Cowboys Use Wittlake, Plott, and Geer to Show Up for Another Bedlam Win
If you were looking for that winning moment in the 181st edition of Bedlam. You know that moment that Oklahoma State proved again that it is dominant in the sport and Oklahoma realized this would be another losing effort on the mat in Bedlam with Oklahoma State winning for the 144th time. That moment came in the 165-pound match as Travis Wittlake was a takedown machine in a 26-11 tech fall over Oklahoma’s Troy Mantonona. Oklahoma State stayed unbeaten as a team at 8-0 with a 24-10 dual win over Oklahoma.
Wittlake got a takedown in period one and then after an escape the Cowboy sophomore from Coos Bay, Oregon gave a preview of what was to come as he used a single leg to an ankle pick and then the action really got going as the two wrestlers traded reversals in quick action. A stall call on Mantanona made it 7-3 after one period. From that point on it was a clinic as nine straight takedown to escape repeats and with riding time secured that led to the technical fall and a 14-7 Oklahoma State lead.
“It was a good tech fall,” Cowboys head coach John Smith said. “It was hard to judge that 165-pound match because somewhere in the first period that guy (Mantanona) literally stopped wrestling. You do like to see your athletes go ahead and take advantage of that. He did.”
Tuttle freshman and No. 12-ranked Dustin Plott, wrestling just down the road from his high school and home in Tuttle, was trailing 4-3 in the second period when a late takedown put Plott back up 5-4 over Tony Mantanona and he owned the match from that point on for an 11-6 decision and a 17-7 team lead. Plott moved his season record to 7-0.
The Cowboys No. 13 Dakota Geer secured the dual as he punished unraked Darrien Roberts at 184-pounds with a 18-4 major decision. It was a match that was never in question and Geer was dominant as it put the Pokes up 21-7.
“If you want to take two matches that I look at, “that’s OSU Cowboys,” I’m going to pick the 174-pound match and I’m going to take Dakota Geer,” Smith said getting fired up. “We’ve wrestled that kid several times with different people and we’ve never beaten him like that. As we saw early in that match it was a tussle and there weren’t a lot of points scored. There was one break out and then Geer took off and said I’m not stopping.”
Many fans were looking forward to the 197-pound match with Oklahoma State freshman and No. 11-ranked A.J. Ferrari and Oklahoma’s No. 12-ranked Jake Woodley. It was a low scoring match with Ferrari using a single and working to get Woodley down for the takedown. Woodley got an escape and it was 2-1 heading to the second. In the second period and escape by Ferrari at the start made it 3-1. In the third Woodley got an escape and then got really aggressive late but it was too late. Ferrari with the 3-2 decision is still unbeaten at 8-0. The Cowboys led 24-7.
The heavyweights kept the match going longer with overtime for Oklahoma State’s Austin Harris and the Sooners Josh Heindselman. Heindselman gave Oklahoma something to feel good about going home with a takedown late in sudden victory #1 at 3-1. Afterwards, Smith said that match left a bad taste in his mouth. He said Harris had better improve or he said he would insiert a fourth freshman into the starting line-up.
The dual, first time for Bedlam at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman since 2004, started with the Cowboys freshman No. 19-ranked Trevor Mastrogiovanni against OU senior Mason Neifeh and after a scoreless first period Mastrogiovanni got a quick escape and then turned around and used a double leg move for a takedown and a 3-0 lead. Mastogiovanni was plagued by a bloody lip and the match was paused a twice. The third period started neutral and Mastrogiovanni used a single leg advance for a takedown and control. After an escape Mastrogiovanni got a turn to a single leg and tripped Neifeh for another takedown. The 8-2 decision gave Oklahoma State the quick 3-0 lead. Mastrogiovanni left the mat 8-1 on the season.
In what looked like an even match going in the Cowboys Reece Witcraft came back from a 3-1 deficit to the Sooners Tony Madigal with a second period double leg takedown and he rode out Madrigal to build riding time. In the third period Witcraft started down and got a reversal for two points and then after an escape by Madrigal a late takedown for the 7-4 decision and a 6-0 Oklahoma State team lead.
Oklahoma’s best place for a win and even bonus points was at 141-pounds with No. 8-ranked Dom Demas. Demas scrambled and hopped over the Cowboys Dusty Hone for a takedown. Leading 2-1 in the second Demas started with a reverse and put Hone on his back and earned a four-point nearfall. Hone continued to battle through the third period and avoided anything more serious, but Demas got the 11-3 major decision and cut the Cowboys early lead to 6-4.
In one of the three matches with both wrestlers being ranked the Cowboys No. 4-ranked Boo Lewallen and No. 17-ranked Mitch Moore went through an eventful and far from boring scoreless first period. Lewallen rode out the second period and earned riding time. In the third period he escaped and scored a takedown to finish out a 4-0 decision. Oklahoma State led 9-4 and Lewallen walked off the mat unbeaten at 8-0 on the season.
The match that gave Oklahoma some hope was at 157-pounds, another battle of ranked competitors with the Pokes Wyatt Sheets ranked at No. 13 and John Thomas of Oklahoma at No. 11. The match was tied 1-1 heading to overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory #1, Sheets rode out the first tiebreaker period, but then after Sheets got a reversal in the second tiebreaker Thomas got an escape and then a takedown to win 4-3 and narrow the score to 9-7.
The intermission came and when the Cowboys returned to the mat, the match for the Sooners went away and turned into yet another Oklahoma State Bedlam win.
“Overall, it was a little bit slow for us,” Smith concluded. At (149 and 141) we were just trying to survive. Let’s give some credit to those two guys at the start (Mastrogiovanni and Witcraft) I think that OU knew they had a chance to win both those matches. We won them both being aggressive with takedowns and winning in the third period. I love seeing us win in third periods. Even if it is ugly, you’re wrestling ugly and you win in the third period. You win matches in the third period!”
Smith left the Lloyd Noble fired up and probably will need to pass some of that one because instead of watching the Super Bowl, the Cowboys bused home to Gallagher-Iba Arena and wrestled another dual with Arkansas-Little Rock winning the night half of the double dual day 45-0. Oklahoma State moved their record to 9-0. Next week the Cowboys will be able to wrestle 133 -pounder and top-ranked Daton Fix as his suspension will end. Oklahoma State will wrestle in the Cowboy Challenge Tournament at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
No. 5 Oklahoma State 24, No. 19 Oklahoma 10
Feb. 7, 2021 | Lloyd Noble Center | Norman, Okla.
Attendance: 1,276
125: No. 15 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) dec. Mason Naifeh (OU), 8-2
133: Reece Witcraft (OSU) dec. Tony Madrigal (OU), 7-4
141: No. 8 Dom Demas (OU) dec. Dusty Hone (OU), 11-3
149: No. 4 Boo Lewallen (OSU) dec. No. 17 Mitch Moore(OU), 4-0
157: No. 11 Justin Thomas (OU) dec. No. 13 Wyatt Sheets(OSU), TB-1 4-3
165: No. 4 Travis Wittlake (OSU) TF Troy Mantanona (OU),27-11 6:15
174: No. 12 Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. Anthony Mantanona (OU), 11-6
184: No. 13 Dakota Geer (OSU) MD Darrien Roberts (OU) 18-4
197: No. 11 AJ Ferrari (OSU) dec. No. 12 Jake Woodley (OU) 3-2
HWT: Josh Heindselman (OU) dec. Austin Harris (OSU), SV-1 3-1
No. 5 Oklahoma State 36, Little Rock 4
Feb. 7, 2021 | Gallagher-Iba Arena | Stillwater, Okla.
Attendance: 1,192
125: No. 15 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) Fall KhylerBrewer (UALR), 1:40
133: Reece Witcraft (OSU) MD Jaylen Carson (UALR), 11-3
141: Dusty Hone (OSU) dec. Conner Ward (UALR), 2-0
149: No. 4 Boo Lewallen (OSU) TF Kyle Prewitt (UALR), 19-44:16
157: No. 13 Wyatt Sheets (OSU) TF Noah Aziere (UALR), 18-0 2:11
165: No. 4 Travis Wittlake (OSU) TF Zeke Beach (UALR), 18-2 2:36
174: No. 12 Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. Triston Wills (UALR), 3-1
184: No. 13 Dakota Geer (OSU) TF Zane Davis (UALR), 24-9 3:58
197: No. 11 AJ Ferrari (OSU) Fall Dylan Johnson (UALR), 3:15
HWT: Austin Harris (OSU) dec. Gabe Beyer (UALR), 4-1
Extra Matches
125: Jakason Burks (OSU) dec. Joshua Sarpy (UALR), 4-1
149: Joseph Bianchi (UALR) MD Bennett Sherrer (OSU), 10-2
174: Christian Bahl (OSU) MD Will Edgar (UALR), 16-6
174: Gavin Stika (OSU) TF Will Edgar (UALR), 17-2 5:41
197: Luke Surber (OSU) TF Brooks Sacharczyk (UALR), 22-6 2:49