Cory Hansen
The Oklahoma Sooners sent a combination of young freshmen and seasoned veterans to Bartlesville, Oklahoma on Saturday, December 16 to compete in the 918 Open. There were 10 Sooners sent to get some mat time and collegiate level competition outside of the practice room, and the group competed very well. Three champions were crowned, along with two other finalists. Every wrestler won at least two matches and gained some very valuable experience as coach Kish works to improve the depth of the team.
Kaden Fetterolf went 3-0 on the day and won the 149 pound bracket in dominating fashion. Fetterolf picked up a pair of pins and a tech fall on his way to his second tournament championship of the season. Fetterolf won the Broncho Open back in early November and the true freshman improved to 7-0 this weekend.
Fellow true freshman, Eli Cordy, won the 184 pound bracket this weekend. Cordy won every way possible, picking up a pin, a major decision, a tech fall, and a decision victory. Cordy won a tight bedlam matchup in the finals with a 10-6 decision over Oklahoma State’s Evan Shetley.
Redshirt Sophomore Ryder Wiese won the 285 pound bracket over the weekend, going 4-0 on the day. Wiese was a veteran presence for the team competing on Saturday, and he led from the front. Wiese picked up a first round pin and his day culminated in a thrilling sudden victory win in the finals against Emmett Bivens.
The Sooners added a pair of additional finalists in Bartlesville, as well. True freshman Nick LaMorte had an impressive day at 133, picking up a pair of victories en route to his first finals appearance as a Sooner. LaMorte wrestled well and this will give the young New Yorker something to build off of as he continues developing. Redshirt freshman Tyten Volk dominated his way to the finals with three first period pins. Volk also came up a bit shy, falling in the finals to Oklahoma State’s Joey Sanchez, but he had a very successful day and is starting to take shape as a solid wrestler. Redshirt freshman Christian Forbes also earned a hard fought second place finish on Saturday at 125 pounds. The 125 pound bracket was a bit different, as it was wrestled round robin style. Forbes went 3-1 on the day with a pair of tech fall victories.
Three Sooners also showed some grit by wrestling back to the consolation finals after suffering early disappointment. Redshirt Junior Carson Berryhill had a very eventful day on Saturday. He started the day by dropping a major decision to Northeastern Oklahoma’s Tye Frnka. Berryhill then went to work and picked up three straight victories in the consolation bracket, including a tech fall and a pin. In the finals, Berryhill avenged his opening loss to Frnka with a pinfall victory late in the second period to place 3rd. Redshirt junior Jacob Zimmer also had a successful tournament despite suffering a first round defeat. Zimmer rallied to get a pair of majors and finished 4th on the day. True freshman Ryan Nichols picked up a pair of victories, including a major decision, and placed 4th. Finally, Mohamed Elgouhari went 2-2 on the day with a major decision and a tech fall victory and placed 6th.
