome of the score,” said OSU head coach John Smith.
The match started at 149 pounds, and Oklahoma State ripped off three straight technical falls. The difference was not only an advantage on her feet, but also the Cowboys ability to score tilts for four points from the top seemingly at will.
No. 13 Kaden Gfeller posted a 20-2 tech fall over Mason Hulse to start off the run. Next up was No. 19 Andrew Shomer at 157 pounds, a 17-2 winnerr over Jordan Robison, 17-2. The exciting No. 10 ranked Chandler Rogers started off strong against McCoy Flanagan, going up 14-3 after the first period. Although Rogers slowed down the pace the rest of the way, a late takedown and riding time made it an 18-3 technical fall.
No. 7 Jacobe Smith opened his bout at 174 against Sethan Bagulski with two nice throws for takedowns and a 4-1 lead after the first period. In the second, Smith got another powerful takedown and turned it into a pin at 3:32.
At 184 pounds, Oklahoma State put out red-shirt freshman Bear Hughes, who ended up in a competitive battle against junior Dalton Robertson. Hughes had a strong first period, leading 4-1 with a pair of takedowns. In the second period, Robertson sunk in the legs and worked for turns, not scoring but riding out Hughes for the entire period and getting a ton of riding time.
However, in the third, Hughes got out of Robertson’s leg ride, scored a reversal, then nailed a sweet headlock. Although he could not get the pin as time ran out, Hughes came through with a 12-2 major decision in a match that started out much closer.
At the break, the Cowboys led 25-0, and the team victory pretty much in hand. However, Northern Colorado had two matches in the second half with ranked wrestlers, looking to make a dent and score some wins in front of their home crowd. It just didn’t happen.
Dakota Geer, the No. 15 ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, went up in weight to 197 to battle No. 12 ranked Jacob Seely, the top star on the Bear roster. Geer scored a pair of takedowns, followed each by a Seely escape to lead 4-2 at the break.
Geer broke it open in the second period, with an escape, takedown and two-point tilt to lead 9-2. The third period also went his way, emerging with a 13-2 major decision.
After No. 3 heavyweight Derek White of OSU added a 17-2 technical fall over Robert Winters, the next ranked battle began at 125 with No. 4 Nick Piccininni of the Cowboys battling No. 16 Rico Montoya of the Bears.
Piccininni got the first period takedown and a four-point tilt to lead 6-0 after the first. Although Montoya was much more competitive the rest of the way, including a third-period takedown, Piccininni kept up the pressure and scored an 11-2 major decision.
The Cowboys closed out the final two matches without much resistance. No. 5 Daton Fix, who is No. 2 in the USA in Senior freestyle, had three four-point turns on the way to a first period 16-1 technical fall. Then No. 9 Kaid Brock finished it off with a 10-2 major decision over Owen Lamb to send the local fans home without a Bear win on the day.
“They have a great team and we are a very young team right now. I would have liked to see a little more fight out of our guys. I think they were kind of a little defeated before they stepped on the mat. We are really young. We are putting together some building blocks right now. I expected a little more out of Montoya and Seely. It is what it is. We have to get better,” said UNC head coach Troy Nickerson.
Oklahoma State moves to 5-0, with a 4-0 conference record. Next up is the Reno Tournament of Champions, where Smith will bring his best wrestlers for a pre-Christmas test. UNC drops to 2-3, with a 0-3 Big 12 mark.
The Cowboy lineup is not at all settled at this point of the year.
“We will see where everybody will wrestle in the second semester. (Our lineup) will change, more than likely. We have three All-Americans that didn’t wrestle today. You hope you can get them back in the lineup, but, if not, we have to go with where we are at,” said Smith.
This Cowboy team looks pretty strong as is. It will be interesting what John Smith will put on the mat as the season gets deeper and it’s time for the post-season.
OKLAHOMA STATE 47, NORTHERN COLORADO 0
At Greeley, Colo., December 16
149 – No. 13 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) tech. fall Mason Hulse (UNC), 20-2
157 –No. 19 Andrew Shomers (OSU) tech. fall Jordan Robison (UNC), 17-2
165 – No. 10 Chandler Rogers (OSU) tech. fall McCoy Flanagan (UNC), 18-3
174 – No. 7 Jacobe Smith (OSU) pin Sethan Bogulski (UNC), 3:32
184 – Bear Hughes (OSU) maj. dec. Dalton Robertson (UNC). 12-2
197 – No. 15 Dakota Geer (OSU) maj. dec. No. 12 Jacob Seely (UNC), 13-2
285 – No. 3 Derek White (OSU) tech. fall Robert Winters (UNC), 17-2
125 – No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) maj. dec. No. 16 Rico Montoya (UNC), 11-2
133 – No. 5 Daton Fix (OSU) tech. fall Sean Cannon (UNC), 16-1
141 – No. 9 Kaid Brock (OSU) maj. dec. Owen Lamb (UNC), 10-2
GREELEY, Colo. – Oklahoma State is ranked No. 3 in the nation, and came out on the road against Big 12 opponent Northern Colorado looking like you might expect.
The Cowboys won all 10 matches, including both battles featuring two ranked wrestlers, for a dominant 47-0 conference victory. Included in the onslaught were 10 bonus point wins, including five technical falls, four major decisions and a pin.
“We scored a lot of points. I think we wrestled well. Coach Troy (Nickerson) is rebuilding the squad here. He has some of his better wrestlers in redshirt. We will see a lot different team in the future. We did what we hoped to do, come out and put points on the board. We got them in critical matches that I thought could be competitive. We wrestled tough and scored points at the end of periods, which made a difference in the outcome of the score,” said OSU head coach John Smith.
The match started at 149 pounds, and Oklahoma State ripped off three straight technical falls. The difference was not only an advantage on her feet, but also the Cowboys ability to score tilts for four points from the top seemingly at will.
No. 13 Kaden Gfeller posted a 20-2 tech fall over Mason Hulse to start off the run. Next up was No. 19 Andrew Shomer at 157 pounds, a 17-2 winnerr over Jordan Robison, 17-2. The exciting No. 10 ranked Chandler Rogers started off strong against McCoy Flanagan, going up 14-3 after the first period. Although Rogers slowed down the pace the rest of the way, a late takedown and riding time made it an 18-3 technical fall.
No. 7 Jacobe Smith opened his bout at 174 against Sethan Bagulski with two nice throws for takedowns and a 4-1 lead after the first period. In the second, Smith got another powerful takedown and turned it into a pin at 3:32.
At 184 pounds, Oklahoma State put out red-shirt freshman Bear Hughes, who ended up in a competitive battle against junior Dalton Robertson. Hughes had a strong first period, leading 4-1 with a pair of takedowns. In the second period, Robertson sunk in the legs and worked for turns, not scoring but riding out Hughes for the entire period and getting a ton of riding time.
However, in the third, Hughes got out of Robertson’s leg ride, scored a reversal, then nailed a sweet headlock. Although he could not get the pin as time ran out, Hughes came through with a 12-2 major decision in a match that started out much closer.
At the break, the Cowboys led 25-0, and the team victory pretty much in hand. However, Northern Colorado had two matches in the second half with ranked wrestlers, looking to make a dent and score some wins in front of their home crowd. It just didn’t happen.
Dakota Geer, the No. 15 ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, went up in weight to 197 to battle No. 12 ranked Jacob Seely, the top star on the Bear roster. Geer scored a pair of takedowns, followed each by a Seely escape to lead 4-2 at the break.
Geer broke it open in the second period, with an escape, takedown and two-point tilt to lead 9-2. The third period also went his way, emerging with a 13-2 major decision.
After No. 3 heavyweight Derek White of OSU added a 17-2 technical fall over Robert Winters, the next ranked battle began at 125 with No. 4 Nick Piccininni of the Cowboys battling No. 16 Rico Montoya of the Bears.
Piccininni got the first period takedown and a four-point tilt to lead 6-0 after the first. Although Montoya was much more competitive the rest of the way, including a third-period takedown, Piccininni kept up the pressure and scored an 11-2 major decision.
The Cowboys closed out the final two matches without much resistance. No. 5 Daton Fix, who is No. 2 in the USA in Senior freestyle, had three four-point turns on the way to a first period 16-1 technical fall. Then No. 9 Kaid Brock finished it off with a 10-2 major decision over Owen Lamb to send the local fans home without a Bear win on the day.
“They have a great team and we are a very young team right now. I would have liked to see a little more fight out of our guys. I think they were kind of a little defeated before they stepped on the mat. We are really young. We are putting together some building blocks right now. I expected a little more out of Montoya and Seely. It is what it is. We have to get better,” said UNC head coach Troy Nickerson.
Oklahoma State moves to 5-0, with a 4-0 conference record. Next up is the Reno Tournament of Champions, where Smith will bring his best wrestlers for a pre-Christmas test. UNC drops to 2-3, with a 0-3 Big 12 mark.
The Cowboy lineup is not at all settled at this point of the year.
“We will see where everybody will wrestle in the second semester. (Our lineup) will change, more than likely. We have three All-Americans that didn’t wrestle today. You hope you can get them back in the lineup, but, if not, we have to go with where we are at,” said Smith.
This Cowboy team looks pretty strong as is. It will be interesting what John Smith will put on the mat as the season gets deeper and it’s time for the post-season.
OKLAHOMA STATE 47, NORTHERN COLORADO 0
At Greeley, Colo., December 16
149 – No. 13 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) tech. fall Mason Hulse (UNC), 20-2
157 –No. 19 Andrew Shomers (OSU) tech. fall Jordan Robison (UNC), 17-2
165 – No. 10 Chandler Rogers (OSU) tech. fall McCoy Flanagan (UNC), 18-3
174 – No. 7 Jacobe Smith (OSU) pin Sethan Bogulski (UNC), 3:32
184 – Bear Hughes (OSU) maj. dec. Dalton Robertson (UNC). 12-2
197 – No. 15 Dakota Geer (OSU) maj. dec. No. 12 Jacob Seely (UNC), 13-2
285 – No. 3 Derek White (OSU) tech. fall Robert Winters (UNC), 17-2
125 – No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) maj. dec. No. 16 Rico Montoya (UNC), 11-2
133 – No. 5 Daton Fix (OSU) tech. fall Sean Cannon (UNC), 16-1
141 – No. 9 Kaid Brock (OSU) maj. dec. Owen Lamb (UNC), 10-2
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