Coaches have a hard time gauging intrasquad scrimmages. Each success and failure has a direct result on the team.
Oklahoma's Red/White wrestling scrimmage was that way Thursday night at McCasland Fieldhouse. Sooner coach Jack Spates was left with a familiar feeling.
"After they're over, I'm always wondering where we're at. Aren't we better than that?" he said. "Then there were some real bright spots as well."
For score-keeping purposes the Red trounced the White 27-6, but some bouts had more importance than others. The winners will get the start Wednesday night when the Sooners open the season at Central Oklahoma.
The true goal, however, is to see who will compete in front of a crowd.
One of the most competitive bouts of the night came at the start at 125 pounds. A couple of talented freshmen -- Justin Forrest and Jarrod Patterson -- went head-to-head. Patterson edged out a 3-1 victory.
Patterson, who was a four-time state champion at Cushing High School, is one of the big group of freshmen the Sooners are relying on this season.
His win only helped re-inforce what he's shown throughout the preseason.
"It was just another match. I don't know what else to say," soft-spoken Patterson said.
Spates, however, saw more. It's one thing to be good in the wrestling room. Another to produce when it counts.
"The deal is Jarrod has been winning those matches almost every day, but Justin Forrest is a great lights guy," Spates said. "Beating him under the lights means a lot more than beating him in practice."
The most positive outcome for the Sooners was their returning starters had pretty solid nights.
At 174, Jeff James claimed a 16-3 major decision over Nolan McBryde. Eric Lapotsky claimed a technical fall over Keldrick Hall at 197.
Zack Bailey topped Kendric Maple 6-1 at 141. Kyle Terry cruised past Matt Lester 7-0 at 149 and heavyweight Nathan Fernandez turned back Joe Bach 3-1.
The common trait in those bouts were veterans against freshmen with experience winning out.
The best match of the night was at 157 where Chad Terry and Shane Vernon, both seniors, engaged in a see-saw battle. Chad Terry won 5-4 on a reversal with 38 seconds left in the third period.
"Shane and I have been going at it ever since I got here. He's a real good athlete. I knew it would be a real close match like it always is," Chad Terry said.
With that, the Sooners can focus on the regular season. The Sooners face the Broncos at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Edmond.
"Overall, I thought we did a pretty good job," Spates said. "The important thing is we have a great evaluation tool. Now we get to study film and analyze where we're good and where we're not and how to get better."
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
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