Jax Forrest Romps and Oklahoma State Does the Same 33-3 at Missouri
Oklahoma State wasted no time taking care of a little road work on Friday night in Columbia, Mo. It was the No. 5 Cowboys against No 18 Missouri and the separation between those two places in the national rankings proved to be a casm. OSU head coach David Taylor has been coy about whether new addition and one of the best wrestlers in the world in Jax Forrest would stay in the line-up at 133 or redshirt. More evidence Forrest is here to stay. He came out and dominated No. 26 Gage Walker of Missouri with a 16-4 tech fall in 3:11 of the match. Oklahoma State finished off Missouri 33-3 to go to 10-1 on the season and 5-0 in the Big 12.
Forrest came out of scramble for a takedown in the first seconds of the match and then worked a two-point near fall to go up 5-0. He kept working and got Walker’s shoulder back on the mat for a four-point near fall and a 9-0 lead. After Walker got an escape, Forrest got behind and another takedown and a 12-1 lead after the first period.
In the brief time in the second, Forrest got an escape after starting on the bottom and then added a takedown. The riding time made it 16-1 and 3:11 into the match it was done. A very quick tech fall to move Forrest to 6-0 in his college career.
Before Forrest took the mat, No. 7 Troy Spratley at 125 used a quick takedown getting behind to go out in front. Spratley controlled No. 24 Mack Mauger throughout. Another takedown made it 7-1 after the second. Then in the third, Mauger was called for a stall and Spratley executed three straight takedowns to run the score with riding time to 19-5, just missing a tech fall but getting a major decision.
The early dominance was topped off by No. 2-ranked freshman Sergio Vega at 141 pounds. Vega used a cradle and worked it to a takedown and eventually got Easton Hilton to his back and finished him with the fall at 1:32.
Three weights and Oklahoma State was leading 15-0 on the team scoreboard.
At 149 pounds Casey Swiderski took on Seth Mendoza. Swiderski after losing his first four matches this season had won seven of his last eight including a 7-5 win over Mendoza at the Cougar Clash. Mendoza wanted revenge but Swiderski used a first period takedown and a third period escape for a 4-3 decision.
Landon Robideau is 8-1 and has wrestled angry since his first collegeiate loss in overtime at Nebraska. That continued as Robideau took on former Cowboy and No. 15 Teague Travis. Robideau got a single leg for a takedown in the first. Then in the second started on top and he rode Travis for the entire two minutes to run riding time to 2:13 for the match. Robideau escaped early in the third period and won a 5-0 decision.
Oklahoma State led 21-0 at the intermission.
No. 2 unbeaten freshman Dee Lockett at 165 pounds missed Bedlam and looked sluggish against J. Conway of Mizzou. Lockett on a re-attack got the earley takedown and Conway kept it competitive and nearly got a late takedown to lead. His head coach Brian Smith thought he did and threw a challenge brick, but the call of no takedown was confirmed. Lockett went to 9-0 with a 4-2 decision.
In an important match at 174 pounds, No. 7 Alex Facundo kept his win streak going against No. 10 Cam Steed in a tight 2-1 decision. The Cowboys lead went to 27-0.
Missouri got their first points of the night when No. 3 Aeoden Sinclair avoided an upset with the Pokes No. 8 Zack Ryder. The two were tied in the third period 1-1, each with an escape. Then with 35 seconds left, Sinclair got Ryder by the leg and was able to finish the move for a takedown. Ryder tried but couldn’t get away and Sinclair walked away with a bloody nose and face and a 4-1 decision. For Sinclair, he ran his record to 21-1 while Ryder dropped to 9-4.
It was 27-3 for the Cowboys, but Mizzou was on the board inside the Hearnes Center with a crowd of close to 2,000.
For the second time of the night there was a Cowboy that rode a Missouri Tiger wrestler for an entire period. No. 7 Cody Merrill leading 1-0 thanks to a second period escape rode No. 12 Evan Bates the entire third period to a 4-0 decision and a 30-3 lead for the visitors from Stillwater.
To finish it off at heavyweight the Cowboys No. 6 Konner Doucet got a leg and then finished with the trip for a first period takedown. He added an escape later and finished with a 4-1 decision over Missouri’s No. 26 heavyweight Jarrett Stoner.
Oklahoma State had a match with Utah Valley on Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena postponed by the Big 12 Conference so their next sceduled action will be Jan. 30 hosting Northern Iowa at 7 p.m.
No. 5 Oklahoma State 33 (10-1/5-0) No. 18 Missouri 3 (7-7/1-2)
125 - OSU - No. 7 Troy Spratley (8-2) 19-5 MD over No. 24 Mack Mauger (17-9)
133 - OSU - No. 14 Jax Forrest (6-0) TF 16-1 (3:11) over No. 26 Gage Walker (1-2)
141 - OSU - No. 2 Sergio Vega (10-0) Fall at 1:32 over Easton Hilton (12-9)
149 - OSU - No. 12 Casey Swiderski (8-5) 4-3 dec. over Seth mendoza (13-5)
157 - OSU - No. 6 Landon Robideau (9-1) 5-0 dec. over No. 15 Teague Travis (4-3)
165 - OSU - No. 2 Dee Lockett (9-0) 4-2 dec. over J. Conway (14-8)
174 - OSU No. 7 Alex Facundo (10-4) 2-1 dec. over No. 10 Cam Steed (6-5)
184 - MU No. 3 Aeoden Sinclair (21-1) 4-1 dec. over No. 8 Zack Ryder (9-5)
197 - OSU No. 7 Cody Merrill (10-1) 4-0 dec. over No. 12 Evan Bates (19-5)
Hwy - OSU No. 6 Konner Doucet (10-1) 4-1 dec. over No. 26 Jarrett Stoner (17-11)
