In a highlighted dual on national television, John Smith and the #6 Oklahoma State Cowboys will travel to Norman, Oklahoma to square off against the talented #23 Oklahoma Sooners. The Bedlam Dual Series dates all the way back to 1920, and will be the 185th meeting between the two teams. The Sooners will look to pull off the big upset, and the dual will be streamed live on ESPNU with Jim Gibbons and Shane Sparks. Here’s a preview of every matchup set to go down Sunday afternoon, and a projection to see how this match could play out.
Projected Matchups:
125 – #17 Joey Prata vs. #9 Trevor Mastrogiovanni
To kickoff this year’s Bedlam Series, #17 Joey Prata (5-2) will take on #9 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (3-1) in a top-25 matchup. Prata and Mastrogiovanni are no strangers to each other, as they faced off three times in just three short months last season. Mastrogiovanni won two of the three bouts, however each match was won within three points. Just last weekend, Mastrogiovanni dropped his first match to #3 Patrick McKee in a close bout that was scored 4-1. For Prata, his last action on the mat came against Little Rock’s Jeremiah Reno where he earned a major decision by a score of 10-1. Both 125-pounders will be looking to get the first points on the board for their squad, and I’ll predict a decision victory for Trevor Mastrogiovanni.
133 – Wyatt Henson vs. #2 Daton Fix
In his final season as a Cowboy, #2 Daton Fix (4-0) squares off against the Sooners’ Wyatt Henson (6-4) as he looks to keep his undefeated season rolling. Fix has only lost two collegiate bouts since 2019, with both losses going to Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young in the National Finals. It’s clear Fix is one of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in the country, and continues to look dominant to start the 2022-2023 season. Henson, a redshirt sophomore for the Sooners, just recently had a convincing win over Little Rock’s Joshua Sarpy in the Oklahoma/Little Rock dual last weekend. Expect Fix to look to score a lot of points, and try to earn the Cowboys much needed bonus points to get ahead of the Sooners early in the dual.
141 – Mosha Schwartz vs. #23 Carter Young
Last week at the Oklahoma State/Minnesota dual, #23 Carter Young (2-2) made headlines after defeating current #3 Jake Bergland, 5-1. Young has already made a lot of noise for the Cowboys, but also on the international scene. Last September Young placed third at the Senior World Team Trials, and had incredible victories over two former national champions in Nahshon Garrett and Seth Gross. Young continues to show his high-level potential, yet has a challenge ahead of him this Sunday. Sooners’ Mosha Schwartz (6-1) has looked impressive to start this season, winning his two previous matches by fall. The two-time NCAA Qualifier will be a tough matchup for Young and the Cowboys, and will be an interesting match to keep an eye on.
149 – #19 Mitch Moore vs. Victor Voinovich
In his senior season, Oklahoma’s #19 Mitch Moore (7-1) returns to the Sooners lineup after having his season cut short last year due to injury. Sooner fans witnessed Moore rack up back-to-back falls in last year’s NCAA Championship consolation bracket, and has continued that into this season as he won by fall over Lehigh’s Manzona Bryant a month ago. For the Cowboys, redshirt freshman Victor Voinovich (3-1) continues to show why he is close to cracking the top-25 at 149-pounds. As a true freshman, Voinovich placed third at the Southern Scuffle, and finished with a 16-1 record competing in four open tournaments for the Cowboys. Voinovich just dropped his first match of the season in a close bout to Minnesota’s #20 Michael Blockhus by a score of 3-1.
157 – Jacob Butler vs. #9 Kaden Gfeller
Cowboys #9 Kaden Gfeller (2-1) is now inside the top-10 rankings at 157-pounds, mostly thanks to an impressive win last weekend when knocking off Minnesota’s #10 Brayton Lee, 2-0. Gfeller was just one victory shy of All-American honors last season, and continues to climb within the top-10. Sooners’ Jacob Butler (8-3) is on the brink of the top-25 rankings, especially after dropping a close decision to Penn’s #10 Anthony Artalona 6-4 at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Expect Gfeller to have the advantage, however this could be a close match as Butler has been in a lot of close matches to start the year.
165 – #17 Gerrit Nijenhuis vs. #20 Wyatt Sheets
In another closely projected matchup, Sooners’ #17 Gerrit Nijenhuis (5-1) will square off against Cowboys #20 Wyatt Sheets (3-1). Nijenhuis transferred from Purdue this past summer, after qualifying for the NCAA Championships twice. Nijenhuis has shown he continues to build and get better each season, yet will have his first top-25 ranked opponent this season when he takes on Sheets. Sheets dropped his first match of the season against Minnesota’s Andrew Sparks 5-4, yet has a chance to bounce back against the Sooners. I’ll predict a win for Nijenhuis and his aggressive offense.
174 – #13 Darrien Roberts vs. #4 Dustin Plott
Oklahoma’s #13 Darrien Roberts (11-3) comes in as the highest ranked wrestler for the Sooners, yet has a top-5 ranked opponent in Oklahoma State’s #4 Dustin Plott (4-0). Roberts’ best win of the season came over current Penn’s #22 Nick Icontrera by a score of 7-6, but will have his toughest challenge of the season this Sunday. Plott placed sixth at the NCAA tournament last season, and continues to roll after an impressive victory last weekend over Minnesota’s #15 Bailey O’Reilly, 10-5.
184 – Grayden Penner vs. #12 Travis Wittlake
Cowboys previous All-American #12 Travis Wittlake (3-1) looks to bounce back after suffering his first loss of the season last week against Minnesota’s #11 Isaiah Salazar, 4-0. Although injuries prevented Wittlake from a full 2021-2022 season, he’s just a few wins away from cracking the top-10 rankings at 184-pounds. For the Sooners, they’ll look to Grayden Penner (9-3) who has been active on the mat to start this season. Penner will have his toughest matchup of his career when facing Wittlake, as this is his first starting season as a Sooner.
197 – Keegan Moore vs. Luke Surber
This 197-pound matchup is another swing match that could result in any way late in the dual. Both Oklahoma’s Keegan Moore (1-1) and Oklahoma State’s Luke Surber (2-2) don’t have much action on the mat so far this year, which can be a toss up when projecting the outcome. Surber kept it close with Minnesota’s Michial Foy after losing 7-4. This match could be a big win for either team depending on the team score when going into this 197-pound bout.
285 – #23 Josh Heindselman vs. Konner Doucet
To end the night, Sooners’ #23 Josh Heindselman (8-3) will take on Cowboys’ Konner Doucet (3-1). Heindselman is a returning NCAA Qualifier, and has earned his highest ranking of his career this season. Heindselman is coming off two consecutive victories over Penn’s Ben Goldin and Little Rock’s Josiah Hill. Cowboys Konner Doucet just dropped his first match of the season against Minnesota, where he dropped a grueling 2-1 decision in tie breakers. Doucet looks to build off a solid 3-1 record in his first starting season with the Cowboys, however Heindselman will be his toughest opponent yet.
Final Score Prediction: 19-12, Oklahoma State
