No. 2 Oklahoma State 'finds way to win' eight bouts to beat No. 22 Lehigh, 27-6
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Photo of Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma State by Austin Bernard.
STILLWATER, Okla. – Second-ranked Oklahoma State completed a weekend sweep of Northern Iowa and Lehigh by a combined 51-15. Scoreboards do not always tell the complete story, however.
On Sunday, the Cowboys (12-0) won 8 of 10 in beating Lehigh, 27-6. But like Friday’s win over UNI, more than half the wins against the Mountain Hawks required some third period theatrics.
“Couple of nice wins over two good programs,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad hosts Air Force this Friday before a big road trip to Missouri on Feb. 16. “Our first four weights, starting the dual meet, then at 157 and 165, those are two battle matches that we won at the end where we got nice performances.
“Finding ways to win. Those are things you want to see.”
For Lehigh, who hammered Oklahoma, 28-3, Saturday night in Norman, it was another tough dual meet in a season of tough dual meets. It was the sixth time head coach Pat Santoro’s team competed against a top 10 opponent.
“There are three or four matches where we could have scored some more points,” Santoro said. “But you can’t always wrestle based on how you feel all the time because you will never be successful. In those big moments you have to be tougher. We don’t have the same lineup that we anticipated but our guys are getting better.
“Oklahoma State is a good team. It was fun here. My first time (inside Gallagher-Iba Arena). I thought the fans were awesome and it’s a great place for a dual. You want to wrestle the best if you are going be ready for the postseason and we’ve had a really good schedule this year.”
The Mountain Hawks (7-9) finish the dual season against Army (Feb. 16) and Penn (Feb. 24).
On Sunday, the Cowboys raced to a 20-0 lead after six bouts.
Nick Piccininni remained perfect, picking up his 20th bonus-point victory in 24 matches this season, beating Luke Resnick, 16-5, to start the afternoon. Rookie Daton Fix (24-1) followed with a grinding 7-1 win over Brandon Paetzell at 133 pounds and the hosts led 7-0. Piccininni and Fix are a combined 48-1 this season.
Kaid Brock’s 12-4 major decision came thanks to a takedown in the final 10 seconds and put OSU up 11-0 three bouts in. Brock (14-5) broke a two-match losing streak, one of them a devastating last-second loss to Northern Iowa’s Josh Alber on Friday night. When Kaden Gfeller (23-2) took care of Cortlandt Schuyler, 13-8, at 149 pounds.
Wyatt Sheets and Josh Humphrey had a very energetic yet scoreless first three minutes, then went about a festive second period that saw Sheets score a late reversal to take a 5-2 lead into the final period where Humphreys won a late scramble for a takedown to tie it 5-5 at the buzzer. A second video review of the match confirmed the overtime-deciding two-pointer. But the son of OSU legend Mike Sheets scored a decisive takedown 30 seconds into the extra session for a big 7-5 win.
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like that,” said Sheets, who is 13-8 with wins in four of his last five matches. “The first time I wrestled in Gallagher I lost so I felt like I didn’t have anything to lose after that. I want to just go out and have fun.
“The first dual I wrested were on the road and I got a couple of wins so that was exciting. I’ve kind of wanted to just cut lose and have some fun out there. I’m trying to be more active on my feet.”
The 165-pound bout was as entertaining as 157 where Andrew Shomers (9-6) scored a reversal in the closing seconds to beat Gordon Wolf, 10-9. The bout included four reversals, the final one at the buzzer that gave the hosts a 20-0 advantage.
"I liked Wyatt's energy today," John Smith said. "When you wrestle hard and with that kind of energy you are going to get rewarded. He's had some nice wins the last month and I think he's gaining in confidence which is a good thing this time of year."
Unfortunately, the 174-pound match was decided by a “hands-to-the-face” call in the opening period that decided a 2-1 win by Jordan Kutler (15-4) over Joe Smith. It was a second one-point loss of the weekend for Smith, who fell to UNI’s Taylor Lujan on Friday.
LU senior Ryan Preisch (14-2) gave the visitors their second win of the day, beating Jacobe Smith, 8-3, at 184 pounds.
“That’s a big win for Kutler; he’s been banged up the last couple of weeks,” Santoro said. “Those two guys have wrestled a couple of times and there hasn’t been a takedown scored in over 14 minutes of wrestling. They know each other very well, so it’s tough to score.
“Ryan (Preisch) too. That’s a really good win for him, especially on the road and someone of that quality.”
Dakota Geer moved to 22-4 with a big third period to beat Chris Weiler, 13-5, at 197 pounds and the dual finished with a pair of highly-ranked heavyweights. OSU senior Derek White (21-1) scored a decisive takedown in the second period and held on for a physical 3-2 victory over Jordan Wood, whose three losses this season are to Minnesota’s unbeaten Gable Steveson, Penn State’s Anthony Cassar, and White.
Two former All-Americans for OSU, Chandler Rogers and Preston Weigel, each weighed in Sunday. Rogers has not wrestled since the Southern Scuffle, while Weigel has been off the mat since early November. Both could see the mat next weekend and force John Smith to make some decisions.
Shomers started the year at 157, but has moved up to fill in for Rogers at 165 pounds. Geer started the year at 184 pounds, but has also been up a weight in Weigel’s absence.
Sunday marked just the 11th meeting – the first since 2010 – between the two tradition-rich mat programs. OSU has won 10 of the 11. Sunday, Feb. 3, is also the 80th anniversary of the opening of Gallagher-Iba Arena. Then called Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (OAMC), the Cowboys beat Indiana in the first event in the building named for legendary OAMC mat coach Edward Clark Gallagher. He led the program from 1916-40 and won 11 NCAA titles – the first NCAA meet was in 1928.
No. 2 Oklahoma State 27, No. 22 Lehigh 6
125-Nick Piccininni (O) major dec Luke Resnick, 16-5
133-Daton Fix (O) dec Brandon Paetzel, 7-1
141-Kaid Brock (O) major dec Ryan Pomrinca, 12-4
149-Kaden Gfeller (O) dec Cortlandt Schuyler, 13-8
157-Wyatt Sheets (O) dec Josh Humphreys, 7-5 SV
165-Andrew Shomers (O) dec Gordon Wolf, 10-9
174-Jordan Kutler (L) dec Joe Smith, 2-1
184-Ryan Preisch (L) dec Jacobe Smith, 8-3
197-Dakota Geer (O) major dec Chris Weiler, 13-5
285-Derek White (O) dec Jordan Wood, 3-2
STILLWATER, Okla. – Second-ranked Oklahoma State completed a weekend sweep of Northern Iowa and Lehigh by a combined 51-15. Scoreboards do not always tell the complete story, however.
On Sunday, the Cowboys (12-0) won 8 of 10 in beating Lehigh, 27-6. But like Friday’s win over UNI, more than half the wins against the Mountain Hawks required some third period theatrics.
“Couple of nice wins over two good programs,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad hosts Air Force this Friday before a big road trip to Missouri on Feb. 16. “Our first four weights, starting the dual meet, then at 157 and 165, those are two battle matches that we won at the end where we got nice performances.
“Finding ways to win. Those are things you want to see.”
For Lehigh, who hammered Oklahoma, 28-3, Saturday night in Norman, it was another tough dual meet in a season of tough dual meets. It was the sixth time head coach Pat Santoro’s team competed against a top 10 opponent.
“There are three or four matches where we could have scored some more points,” Santoro said. “But you can’t always wrestle based on how you feel all the time because you will never be successful. In those big moments you have to be tougher. We don’t have the same lineup that we anticipated but our guys are getting better.
“Oklahoma State is a good team. It was fun here. My first time (inside Gallagher-Iba Arena). I thought the fans were awesome and it’s a great place for a dual. You want to wrestle the best if you are going be ready for the postseason and we’ve had a really good schedule this year.”
The Mountain Hawks (7-9) finish the dual season against Army (Feb. 16) and Penn (Feb. 24).
On Sunday, the Cowboys raced to a 20-0 lead after six bouts.
Nick Piccininni remained perfect, picking up his 20th bonus-point victory in 24 matches this season, beating Luke Resnick, 16-5, to start the afternoon. Rookie Daton Fix (24-1) followed with a grinding 7-1 win over Brandon Paetzell at 133 pounds and the hosts led 7-0. Piccininni and Fix are a combined 48-1 this season.
Kaid Brock’s 12-4 major decision came thanks to a takedown in the final 10 seconds and put OSU up 11-0 three bouts in. Brock (14-5) broke a two-match losing streak, one of them a devastating last-second loss to Northern Iowa’s Josh Alber on Friday night. When Kaden Gfeller (23-2) took care of Cortlandt Schuyler, 13-8, at 149 pounds.
Wyatt Sheets and Josh Humphrey had a very energetic yet scoreless first three minutes, then went about a festive second period that saw Sheets score a late reversal to take a 5-2 lead into the final period where Humphreys won a late scramble for a takedown to tie it 5-5 at the buzzer. A second video review of the match confirmed the overtime-deciding two-pointer. But the son of OSU legend Mike Sheets scored a decisive takedown 30 seconds into the extra session for a big 7-5 win.
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like that,” said Sheets, who is 13-8 with wins in four of his last five matches. “The first time I wrestled in Gallagher I lost so I felt like I didn’t have anything to lose after that. I want to just go out and have fun.
“The first dual I wrested were on the road and I got a couple of wins so that was exciting. I’ve kind of wanted to just cut lose and have some fun out there. I’m trying to be more active on my feet.”
The 165-pound bout was as entertaining as 157 where Andrew Shomers (9-6) scored a reversal in the closing seconds to beat Gordon Wolf, 10-9. The bout included four reversals, the final one at the buzzer that gave the hosts a 20-0 advantage.
"I liked Wyatt's energy today," John Smith said. "When you wrestle hard and with that kind of energy you are going to get rewarded. He's had some nice wins the last month and I think he's gaining in confidence which is a good thing this time of year."
Unfortunately, the 174-pound match was decided by a “hands-to-the-face” call in the opening period that decided a 2-1 win by Jordan Kutler (15-4) over Joe Smith. It was a second one-point loss of the weekend for Smith, who fell to UNI’s Taylor Lujan on Friday.
LU senior Ryan Preisch (14-2) gave the visitors their second win of the day, beating Jacobe Smith, 8-3, at 184 pounds.
“That’s a big win for Kutler; he’s been banged up the last couple of weeks,” Santoro said. “Those two guys have wrestled a couple of times and there hasn’t been a takedown scored in over 14 minutes of wrestling. They know each other very well, so it’s tough to score.
“Ryan (Preisch) too. That’s a really good win for him, especially on the road and someone of that quality.”
Dakota Geer moved to 22-4 with a big third period to beat Chris Weiler, 13-5, at 197 pounds and the dual finished with a pair of highly-ranked heavyweights. OSU senior Derek White (21-1) scored a decisive takedown in the second period and held on for a physical 3-2 victory over Jordan Wood, whose three losses this season are to Minnesota’s unbeaten Gable Steveson, Penn State’s Anthony Cassar, and White.
Two former All-Americans for OSU, Chandler Rogers and Preston Weigel, each weighed in Sunday. Rogers has not wrestled since the Southern Scuffle, while Weigel has been off the mat since early November. Both could see the mat next weekend and force John Smith to make some decisions.
Shomers started the year at 157, but has moved up to fill in for Rogers at 165 pounds. Geer started the year at 184 pounds, but has also been up a weight in Weigel’s absence.
Sunday marked just the 11th meeting – the first since 2010 – between the two tradition-rich mat programs. OSU has won 10 of the 11. Sunday, Feb. 3, is also the 80th anniversary of the opening of Gallagher-Iba Arena. Then called Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (OAMC), the Cowboys beat Indiana in the first event in the building named for legendary OAMC mat coach Edward Clark Gallagher. He led the program from 1916-40 and won 11 NCAA titles – the first NCAA meet was in 1928.
No. 2 Oklahoma State 27, No. 22 Lehigh 6
125-Nick Piccininni (O) major dec Luke Resnick, 16-5
133-Daton Fix (O) dec Brandon Paetzel, 7-1
141-Kaid Brock (O) major dec Ryan Pomrinca, 12-4
149-Kaden Gfeller (O) dec Cortlandt Schuyler, 13-8
157-Wyatt Sheets (O) dec Josh Humphreys, 7-5 SV
165-Andrew Shomers (O) dec Gordon Wolf, 10-9
174-Jordan Kutler (L) dec Joe Smith, 2-1
184-Ryan Preisch (L) dec Jacobe Smith, 8-3
197-Dakota Geer (O) major dec Chris Weiler, 13-5
285-Derek White (O) dec Jordan Wood, 3-2
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