NORMAN — By Chris Day
Stillwater NewsPress
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State rode three straight wins at the start of Sunday’s Bedlam dual to a 22-12 victory over Oklahoma at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
OSU’s Chris Perry, Clayton Foster and Blake Rosholt led the Cowboys early assault. The trio of wins give the Cowboys a 10-0 start.
Cowboy Jordan Foster pinned Jordan Keller Jr. in the 133-pound match to put OSU up 16-3 and essentially seal the Cowboy’s victory.
Neither Oklahoma head coach Jack Spates nor Oklahoma State head coach John Smith thought their squads performed to their potential.
The Sooners’ performance left Spates searching for reasons why his squad wrestled so poorly.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate what happened tonight. I am very disappointed and embarrassed,” Spates said.
The shock extends beyond wins and losses in individual matches. Spates said he was surprised with his team’s passionless performances.
“We had too many matches with too little fight,” Spates said. “With no fight, you’re not giving yourself a chance to win. What took place, takes place.”
Passion wasn’t a problem for OSU.
Perry, who hails from Stillwater, started the dual with three takedowns and an escape for a 6-1 win over OU’s Erich Schmidtke in the 184-pound match. Top-ranked Foster recorded six takedowns in his victory over OU’s Keldrick Hall to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead in the dual.
The heavyweight match was the biggest of the night.
OSU’s redshirt freshman Blake Rosholt used quickness to slip out of OU’s Nathan Hernandez’s grasp for a two-point reversal with 25 seconds left to nab a 4-3 victory and give OSU a 10-0 lead.
Cowboys wrestling at the weights of 149, 157, 165 and 174 concerned OSU’s coach.
The Pokes had just two takedowns in those weights. OU wrestlers Matt Lester and Tyler Caldwell won the 157- and 174-pound matches, while OSU wrestlers Jamal Parks and Dallas Bailey claimed the other weights.
“It was good to get the wins that we did. The only disappointment I have is in five weights we scored no takedowns,” Smith said. “It’s just not enough. It tells me we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
