Boise State vs. Oklahoma State
  Dec. 21, 2002  McKay Events Center  Orem, Utah   
  Earlier this year, Utah Valley State College in Provo, Utah made the decision to add men's wrestling to their sports program in order to help achieve NCAA Division I status. The move was monumental. The sport of amateur wrestling, especially at the collegiate level, has seen program after program dropped. In order to help support this program, the Utah Amateur Wrestling Foundation has set up a series of fundraisers. One of those fundraisers is the dual meet between Oklahoma State and Boise State on UVSC's campus.    On paper, one would think the top-ranked Cowboys would walk away easily with a win, but when you consider all of the factors, including the Utah natives that get to wrestle in their home state for the first time in years, you will soon realize that this dual meet could come down to the last match.    Rankings are from TheMat.com Division I Coaches Individual Poll    125 - #4 Ben VomBaur (Boise State) vs. #6 Skyler Holman (Oklahoma State)  This definitely has the makings to be the best match of the dual, and it is surely the most high-profile. VomBaur has a long and lean body, which makes him tough to defend and tough to get in on. He has improved tremendously on his feet this year and has become a threat to score takedowns at any time. Holman returns to the lineup after suffering a minor injury a couple of weeks ago. Technically, he is very sound. He has gotten a lot better from the start of the season, especially on his feet, which is where this match will be decided. Stay off the ice this week Skyler, because you will need all the traction you can get in this match. Holman will need to get quick escapes if he gets on bottom at all. With VomBaur's build, it will be tough to keep him from scoring back points if Holman is on bottom for over 30 seconds.  TheMat.com Prediction: VomBaur    133 - Scott Jorgensen (Boise State) vs. #1 Johnny Thompson (Oklahoma State)  Jorgensen is a freshman who has shown a lot of talent in his young career. Jorgensen can score points in a hurry. He is good on top, and though his shots are technically sound, he knows how to finish. Thompson has come back from an injury and seems to already be back in shape. He is always looking to throw his opponent, and as wild as Jorgensen can get sometimes, he could get a pin here. On the other hand, Jorgensen's style could give Thompson fits as well. Jorgensen can score from his feet, and if he keeps some distance between himself and Thompson, he could keep this match close and even win, especially if Thompson is looking ahead to a rematch with Ryan Lewis on Jan. 3.  TheMat.com Prediction: Thompson    141 - #8 Gabe Vigil (Boise State) vs. #2 Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State)  Vigil, a Utah native, is one of the forgotten wrestlers nationally at 141, but he is very solid. He has posted wins over Cunanan and Reese this season. He is a wrestler who looks for his offense when he steps onto the mat instead of worrying about how to stop his opponent's offense. He has a good mat sense and is very quick at countering his opponents. He will need to be quick in this match. Esposito is bigger than most of the 141-pounders in the nation, and his quickness and technical skills are as good as any senior in the nation. He likes to tie up, and scores a lot of points when he is on top. Vigil needs to try to control the action. Esposito sometimes has a flare for getting in some wild scrambles. Vigil needs to pick the right spots to shoot and get Esposito in a hole early.  TheMat.com Prediction: Esposito    149 - #9 Collin Robertson (Boise State) vs. #5 Jerrod Sanders (Oklahoma State)  Robertson has finally come into his own nationally after a couple of years of frustration. He has learned how to dominate opponents both from his feet and on the mat. It has been a huge difference in his matches this year. Like Robertson, Sanders has also become more consistent and a major threat on the national level. Technically, he is behind some, but he is smart and does not make many mistakes on the mat. Both wrestlers will be looking to score early, but once they do, they may try and sit on the lead. There is a little flare in this match. Robertson actually used to be one of the wrestlers at BYU before the program was dropped. He was one of the top recruits they had after wrestling at Pleasant Grove High School in Utah, so this dual meet is special for him. Look for him to come out fired up and look to dominate in front of his home crowd.  TheMat.com Prediction: Robertson    157 - Ben Cherrington (Boise State) vs. #4 Shane Roller (Oklahoma State)  Cherrington is another solid redshirt freshman in this lineup and is a major reason why many feel Boise State will be a team to contend with nationally in a couple of years. Cherrington has a wide-open style, which means he either destroys his opponents or gets destroyed himself. So far this season, he has seen a little of both. Roller's funky and daring style may be enough to throw Cherrington off in this match. Roller is very aggressive on offense, especially against opponents he knows he can beat. If Cherrington catches Roller on the right day, he could keep this match close, but Roller will be looking for back points the entire match.  TheMat.com Prediction: Roller    165 - Nathan Ploehn (Boise State) vs. #2 Tyrone Lewis (Oklahoma State)  Ploehn is another Utah native returning to his home state to wrestling in this dual. He, unlike his two teammates, does not have much of a chance to win this meet. He is undersized and overmatched. He gives up a lot of takedowns and sometimes gets himself off balanced. This is exactly what Lewis wants. Lewis loves to use his ankle-pick. And when he wants to use it, it is nearly unstoppable. He is comparable to Joe Williams in that he can score on anyone at anytime, but for some reason chooses not to. Lewis needs to start dominating all the time, not just when he wants to. This would be a good match for him to start.  TheMat.com Prediction: Lewis    174 - Pat Owens (Boise State) vs. #2 Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State)  Owens is still learning how to wrestle at the Division I level, but this match won't be good for learning. He needs to find a way to do two things: score points and stop Pendleton. Both of those will be tough to come by in this match. Pendleton has been more than impressive this year. He has been unstoppable. He got bigger in the off-season and it has truly helped him this season. He already has two wins over top ten opponents this year. The key for him has been staying healthy, but he is really having fun on the mat as well. Owens will have to work to slow down Pendleton's quick-strike offense. If he cannot stop Pendleton on his feet, this match could get ugly.  TheMat.com Prediction: Pendleton    184 - Tony D'Amico (Boise State) vs. Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State)  D'Amico is solid, but he struggles to score points against top opponents. This is the year that coaches felt he would come out of his shell and begin to become a leader on this squad. They are still waiting for it to happen. If D'Amico can pull out a win here, he would be one step closer to that. Rosholt, an Idaho native, picked Oklahoma State over Boise State coming out of high school. It was a high-profile recruit for the Cowboys and a backyard loss for the Broncos. Rosholt is battling with his confidence right now. He knows he has the talent to beat anyone in the nation, but he do