James Hackney
Oklahoma State headed down to Laramie for a dual against Big 12 opponent Wyoming, and came away with a dominant win. They won eight of ten matches despite missing two starters. Daton Fix made his return to the lineup, while Jersey Robb and Cael Hughes got their first opportunities as starters. Jordan Williams got his first ranked win of the season. Unfortunately Wyoming didn’t have their typical starting lineup, bumping up a number of wrestlers. However, there are still some takeaways from the dual.
- Spratley’s offense is still struggling after hot start.
Troy Spratley started his year with five consecutive tech falls, showing a high pace offense that never seemed to stop. He put points up at CKLV as well, the fewest points he scored was in a 5-4 loss against now #4 Caleb Smith of Nebraska. In his last three matches however, he’s only scored nine points to his opponents eight. Jore Volk is a podium contender, but Spratley wasn’t able to do much of anything in this match. He also gave up a significant amount of riding time. Spratley got to his feet multiple times but seemed to lack the urgency to escape from bottom with Volk’s top ability. The schedule only gets harder going forward as the rest of his opponents this season are in the rankings, including four in the top 15.
- Jersey Robb and Cael Hughes look like the future.
Due to injuries, Robb and Hughes both got a chance to compete in a dual for the first time this season. Hughes didn’t wrestle typical starter Cole Brooks, but dominated his match, scoring four takedowns. He started the year competing at 133, but competed at 141 in his last two events. With Tagen Jamison having four years of eligibility, Hughes’ best fit is likely 133. It will be interesting to see if he competes at a tournament like the Scuffle or Midlands to see better competition, and what weight he goes.
Jersey Robb bumped up to 197 after two open titles at 184 and was close to a ranked upset. Fellow freshman Novak is having a standout year, and had an early 3-1 lead after the first period. Robb blew through Novak with a massive double that appeared to take the wind out of the saints for Novak. Robb finished the period on top, and was putting a strong ride on in the third period. Unfortunately…
