James Hackney
#3 Oklahoma State over #9 Mizzou (24-10)
The Cowboys went on the road and got a dominating 24-10 win, taking six matches plus a forfeit. They scored upsets at 125, 157, and 174 with two coming in overtime. With a forfeit at 133 they were able to bump up Daton Fix who took out a ranked Josh Edmond at 141. While the dual season isn’t over, OK State has set themselves up to run the table the rest of the season. #2 Iowa just took a one sided loss to Michigan, which puts Oklahoma State in prime position to take that spot in the rankings.
- Teague Travis – All-American Contender?
Since stepping into the starting lineup Travis is 9-2 with two top ten wins over All-Americans. He may not blow many opponents out, but hasn’t looked overmatched this season. He’s got great hand fighting to go with his scrambling, and doesn’t get outworked in a match. That tough gritty style wins matches and he is clearly developing throughout the season as he continues to grow in confidence. He has turned a weight class for the Cowboys from a big question mark into a growing strength.
- Spratley and Thompson win big matches against top ten opponents.
Two top ten opponents, two overtime matches, two wins. That was the case for young Spratley and Thompson as they beat Surtin and Mocco. Both wrestlers let opponents get to their legs but not give anything up throughout the match, along with doing a good job of getting out. In overtime they won the scrambles to score their takedowns in matches that should have a big influence on seeding. If they can use wins like these to build then they should continue to make some jumps in the rankings late in the year.
- Oklahoma State in the driver’s seat for Big 12’s.
Now after taking out Iowa State and Missouri the Cowboys are in prime position for Big 12’s. Daton Fix is assuredly a top seed and could be joined by Tagen Jamison, along with potential top four seeds with Spratley, Travis, Olejnik, Thompson, Plott, and Doucet. Tournament scoring can get funky and both the Cyclones and Tigers are likely better in that setting than duals, but…
