Ferrari Toughs Out Big Match to Put Pokes Over the Top at Iowa State
Oklahoma State had won the last 13 duals with Iowa State, two old-time Big Eight to Big 12 rivals in grappling. It was one of the newest Cowboys that really made the difference for the Pokes in winning the 14th in a row over the Cyclones. Freshman 197-pounder AJ Ferrari has dominated a lot since starting he initial college season off of a fantastic high school and amateur career. Ferrari came in ranked No. 14 and unbeaten at 7-0. Ferrari had two majors and three tech falls so far. He wouldn’t get that against Cuban Younger Bastida, but his decision was good enough to put Oklahoma State in the clear on the way to the 16-15 win. It was the second win of the day as the Cowboy handled Northern Iowa 20-12 earlier on Saturday.
This was an exciting match even though there was not a lot of scoring. In the first period Ferrari looked like he was going to be taken down and Bastida had his leg, but Ferrari had the strength to kick out of it. The second period Ferrari started down and picked up an escape and nearly a takedown at the end of the period. It all came down to the third period and after Ferrari got both legs and drove through for a takedown and a 3-0 lead then Bastida got a reversal for a 3-2 score. Ferrari got the last hurrah with a reversal and the 5-2 decision to put the Pokes up 16-12.
“With AJ, you’ve got to have these experiences and know that you’re not just going to blow through someone,” head coach John Smith said of Ferrari, who has won big and talked big. “We may be able to say and talk what we want but we’re going to have to focus on those tough matches. I’m glad he had one. He had to go out and win thos for us to win the dual and you like a freshman stepping out.
“He’s away from home and he goes out and beats the big strong Cuban, who is a really good athlete,” Smith continued. “It was a good win for him.”
All the Pokes needed was for heavyweight Austin Harris to keep it to a decision against Iowa State’s No. 9-ranked heavyweight Gannon Gremmel. Gremmel got the 6-2 decision and the Cowboys had their 14th consecutive dual win over the Cyclones.
“I’m not surprised by anything, but I just think we had some guys that didn’t respond like they needed to,” Smith added in a Zoom conference after the Iowa State match. “That means stepping out and getting major decisions if you can get them. I thought some guys were doing the minimum and I thought we had several of them throughout the day both at Northern Iowa and Iowa State. I do appreciate that these matches were bloodier. Those are tough matches Northen Iowa and Iowa State. It’s not easy with the travel and wrestling two top 20 teams in the same day. It may have exposed that are schedule so far was soft.”
The match started with Cowboys 125-pounder Trevor Mastrogiovanni scrambling. The No. 13-ranked freshman from New Jersey had lost his first collegiate match earlier in the day 6-0 to Brody Teske of Northern Iowa. He fell behind early in the match and had to fight back to send the match to overtime with Hawaiian native Kysen Terukina tied at 4-4. In sudden victory period 1 Mastrogiovanni got the takedown and the win 6-4. The rebound from earlier in the day made Mastrogiovanni 7-1.
Iowa State evened the dual at 133-pounds as Zach Redding rode out Reece Witcraft in the second period after a scoreless first period and that was the start of the recipe for a shut out win as Witcraft lost his second match of the day 6-0. He lost to Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa 3-0, so Witcraft did not score in two matches. The dual was tied at 3-3.
Iowa State took a 6-3 lead when No. 7-ranked Ian Parker of Iowa State started with a takedown working up for a first period takedown of the Cowboys Dusty Hone on his way to a 12-6 decision. Parker led throughout and sensed the chance for a major decision in the third period and started a series of takedown, escape, takedown, escape and Hone fended off that last takedown that would have got it done.
The Pokes No. 4-ranked Boo Lewallen got the match into even-odd numbers as he dominate Ben Monroe with a single leg takedown on a kick out and then worked to a two-point near fall plus riding time in the first period. A second period takedown after an escape to start the period moved the score to 7-0 and then Lewallen closed it out 10-1. Lewallen stays unbeaten at 7-0 and the Cowboys jumped up to a 7-6 lead.
No. 12-ranked Wyatt Sheets had a tough task in No. 3-ranked and defending Big 12 champion David Carr. A match-up of legacy wrestlers with Carr the son of the great Cyclone two-time NCAA champion Nate Carr and Sheets the son of Mike Sheets, also a two-time NCAA Champion. Carr did most of this damage in the first period with a jump behind takedown. After a Sheets escape he exposed his leg and Carr jumped on it and collected another takedown. It was 4-2 then and Sheets was competitive but struggled with Carr’s quickness in trying to score. Carr finished an 8-4 decision for a 9-7 Iowa State lead. Carr is now 7-0 on the season and Sheets lost for the first time to drop to 2-1.
Oklahoma State’s turn as No. 4-Travis Wittlake as he jumped out on Iowa State’s Isaac Judge with two takedowns in the first period. He used a single leg move for the first one and then came back and held Judge’s left leg suspended and then got the trip for the takedown. Wittlake stayed unbeaten at 7-0 with the 6-2 decision and the Cowboys were back up on the team scoreboard 10-9.
Last week Oklahoma State head coach John Smith told the media that he thought hard luck COVID victim Anthony Montalvo was as tough a wrestler as he has in the room and Smith rewarded Montalvo on his way back to a shot in Ames against Julien Broderson. Plenty of fireworks here as in the third period and tied 1-1 the two wrestlers were battling, and Montalvo flipped over Broderson. Then Broderson did a cartwheel to avoid a takedown try from Montalvo. The match went to overtime and after a draw in sudden victory 1, Broderson rode out Montalvo and then after getting an escape added a takedown for a 4-1 decision and Iowa State led 12-10.
At 184-pounds the Cowboys Dakota Geer rebounded from an overtime loss at Northern Iowa to grab a 6-2 decision over Iowa State’s Tate Battani. Geer is now 6-1 on the season.
The Cowboys boarded the buses in Ames for a long ride home but they kept the record perfect at 7-0 with Bedlam and UALR ahead next Sunday.
No. 5 Oklahoma State (7-0/3-0) VS. No. 13 Iowa State (5-2/1-1)
Final Score: Oklahoma State 16 Iowa State 15
125: No. 13 Trevor Mastrogiovanni - OSU (7-1) dec. Kysen Terukina - ISU (5-2) 6-4 SV1
133: Zach Redding -ISU (4-2) dec. Reece Witcraft - OSU (5-3) 6-0
141: No. 7 Ian Parker – ISU (4-1) dec. Dusty Hone – OSU (4-2) 12-6
149: No. 4 Boo Lewallen - OSU (7-0) maj.dec. Ben Monroe - ISU (3-4) 10-1
157: vs. No. 3 David Carr - ISU (7-0) dec. No. 12 Wyatt Sheets – OSU (2-1) 8-4
165: No. 4 Travis Wittlake – OSU (7-0) dec. Isaac Judge - ISU (3-2) 6-2
174: No. 20 Julien Broderson – ISU (3-2) dec. Anthony Montalvo – OSU (0-1) 4-1 OT2
184: No. 9 Dakota Geer – OSU (6-1) dec. Tate Battani – ISU (3-3) 6-2
197: No. 14 AJ Ferrari – OSU (7-0) dec. No. 20 Yonger Bastida – ISU (3-3) 5-2
HWT: No. 9 Gannon Gremmel – ISU (7-0) dec. Austin Harris – OSU (5-2)