ISU Wrestling
Cowboy up: OSU shakes Cyclones
By DAN McCOOL
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Ames, Ia. – Iowa State’s wrestling team got a lesson in on-the-mat performance by top-ranked Oklahoma State Thursday night.
The two-time defending NCAA champion Cowboys (13-0) are the lone undefeated NCAA Division I team after a 21-14 win before 2,635 fans at Hilton Coliseum.
Third-ranked Iowa State had a 17-meet winning streak snapped. The Cyclones (14-1) also lost at home for the first time since the Cowboys rode out of Hilton Coliseum with a 26-9 decision Feb. 2, 2003.
Iowa State was even with Oklahoma State when the wrestlers were on their feet. Once the action hit the mat, the Cowboys took control even though their recent travels should have been enough to wear anybody down.
Oklahoma State won its third straight National Duals title Sunday, got home to Stillwater, Okla. Monday, trained Tuesday and Wednesday, got on a bus after Wednesday’s workout and headed north. The Cowboys left all-America Johny Hendricks at 165 pounds behind because of a hamstring injury from the National Duals.
“That’s kind of when you know you can’t be beat, “said Oklahoma State heavyweight Steve Mocco, whose 13-4 major decision over Scott Coleman broke a 14-14 tie entering the final bout of the night. “You know you’re doing everything in the practice room to ensure that when you come to wrestle a great program like (Iowa State), with all of the strikes against you.”
Mocco, who won an NCAA championship for Iowa in 2003 before transferring to Oklahoma State last spring, had a run of four consecutive pins halted Thursday. He settled for five takedowns.
“It’s tough to wrestle someone who doesn’t want to wrestle you, “Mocco said.
“We needed bonus points, we needed a (technical fall) or a fall. I’m not satisfied with a major, but at the same time (Coleman) was doing all he could not to get pinned.”
Mocco had something thrown at him from the crowd as he went to the Oklahoma State locker room after his match.
“These fans were giving me crap, but they came here to watch their team win, “he said. “This is a good environment to wrestle in. At least you know the fans love wrestling.”
Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas said the Cowboys’ advantage in mat wrestling was huge.
“They just pounded us, “he said. ” . . . We were out-talented and out-techniqued in a couple of matches.
“There are some fundamental things we’re not doing right. We’re not controlling the hands when we’re on the bottom, that’s why we’re losing so much riding time.”
Iowa State led 10-8 after Travis Paulson returned from a rib injury with a 13-4 win over Sam Lewnes at 165 pounds, and again at 14-11 when Kurt Backes beat Clay Kehrer, 17-9, at 184. Backes had four of his seven takedowns in the final 1 minute 36 seconds.
“It could have gone either way, “Backes said. “Some guys could have scored points, some guys could have not given up points.”
Oklahoma State coach John Smith praised his team.
“I’d say I’m as proud of this match as I was of any of the matches we wrestled at the National Duals, “he said. “We needed to win some important matches, got it done.”
Backes said the Cyclones put the Cowboys to the test.
“We’ve got to be pretty happy with how we fought them, “he said. “The No. 1 team comes into our gym and we gave them a fight.”
Oklahoma State relied on top-ranked Chris Pendleton at 174 pounds and Jake Rosholt at 197 to either put the Cowboys ahead or tie the score after Iowa State took its leads. Mocco then delivered the clincher, as it turned out. True freshman Coleman Scott upset eighth-ranked Grant Nakamura of Iowa State, 6-0, in the finale.
“It’s kind of hard to beat the No. 1 team once you get up to 197 and heavyweight and they’ve got the top guys in the country, “Backes said.
Iowa State has its final regular-season home meet Sunday vs. No. 6 Oklahoma in a 2 p.m. dual. Oklahoma State is at Northern Iowa for a 7 p.m. meet today.
Wrestling Gear
