Oklahoma State comes from behind to earn rematch with Big XII rival Missouri in the NWCA National Du
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John Fuller (TheMat.com)
01/17/2004
Cleveland, Ohio - It's not often that defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State gets to look for revenge, but on Sunday afternoon at the NWCA National Duals, that is exactly what will be on the mind of the Cowboy wrestlers. Oklahoma State (11-1) came from behind to defeat Michigan 20-13 in the semifinals, setting up a rematch with Missouri (11-0), a team that defeated Oklahoma State 21-17 on Nov. 21. That win was the first ever for a Missouri team over an Oklahoma State team while also snapping the Cowboys' 29-match winning streak. Against Michigan, the Cowboys fell behind 10-0 after losing the first three matches of the dual. At 125 lbs., Mark Moos of Michigan dominated Cody Stites, scoring nine points in the first period en route to a 15-4 major decision. Michigan's Foley Dowd then offered the Cowboys a big blow by defeating two-time NCAA champion Johnny Thompson 3-1 in overtime at 133 lbs. Dowd scored the winning takedown after using a front headlock to drive Thompson to the mat before spinning behind him for the win. Clark Forward then gave Michigan a 10-0 lead by defeating Ronnie Delk 8-5 in the 141-pound bout. After that, it was all Cowboys. Zack Esposito got things started for Oklahoma State with an 11-5 win over Ryan Churella at 149 lbs. Then, freshman Johnny Hendricks matched Dowd's upset victory with a 6-5 win over defending NCAA champion Ryan Bertin in a tiebreaker at 157 lbs. Both Hendricks and Bertin displayed a wide array of offense, but in the tiebreaker, it was Hendricks' defense that won the match. He earned an escape in his 30 seconds from the bottom position, and then rode out Bertin in the final 30 seconds for the victory. Oklahoma State's Tyrone Lewis squeaked by Pat Owen at 165 lbs. by a 5-3 score before the Cowboys' Chris Pendleton (174) and Jake Rosholt (184) recorded major decision victories to put their team ahead 17-10. At 197 lbs., Oklahoma State's Rusty Blackmon sealed the dual win with a 2-0 victory over freshman Chase Verdoorn. With 10 seconds left in the match, Verdoorn shot on a double-leg, but took his time in lifting up Blackmon, slamming him to the mat just as time expired. Missouri earned a trip to the championships match after an impressive 23-16 win over Penn State. The Tigers received pins from J.P. Reese at 141 lbs. and Kenny Burleson at 157 lbs. in the win. Reese's pin came with only 12 seconds remaining in the second period in a close match that he was trailing 3-1. The win gave Missouri a 9-3 lead, one in which the team would not relinquish. Missouri freshman Ben Askren continued his dominating weekend, defeating James Yonushonis 4-0. Askren, known for his great mat wrestling, was able to use a first-period takedown, an escape and a massive amount of riding time to earn the victory. Askren's win gave Missouri a 23-6 lead, meaning that Penn State would have to record pins in its final three matches in order to win the dual. The NWCA National Duals finals will begin at 3:00 p.m. (EST). TheMat.com will provide live coverage of the finals match. NWCA National Duals at Cleveland, Ohio Jan. 17-18, 2004 Semifinal Results Oklahoma State 20, Michigan 13 125 - Mark Moos (M) maj. dec. Cody Stites (OSU), 15-4 133 - Foley Dowd (M) dec. Johnny Thompson (OSU), 3-1 ot 141 - Clark Forward (M) dec. Ronnie Delk (OSU), 8-5 149 - Zack Esposito (OSU) dec. Ryan Churella (M), 11-5 157 - Johny Hendricks (OSU) dec. Ryan Bertin (M), 6-5 tb 165 - Tyrone Lewis (OSU) dec. Pat Owen (M), 5-3 174 - Chris Pendleton (OSU) maj. dec. R.J. Boudro (M), 11-1 184 - Jake Rosholt (OSU) maj. dec. Josh Weitzel (M), 12-2 197 - Rusty Blackmon (OSU) dec. Chase Verdoorn (M), 2-1 285 - Greg Wagner (M) dec. Will Gruenwald (OSU), 10-5 Missouri 23, Penn State 16 125 - Adam Smith (PSU) dec. Austin DeVoe (M), 6-4 ot 133 - Paul Collum (M) dec. Josh Moore (PSU), 14-10 141 - J.P. Reese (M) pinned Dewitt Driscoll (PSU), 4:48 149 - Matt Storniolo (PSU) dec. Jeremy Spates (M), 6-5 157 - Kenny Burleson (M) pinned James Woodall (PSU), 0:52 165 - Tyron Woodley (M) tech. fall Jared Turner (PSU), 3:17 174 - Ben Askren (M) dec. James Yonushonis (PSU), 4-0 184 - Eric Bradley (PSU) dec. Matt Pell (M), 7-3 197 - Joel Edwards (PSU) dec. Jeff Foust (M), 4-3 285 - Pat Cummins (PSU) maj. dec. Mike Whitehead (M), 14-3