O'Colly Sports wrestling beat writers Adam Engel, Braden Bush and Rowdy Baribeau break down No. 4 Oklahoma State's 26-9 victory against No. 15 Lehigh.
The No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the No. 15 Lehigh Mountain Hawks 26-9 on Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
The Cowboys lost three of ten matches, with some surprising finishes and close bouts. Here are some noteworthy statistics on Sunday’s dual.
4:02: The amount of riding time No. 8 Josh Humphreys had on No. 13 Wyatt Sheets
Sheets battled a familiar foe in Humphreys, and Sheets could not answer the call. Humphreys had a quick start with two takedowns and proceeded to ride Sheets essentially the entire match. Going into the third period, Humphreys had allotted more than three minutes of riding time and finished with over four minutes.
10: Number of takedowns scored by Dakota Geer.
Post-dual, OSU coach John Smith expressed his displeasure with the team's intensity and grit. One of the few Cowboy wrestlers Smith lauded was 184-pounder Geer. He had a dominant showing over AJ Burkhart. Geer led 11-6 going into the third period, by that time he already had five takedowns. Geer finished the third period demolishing Burkhart with a simple “catch and release” strategy, with five more takedowns in the third period alone to defeat Burkhart 23-10.
7: Amount of Cowboys who scored five or less points
One of the main reasons Smith was displeased with OSU’s showing against Lehigh was its effort. Smith used the term “minimum” when describing the effort of his wrestlers. Although the Cowboys won four of their seven matches in which they scored five points, Smith stated the team’s aggression was lacking in the dual.
“I just think there’s a level of aggression you have to bring to the mat,” Smith said. “You know, you got to be able to get taken down at times because you’re that aggressive.”
10: AJ Ferrari’s match streak of not allowing a takedown
Ferrari, the No. 1 197-pound wrestler in the country, has continued his dominance on the mat through ten duals. Ferrari has not allowed a takedown in his matches and handled his opponent, JT Davis, with not much intensity. Ferrari’s sophomore campaign has been impressive as he has only allowed three decision victories, followed by three major decision victories, two technical falls and two pins.
