Time: 7 p.m. CST
Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma (Gallagher Iba Arena)
On Friday night, Lehigh heads to Gallagher Iba Arena in Stillwater to battle Oklahoma State. Last season, the three-time defending national champion Cowboys defeated the Mountain Hawks twice during the regular season by scores of 20-16 (at National Duals) and 24-9.
The Mountain Hawks are off to a 5-1 start this season -- with their lone loss coming narrowly to Penn State, 18-17, at the Penn State Duals on Nov. 13. They are coming off a 36-3 win over Rutgers on Nov. 27. Lehigh's biggest win this season, however, came against Arizona State, 29-7, on Nov. 17. The Cowboys are 1-0 after opening their dual season on Sunday with a 21-15 victory over Michigan State.
Below is a match-by-match breakdown of Friday night's dual.
125: Matt Fisk (Lehigh, Freshman) vs. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State, Sophomore)
Coleman ScottRevWrestling.com Prediction: Scott decision over Fisk (Oklahoma State +3)
133: Jeff Santo (Lehigh, Sophomore) vs. Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State, Sophomore)
Santo, who posted a 7-3 dual record last season, is off to a 2-0 start with two pins. He's not an All-American threat, but he's certainly a serviceable starter for Lehigh. Morgan, like Scott, is also a true sophomore. He won the Kaufman-Brand Open by defeating two-time junior college national champion Earl Jones of Central Oklahoma. Morgan, although not physically imposing, is a great technician who is very slick on his feet. Morgan will be looking for a major decision here … at the very least.
RevWrestling.com Prediction: Morgan major decision over Santo (Oklahoma State +4)
141: Cory Cooperman (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Daniel Frishkorn (Oklahoma State, Sophomore)
This will be a battle of two returning All-Americans and a rematch of the third place bout at the 2005 NCAA Tournament, which Cooperman won by a score of 10-1. Cooperman also dominated Frishkorn at the National Duals last season, 9-1. Frishkorn is a hot and cold wrestler. He's had a very disappointing season thus far. He placed fourth at the Kaufman-Brand and then lost 7-1 to All-American Andy Simmons of Michigan State in a dual. Cooperman is off to a 4-0 start this season. These two wrestlers seem to be going in opposite directions right now, which is why I expect Cooperman to dominate this match.
RevWrestling Prediction: Cooperman major decision over Frishkorn (Lehigh +4)
149: Trevor Chinn (Lehigh) vs. Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State)
Chin, a redshirt freshman, came to Lehigh as a highly touted two-time New York state champion. He posted an impressive 17-5 record while redshirting last season. He is 2-0 so far this season, although neither win came against a ranked opponent. Lehigh could also send out two-time NCAA qualifier Matt Ciasulli, who moved up from 133 pounds. Esposito, a returning NCAA champion, is one of the most complete wrestlers in the country, regardless of weight class. He was upset by a game Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan at the All-Star Classic. But Espo came back to score a technical fall over Darren McKnight of Michigan State on Sunday. Both Chinn and Ciasulli are solid wrestlers, but I would be very surprised if either one avoided bonus points here.
RevWrestling.com Prediction: Esposito major decision over Chinn (Oklahoma State +4)
157: Derek Zinck (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Kevin Ward (Oklahoma State, Senior)
For Lehigh to have a chance at pulling off the upset, they need to win this match. Zinck, now a senior, was an All-American as a freshman, but has battled injuries throughout his career and hasn't been able to get back to the All-American podium. He's off to a 4-0 start this season, which includes a tie-breaker win over returning NCAA qualifier Nathan Galloway of Penn State. Ward, who won the Big 12 title last season, placed third at the Kaufman-Brand Open, but then dropped a match to Michigan State's Tony Greathouse in a dual. These two wrestlers met three times last season, with Zinck coming way victorious in two of the matches. This match could go either way, but Zinck seems to wrestling a little better right now.
RevWrestling.com Prediction: Zinck decision over Ward (Lehigh +3)
165: Troy Letters (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State, Junior)
This is a match that wrestling fans across the country have been looking forward to since last March -- two NCAA champions who aren't particularly fond about one another. Letters won both head-to-head meetings last season (4-3 and 5-2), but Hendricks won the NCAA title. Letters is 7-0 this season and also picked up his 100th career win by pinning Ryan Cunningham of Rider on Nov. 10. Hendricks was a big sluggish in his overtime loss at the All-Star Classic to Matt Nagel of Minnesota, but bounced back nicely with a technical fall over Michigan State's Bryan Harney. This could be an early preview of an NCAA championship match.
RevWrestling.com Prediction: Letters decision over Hendricks (Lehigh +3)
174: Travis Frick (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State, Freshman)
Travis FrickRevWrestling.com Prediction: Frick decision over Mason (Lehigh +3)
184: David Helfrich (Lehigh, Junior) vs. Jack Jensen (Oklahoma State, Sophomore)
This match is a tossup. Helfrich is 8-1 this season, but that's a bit deceiving because he has hasn't wrestled tough competition yet. He's a serviceable starter for Lehigh, but not a legitimate All-American threat at this point in his career. Jensen is certainly the weak link for Oklahoma State, although most programs would take this sophomore in a heartbeat. After dropping his first match at the Kaufman-Brand Open, he battled back to place fourth. Jensen has shown glimpses of being a very good wrestler, but is still young and makes a lot of mistakes technically. Helfrich is wrestling well right now and seems to have quite bit of confidence, which is why I think he'll pull this one out.
RevWrestling.com Prediction: Helfrich decision over Jensen (Lehigh +3)
197: Matt Cassidy (Lehigh, Junior) vs. Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State, Senior)
Jake RosholtRevWrestling.com Prediction: Rosholt decision over Cassidy (Oklahoma State +3)
Hwt: Tom Curl (Lehigh, Junior) vs. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State)
This battle is a battle of two former New Jersey high school stars. Curl set the New Jersey state record for pins with 94, while Mocco won four National Prep titles for Blair Academy. Curl, who started his career at Buffalo, posted a 13-5 record last season as the backup at heavyweight, but is off to a disappointing 1-2 start this season. He lost a tight one-point match to Joel Edwards of Penn State, but then was throttled a few days later, 14-4, by All-American Cain Velasquez of Arizona State. Mocco, who will by vying for his third NCAA title this season, has not lost an official collegiate match since 2002 -- although he recently dropped an exhibition match to Cole Konrad of Minnesota at the All-Star Classic. Mocco will be wrestling for bonus points here -- and will more than likely get them. The question, though, is whether or not he will be able to put Curl on his back and score six for the Cowboys.
RevWrestling.com Prediction: Mocco major decision over Curl (Oklahoma State +4)
Final Dual Prediction: Oklahoma State 18, Lehigh 16
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