Oklahoma State wrestling cruises past Stanford in tune-up for Bedlam
STILLWATER — Moments after Oklahoma State wrestler Kaden Gfeller was awarded a point for being slapped in the face in the third period of his match, Stanford’s Charlie Darracott made another move that knocked Gfeller’s headgear off his head.
Gfeller shot a glance toward Darracott, and perhaps offered a few words as he picked up the headgear with his left hand and began waving for noise from the Gallagher-Iba Arena crowd with his right.
With the fans firmly behind him, Gfeller stepped back to the middle of the mat and promptly finished off his victory that sparked the seventh-ranked Cowboys to a 25-9 victory over Stanford on Sunday afternoon.
Gfeller’s 9-5 decision over Darracott at 157 pounds put OSU ahead 9-3, and the Cowboys won four of the remaining six matches for their fourth straight dual victory.
Gfeller appeared to voice his opinion to Darracott once the match ended, and OSU coach John Smith had to come onto the mat to make sure the scuffle didn’t escalate. But for the most part, Gfeller maintained his composure against an attack Smith felt was over the line.
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“The guy should’ve probably been kicked out,” Smith said. “He went to his head, like, three times. The official needs to take care of that. Get out there and get in the middle of it. What am I doing out there trying to control the guy? The kid was out of control. Hands to the face, a couple cheap shots in the match.
“(Gfeller has) been a strong staple for us as far as a guy going out and competing hard.”
Now 13-2 on the season and 7-1 in Big 12 action, OSU is rolling at a good time. Next week includes the season’s second Bedlam dual, this one at GIA, followed by a trip to Iowa to conclude the regular season ahead of the Big 12 Championships on March 4-5 in Tulsa.
The Cowboys lost just three matches, all to higher ranked opponents at 125, 149 and 165.
After Gfeller’s win, OSU 165-pounder Wyatt Sheets went to overtime in an eventual 4-2 loss to 2021 national champion Shane Griffith.
From there, Dustin Plott and Travis Wittlake posted easy victories at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, then Luke Surber sealed the team victory with a second-period pin of Nick Stemmet at 197.
Coming off a loss at South Dakota State on Friday in which he was ridden for nearly five minutes, Surber needed a good response, and he surprised his coach with the dominant victory. Surber had three first-period takedowns, then got the pin 35 seconds into the second.
“It looked like he had a purpose, like he was a little bit embarrassed from last (match),” Smith said. “Sometimes it takes a little bit of humiliation to get going again. I wasn’t expecting that out of him today, so it was good to see.”
OSU will host OU at 7 p.m. Thursday, available on ESPN+.
Sunday’s results
At Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater
OKLAHOMA STATE 25, STANFORD 9
125: Nico Provo, Stan., dec. Reece Witcraft, 5-2
133: Daton Fix, OSU, dec. Jackson DiSario, 6-1
141: Carter Young, OSU, dec. Jason Miranda, 6-3
149: Jaden Abas, Stan., dec. Victor Voinovich, 6-5
157: Kaden Gfeller, OSU, dec. Charlie Darracott, 9-5
165: Shane Griffith, Stan., dec. Wyatt Sheets, 4-2, SV
174: Dustin Plott, OSU, dec. Tyler Eischens, 11-5
184: Travis Wittlake, OSU, major dec. Brook Byers, 18-9
197: Luke Surber, OSU, pinned Nick Stemmet, 3:35
HWT: Konner Doucet, OSU, dec. Peter Ming, 7-2
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State wrestling cruises past Stanford in tune-up for Bedlam
