Cael Hughes Makes Quite the Comeback in Another Cowboys Romp 34-3 Over NC State

STILLWATER – Recovery can be a great thing and that was the case in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Monday night. The long awaited dual between No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 5 North Carolina State. Delayed 29 hours because of weather/travel delay for the visitors. At 133 pounds Cael Hughes, who was not able to fill in for starter Reece Witcraft for the Air Force dual drawing the ire of head coach David Taylor. Hughes was called upon again with Witcraft nursing a knee injury and this time Hughes not only recovered for himself, but also from an early and unusual 3-0 deficit for his team.

After a scoreless first period, Hughes showed his dominance by riding No. 7 Kai Orine out for the second period. He survived several attempted scrambles by Orine and gave the crowd a lot to cheer for.

Then starting down in the third period, it was a scramble initiated by Hughes that put Orine on his back. The Stillwater redshirt freshman took it from there and got the fall at 1:40. Off went the confetti cannons and the Cowboys led 6-3.

So, this time it was Hughes, who reportedly faliled to make weight for the Air Force dual, was back in somewhat good graces. Hughes goes to a perfect 7-0 on the season.

“Previously in the year I’ve been dealing with some injuries. The opportunity didn’t really arise in previous duals and tonight I was all for it,” Hughes said. He admitted that he was struggling some with weight. “I didn’t notice them (pinfetti cannons). They’re cool and I had a lot of family here. I looked down at my phone after the match and I had like a hundred text messages.”

“I certainly prefer to put people out there,” head coach David Taylor said. “I think it was good for Cael tonight. He’s a kid that has had a lot of success in his career and I think this has been a very good growing year for him.”

Oklahoma State would go on to 8-0 for the season with a 34-3 win. The Pokes stay in the 30s in scoring despite the clash in styles with the Wolfpack.

The momentum carried off Hughes win as No. 4 Tagen Jamison came out at 141 against the Wolfpack unranked Tyler Tracy. The scoring started in the first period with a double leg shot and takedown, continued with a nifty reversal to start the second period as Jamison was in the down position, and finished in the third period at 6:54 with another emphatic double leg and a 22-5 technical fall. Oklahoma State led 11-3. 

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

A very healthy crowd for the dual with NC State.

You have to credit Oklahoma State wrestling fans as well with the resurgence of the program under new head coach David Taylor. Even with the delay on a scheduled Alumni Weekend match. The fans were there. They needed to raise the balck curtains. The crowd, even a day late, was a season high 8,212 keeping the average well above 6,500 on the season. There were mmore students than I remember seeing at a wrestling dual in years. 

“When I’m out there wrestling I usually have tunnel vision,” said heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson on the crowd. “Stillwater is special. These people that come to the matches are special. They love wrestling so much and this is a special place to wrestle.”

The Cowboy scoring simmered just a little at 149 pounds as No 15 Carter Young won a pedestrian decision 5-2 decision over No. 33 Koy Buesgens. Young had a takedown taken away by review in the third period, but the win still raised his record to 9-6 on the season and the Oklahoma State lead to 14-3.

The excitement picked up at 157 pounds as No. 14 Caleb Fish battled No. 12 Ed Scott of NC State. The two were close and in the third period when Scott used a single leg to work around and get a takedown he took the lead 5-4. Not much time for Fish to recover. You remember our theme of the night, but Fish was impactful with an escpae to tie the score and then a single leg that he worked into putting Scott on the mat.

Official Ryan Hagan was not convinced but Fish turned Scott over for not only the takedown but four-point nearfall as well and finished with a 12-5 decision and a 17-3 lead on the team scoreboard. 

Intermission and the honoring of the former Cowboy wrestlers included former national champion Howard Aufleger. I watched him wrestle when I was in school. He was given the Oklahoma State wrestling Outstanding Alumni Award byt former head coach and Olympic great John Smith.

No.  6 Cameron Amine got the scoring restated in the dual with a 5-2 decision over No. 32 Derek Fields at 165 pounds. This was a clash in styles and you have to give NC State 13-year head coach and OSU alumni Pat Popolizio. His guys were able to wrestle defensive and keep the scoring down, but they weren’t able to win matches.

The fun was back at 174 pounds as No. 3 and unbeaten Dean Hamiti Jr. took on No. 19 Matty Singleton. Hamiti led throughout but it was testy and at the end when Hamiti Jr. got a warning the mouths started to spill and both officials Hagan and Josh Briscoe had to jump in and separate the two before, during, and after the handshake. They were still chirping at each other when Singleton came over to shake OSU coach David Taylor’s hand. Hamiti Jr.went to 13-0 with the 8-4 decision. Oklahoma State led 23-3.  

The clash of styles was no more evident that at 184 pounds where Dustin Plott scored a takedown with six seconds left to win 5-0 over No. 11 Dylan Fishback. Plott scored the first points after riding the second period and picked up a third period escape. Plott was in single digits on the scoreboard for only the fifth time this season as he went to 11-1 with the win. 

At 197 pounds No. 7 Luke Surber started fast with a first period takedown and then after an escape a double-leg repeat for a 6-1 lead and two-minutes riding time all after one period. In the third period he finished off No. 26 Christian Knop for an 18-2 technical fall and the Cowboys led 31-3. 

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Hendrickson with first period takedown of Isaac Trumble.

Heavyweight brought back No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson and No. 4 Isaac Trumble. In Las Vegas at the Cliff Keen Invitational, Hendrickson scored a first period fall on Trumble, but Trumble wrestled defensive. Twice in the first period, Hendrickson had Trumble in vulnerable position. Trumble was able to recover. 

Hendrickson kept working and ended up with a 10-4 decision and another top five win on the season to finish the Cowboys victory on the night. This was his lowest scoring match of the season. 

The start was rough as mentioned at the start of the story, the Cowboys 125 pound energizer for most matches in Troy Spratley lost for just the second time this season. NC State’s No. 11 Vince Robinson scored first late in the first period with a single leg where he climbed up for control and got the takedown on the edge of the mat. A Spratley escpae made it 3-1 after the first three minutes. They went to the third period with Robinson still up 3-2 and starting in the down position. 

An early escape put Robinson up 4-2 and then from the neutral position with Spratley in a scramble and on the bottom Robinson put Spratley’s shoulder on the mat and picked up three near fall points. The final score was 7-3. No. 2 Spratley falls to 12-2 on the season and Robinson climbed to 14-1. The Wolfpack led 3-0. It was the last time they would lead. 

Oklahoma State fans don’t have long to wait as the Cowboys will be home again on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. for another Big 12 dual with No. 20 West Virginia (7-1). 

No. 3 Oklahoma State 34, No. 5 NC State 3

Jan. 13, 2025 | Gallagher-Iba Arena | Stillwater, Okla.

Attendance: 8,212

125: No. 11 Vince Robinson (NCSU) dec. No. 2 Troy Spratley (OSU), 7-3

133: Cael Hughes (OSU) fall No. 7 Kai Orine (NCSU), 5:20

141: No. 4 Tagen Jamison (OSU) TF Tyler Tracy (NCSU), 21-5, 6:56

149: No. 15 Carter Young (OSU) dec. No. 33 Koy Buesgens (NCSU), 5-2

157: No. 14 Caleb Fish (OSU) dec. No. 12 Ed Scott (NCSU), 12-5

165: No. 6 Cameron Amine (OSU) dec. No. 32 Derek Fields (NCSU), 5-2

174: No. 3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU) dec. No. 19 Matty Singleton (NCSU), 8-4

184: No. 3 Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. No. 11 Dylan Fishback (NCSU), 5-0

197: No. 7 Luke Surber (OSU) TF No. 26 Christian Knop (NCSU), 18-2, 7:00

HWT: No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) dec. No. 4 Isaac Trumble (NCSU), 10-4