By Roger Moore
STILLWATER NEWSPRESS (STILLWATER, Okla.)
STILLWATER, Okla. ”
The situation was simple for the University of Oklahoma and senior heavyweight Jake Hager.
Pick up a technical fall with near fall points or score a fall ” against Steve Mocco.
Mocco, a two-time national champion and the nation’s top-ranked 285-pounder, would have none of that, pinning Hager in 3:41 to secure a 23-12 win for No. 1 Oklahoma State over their rivals from Norman.
Almost 8,000 watched inside Gallagher-Iba Arena as the Cowboys trailed 12-11 with three bouts to go before Rusty Blackmon, Jake Rosholt and Mocco sent the Sooners (1-1-1) back to Norman with a 15th-straight Bedlam loss.
“A good match to watch,” said OSU coach John Smith. “It was a good match. Did we have our best effort? Probably not.
“Rusty (Blackmon) gave us a momentum turn that we needed at the time. I thought we wrestled a little bit tight in some of the matches, but we have to be pleased with a win.”
Blackmon, battling for the starting spot at 184 pounds, trailed the 10th-ranked Dyer 2-1 entering the final two minutes. An escape for the Sooner made it 3-1, but in the bout’s final 25 seconds, Blackmon (6-4) caught Dyer off-balance and took him directly to his back for five. It gave the Cleveland, Tenn., senior a 6-3 win and also avenged a loss during Thanksgiving weekend at the Oklahoma Open.
“(Dyer) is a tough kid,” Blackmon said. “I’m just trying to stay on an even keel right now because I know how quickly it can change. You can’t get too up or down because it is a long time until March. Anytime I feel too big I can go wrestle Jake (Rosholt) and he’ll put me back in my place.
“(In the final 20 seconds,) I just started wrestling instead of thinking.”
Rosholt, top-ranked at 197, followed with a tough 3-1 win over No. 2 Joel Flaggert, putting the hosts up 17-12 entering the Mocco-Hager matchup.
Did Smith tell Mocco to avoid the pin to secure the dual win?
“He probably would have smacked me if I said that,” said Smith of Mocco, who moved his win streak to 74 straight. “You don’t have to say a whole lot to Steve because he is always ready to go. I would never say that.”
Mocco caught Hager (14-1) with a foot-sweep early in the second and horsed the former Perry star to his back for the fall.
“Anytime the fans get what they pay for it is good for the sport,” Mocco said. “I got the pin and I knew coming off the mat that the fans were pleased by the way they were reacting. I’m focused, but I do hear the momentum turns.
“I like to watch Zack Esposito wrestle … he wrestles hard and makes me want to wrestle hard. He kind of gets me going. And when Rusty (Blackmon) got the win it really got the crowd going.”
The Cowboys, who return to action next Sunday at the Reno Tournament of Champions, won six of the 10 bouts. Six of the matches weren’t decided until the final whistle.
“¢ In a 7-4 win, two-time All-American Sam Hazewinkel had a 6-2 lead late, but OSU’s fifth-ranked Coleman Scott reversed the Sooner and nearly had him cradled to his back as time ran out at 125.
“¢ Two-time NCAA champ Teyon Ware took a 3-1 lead into the third period, and was hit for stalling twice down the stretch. He beat Daniel Frishkorn, 4-3, on riding time.
“¢ OSU senior Kevin Ward seemed to be in control before OU freshman Will Rowe rallied with two third-period takedowns to force overtime. The Texan then scored a third takedown to beat Ward, 7-5, at 157.
“¢ OU senior Wes Roberts edged Brandon Mason, 5-3, with riding time at 174. Mason managed just three escapes but was in the match until the end.
“¢ Rosholt trailed 1-0 entering the final two minutes and scored on a counter with 44 seconds remaining.
“That’s the way that it is in Bedlam,” said Hazewinkel. “You have to expect close matches and we just have to find a way to turn those in our favor the next time.
“Coleman (Scott) is tough and I knew he was going to keep wrestling even after I had that lead. There were a lot of matches decided late (Friday).”
The Bedlam Series is now 120-24-9 for O-State with the Sooners still seeking their first win since 1995-96.
Bedlam No. 2 is set for Feb. 19 in Norman.
Honored
After the 157-pound match, Oklahoma State honored Charles Hetrick as the 2005 Gallagher Award recipient. The award is presented annually to an OSU wrestling alumnus who exemplifies the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions.
Hetrick was a 1949 NCAA champion and was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.
OSU also honored E.C. Gallagher with a permanent empty chair, similar to the honor bestowed upon Henry Iba.
Gallagher-coached teams went 138-5-4 from 1916-1940.
Roger Moore writes for the Stillwater (Okla.) NewsPress.
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