Although Neil Erisman, front, lost his match at 157 pounds to No. 14 Chase Pami, he inspired his teammates in the last five matches. The Cowboys defeated Cal Poly 36-6 on Saturday.
Despite the holiday’s already passing, Cal Poly wrestlers seemed to be in a Valentine’s Day mood on the mat Saturday when they fell for the Cowboys.
Three pins and a technical fall contributed to OSU defeating the Mustangs 36-6.
The Cowboys (16-2-1) gained momentum at 165 pounds when No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach, a senior, pinned sophomore Ryan Williams in the third period to leap away from the Mustangs (5-8) on the scoreboard.
Scoring two takedowns, a three-point near fall and an escape, Dieffenbach was seven points ahead of Williams, who scored only an escape, before the fall.
Dieffenbach hadn’t wrestled since OSU’s previous home dual Feb. 3, but he felt his way through the first period and clinched the pin, coach John Smith said.
As Dieffenbach’s energy carried to the 174-pound match, No. 8 Brandon Mason, a junior, beat junior Mike Williams by technical fall in the first period.
A beast in the fiercest form, Mason scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds and five consecutive three-point near falls to end the match 17-0 by technical fall in the first period.
At 197 pounds, freshman Clayton Foster pinned senior Arturo Basulto in the second period.
Foster scored five takedowns, and Basulto answered each with an escape before Foster’s sixth takedown led to the pin 4:08 into the match.
Foster said the pin was his first as a collegiate wrestler and marks a milestone in his wrestling career.
“College is another level, and I hadn’t got there yet, but today I feel like I broke through,” he said. “Hopefully, I can keep going.”
Foster said his training during this first year at OSU has brought him where he is and he has focused on two areas: “Getting bigger and pulling the trigger.”
No. 8 Jared Rosholt, a sophomore, didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger in the heavyweight match when he pinned sophomore Jim Powers in the first period.
Rosholt’s first takedown was countered with an escape, but his second takedown about two minutes in led to Powers’ fall.
Rosholt said he thought the team’s momentum started with freshman Neil Erisman’s comeback in the third period at 157 pounds. Despite Erisman’s closing the 5-1 gap to 7-5, he lost to No. 14 Chase Pami, a sophomore.
Erisman’s effort, however, was enough to inspire the team to compete hard for the final five matches, Smith said.
“When you’ve got a teammate out there wrestling hard and scoring in the third period — whether it’s a pin, whether it’s points, just hammering on somebody — that makes me want to wrestle hard for the team, too,” he said.
Smith said it was good to have several team points scored from those last five matches because technical falls and pins have been rarities this year.
Looking forward to Bedlam in Norman on Thursday, Rosholt said the unusual midweek match won’t change anything except that it will be difficult for Cowboy fans to make it. Rosholt said fan attendance is always important to the team.
Fan turnout aside, Smith said he knows the team will have to wrestle well to beat the Sooners.
“Right now, it’s about Bedlam,” he said. “It’s about reminding ourselves that that match is not given, that we’re gonna have to wrestle and probably have one of our better matches to win.”
Although many teams struggle during this time of year, Rosholt said the Cowboys are moving forward.
“I think a lot of [wrestlers] probably hit a wall this time of year, but I don’t think we have,” he said. “We’re working hard and keeping a good attitude.”
With tournaments on the horizon, Smith said the team talked this week about what needs to happen for OSU to reach that next level.
“It’s gonna start with our heart, that we’re not gonna be too concerned about who we’re wrestling or what we’re doing, but we’re gonna wrestle with a lot of heart,” he said.
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