“This is a good win against a good team,” Jack Spates said. “That was a hard-fought win. I think it demonstrated our guys are willing to win tough matches and battle through.”
With the win over the Tigers (14-7, 0-2) the 2010-11 Sooners have won three straight Big 12 contests, accomplishing a fete not done since the 02-03 squad that eventually won the Big 12 title and finished third at the NCAA Championships.
“This is a team that is wrestling tough. We’re 12-1 against a lot of nationally-ranked teams and we are getting better, which is the key. We are in good shape and the guys are believing more each week.”
The dual begin with a top-10 matchup at 125-pounds between OU’s seventh-ranked Jarrod Patterson and the Tiger’s No. 9 ranked Alan Waters. Patterson, a native of Cushing, Okla., trailed 2-0 after the first period but rallied in the third to earn a crucial takedown with 0:20 remaining. The Oklahoma sophomore rode-out Waters, adding 1:40 in riding time to get the final, 3-2, victory.
Holding a 3-0 lead the Sooners’ 17th-ranked Jordan Keller took on Missouri’s Nathan McCormick at 133 pounds. Keller held a 1-0 lead in the third but was penalized a point for stalling, which sent the match to overtime. Keller earned an escape in the second overtime. However, McCormick was awarded a reversal with seconds remaining in the third overtime to defeat the Sooner.
OU senior Zack Bailey, ranked No. 6, earned his 100th career win after claiming a 9-6 victory by decision over the Tigers’ 12th-rankedTodd Schavrien. The Kansas City, Mo., native accumulated four takedowns and an escape in rout to his milestone win as well as giving the Sooners a 6-3 advantage over the Tigers.
Oklahoma’s Matt Lester gave OU a 9-3 lead after he defeated MU’s Kyle Bradley, 4-2. Lester earned a takedown in the first and never looked back in the 149-pound contest. The sophomore from Eureka, Mo., added an escape and 1:26 in riding time.
At 157 pounds OU’s 12th-ranked Chase Nelson continued a string of wins for the Sooners after he defeated Missouri’s Nick Gregoris, 8-6. Nelson earned two takedowns in the first to lead, 4-1, going into the second. In the third, Nelson gave up a three-point near fall to Gregoris, ranked No. 15, but quickly turned that into points for the Sooners after earning a reversal.
Second-ranked Tyler Caldwell gave the Sooners their third straight and fourth overall victory by decision after the Wichita native edged MU’s No. 9-ranked Zack Toal, 1-0. The only points of the match came on a Caldwell escape at the 1:43 mark in the second period.
Heading into the 174-pound bout between the Sooners’ Jeff James and MU’s Dorian Henderson OU held a 12-point lead. After a scoreless first James got on the board with an escape. Henderson, ranked No. 20, countered with an escape in the second which sent the match to overtime. In overtime Henderson earned the sudden-victory after taking down James.
OU’s Erich Schmidtke, ranked No. 17 among 184-pounders, gave the Sooners a boost after he upset Missouri’s 12th-ranked Mike Larson. Schmidtke, a redshirt sophomore, led 4-0 at the end of the first after earning a takedown and two points off Larson penalties, one of which was for unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of kicking the Sooner in the head. Larson closed the gap in the second after earning an escape and takedown, but the Aberdeen, Wash., native earned a takedown of his own in the third and added 1:19 in riding time to take the bout, 7-3.
The Tigers took the final two matches of the evening as the Sooners Keldrick Hall and 13th-ranked Nathan Fernandez each dropped bouts to the Tigers Brent Haynes, ranked No. 15, and fourth-ranked Dom Bradley at 197 and heavyweight, respectively.
“I think this sets us well going into the last two meets and I think they were good object lessons for our guys. There were certain situations we didn’t wrestle well, but that’s wrestling and for the most part I thought we did a good job.”
Up next, The Sooners host No. 25 Wyoming on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the McCasland Field House. Friday is Alumni Abel Night and members of the Stan Abel era (1973-93) will sign autographs for fans prior to the match.
Results:
125 - Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. Alan Waters (MU), 3-2
133 - Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Jordan Keller (OU), 3-2
141 - Zack Bailey (OU) dec. Todd Schavrien (MU), 9-6
149 - Matt Lester (OU) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 4-2
157 - Chase Nelson (OU) dec. Nick Gregoris (MU), 8-6
165 - Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. Zach Toal (MU), 1-0
174 - Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Jeff James (OU), 3-1
184 - Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. Mike Larson (MU), 7-3
197 - Brent Haynes (MU) dec. Keldrick Hall (OU), 3-2
285 - Dom Bradley (MU) dec. Nathan Fernandez (OU), 4-2
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