No. 3 Oklahoma State Wrestling Survives Wild Atmosphere to Dominate Oregon State
STILLWATER – If you can’t be there in person then the best way to take in Oklahoma State wrestling is to listen to the descriptions of the Cowboys wrestling voice Rex Holt on the radio. Holt was hitting on the high points as new head coach David Taylor, fresh off his first win as a head coach on Friday, a 38-6 win over Utah Valley, was leading his team against No. 24 Oregon State coached by three-time Oklahoma State All-American Chris Pendleton. The dual was staged in one of college wrestling’s historic venues in Gill Coliseum. It was a steady incline Sunday afternoon for the Cowboys as they downed the Beavers 36-3. Oklahoma State 2-0 on the season under the guidance of Taylor.
The dual opened at 125 pounds and a battle of ranked wrestlers in No. 6 Troy Spratley of the Pokes and No. 24 Maximo Renteria of the Beavers. The two wrestled a tight match and Spratley was working hard in the final seconds with a setup to get a takedown but could not finish the move. It was on to overtime and in the sudden death period Spratley gained control of both ankles and got the takedown of Renteria for a 7-4 overtime decision.
No. 33 Cael Hughes took the mat against Damion Elliott and got an early takedown. He was working to try to get in the bonus range but Elliott was stubborn and Hughes settled for an 8-2 decision and Oklahoma State led 6-0.
The bonus points came for the first time at 141 pounds but not without some effort. Tagen Jamison was leading 7-3 and working on riding time in the third period and just short of a minute, Jamison let his opponent Nash Singlton up. The No. 14 Jamison, who did not wrestled at Utah Valley, quickly got back on Singleton’s legs and got the takedown with plenty of time to get the one minute riding time point. Then he slammed Singleton back on the mat in the final seconds to keep him from getting an escape to preserve an 11-3 major decision for a 10-0 Oklahoma State lead.
No. 18 Carter Young started quickly against Ayden Garver at 149 pounds and he controlled the match racking up 2:03 of riding time and a 14-4 major decision for a 14-0 Cowboy lead.
Just before the halftime break it was No. 8 Teague Travis battling No. 30 Ethan Stiles at 157 pounds. Stiles came in with a 2-0 record and he proved to be a problem as he was able to get a late takedown and send the match to overtime. Travis had the first opportunity in sudden death but was unable to finish his shot and on the counter Stiles got the winning takedown for a 7-4 overtime win and Oregon State’s first points.
Oklahoma State led midway through the dual 14-3.
The second half opened with Cameron Amine, the transfer from Michigan ranked No. 5 had lost a tough match to No. 6 and Penn State transfer Terrell Barraclough of Utah Valley on Friday. Amine wasn’t going to mess around with Murphy Menke as quickly took Menke down and put him on his back to draw a count. Amine kept up the pressure and a late takedown got him to a 13-3 major decision and Oklahoma State led the home team 18-3.
No. 5 Dean Hamiti Jr., a transfer from Wisconsin and a big winner on Friday in Utah, came out quickly and he too got a takedown and used an arm bar to get a tilt and draw an early count for multiple points. Hamiti kept the scoring going and in the second period started the routine of takedown and then cutting No. 33 Sean Harman loose. He chose to ride out the second period and he used a chicken wing for a four-point nearfall with two seconds left in the second period and an 18-1 technical fall to push the Oklahoma State advantage to 23-3 after the 174 pound match.
At 184 pounds No. 3 Dustin Plott was suprised off the opening whistle by Oregon State’s T.J. McDonnell as he grabbed Plott’s leg and got a takedown. Plott settled quickly andgot the escape and then just started scoring and wouldn’t stop. In the second period Plott had built a 14-5 lead with over two minutes of riding time. In the third period, Plott got into the routine of takedown and release with the goal of a technical fall. A stalling point made it 21-8 Plott and the senior from Tuttle got the takedown for the 24-8 technical fall and the 28-3 lead in the team score.
At 197 pounds Luke Surber drew the hometown hero in Oregon State’s No. 7 Trey Munoz. Munoz took a shot and right at the beginning Surber countered and got the takedown to quiet the Beavers crowd that was cranked to see Munoz, the son of former Oklahoma State All-American and NCAA champion Mark Munoz. Surber, ranked 19th was winning the scrambles and he took a 4-0 lead into the final period. The final period went scoreless and with a riding time advantage Surber went to 2-0 on the season with a 5-0 decision.
Oklahoma State was in the 30s for the second dual in a row with a 31-3 lead as Oregon State fans headed for the exits. They weremissing the chance to see one of the most athletic heavyweights in the country in the Cowboys No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson. A quick takedown and bonus points in the first period built ann 8-1 lead for Hendrickson. The Air Force second lieutenant stationed at Tinker Air Force Base while finishing he collegiate wrestling at OSU, he dominated Brett Mower. He closed it out in the third period early with a 16-1 technical fall and the final score was 36-3.
Oklahoma State will open the home portion of the season and the first home duals for new head coach David Taylor next weekend with a 7 p.m start on Friday (Nov. 22) against another former Cowboy wrestler and Wyoming head coach Mark Branch. The Pokes will close the weekend on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 24) hosting Arizona State.