James Hackney
#4 Oklahoma State Weekend Recap
The Cowboys had a tough weekend at home but took out two of the three Iowa teams they’ll see this season. In both duals they won six matches to four, along with bonus points to really separate. Only Troy Spratley and Daton Fix went 2-0, but there were impressive performances from Tagen Jamison, Konner Doucet, and Jersey RobbThe team is now 10-0 on the season and looking to establish themselves as Big 12 favorites for the postseason. With that said, here are some of my main takeaways from the weekend.
- The Cowboys have some standout young talent.
Troy Spratley, Tagen Jamison, Jordan Williams, Teague Travis, Brayden Thompson, and Jersey Robb all have multiple years of eligibility left and scored ranked wins. Spratley went 2-0 with two tight ones, but any wins at this wild weight is a positive. Tagen Jamison took a tough loss to Cael Happel and didn’t wrestle a perfect match against Echemendia but showed a lot of grit for the takedown in overtime. Jordan Williams didn’t get both opportunities but looked excellent when he started.
Travis, Thompson, and Robb all went 1-1 but looked good in their wins. Travis had a tight one with Downey but rebounded by taking out an under the radar Jason Kraisser. As the starter last year Kraisser made the round of 16 and would likely be a ranked wrestler. Thompson is still struggling to get his own offense, but did beat a dangerous and ranked Simma of UNI. True freshman Robb capped off his weekend with a massive major over ranked Broderson. That win clinched the dual for the Cowboys, and was Robb’s last opportunity while staying in redshirt. Even with a team that has seniors like Fix and Olejnik, they’re showing they have talent and depth that should be continuously impactful for years.
- Still no clear sign between Williams and Alvarez.
Alvarez lost to a top ten opponent while Williams teched an unranked wrestler with ease. Up to this point both wrestlers have a ranked win but haven’t clearly separated. Personally, I think giving Williams an opportunity to show out could be big for his confidence and have an impact going forward. Neither wrestler has been able to break into the top 15 with wins, and the difference could be overall negligible. With just five duals left however, time is running out to stick with one and get some conference wins. There is some added intrigue with the storyline of the homegrown talent vs a wrestler brought in via transfer portal.
- Time to start worrying about the status of Luke Surber.
After some uncharacteristic performances, there is concern about where Surber is. He hasn’t looked like his typical high output self with a knee injury and after a brief return had to miss both of these duals. While Wyatt Voelker gave him a tough match last year, he is ranked much lower and he beat Broderson while banged up at CKLV this year….
