Hendrickson Sits Out Dual Against Former Teammates, Doucet and Cowboys Rout Air Force
(This story originated with Jake LeForce and Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations but was contributed to by Robert Allen of Pokes Report.)
STILLWATER – All-American and No. 3-ranked heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson sat out the Cowboys dual on Friday night intentionally. The Air Force Academy graduate, current active duty second lieutenant and four-year letterman at AFA chopse not to wrestle against his former team and coach. He had said early before the season that he might make that choice.
Hendrickson was there and supported both teams. Konner Doucet wrestled in his place and scored a 2-1 decision in his only start of the season. The Cowboys had a couple of other areas of trouble with the line-up. OSU did not weigh in a 133 pounder, normally Reece Witcraft. They also did not have Cameron Amine in the line-up at 165 pounds, but Colin Young handled the assignment.
Taylor said Witcraft needed to give his knee some rest. He had been wrestling on a sore knee since Las Vegas and it was time to get him healthy. Tyalor said the bakups didn’t do what was needed to earn the right to weigh in and wrestle. Amine should be back for the N.C. State dual, but Young wrestled well.
Despite the line-up changes, No. 3 Oklahoma State defeated Air Force, 43-6 at Gallagher-Iba Arena to improve to 7-0 overall and 5-0 against the Big 12. Meanwhile, the Falcons dropped to 2-3 with the loss.
Like it has all season long, Oklahoma State built its lead upon seven bonus-point performances with five wrestlers earning technical falls and two others securing pins. Those efforts propelled OSU to 43 team points, its highest total of the David Taylor era and most since December 17, 2021 (45-0 at Air Force). The Cowboys have surpassed 30 team points every dual this year, a feat that had not been accomplished through the first seven duals of a season since 1996-97. The only longer streak in program history is when OSU reached 30 points in the first 10 duals of the 1987-88 campaign. Individually, Cowboy wrestlers have won 59 of 70 bouts in dual competition while compiling a 57% bonus rate.
“Just picking up where we left off before the break,” head coach David Taylor said. “Good to see the guys continue to improve and work on the stuff that we’re working on. Tonight was good for these guys. We’ve had a lot of tough matches, and tonight, we were able to go out, build our leads and score some points.”
Troy Spratley gave a preview of the night at 125 pounds, beating Bubba Wright via a 20-3 technical fall. He did so through four takedowns and a pair of four-point near falls, improving his record to 12-1 and continuing the best season of his career. Air Force’s only team points came at 133 pounds due to a Cowboy forfeit, but Tagen Jamison then put up 20 points in the next match to capture another technical fall and give his team a lead it would never surrender.
It was more of the same in the following two matches, as Carter Young used a 10-1 first period and riding time point to beat Alec Viduya, 18-3, and snap his four-match skid in dual competition. At 157 pounds, Caleb Fish earned another five team points through his 20-3 technical fall over EJ Beloncik, giving OSU a 20-6 advantage at intermission.
Following the break, true freshman Colin Young made the first dual start of his career against Andrew Harmon at 165 pounds. He grabbed two takedowns and didn’t allow an offensive point en route to an 8-2 decision.
The Pokes tightened their grip over the next two matches and mathematically clinched the dual.
First, Dean Hamiti Jr. needed just 1:55 to put Jack Ganos on his back and get a slap of the mat at 174 pounds. The bonus-point win was Hamiti’s 10th of the year as part of his perfect 12-0 record. Dustin Plott would not be outdone at 184 pounds, however, as he pinned Gage Musser in 1:46 and sent Gallagher-Iba Arena into a frenzy.
Moving up to 197 pounds, Luke Surber continued the thumping with another technical fall, this time over Brian Burburija by a score of 23-8. Making his first start of the season was heavyweight Konner Doucet, who closed out the dual with a 2-1 victory over Antonio Ramos.
The Cowboys continue their homestand on Sunday, January 12, against No. 6 NC State. That dual is slated for a 2 p.m. start and will be streamed on ESPN+.
No. 3 Oklahoma State 43, Air Force 6
Jan. 3, 2025 | Gallagher-Iba Arena | Stillwater, Okla.
Attendance: 6,538
125: No. 2 Troy Spratley (OSU) TF Bubba Wright (AF), 20-3, 5:25
133: Gavin Caprella (AF) wins by forfeit
141: No. 4 Tagen Jamison (OSU) TF Carter Nogle (AF), 20-5, 6:40
149: No. 14 Carter Young (OSU) TF Alec Viduya (AF), 18-3, 7:00
157: No. 14 Caleb Fish (OSU) TF EJ Beloncik (AF), 20-3, 5:56
165: Colin Young (OSU) dec. Andrew Harmon (AF), 8-2
174: No. 3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU) fall Jack Ganos (AF), 1:55
184: No. 3 Dustin Plott (OSU) fall Gage Musser (AF), 1:46
197: No. 7 Luke Surber (OSU) TF Brian Burburija (AF), 23-8, 5:42
HWT: Konner Doucet (OSU) dec. Antonio Ramos (AF), 2-1