(Zach Agee Photo)
It was a gutsy comeback that got the Cowboys a victory in Corvallis over the Oregon State Beavers just a season ago. The Cowboys fell behind 7-0 after the opening two matches, and 15-9 in that one before extra points behind a Joey Novak pin helped seal a narrow 19-17 victory for the Cowboys.
It was going to have to be an even more impressive comeback by the Cowboys if they were going to find a way to squeak past the Beavers again this season, this time in Laramie at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
Luke Willochell got the Cowboys out on the right foot this time around, as he earned a win by major decision at the 133 pound spot off the back of a pair of early takedowns. That gave the Cowboys an early 4-3 edge two matches into the contest after Sefton Douglass was befell at 125 pounds.
It was from that point on that the Beavers took complete control of the dual, firing off five straight match wins, many of which were tightly contested. The Cowboys weren’t necessarily expected to win at the 141 pound and 165 pound positions, as both David Saenz at 141 and Sloan Swann at 174 had uphill battles against ranked opponents.
Head wrestling coach Mark Branch was most disappointed in his team’s performance at the 149 and 157 pound positions. The Cowboys feature a pair of ranked graduate wrestlers at both positions, with Gabe Willochell at 149 and Jared Hill at 157.
“We got reckless at 149 [pounds], it was an immature match,” Branch said after the dual. “I mean, we’re talking about two of our seniors. At 157 [pounds], we go from the middle of the mat and just back straight to the edge and pick up a stall for no reason. That comes into factor in a 1-1 match.”
“It’s not the way that we train and that’s on us. That’s on me.”
Both Willochell and Hill were crucial in the Cowboys’ upset of then 10th ranked South Dakota State just a few short weeks ago. Hill came up with a big pin and Willochell scored off a win by decision to help lead the Cowboys to an impressive upset victory. Ultimately, their losses today proved to be the difference maker in a 25-12 finish in favor of the Beavers.
“It’s a wake-up call, you know? It’s a wake-up call for a lot of guys. They need to pull their head out of the sand and get to work,” Branch said.
The Cowboys made up some points with match wins at the 184 pound and heavyweight positions, but it was too little to late challenge the Beavers. All-American Joey Novak missed his fourth consecutive dual as well, as Brett McIntosh lost by tech fall at the 197 pound position in place of Novak.
“We made that decision last night,” Branch said of Novak not wrestling at the dual. “I told him that no one dual is more important to his season…you don’t want to take a step backwards.
“He wants to be in there fighting for his team and I know that. He’ll get his chance but if you make a mistake and then set yourself back two or three weeks again, then it becomes a lot more serious.”
The Cowboys will have the chance to avenge this lost dual on their home mat on Feb. 6, with Air Force coming to town. Their response may prove to be a critical juncture in this season.
“I freaking hate losing, my coaches hate losing,” heavyweight Christian Carroll said. “We’re a better team, we work hard and have a lot of guys doing the right thing. We just didn’t come to wrestle today to our fullest.”
