Surprise! Jax Forrest Makes His Debut with Full House GIA and Bedlam
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State had a full house back in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The lines outside surrounded the building and went way down Knoblock Street and down to Duck Street. It was just over 12,500 fans and they got a great surprise and Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor decided to break the seal on college wrestling next major superstar. Taylor this week was asked about wrestling new arrival and one of the country’s brightest stars in wrestling with freshman Jax Forrest.
“He has five dates and will see what happens,” Taylor said.
Sure, we’ll see what happens. What happened was a grand debut and a 37-0 Bedlam win, but more on the story follows.
Taylor sent Forrest out at 133 pounds and this could be more than a five date spring season for Forrest. The Johnstown, Pa. freshman got a huge ovation when introduced and quickly dominated Oklahoma’s Carter Schmidt, who came in 4-7. Forrest worked behind and got a takedown. Then after an escape Forrest on the mat worked on top and gained control for another takedown. He put Schmidt into a cradle and it was over. The fall came in :46 seconds of the match. The second bonus point of the dual and Oklahoma State had an ear shattering 25-0 lead over OU.
“He has four dates now. It was a fun one. It was a good one to start with,” Taylor said in the postdual press cnference when I asked about those dates (wrestlers have five dates before they lose the redshirt). “We’ll see what happens. This is what we’re building. Something special and we have a lot of really talented young kids. There is no real definite plan. Everybody has to stay ready.”
Not a problem for Jax Forrest.
“It was surreal,” Forrest said to the media. “It was something that I had gone back and forth with, a lot of thinking, a lot of talking about what the plan is for me, Honestly, it couldn’t have gone any better for me. Working on the things that i’d been practicing on and this sellout crowd, you know it couldn’t have gone any better.
“Yes,” he answered about being in a zone. “It was kind of a cradle, but I didn’t get my hands locked. I just had a head and a leg and I was trying to get his shoulders on the mat. You get in that flow state and it was how I felt today. I had nerves, but I have such good teammates and coaches and this being my first time wrestling here. It was great to have the people around me that I have.”
Forget that this was the record 21st Bedlam win in a row for Oklahoma State, the longest win streak by either school in Bedlam wrestling. This was the first Bedlam shutout win since 1992. This was also the first Bedlam win with Jax Forrest in the line-up.
“I didn’t grow up here, but when I arrived everything that is important to this university is important to me,” Taylor said of the win streak in Bedlam and the shutout win.
“I just think it is kind of expected,” said 174 pound Alex Facundo. “We want to do more.”
“It’s my first time, so I’m trying to just figure it out,” Forrest said. “We’re not trying to be No. 5 in the country, we’re trying to be No. 1.”
Forrest knew how to respond as he popped up and after having his arm raised went straight into the O-S-U chant.
The crowd was still buzzing as freshman, I guess fellow freshman, Sergio Vega handled his business at 141 to stay unbeaten at 9-0. He scored a 3-1 decision over No. 25 Tyler Wells.
At 149 pounds the revelry continued with No. 18 Casey Swiderski getting three takedowns, two in the first period to dominate Oklahoma’s Hunter Hollingsworth with a 13-2 major decision and a 32-0 Oklahoma State lead.
It was up to No. 6 Landon Robideau to finish the Oklahoma State whitewash of the Sooners and he was bounching back from his first college loss. It came in overtime at Nebraska to No. 6 Antrell Taylor. Robideau was in no mood to play around and he rushed out to three takedowns in the first period throwing Layton Schneider around. He went ti the third period up 15-4 and looking for you guessed it tech fall. The crowd hadn’t seen won and he delivered with a final takedown for the 21-6 final score and the 37-0 win over Oklahoma.
Another surprise started the dual off at 165 pounds. Listed starter and No. 2-ranked freshman Dee Lockett unbeaten at 8-0 sat this one out with a slight injury. Pokes Report learned that Taylor plans to rest the freshmen in the line-up on occasion. Another highly-touted freshman Kody Routledge of Edmond jumped in and did just fine. Routledge, who lost in his dual debut at Arizona State. This time in front of the home folks, Routledge got an escape to start the second period and then used a single leg and a sweep to get his first takedown. After an escape by the Sooners Peyton Kellar, Routledge got another takedown for a 7-1 lead. He added another takedown in the third with riding time and scored a 11-3 major decision for a 4-0 Oklahoma State lead.
“Dee will be okay. It’s a long season and he just got a little beat up,” Taylor said of Lockett not wrestling. “He’ll be back soon.”
No. 12 Alex Facundo used a pair of takedowns, including one in the third period where he stole the advantage from No. 7 Carter Schubert, to control the match at 174 pounds. It goes down as an upset but I’m not sure it was as Facundo took a 7-2 decision. Facundo goes to 9-4 on the season and Schubert drops to 11-4. Oklahoma State led 7-0 on the team board.
At 184 pounds, No. 10-ranked Cowboy wrestler Zack Ryder had about all he needed in the first period as he worked a scramble for a takedown about a minute in. After OU’s No. 11-ranked Brian Soldano got an escape, Ryder used a crotch tackle for another takedown and put Soldano on his back long enought for three near fall points. Ryder (9-4) gained a late point on a locked hands call, but then Soldano picked up a four-point near fall, so the final score was a 10-6 decision to put the Cowboys up 10-0.
The 197-pound match got a little chippy as No. 8 Cody Merrill of the Cowboys and No. 9 D.J. Parker of the Sooners got into a little skirmish on a single leg that almost got Parker a takedown but the two wrestlers went off the mat. The only scoring came with Merrill’s escape from the down position to start the second period. That was it. Merrill’s record moved to 9-1 with the decision. The Cowboys led 13-0.
Two more ranked wrestlers at heavyweight and No. 7 Konner Doucet of the Cowboys and OU’s No. 23-ranked Juna Mora staged a typical heavyweight match. No score in the first, Doucet proved to be a big-time rider rackin up 1:59 of riding time, just missing riding Mora out in th second period. Doucet escaped in the first eight seconds of the third to tie the match at 1-1. No more scoring, so with riding time a 2-1 decision for Doucet and a 16-0 Oklahoma State lead midway through the dual.
No. 7 Troy Spratley and Oklahoma’s No. 24 Conrad Hendricksen made like heavyweights at 125 as the scoring was minimal with Spratley getting an escape and then a stalling point for a 2-0 lead going to the third period. Spratley, now 7-2 after the win, rode Hendricksen out the third period for the riding time point and a 3-0 decision. The team score 19-0 Oklahoma State.
No. 5 ranked Oklahoma State is now 9-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Big 12. No. 15 Oklahoma falls to 7-2 and 0-1 in the Big 12.
The Cowboys will hit the road next weekend to visit Missouri before coming home to start a four-match home stand with Utah Valley, Northen Iowa, Iowa State, and Little Rock all coming to Gallagher-Iba.
