Oklahoma State completed the regular season with a 15-2-1 overall record and a 6-1-0 mark in the Big 12. Oklahoma finished at 13-2-0 overall and 3-2-0 in the league, with OU’s only two losses this season both coming at the hands of the Cowboys.
“This was a good win on our part. We won the tight matches,” OSU coach John Smith said. “The foundation of our program is bonus points and it was good to see two bonus-point wins in this match. It’s a good feeling.”
Clayton Foster was a 19-4 technical fall winner over Keldrick Hall in 6:05 and Jordan Oliver claimed a 17-4 major decision victor over Jordan Keller to lead the way for the Cowboys, but perhaps the biggest momentum swing came when OSU freshman 125-pounder Jon Morrison picked up a 4-1 win over No. 7 Jarrod Patterson.
“Clayton Foster was an offensive tornado - lots of points, lots of shots and no fear of getting taken down,” Smith said. “He looked good.”
Other Cowboy wins came from Mike Benefiel, Chris Perry, Jamal Parks and Neil Erisman. Benefiel nearly missed a major decision in his 8-1 thumping of Jeff James at 174 pounds and Perry won for the 10th time in his last 11 times out when he claimed a 4-3 triumph over No. 15 Erich Schmidtke. Perry is 6-1 in his last seven bouts against ranked opponents.
Erisman’s 8-4 win over Chase Nelson to end the dual put the finishing touches on an OSU win that was never really in doubt.
“This is a great way to go out,” Erisman said. “We started well and we ended well. It feels really good.”
The Cowboys return to action when they compete at the Big 12 Championships in Ames, Iowa on March 5.
Results:
165: No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. No. 10 Dallas Bailey (OSU); 4-0
174: No. 14 Mike Benefiel (OSU) dec. Jeff James (OU); 8-1
184: No. 9 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 15 Erich Schmidtke (OU); 4-3
197: No. 2 Clayton Foster (OSU) TF5 Keldrick Hall (OU); 19-4, 6:05
285: No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (OU) dec. Blake Rosholt (OSU); 9-2
125: No. 6 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. No. 7 Jarrod Patterson (OU); 4-1
133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) MD Jordan Keller (OU); 17-4
141: No. 8 Zack Bailey (OU) dec. No. 17 Josh Kindig (OSU); 11-8
149: No. 6 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 18 Matt Lester (OU); 3-1
157: No. 15 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. No. 11 Chase Nelson (OU); 8-4
Bout Summaries
165: No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. No. 10 Dallas Bailey (OSU); 4-0
Facing Oklahoma’s highest-ranked wrestler in the first bout of the dual, Cowboy freshman Dallas Bailey lost a 4-0 decision to No. 2 Tyler Caldwell. After a scoreless first period, Caldwell escaped 12 seconds into the second period to take a 1-0 lead. He followed that with a takedown later in the period and slapped a hard ride on Bailey for the remainder of the second and for the duration of the third. When his riding time point was added on, Caldwell was a 4-0 winner and he put his team up in the dual by a 3-0 score. It was the last lead the Sooners would see.
174: No. 14 Mike Benefiel (OSU) dec. Jeff James (OU); 8-1
Mike Benefiel pushed for bonus points late in his match with Jeff James, but couldn’t score one final takedown and had to settle for a still-comfortable 8-1 win over the Sooner senior who was honored prior to the dual. A Benefiel takedown in the first period was the only scoring of the period, then he followed that up by riding James out for the duration of the second period. Benefiel escaped to begin the third period and added two more takedowns to hold a 7-1 lead after three periods. His 2:31 of riding time brought the final score to 8-1.
184: No. 9 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 15 Erich Schmidtke (OU); 4-3
In one of the dual’s toss-up bouts, Chris Perry was a 4-3 winner over No. 15 Erich Schmidtke. Perry bagged the first takedown of the bout just 40 seconds in and held a 3-1 lead after two periods. Schmidtke elected a neutral start to the third period and stifled a Perry shot attempt and turned it into a takedown of his own to tie the score at 3-3 with 1:10 remaining in the bout. Perry escaped quickly to regain the lead at 4-3 and Schmidtke was powerless to do anything about it for the rest of the way.
197: No. 2 Clayton Foster (OSU) TF5 Keldrick Hall (OU); 19-4, 6:05
In one of the most lopsided bouts of the season, Clayton Foster was a 19-4 technical fall winner over Keldrick Hall in 6:05. Foster scored two takedowns in the first period and simply manhandled Hall the rest of the way, adding three more takedowns and a three-point nearfall in the second period, then two more takedowns in the third period before the bout was stopped.
285: No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (OU) dec. Blake Rosholt (OSU); 9-2
Sunday’s 9-2 loss to Nathan Fernandez marked perhaps the first time this season that Cowboy freshman Blake Rosholt looked overmatched in a bout. Fernandez connected on a five-point move early in the bout and never looked back, routinely taking the action to Rosholt and finally adding a second takedown in the third period to seal his win.
125: No. 6 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. No. 7 Jarrod Patterson (OU); 4-1
Perhaps the most important win of the dual for OSU came at 125 pounds, where Jon Morrison avenged an early-season loss to No. 7 Jarrod Patterson with a 4-1 victory over the Sooner sophomore. After a scoreless first period, Patterson escaped to start the second period, but Morrison then wrapped up Patterson’s legs for a takedown and rideout with 1:12 left in the second period. Morrison got off bottom quickly to start the third period and added a riding time point to clinch his 4-1 win.
133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) MD Jordan Keller (OU); 17-4
Jordan Oliver left another body in his wake when he claimed a 17-4 major decision win over Jordan Keller. Oliver bagged three takedowns in the first period, then added a three-point nearfall and a two-point nearfall in the second to hold a commanding 11-2 lead after five minutes. Oliver tacked on an escape and two more takedowns in the third period plus riding time to win, 17-4.
141: No. 8 Zack Bailey (OU) dec. No. 17 Josh Kindig (OSU); 11-8
Facing a senior returning All-American in No. 8 Zack Bailey, Cowboy freshman Josh Kindig lost a wildly entertaining 11-8 decision to the Sooner standout. The lead changed hands three times in the last 24 seconds of the bout and a total of seven points were scored by the two wrestlers in that same span. Bailey jumped on top by a 4-1 margin early, but Kindig scored a reversal late in the first period to bring the score to 4-3. A Bailey escape to start the second period was followed immediately by a Kindig takedown to deadlock the score at 5-5. Bailey shook free to hold a 6-5 edge after five minutes. Kindig escaped to start the third period, then was taken down by Bailey with 24 seconds left to fall behind, 8-6. With time ticking away, Kindig managed a reversal to tie the score at 8-8 with 11 seconds left, but Bailey quickly escaped to regain the lead, and then the Sooner shot in and bagged a takedown with four seconds left to seal his win.
149: No. 6 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 18 Matt Lester (OU); 3-1
Cowboy junior Jamal Parks once again proved that he is a difficult wrestler to beat in a close match when he scored a 3-1 win over No. 18 Matt Lester. Parks scored a takedown in the first period then applied a punishing two-minute rideout to finish of the period. He escaped quickly in the second stanza to go up, 3-0. Lester elected to go on top to start the third period and rode Parks out for the duration of the stanza, but his only point came as a result of Parks being slapped for stalling on bottom.
157: No. 15 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. No. 11 Chase Nelson (OU); 8-4
It was fitting that an OSU senior Neil Erisman would get to put the finishing touch on the dual with an 8-4 win over No. 11 Chase Nelson. Erisman dictated the action from the start, scoring a first-period takedown, then extending his lead to 3-1 with an escape to start the second period. Nelson brought the score to 3-2 with an escape to start the third period, but that is as close as he’d get because Erisman added two more takedowns in the third period to separate the score and dash Nelson’s hopes.
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