Heroics Come Early in Bedlam as Reece Witcraft Turns Loss into a Glorious Pin

NORMAN – There wasn’t much doubt that Oklahoma State was going to win the 189th edition of Bedlam wrestling. Cowboys new head coach David Taylor’s first ever Bedlam, and I mean first-ever, was going to come in Norman at the old fieldhouse, now the McCasland Fieldhouse. I was hoping for at least some drama for Taylor to witness, but what little doubt there could be a Sooner upset, their first win in the series (just their 28th overall) was erased in the second match of the dual at 133 pounds. Oklahoma State was heavily favored in the back half of the dual and it played out to a 35-3 Oklahoma State win.

Sporting the new orange singlets with the military chevrons on back and the script “Cowboys” in front, No. 19 Reese Witcraft was facing No. 18 Cleveland Belton. No score in the first period and then Belton started down in the second period and escaped in 16 seconds for a 1-0 advantage. Then Witcraft tried the old snake move made famous by former Cowboy and Bedlam hero Thomas Landrum. Belton had the mongoose move to the snake and put Witcraft down and on his back. It was close as Witcraft burned a lot of gas in his tank avoiding the pin. The four-point near fall made it 8-0 for Belton. An escape got Witcraft on the board at 8-1 going to the third.

“I felt a little scared at first,” Witcraft said of his match that at that point was far from over.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Witcraft right after the fall at 133 pounds.

The third period started with a second escape by Witcraft. The red-shirt senior from Broken Arrow still had gas in the tank and it was about to ruin the Sooners’ evening. Witcraft just used a move to the chest as the two wrestlers were squared up and Witcraft put Belton on the mat flat on his back. It only took seconds and both the referee and the second official had the fall. It came at 5:42 and the Cowboys added six points to the four that Troy Spratley had picked up at 125 pounds for a 10-0 lead.

“Holy cow, that was good,” head coach David taylor said. “It was just an opportunity for Reece where things weren’t going his way and he kind of stayed the course and found a way. It’s wrestling. Wrestling doesn’t always go your way. He could have stopped wrestling and he didn’t and he found a way to make it go his way. That was good.”

“I guess I just kept trying to score points and threw him to his back,”  Witcraft said breaking it down simply. “I was just thinking about moving my feet and moving my hands. I threw him to his back and I thinking about something my dad said to me at the Lass Vegas tournament to keep running my feet. It was in my head to run my feet, run my feet and not get tangled up. I did that and I text my dad right after and told him, I ran my feet.”

After gaining a warning point in the first period and then an escape in the early seconds of the second period, Troy Spratley opened the dual for the Cowboys leading 2-0. Then it got good as the No. 3-ranked Spratley got the right leg of Antonio Lorenzo and gained control for the takedown and a 5-0 lead. After an escape in the third as Spratley had 1:12 in riding time, he came back with a takedown at the buzzer and with riding time had the 10-1 major decision.

Following Witcraft’s turn around fall stealing victory from the jaws of defeat, Tagen Jamison ranked No. 4 and sporting a 10-1 record made solid work of No. Mosha Schwartz. Jamison got a reversal to start the second after a scoreless first period. Leading 2-1 after an escape, Jamison went from a single leg to the waist and got the slam for the takedown to go up 5-1. He went on to an 8-3 decision and the Cowboys led 13-0 on the team scoreboard.

“Of course I fed off it (Witcraft’s fall),” Tagen Jamison said. “Our guys are trained and ready to go, win or lose. We’re ready to go.”

“I think so,” Taylor said of Reece’s win pumping everybody up. He’s been a part of these matches (Bedlam) for a long time and for him to do that is this dual and finish that way is special for him.”

Oklahoma gained their first win of the night at 149 pounds and it was barely as No. 20 Willie McDougald of Oklahoma benefitted from a pair of stall calls on No. 13 Carter Young to take the match to overtime. Sudden victory didn’t decide it, so it was on to tiebreaker No. 1. Oklahoma State asked for a review for a lock hands call and it gave McDougald a nice minute and a half rest. He needed it and was able to keep Young down to finish the 30 seconds and take the 7-6 tb1 win.

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Fish rolled and is now 11-3 on the season.

Finally, some thrills in the 157 pound match as it was 1-0 late in the third with No. 17 Caleb Fish of Oklahoma State leading and just before the buzzer Fish got a four-point near fall to close out a 5-0 decision. Oklahoma State led 16-3.

After the halftime break, the Cowboys domination continued as Cameron Amine ranked No. 6 took on Tate Picklo of Oklahoma. Amine grabed a single to the one leg hopper to score the first takedown. Then in the third period Amine had worn out Picklo and got into a third period takedown to escape rhythm and ran out a 14-3 major decision. Amine needed about 30 more seconds to use his domiant conditioning to get to a tech fall, but his major put Oklahoma State up 20-3. 

The score climbed to 23-3 as Dean Hamiti Jr. used an escape and a takedown to with over No. 6 Gaven Sax. 4-0. Hamiti ran his record to 10-0 on the season. 

The final four matches where Oklahoma State was heavily favored were off and running, 

Dustin Plott was workmanlike in his match with OU transfer D.J. Parker, but the number of this win would be special. The No. 3-ranked Plott had Parker down and had to work awhile to get the first period takedown and a 3-0 lead. In the second period, Plott got the escape and then used a single leg to reach over and gain control of Parker forcing him to the mat for another takedown and a 7-0 lead. The third period Parker started on top released Parker to make it 7-1. It got a little harrowing for the Cowboy as Parker got the body and plopped Plott for a takedown. The escape made it 8-4 and Plott gained some gusto with a takedown to go up 11-4. Escape by Parker and you know what was next. Another takedown by Plott made it 14- and then a four near fall finished off a 18-6 major decision. 

That special number? That was collegiate win No. 100 for Plott making him the 46^th Cowboy to reach that big number. On the season Plott is now 8-1.

Luke Surber, the second half of the Cowboys Tuttle two-step nearly worked a major late but settled for an 8-2 decision and Oklahoma State led 30-3. Surber ran his record to 11-1.

Heavyweight and it was fun again to watch Wyatt Hendrickson just mess with Oklahoma’s Juan Mora. Mora had no idea where Henrickson was going to strike and when he finally went low for the first takedown it was off and running. Hendrickson couldn’t get anything extra going, so he released Mora and the first period ended 3-1. 

Hendrickson came close to near fall points in the second period as he rode out Mora in the period for a massive 3:27 in riding time. The third period was Wyatt’s playground as he got the escape and went to work with a reverse and several takedowns building his lead to 18-4 and, in a late change as the final score of this match and the dual were listed several ways, the points were calculated for a tech fall at 19-4. Riding time made the final point for the tech fall so it came at 7:00.

Oklahoma State goes to 5-0 on the season in duals and now gets ready for a home dual to finish out 2024 with Virginia Tech next Friday Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

No. 3 Oklahoma State 35, No. 21 Oklahoma 3

Dec. 13, 2024 | McCasland Field House| Norman, Oklahoma

Attendance: 2,348

125: No. 3 Troy Spratley (OSU) MD No. 24 Antonio Lorenzo (OU), 10-1

133: No. 19 Reece Witcraft (OSU) fall No. 18 Cleveland Belton (OU), 5:43

141: No. 4 Tagen Jamison (OSU) dec. No. 9 Mosha Schwartz (OU), 8-3

149: No. 20 Willie McDougald (OU) dec. No. 13 Carter Young (OSU), TB-1 7-6

157: No. 12 Caleb Fish (OSU) dec. Carter Schubert (OU), 6-0

165: No. 6 Cameron Amine (OSU) MD No. 31 Tate Picklo (OU), 14-3

174: No. 3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU) dec. No. 6 Gaven Sax (OU), 4-0

184: No. 3 Dustin Plott (OSU) MD No. 24 DJ Parker (OU), 19-6

197: No. 10 Luke Surber (OSU) dec. Bradley Hill (OU), 8-2

HWT: No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) TF No. 21 Juan Mora (OU), 19-4, 7:00