No. 3 Cowboys Narrowly Escape No. 5 UNI
For the first time this season, the Oklahoma State Cowboy wrestling team was tested. They have been dominant all season long on their way to a perfect dual record this season.
O-State was on the road to Iowa this weekend and first up on the docket No. 5 ranked Northern Iowa. Little did the Cowboys know, but they would need a second-half comeback to secure the victory and remain perfect on the season.
Heading into intermission of No. 3 OSU’s eventual 22-14 win against No. 5 Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Friday night, the Cowboys trailed 10-6. The Panthers were the early aggressors, clinching three consecutive tossup bouts at 133, 141 and 149, but an upset bid from No. 5 Caleb Fish at 157 halted the Panthers’ dominance and set up an OSU comeback.
After an opening 10-5 decision from No. 4 Troy Spratley against Trevor Anderson of UNI at 125, the Cowboys dropped three straight matches as the Panthers (9-1, 3-1 Big 12) built a 10-3 advantage and looked like they could pull away.
With the night looking bleak, Caleb Fish entered the picture looking to flip things around for the Cowboys.
After a hectic final minute in Period 3, which included a go-ahead takedown for Downey followed by a buzzer-beater escape from Fish, the match went into sudden victory. Seconds into the sudden victory, Fish scored a swift takedown to clinch a 7-4 decision.
The record setting crowd proceeded to show their disdain for the Fish victory. He motioned to the crowd that he couldn’t hear them and the rest of the night belonged to the Cowboys.
Trailing 10-6 after intermission, up came Cam Amine OSU’s sixth-ranked 165-pound wrestler, started with a 10-2 major decision against No. 21 Jack Thomsen of UNI, evening the score at 10.
At 174, No. 3 Dean Hamiti Jr. logged a 16-4 major decision against No. 16 Jared Simma of UNI.
Then, No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson finalized OSU’s win with a 19-4 tech fall against No. 15 Lance Runyon at heavyweight.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.