James Hackney
Watch Live: Fox Sports One, February 25th 2PM CT
The Cowboys will look to go 15-0 for the first time since 2019 and cap an undefeated season with a win over Iowa. The team hasn’t hosted this dual since 2019, also a year that the #2 Cowboys beat Iowa. The crowd is already sold out for what could end up being the dual of the year. Looking at the likely lineups there are tossups all throughout the dual but OK State has been great at winning those this season. With it being at home and the surely wild crowd, I like the Cowboys to make some wild things happen.
125: #12 Troy Spratley (19-4) vs #4 Drake Ayala (18-3)
This is a big matchup between two young wrestlers as Ayala is a redshirt sophomore who was a qualifier in 2022. He had high hopes with a hot season but an injury that year slowed him down late. This season his only losses have been close to other top wrestlers while getting wins. He missed Iowa’s last dual against Wisconsin with the flu but is expected back here. Spratley has been on a run and clearly wrestling with confidence with recent wins. Ayala has the ability to go at a high pace but has had some matches slowing things down as well. In a big starting match for a big tossup I give Spratley a great chance to break through with another top five win.
Prediction: Spratley Dec. Ayala (OKST 3 IOWA 0)
133: #3 Daton Fix (12-0) vs #20 Cullan Schriever (8-3)/Brody Teske (10-6)
Fix has wrestled in this dual going all the way back to 2018 and hasn’t lost in this rivalry. While there’s been a number of tough tossups, this is a great chance for the Cowboys to get bonus points. Iowa has gone back and forth from Schriever and Teske with both looking like potential qualifiers. Fix majored Teske last season 11-3 and I think he is able to repeat that result here against either Schriever or Teske.
Prediction: Fix Maj. Schriever (OKST 7 IOWA 0)
141: #8 Tagen Jamison (18-5) vs #2 Real Woods (13-2)
Coming into the year very few would have expected this match to be a tossup as Woods is a returning finalist while Jamison is a redshirt freshman and his first year as a starter. However Woods has hit a recent tough patch as he was majored by true freshman Sergio Lemley and lost a one-sided decision to Beau Bartlett. At his best Woods has a dynamic offense but really excels from the top position. I think Jamison can get to legs but will either have to find a way to finish scrambles…
