Oklahoma State Wins Big 34-3 as West Virginia Sits Some Ranked Wrestlers

What looked like a sensational dual with multiple ranked battles really evaporated with a few changes in the West Virginia projected line-up. The most impactful was the No. 1-ranked Ty Watters sitting out at 157. The changes made the 125 pound battle with a pair of veterans and the only two wrestlers that had seen each other as the premier battle of the dual. 

Oklahoma State led 31-3 as No. 8 Troy Spratley and No. 7 Jett Strickenberger met for the fourth time. The Pokes Spratley won the first, but Strickenberger had taken the last two. 

Spratley struck first as he got a leg and then spun around to get the body and total control for the takedown and a 3-0 lead. He started the second period down and scored a reverse and then started working for a turn, coming close. Then he let Strickenberger up on a re-start. After two periods, Spratley led 5-1.

Strickenberger started the third period down and Spratley was resolute picking up his opponent twice and slamming him back to the blue mat. Strickeberger did a roll to try to pry loose but Spratley maintained control throughout to clinch the riding time point. Strickenberger picked up a late escape, but it was over and Spratley evened the series with his WVU rival at 2-2 after a 6-2 win. 

The final score was 34-3 and No. 5 Oklahoma State went to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12. West Virginia lost for the first time as a team to go to 6-1 and they are 0-1 in the Big 12.

Oklahoma State not only had their top-ranked wrestlers ready, but they had a future stud in the stands as top signee in the 2026 class Jax Forrest was on hand.

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Head coach david Taylor sitting with Jax Forrest in the stands of West Virginia’s Hope Coliseum.

No. 19 Gunner Andrick started the dual off for the home team with a 4-2 decision. There was no score in the first period and after two periods plus it was 1-1 with both wrestlers with an escape from bottom. Andrick got position with a top position in a scramble and worked it into a takedown. That was the difference in the final period. 

No. 2-ranked Sergio Vega evened the score for the Cowboys. In a similar match to the first at 133, Vega with the score 1-1 in the third period defended a single leg shot by the Mountaineer Jordan Titus and worked into a cradle where he earned the takedown. He picked up a stall point and earned riding time at the wire for a 6-1 decision to go 7-0 on the season. 

The dual was tied at 3-3 through the first two matches.

At 149 pounds, this was one of the strangest matches I’ve seen in a while as the Cowboys No. 17-ranked Casey Swiderski spent most of the match close to four minutes on the mat to T.J. Langley of West Virginia. Swiderski scored a pair of takedowns in the first period with the second being a high crotch into a single leg and a takedown for a 6-1 lead. 

Langley rode out the second period to erase the riding time and then chose top for the third, even though he was down still 6-1. He rode it out, but with stalling calls lost 8-4. Oklahoma State had their first team lead 6-3. 

A huge disappointment at 157 pounds as No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Ty Watters (12-0) was not 100 percent after winning on Friday night against North Carolina State and was held out against the Cowboys No. 2-ranked Landon Robideau. Robideau had three takedowns in the first period to go out in front 9-2 on relacement Chris Evans of WVU. 

The first bonus points for OSU were coming as after an escape by Robideau to start the third period, then a penalty point against for an illegal hold, he scrambled for the takedown working around from behind and he wins a 20-5 tech fall and an 11-3 team lead for the Cowboys.

The lead was built with another of the Pokes fabulous freshmen staying unbeaten as Stillwater product No. 2 Dee Lockett used a quick ankle pick and extended to work it into a takedown for a 3-0 lead after the first. The other major move and score for Lockett on his way to a 5-2 decision and a 7-0 season record was a reversal to start the third period.

At 174 pounds there was another replacement in the line-up as the Cowboys No. 14 Alex Facundo was expecting No. 15 Brodie Miller of WVU, but instead it was unbeaten Leo Contino at 6-0. Facundo got into rhythm with a single leg shot for a takedown in the first period and then he just kept getting behind Contino for repeated takedowns with three in the second period. He started the third with a single to a doublee for an easy score and tried to add a turn for back points. After that it was release and another takedown. Facundo rode it out for a 20-5 tech fall when the riding time point was added. 

Oklahoma State led with a dominating 19-3 team advantage.

At 184 pounds the Cowboys No. 10 Zack Ryder and the Mountaineers No. 21 Ian Bush trade escapes into the third period were tied 1-1. Ryder was repeatedly igniting and starting the action. He appeared to have a takedown but Bush was going out. The takedown was waived off but the official awarded a stall call and Ryder led 2-1. West Virginia head coach Tim Flynn protested and threw his brick for a challenge. Both calls were upheld, the waive off on the takedown by Ryder and the stall warning, second resulting in a point. That was the difference in a 2-1 decision and Ryder is 8-3 on the season. 

Another match with minimal scoring at 197 pounds as No. 7 Cody Merrill took on No. 22 Rune Lawrence. Merrill led 1-0 into the third period and while he gave up a stall point, he rode out the final two minutes and the the riding time point was the difference in a 2-1 decision, the second 2-1 decision in succession and Oklahoma State led 25-3. Merrill is now 7-1 on the season.   

No. 7-ranked Konner Doucet at heavyweight warmed up the mat for the big show and I mean he warmed up the mat with a pair of near falls and a fall at 1:48 in a very dominating display over Wilson Spires. Oklahoma State went up 31-3 with the two ranked 125-pounders to go.

Oklahoma State will wrestled next at Nebraska on Dec. 21 in a week.