Missouri falls to No. 3 Oklahoma St.
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Missouri heavyweight Mark Ellis was certain to score a takedown and secure two points … if … he … could … just … hold … on.
Wrestling
Oklahoma St. 24, Missouri 9
Jared Rosholt, Oklahoma State’s top-ranked heavyweight, hopped and skipped toward the boundary and ended up on his hands and knees.
Suddenly, it was a tug-of-war with Rosholt’s left leg. The Cowboy eventually dragged Ellis far enough out of bounds to bring about a whistle and a break. And the Tigers’ defending NCAA champion missed out on two important points.
Later in the second period, Rosholt scored a takedown on a leg sweep. Good enough to finish off a 3-2 decision between two competitors who will likely be meeting again in the Big 12 and national tournaments.
“That’s the only way he could’ve won, and I’m sure he’s happy with it right now,” Ellis said. “I did run out of room, but I’ve got to find a way to finish it and win the match. … He’s not going to beat me like that again, I’ll tell you that.”
Seniors Nick Marable and Max Askren and redshirt freshman Brent Haynes were the only Tigers to win their matches as 17th-ranked Missouri lost to third-ranked Oklahoma State 24-9 yesterday at the Hearnes Center.
Yesterday’s dual featured four matches with both wrestlers ranked in the top 10, with each side taking two. The tough competition won’t end soon. The Tigers travel to No. 2 Iowa State on Sunday with the Big 12 Championships scheduled for March 6.
“That’s something you have to be prepared to do,” Askren said. “You have to wrestle two hard matches in a row.”
Marable, a two-time All-American at 165 pounds who almost didn’t make the team as a freshman, probably thought he had seen everything in his career. But Oklahoma State threw something new at him.
At the conclusion of the 157-pound match, Cowboys coaches argued for a five-minute break. The referees and officials conferred and granted the intermission. So Marable went back to the bench, took off his head gear and put his T-shirt back on. By that time, Oklahoma State’s Alex Meade was standing at the center of the mat, ready for the match.
“Then they were like, ‘Oh, they don’t want to do it anymore,’ ” said Marable, ranked fifth. “ ‘You need to start wrestling.’
“Make up your mind. I’m sure that didn’t help the match any.”
The wrestlers were locked in a virtual stalemate, sending the match into overtime at 1-1. Marable finally scored a takedown with four seconds left in the extra period for a 3-1 win.
“I feel like I was doing everything I could,” Marable said. “I feel like I was chasing him. … He didn’t attack like I’ve seen him attack before.”
Haynes, ranked 13th at 197 pounds, nearly got pinned in the first period against fifth-ranked Alan Gelogaev and trailed 7-4 entering the final two minutes. After shooting a leg for a takedown, Haynes couldn’t get Gelogaev turned over but held the advantage long enough to secure the extra point for riding time and an 8-7 victory.
“He’s got one of the toughest weight classes in the Big 12,” MU Coach Brian Smith said. “He’s battling with them. He’s battling with these guys.”
Third-ranked Askren faced a 1-0 deficit entering the third period against No. 10 Clayton Foster in the 184 match. With Askren starting the period on bottom, Foster appeared to have his opponent locked in a cradle. But Askren reversed the move and scored another two points on a near fall. He finished with a 5-3 decision.
Todd Schavrien (141), Scott O’Donnell (149), Patrick Wright (157) and Dorian Henderson (174) each fell behind early but made a late push in trying to score.
“We can build off some of the third periods, just with guys getting after it,” Smith said. “They’ve got to learn that. They’ve got to wrestle harder in these matches.”
Reach Matt Nestor at 573-815-1786 or e-mail mnestor@columbiatribune.com.
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