No. 8 Oklahoma State wins seven bouts to beat No. 16 Iowa State for 13th straight time
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Action image from Oklahoma State win over Iowa State in Ames by Mark Lundy, Lutte Lens.
AMES, Iowa – What a difference a day makes.
Oklahoma State suffered a tough loss to Northern Iowa Saturday night, dropping key bouts at 133, 141, and 174 pounds. A bus ride an hour away to Ames and the Cowboys turned the tables, getting big wins from rookie Reece Witcraft and veteran Joe Smith in beating Iowa State, 23-9. The Cowboys (8-2) won seven bouts and beat ISU for a 13th straight time.
“We did a good job at 133, the weights where matches were tight,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad hosts South Dakota State and Missouri next weekend. “Did a good job of just following through and getting stronger with each period. I thought we did a good job (Sunday), a big difference from Saturday’s match.
“You want to see more consistency, but it was a good team effort.”
OSU rookie Reece Witcraft lived dangerously most of his 133-pound match with Todd Small, going to his back a time or two until, in the third period, when he countered a Small attack with a sweet takedown combined with a pair of back points and eventually a 9-8 victory. Small had three second period takedowns, but Witcraft (12-6) gave the visitors some early momentum. It gave the visitors a quick 7-0 lead.
OSU senior All-American Nick Piccininni (18-1) picked up a big major decision in the opener, getting a late two-point near fall in beating Alex Mackall, 10-2.
“I was focused on being tougher today, more than I was yesterday,” Witcraft said. “A lot of mental mistakes (Saturday). I was trying to get on my offense, took a while, but I got to it in the third period.
“We realized that we were way better than we showed (against Northern Iowa). It wasn’t that (UNI) was better than us, we didn’t have the right attitude against a tough team. We wrestled a lot better today.”
Joe Smith, after an ugly loss Saturday night in Cedar Falls, responded with a big third period to beat Sam Colbray, 5-2. Smith (3-2) scored a pair of takedowns in the final period and provided the first nail in ISU’s coffin. Anthony Montalvo’s 6-2 decision over Marcus Coleman at 184 pounds provided the final nail, putting the visitors up 19-6 with just two bouts to wrestle.
“(Joe) needs to get matches in, get a little more comfortable, make weight more often,” John Smith said of his two-time All-American son. “Those are things that he needs to focus on; he’s healthy right now and that allows him to work on the mat and improve his conditioning.
“He’s a two-time All-American. He hasn’t really wrestled since the (Southern) Scuffle, so it’s taking some time.”
Ian Parker’s methodical 5-2 win over Dusty Hone at 141 pounds included 4:02 of riding time. It pushed Parker’s record to 14-2 and cut into OSU’s lead. But unbeaten Boo Lewallen (14-0) hammered back-up Ryan Leisure at 149 pounds and the visitors went up 11-3 after four bouts.
It was a throwback to 1980’s glory days at 157 pounds when Wyatt Sheets, son of NCAA champion Mike Sheets, squared off with David Carr, son of NCAA champion Nate Carr. The Cyclone redshirt-freshman (14-1) showed why he is a rising star with a 14-6 major decision that sent the dual to intermission with the visitors leading, 10-6. Both teams were deducted a team point earlier in the dual for straying too far from their bench areas.
The second half belonged to the Cowboys as they reeled off four straight victories, started by talented rookie Travis Wittlake, who controlled Chase Straw at 165 pounds. Smith followed with his win, then another rookie, Montalvo, got by Coleman, and Dakota Geer throttled Francis Duggan, 23-8, at 197 pounds.
ISU’s third victory came in the finale, a 6-2 by Gannon Gremmel over Neil Putnam.
OSU had won 12 straight in a rivalry that dates back to 1921 and now includes 84 dual meets. ISU, under current Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, won four of five in the series from January 2007 to January 2010.
The Cyclones continue their progress under third-year head coach Kevin Dresser, a 1986 graduate of the University of Iowa. Sunday had the energy of old rivals, but OSU was the better of the two.
“Two things,” said Dresser afterwards. “They don’t want to do the details that it takes to be great wrestlers. The weight issues, the lifestyle, the little things I call them, the little things that make you feel good at the end of matches, they don’t want to do that.
“This team, starting tomorrow morning at 6:30 is going to be micro-managed. We are going to put them on the scale like ninth graders every day. I let them do it their way and it is not working.”
ISU wrestles at Fresno State next Friday.
No. 8 Oklahoma State 23, No. 16 Iowa State 9
125 – Nick Piccininni (OS) maj dec Alex Mackall, 10-2
133 – Reece Witcraft (OS) dec Todd Small, 9-8
141 – Ian Parker (IS) dec Dusty Hone, 5-2
149 – Boo Lewallen (OS) maj dec Ryan Leisure, 13-1
157 – David Carr (IS) maj dec Wyatt Sheets, 14-6
165 – Travis Wittlake (OS) dec Chase Straw, 9-4
174 – Joe Smith (OS) dec Sam Colbray, 5-2
184 – Anthony Montalvo (OS) dec Marcus Coleman, 6-2
197 – Dakota Geer (OS) maj dec Francis Duggan, 23-8
285 - Gannon Gremmel (IS) dec. Neil Putnam, 6-2
*-both teams deducted a team point
AMES, Iowa – What a difference a day makes.
Oklahoma State suffered a tough loss to Northern Iowa Saturday night, dropping key bouts at 133, 141, and 174 pounds. A bus ride an hour away to Ames and the Cowboys turned the tables, getting big wins from rookie Reece Witcraft and veteran Joe Smith in beating Iowa State, 23-9. The Cowboys (8-2) won seven bouts and beat ISU for a 13th straight time.
“We did a good job at 133, the weights where matches were tight,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad hosts South Dakota State and Missouri next weekend. “Did a good job of just following through and getting stronger with each period. I thought we did a good job (Sunday), a big difference from Saturday’s match.
“You want to see more consistency, but it was a good team effort.”
OSU rookie Reece Witcraft lived dangerously most of his 133-pound match with Todd Small, going to his back a time or two until, in the third period, when he countered a Small attack with a sweet takedown combined with a pair of back points and eventually a 9-8 victory. Small had three second period takedowns, but Witcraft (12-6) gave the visitors some early momentum. It gave the visitors a quick 7-0 lead.
OSU senior All-American Nick Piccininni (18-1) picked up a big major decision in the opener, getting a late two-point near fall in beating Alex Mackall, 10-2.
“I was focused on being tougher today, more than I was yesterday,” Witcraft said. “A lot of mental mistakes (Saturday). I was trying to get on my offense, took a while, but I got to it in the third period.
“We realized that we were way better than we showed (against Northern Iowa). It wasn’t that (UNI) was better than us, we didn’t have the right attitude against a tough team. We wrestled a lot better today.”
Joe Smith, after an ugly loss Saturday night in Cedar Falls, responded with a big third period to beat Sam Colbray, 5-2. Smith (3-2) scored a pair of takedowns in the final period and provided the first nail in ISU’s coffin. Anthony Montalvo’s 6-2 decision over Marcus Coleman at 184 pounds provided the final nail, putting the visitors up 19-6 with just two bouts to wrestle.
“(Joe) needs to get matches in, get a little more comfortable, make weight more often,” John Smith said of his two-time All-American son. “Those are things that he needs to focus on; he’s healthy right now and that allows him to work on the mat and improve his conditioning.
“He’s a two-time All-American. He hasn’t really wrestled since the (Southern) Scuffle, so it’s taking some time.”
Ian Parker’s methodical 5-2 win over Dusty Hone at 141 pounds included 4:02 of riding time. It pushed Parker’s record to 14-2 and cut into OSU’s lead. But unbeaten Boo Lewallen (14-0) hammered back-up Ryan Leisure at 149 pounds and the visitors went up 11-3 after four bouts.
It was a throwback to 1980’s glory days at 157 pounds when Wyatt Sheets, son of NCAA champion Mike Sheets, squared off with David Carr, son of NCAA champion Nate Carr. The Cyclone redshirt-freshman (14-1) showed why he is a rising star with a 14-6 major decision that sent the dual to intermission with the visitors leading, 10-6. Both teams were deducted a team point earlier in the dual for straying too far from their bench areas.
The second half belonged to the Cowboys as they reeled off four straight victories, started by talented rookie Travis Wittlake, who controlled Chase Straw at 165 pounds. Smith followed with his win, then another rookie, Montalvo, got by Coleman, and Dakota Geer throttled Francis Duggan, 23-8, at 197 pounds.
ISU’s third victory came in the finale, a 6-2 by Gannon Gremmel over Neil Putnam.
OSU had won 12 straight in a rivalry that dates back to 1921 and now includes 84 dual meets. ISU, under current Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, won four of five in the series from January 2007 to January 2010.
The Cyclones continue their progress under third-year head coach Kevin Dresser, a 1986 graduate of the University of Iowa. Sunday had the energy of old rivals, but OSU was the better of the two.
“Two things,” said Dresser afterwards. “They don’t want to do the details that it takes to be great wrestlers. The weight issues, the lifestyle, the little things I call them, the little things that make you feel good at the end of matches, they don’t want to do that.
“This team, starting tomorrow morning at 6:30 is going to be micro-managed. We are going to put them on the scale like ninth graders every day. I let them do it their way and it is not working.”
ISU wrestles at Fresno State next Friday.
No. 8 Oklahoma State 23, No. 16 Iowa State 9
125 – Nick Piccininni (OS) maj dec Alex Mackall, 10-2
133 – Reece Witcraft (OS) dec Todd Small, 9-8
141 – Ian Parker (IS) dec Dusty Hone, 5-2
149 – Boo Lewallen (OS) maj dec Ryan Leisure, 13-1
157 – David Carr (IS) maj dec Wyatt Sheets, 14-6
165 – Travis Wittlake (OS) dec Chase Straw, 9-4
174 – Joe Smith (OS) dec Sam Colbray, 5-2
184 – Anthony Montalvo (OS) dec Marcus Coleman, 6-2
197 – Dakota Geer (OS) maj dec Francis Duggan, 23-8
285 - Gannon Gremmel (IS) dec. Neil Putnam, 6-2
*-both teams deducted a team point
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