"We saw a lot of great matches and a lot of guys battling hard against their own teammates," head coach Jack Spates said. "A lot of guys stepped up and wrestled great for us."
The evening began at 125 pounds with sophomore Joey Fio taking on junior J.R. Roman. Fio recorded the initial two points with a takedown to end the first, followed by another in the second to lead, 4-1. After a neutral start to begin the third period, Fio took the match by a 7-2 final after scoring a final takedown.
The 133-pound match was deadlocked at three after one period with takedowns and escapes both recorded by senior David Armstrong and freshman Blake Mangum. Armstrong, a transfer from Cleveland State, posted the only points in the second with a takedown to lead, 5-3. Riding time and another takedown in the third gave Armstrong the 9-3 victory and gave the white team a 6-0 lead.
Redshirt sophomore Zack Bailey quickly jumped on junior Brian Shelton at 141 pounds, scoring three takedowns in the first and another in the second to lead 9-3. An escape by Shelton to begin the final period closed the gap to five, 9-4. Bailey ended the third with another takedown, his fifth of the match, to win by a major decision, 12-4.
Senior Will Rowe and redshirt junior Kyle Terry were scoreless at 149 pounds until Terry scored an escape to begin the second period. Rowe chose down to start the third and posted an escape to tie the match, 1-1 and force overtime. Terry took the win, 4-3, prevailing in the third overtime and giving the red team its first lead, 7-6.
Redshirt junior Shane Vernon scored the first two points in the 157-pound match over redshirt junior Chad Terry. Vernon then took a 3-0 lead after choosing down to begin the second. Terry scored his first points of the match with a takedown in the final seconds in the second to trail, 3-2. The score was tied after an escape by Terry to begin the final period and for the second straight match, overtime was forced. Vernon scored the only two points in overtime, winning 5-3.
Back-to-back falls at 165 and 174 pounds followed, as redshirt freshman Ryan Smith needed just 1:55 to record a fall to defeat freshman teammate Marcus Armato. Redshirt sophomore Jeff James then pinned freshman Ben Bridell at 174 pounds. After the pins, red took a 15-13 lead.
Redshirt sophomore Pat Flynn scored an escape in the second period and a nearfall in the third to lead 3-0 over freshman Erich Schmidtke. A riding time point to end the match gave Flynn the 4-0 victory.
Junior Eric Lapotsky recorded the third fall of the evening over freshman Keldrick Hall at 197 pounds with a time of 1:40. The win gave the red team a 19-18 lead entering the final bout.
Redshirt sophomore Nathan Fernandez surged ahead of freshman Joe Bach in the third period during the heavyweight battle, scoring a takedown and a nearfall to lead and win, 6-1. With the win, red won the Classic by a 22-18 final margin.
The Sooners will kickoff the 2008-09 season on Nov. 9, when they travel to Brockport, N.Y., for the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic.
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