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Cowboys Dominate 180th Edition of Bedlam Wrestling, Winning 27-8

Oklahoma came out quick and jumped on top, but Oklahoma State was dominant as the match wore on and came away with another win in the 180th Bedlam meeting on the mat.

Robert Allen

STILLWATER -- Senior Day, Alumni Day, and the largest crowd inside Gallagher-Iba this season saw Oklahoma jump out on the Cowboys early. However, the Cowboys recovered and won the only bonus points of the day and took 7-of-the-10 matches in front of a national audience on ESPNU to win going away 27-8 over rival Oklahoma.

No surprise on Senior Day, it was popular Oklahoma State senior Nick Piccininni at 125 pounds that established the momentum for the Cowboys. Normally, Piccininni gets to start the dual, but this time Oklahoma State was clinging to a 6-5 advantage when Piccininni took to the mat against Oklahoma's Christian Moody. The fourth-ranked Piccininni was much the best to the unranked Christian Moody of OU. 

Moody started aggressive with a quick takedown for a 2-0 lead, but Piccininni scored a reversal seconds later and then turned Moody for a four-point near fall. Things got close again in a wild second period, but at the start of the third Piccininni caught Moody in a cradle and turned him over with the fall coming at 5:54 and the Cowboys had opened up a 12-5 lead. 

The two teams split the next two matches as Reece Witcraft held on for an 11-7 decision at 133-pounds and Oklahoma countered with fifth-ranked Dom Demas at 141 pounds and Demas had to give everything he had as unranked Dusty Hone pushed the Sooner before losing a 4-3 decision. The team scored was now 15-8 with three more matches to go. 

Sixth-ranked Boo Lewallen helped to break it open for good as he took a single shot down to the ankle and then to the mat in the second period against Jacob Butler of OU. Lewallen was up 3-0 and then turned Butler to his shoulder to pick up a four-point near fall. Lewallen had riding time and in the third period scored another take down and again got the leverage on Butler for the four-point near fall. With the riding time it was a 14-1 major decision for Lewallen and the Pokes. 

After Wyatt Sheets outbattled Oklahoma's 20th-ranked Justin Thomas for an 8-3 decision then maybe Sheets will be back in the individual rankings as Thomas moved in last week, and despite two wins on the weekend Sheets fell out of the intermat individual rankings. Oklahoma State had clinched the dual victory with a 22-8 lead.

Travis Wittlake, a red-shirt freshman ranked seventh and standing at 24-1 was the heavy favorite at 165 pounds against 1-4 Elijah Joseph. Wittlake wasted no time with a single leg that he worked into a four-point near fall and then rode out the first period. Wittlake used a variety of moves and Joseph wasn't able to stop a one. Joseph even helped Wittlake's cause with a stalling point. Four takedowns later and Wittlake had a 20-4 technical fall at 5:26 

Oklahoma State had their final score of 27-8 and the 143rd Bedlam win with the 78th Bedlam win in the House that has Gallagher's name on it.  

"It was a good win," Cowboys head coach John Smith said. "I thought we wrestled tight in some matches, but we found ways to win. In Bedlam you have to expect the unexpected, and hopefully it goes our way and I felt like it did today. It wasn't our best dual, but I like the way things played out and I think it will benefit us."

Oklahoma chose to start the match at 174-pounds and that was a good choice by Sooners coach Lou Rosselli as 17th-ranked Anthony Mantanona scored a 10-5 decision over one of the four Cowboys seniors honored and 10th-ranked Joe Smith. Mantanona used a single leg to get an early first period takedow, but by the end of the period Smith had used an escape and a single leg with a trip and was just able to keep the action inbounds right at the end of the period to lead 3-2. Smith expanded his lead to 5-3 before Mantanona surged in the third period with a takedown and then he turned Smith over and picked up a four-point near fall and closed out a 10-5 decision. 

Anthony Montalvo on top of Oklahoma's Darren Roberts in his 4-0 decision over the Sooner.   :: Marshall Levenson - Pokes Report reporter/photographer

More fireworks in the 184-pound match as 15th-ranked Anthony Mantalvo faced Oklahoma's Darren Roberts. After a scoreless first three minutes, Montalvo started the second period on top and simply roade out Roberts for the entire two minutes. In the third period Montalvo escaped and then used a trip and cover for a takedown as he went on to a 4-0 decision. After the decision and as the wrestlers were supposed to shake hands and the official lift Montalvo's arm in the air, there was pushing and shoving that resulted in each team losing a team point, so the match was 2-2.

More topsy turvy wrestling action at 197-pounds as 14th-ranked Dakota Geer faced 19th-ranked Sooner Jake Woodley. Geer led 7-5 going into the third frame, but Woodley on bottom quickly escaped to make it a one-point difference at 7-6 in favor of Geer. Woodley got back into Geer late on a single leg and scored the takedown for a 10-9 decision and Oklahoma led 5-2.

The crowd had been buzzing about heavyweight because there was talk that Cowboys defensive end Brock Martin, a three-time state champion in wrestling at Oologah might wrestle in Bedlam. Instead, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith went with Austin Harris, who came in with a 4-9 record. Oklahoma had 3-7 Collin McCoy going, so it looked like a close match. 

Harris got a takedown early and was up 2-0 after te first period. In the second frame, Harris scrambled and was able to get his out from McCoy and took control for an important takedown. That momentum meant everything to Harris as he won another scramble for a takedown, clinched tiding time, and kept scoring for a 13-5 major decision.

Oklahoma State led 6-5, but turning the line up over to the usuaul lead-off wrestler in Piccininni was about to sink any thoughts the Sooners had of winning a Bedlam dual. 

Oklahoma State will finish the dual season with a road trip to top-ranked Iowa Feb. 23 and then it will be on to the post season with the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament. 

Bedlam Wrestling Match-by-Match - Feb. 16, 2020

#10 - Oklahoma State 27  Oklahoma 0

174: #17 Anthony Mantanona-OU (17-6) dec. #10 Joe Smith-OSU (7-3), 10-5

184: #15 Anthony Montalvo-OSU (19-5) dec. Darrien Roberts-OU (11-10), 4-0

197: #19 Jake Woodley-OU (17-7) dec. #14 Dakota Geer-OSU (19-6), 10-9

285: Austin Harris-OSU (5-9) maj.dec. Collin McCoy-OU (3-8), 13-5

125: #4 Nick Piccininni-OSU (23-1) pinned Christian Moody (OU), Fall at 5:54

133: Reece Witcraft-OSU (16-7) dec. Tommy Hoskins-OU (9-13), 11-7

141: #5 Dom Demas-OU (22-3) dec. Dusty Hone-OSU (18-7), 4-3

149: #6 Boo Lewallen-OSU (18-1) maj.dec. Jacob Butler-OU (12-13), 14-1

157: Wyatt Sheets-OSU (17-6) dec. #20 Justin Thomas-OU (17-8), 8-3

165: #7 Travis Wittlake-OSU (25-1) tech.fall Elijah Joseph-OU (1-5), 19-4 at 5:27

 

Published
Robert Allen
ROBERT ALLEN

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