No. 11 Oklahoma State has to scrap hard, winning key close bouts to beat No. 24 Missouri, 26-6
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Wyatt Sheets of Oklahoma State enjoys the closing moments of his big win at 157 pounds. Photo courtesy of @CowboyWrestling Twitter.
STILLWATER, Okla. – Most look at a 26-6 final score and think it might be a one-sided afternoon. That was anything but the case inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday as No. 11 Oklahoma State won a slugfest over the visiting Tigers, ranked 24th in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll.
OSU (10-2) won 8 of 10 bouts, including a key four-match stretch from 157 through 184 pounds after the Tigers (10-6) won two of the first four and got a big win from No. 5 Brock Mauller (21-1) over top-ranked Boo Lewallen at 149 pounds.
“This has always been a good dual meet, a lot of battles over the years with Missouri,” said OSU coach John Smith. “The mistakes we make is with our intensity level and not closing the gap, not doing some things that comes with confidence. I have a group of guys just trying to win watches and I’m looking for a little more.
“What was important in some of those matches, like 157, was he kept coming. Even when he got taken down, to come back. Just got out-scrambled and everyone’s thinking we lost this match, but to come back. It was pure will in that third period. A lot of matches like that today.”
“We lost a lot close matches today,” said MU boss Brian Smith. “It’s frustrating, but we are young and we have to be tougher in a lot of positions. Oklahoma State was tougher today. Told the guys before we out that there were going to be some tough matches and the guys that went those battles late, like Brock (Mauller) are going to win. Nothing was going to be easy.
“Thought we had 174, but that’s another of those frustrating matches. Thought we were better than we showed, but you have to credit OSU. I think someone may have woken them up in Iowa last week.”
The visitors looked like they might make it a dual early. After senior All-American Nick Piccininni improved to 20-1 with a 20-5 technical fall at 125 pounds, MU’s Allan Hart (14-8) took advantage of a big first period in beating Reece Witcraft, 11-7, at 133 pounds. OSU’s Dusty Hone (16-6) followed with a grinding 9-3 win over Alex Butler at 141 pounds, but the Tigers, who host No. 5 Arizona State next weekend, pulled out a big victory a bout later.
Mauller, an All-American last March as a first-year starter, brought a little more chaos to the 149-pound landscape with a pair of big takedowns late to beat Lewallen, 5-3. The Cowboy All-American suffered his first loss in 16 matches in 2019-20 after Mauller scored a late takedown to tie things at three, then worked a double-leg into two more 19 seconds into sudden victory.
“Big win for Brock,” Brian Smith said. “That’s a tough match on the road against a guy that is physical; we’re down 3-0 but stayed in there, continued to battle for seven minutes.”
Then things got very fan friendly.
Wyatt Sheets’ roller coaster season continued, bouncing back from a tough weekend in Iowa with a pair of wins this weekend. Sunday, Sheets (14-6) scored a match-tying takedown in the final seconds, then survived a number of mad scrambles in the first sudden victory. The sophomore survived more scramble madness in the first set of tiebreakers, scoring a takedown in the final seconds to win 8-6. Just, simply, a fantastic, action-packed eight-plus minutes of wrestling that gave the hosts an 11-6 lead halfway through the dual.
“I’ve had more focus in practice,” Sheets said. “Early mornings, late nights. I think eight of the 10 matches we out-scored (MU) in the third period and that’s from working in the room.
“For me, it’s more about focus, not just being in shape. I’ve got to focus throughout the match. (This season) has had its and ups-and-downs. I’m not focusing wins and losses right now. Tomorrow is a new day and a chance to get better.”
Cowboy rookie Travis Wittlake (22-1) then made it 14-6 with another strong performance, beating Peyton Mocco, 11-6, at 165 pounds. Wittlake’s lone loss came at the Southern Scuffle to Stanford’s Shane Griffith.
The 174-pound bout was another thriller.
Joe Smith (5-2) had plenty left in his gas tank with Sunday’s dual still in the balance. MU senior Connor Flynn bear-hugged Smith to his back and jumped to a quick 4-0 lead. But Smith stormed back with a takedown and turn of his own to send the match to the second period at 5-4. Leading 6-5 in the third, Smith was hit for grabbing the headgear and suddenly it was tied. But the All-American from three seasons ago dug deep and turned a powerful double-leg into a massive six-point move in the final 10 seconds to win emphatically, 12-6.
OSU wrapped up the dual when rookie Anthony Montalvo (16-5) won another physical battle, 9-5, over veteran Dylan Wisman. All-American Dakota Geer moved to 18-4 with a solid 10-5 decision of Wyatt Koelling, at 197 pounds; heavyweight Neil Putnam (1-2) earned his first collegiate victory in the finale to close out a dual that was as entertaining as any in 2019-20.
“It’s good for wrestling, having these competitive dual this time of year,” MU’s Smith said. “This is what gets you prepared for what is coming up. These duals are close; we’ve lost some close duals this year and still have Arizona State and Iowa State left.”
Missouri is the last team to win a Big 12 Conference title, winning in 2012, their final year in the league before heading to the Mid-American Conference. The OSU-MU series, dating to 1929, includes 52 meetings with all seven of MU’s wins coming since 2003. Three of the four duals entering Sunday came down to the final bout, including Derek White’s sudden victory win over Zach Elam in Columbia last February.
OSU wrestles at Air Force and Wyoming next Saturday.
No. 11 Oklahoma State 26, No. 24 Missouri 6
125 – Nick Piccininni (OS) tech fall Cameron Valdiviez, 20-5 (7:00)
133 – Alan Hart (M) dec Reece Witcraft, 11-7
141 – Dusty Hone (OS) dec Alex Butler, 9-3
149 – Brock Mauller (M) dec Boo Lewallen, 5-3 SV1
157 – Wyatt Sheets (OS) dec Jarrett Jacques, 8-6 TB1
165 – Travis Wittlake (OS) dec Peyton Mocco, 11-6
174 – Joe Smith (OS) dec Connor Flynn, 12-6
184 – Anthony Montalvo (OS) dec Dylan Wisman, 9-5
197 – Dakota Geer (OS) dec Wyatt Koelling, 10-5
285 – Neil Putnam (OS) dec Jake Bohlken, 3-2, TB2
STILLWATER, Okla. – Most look at a 26-6 final score and think it might be a one-sided afternoon. That was anything but the case inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday as No. 11 Oklahoma State won a slugfest over the visiting Tigers, ranked 24th in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll.
OSU (10-2) won 8 of 10 bouts, including a key four-match stretch from 157 through 184 pounds after the Tigers (10-6) won two of the first four and got a big win from No. 5 Brock Mauller (21-1) over top-ranked Boo Lewallen at 149 pounds.
“This has always been a good dual meet, a lot of battles over the years with Missouri,” said OSU coach John Smith. “The mistakes we make is with our intensity level and not closing the gap, not doing some things that comes with confidence. I have a group of guys just trying to win watches and I’m looking for a little more.
“What was important in some of those matches, like 157, was he kept coming. Even when he got taken down, to come back. Just got out-scrambled and everyone’s thinking we lost this match, but to come back. It was pure will in that third period. A lot of matches like that today.”
“We lost a lot close matches today,” said MU boss Brian Smith. “It’s frustrating, but we are young and we have to be tougher in a lot of positions. Oklahoma State was tougher today. Told the guys before we out that there were going to be some tough matches and the guys that went those battles late, like Brock (Mauller) are going to win. Nothing was going to be easy.
“Thought we had 174, but that’s another of those frustrating matches. Thought we were better than we showed, but you have to credit OSU. I think someone may have woken them up in Iowa last week.”
The visitors looked like they might make it a dual early. After senior All-American Nick Piccininni improved to 20-1 with a 20-5 technical fall at 125 pounds, MU’s Allan Hart (14-8) took advantage of a big first period in beating Reece Witcraft, 11-7, at 133 pounds. OSU’s Dusty Hone (16-6) followed with a grinding 9-3 win over Alex Butler at 141 pounds, but the Tigers, who host No. 5 Arizona State next weekend, pulled out a big victory a bout later.
Mauller, an All-American last March as a first-year starter, brought a little more chaos to the 149-pound landscape with a pair of big takedowns late to beat Lewallen, 5-3. The Cowboy All-American suffered his first loss in 16 matches in 2019-20 after Mauller scored a late takedown to tie things at three, then worked a double-leg into two more 19 seconds into sudden victory.
“Big win for Brock,” Brian Smith said. “That’s a tough match on the road against a guy that is physical; we’re down 3-0 but stayed in there, continued to battle for seven minutes.”
Then things got very fan friendly.
Wyatt Sheets’ roller coaster season continued, bouncing back from a tough weekend in Iowa with a pair of wins this weekend. Sunday, Sheets (14-6) scored a match-tying takedown in the final seconds, then survived a number of mad scrambles in the first sudden victory. The sophomore survived more scramble madness in the first set of tiebreakers, scoring a takedown in the final seconds to win 8-6. Just, simply, a fantastic, action-packed eight-plus minutes of wrestling that gave the hosts an 11-6 lead halfway through the dual.
“I’ve had more focus in practice,” Sheets said. “Early mornings, late nights. I think eight of the 10 matches we out-scored (MU) in the third period and that’s from working in the room.
“For me, it’s more about focus, not just being in shape. I’ve got to focus throughout the match. (This season) has had its and ups-and-downs. I’m not focusing wins and losses right now. Tomorrow is a new day and a chance to get better.”
Cowboy rookie Travis Wittlake (22-1) then made it 14-6 with another strong performance, beating Peyton Mocco, 11-6, at 165 pounds. Wittlake’s lone loss came at the Southern Scuffle to Stanford’s Shane Griffith.
The 174-pound bout was another thriller.
Joe Smith (5-2) had plenty left in his gas tank with Sunday’s dual still in the balance. MU senior Connor Flynn bear-hugged Smith to his back and jumped to a quick 4-0 lead. But Smith stormed back with a takedown and turn of his own to send the match to the second period at 5-4. Leading 6-5 in the third, Smith was hit for grabbing the headgear and suddenly it was tied. But the All-American from three seasons ago dug deep and turned a powerful double-leg into a massive six-point move in the final 10 seconds to win emphatically, 12-6.
OSU wrapped up the dual when rookie Anthony Montalvo (16-5) won another physical battle, 9-5, over veteran Dylan Wisman. All-American Dakota Geer moved to 18-4 with a solid 10-5 decision of Wyatt Koelling, at 197 pounds; heavyweight Neil Putnam (1-2) earned his first collegiate victory in the finale to close out a dual that was as entertaining as any in 2019-20.
“It’s good for wrestling, having these competitive dual this time of year,” MU’s Smith said. “This is what gets you prepared for what is coming up. These duals are close; we’ve lost some close duals this year and still have Arizona State and Iowa State left.”
Missouri is the last team to win a Big 12 Conference title, winning in 2012, their final year in the league before heading to the Mid-American Conference. The OSU-MU series, dating to 1929, includes 52 meetings with all seven of MU’s wins coming since 2003. Three of the four duals entering Sunday came down to the final bout, including Derek White’s sudden victory win over Zach Elam in Columbia last February.
OSU wrestles at Air Force and Wyoming next Saturday.
No. 11 Oklahoma State 26, No. 24 Missouri 6
125 – Nick Piccininni (OS) tech fall Cameron Valdiviez, 20-5 (7:00)
133 – Alan Hart (M) dec Reece Witcraft, 11-7
141 – Dusty Hone (OS) dec Alex Butler, 9-3
149 – Brock Mauller (M) dec Boo Lewallen, 5-3 SV1
157 – Wyatt Sheets (OS) dec Jarrett Jacques, 8-6 TB1
165 – Travis Wittlake (OS) dec Peyton Mocco, 11-6
174 – Joe Smith (OS) dec Connor Flynn, 12-6
184 – Anthony Montalvo (OS) dec Dylan Wisman, 9-5
197 – Dakota Geer (OS) dec Wyatt Koelling, 10-5
285 – Neil Putnam (OS) dec Jake Bohlken, 3-2, TB2
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