6 Reasons To Tune In For Wyoming vs #4 Oklahoma State
6 Reasons To Tune In For Wyoming vs #4 Oklahoma State
Why you need to watch Wyoming at Oklahoma State wrestle this Sunday at 2:00PM central.
Thanksgiving weekend is a slow one as far as college wrestling goes. But this Sunday afternoon, the Cowboys of Wyoming take on the Cowboys of Oklahoma State, and any time you've got Cowboy on Cowboy violence scheduled inside Historic Gallagher-Iba Arena you've got appointment viewing. Here are the six biggest reasons why you need to watch this dual meet.
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6) Can Hastings Hang With Jacobe?
Wyoming's redshirt freshman 174-pounder Hayden Hastings is off to a solid start. He's got a win over #15 Dylan Lydy of Purdue and scored double digits in losses to #11 Mikey Labriola of Nebraska and Anthony Mantanona of Oklahoma. The latter two opponents are both fellow redshirt freshman.
Hasting's opponent Sunday will be All-American Jacobe Smith. Does Hastings have another shootout in him? Or will Jacobe be able to shut down the prolific Hayden? Either way, you won't be 'Hayden' the decision you make to watch.
Check out Hasting's match last week versus Labriola:
5) Another Look At Kaden Gfeller
Boo Lewallen, last year's eighth-place finisher at 149-pounds, suffered an injury last week against South Dakota State. Luckily for Oklahoma State, they brought Kaden Gfeller with them on the road trip, and G was able to make his dual meet debut against Minnesota the next day. Gfeller beat All-American Tommy Thorn. Not bad for a backup.
It's unclear how long Boo will be sidelined, so it may be Gfeller's spot for a while. Likewise, Andrew Marsden will be subbing in for Preston Weigel at 197 pounds. So that's two guys oposing coaches and fans may want to scout out.
Watch Gfeller beat Thron in Minnesota:
4) Will Wyoming Show Out Like Last Year?
Wyoming head coach Mark Branch had his Cowboys wrestling in peak form when they hosted his alma mater in Laramie. Four Wyoming wrestlers beat Oklahoma State All-Americans that day. Geo Martinez, Chandler Rogers, Kaid Brock and Dean Heil all tasted defeat at the hands of a Wyoming wrestler. Even though OK State went home with a 20-15 team victory, you can bet John Smith and company were not satisfied with the performance and will look to make amends on Sunday.
3) John Adds To His Legacy
The American G.O.A.T. has 411 wins as head coach of the Cowboys. That puts John Smith at seventh all-time among D1 coaches. Coach Smith is also the only active coach in the top seven. Tomorrow's result is not a foregone conclusion, however, Oklahoma State is undefeated against Wyoming in their 24 dual meets in history and enters Sunday's competition as heavy favorites. Regardless of the outcome, every match John Smith coaches at this point is of historical significance.
2) Rogers Seeks Revenge Against Ashworth
#6 Chandler Rogers vs #9 Branson Ashworth at 165 is the only top 10 matchup expected in the dual meet. It's also the only rematch from last year. These two didn't see each other at the Big 12 tournament or the NCAAs, so this will be Rogers first shot at redemption since he was upset in Laramie.
Watch Ashworth take out Rogers by the score of 6-2:
1) #13 Montorie Bridges vs #6 Daton Fix
This is the marquee matchup. Daton Fix is one of the biggest young stars in the sport, having won world gold at the cadet and junior level. He's now wrestling internationally at the senior level and domestically as a D1 starter for the first time. Will Montorie Bridges be the second All-American that Fix beats in as many weeks? Or will Bridges rebound from back-to-back losses with an upset over Daton?
You gotta watch to find out!
Besides, what else are you going to do, watch the NFL? Well fine, if you absolutely HAVE to watch the NFL, put it on in the background and watch this on your second screen. It's the least you could do!
Additionally, your humble correspondent will be in Stillwater bringing you as much content from the dual meet as humanly possible. See you then wrestling pals!