FARGO — North Dakota State got a shot in the arm with an unexpected pin from sophomore Jaden Van Maanen on Friday night and the Bison flexed their muscles from there. Whatever ailed the Bison two weeks ago was cured in a hurry in a 24-15 victory over the University of Oklahoma.
The inspired win at Scheels Center at Sanford Health Athletic Complex was a Big 12 Conference dual that was in doubt until the final two matches. It was Van Maanen who cast the strongest doubt on the visitors.
With the match starting at 141 pounds, Van Maanen’s first-period pin sent a message to his own bench.
“It was fun, it got the team excited I think,” he said. “I think it helped everyone else get going.”
NDSU also got a pin from Andrew Fogarty at 165 pounds to improve to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12. It came two weeks after Wyoming beat the Bison 34-6 at Scheels Center.
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It was the first win over the Sooners (3-3, 1-2) in the three meetings between the teams. Last year’s loss, 20-18 in Norman, Okla., left an empty feeling with the Bison. They felt full after Friday’s dual.
“We have a little bit of history with them and that didn’t always go so well,” said NDSU sophomore McGwire Midkiff. “So it was to get that one.”
Midkiff essentially clinched the victory with a decision at 125 pounds that made it 21-15. No. 10-ranked Cam Sykora put the bow on it with a decision at 133.
Van Maanen came in 7-10 overall and 1-5 in duals. He looked like a Big 12 title contender, however, in the first period, getting a lock on Jacob Butler and not letting go.
A three-point near fall with the cradle eventually turned into the fall at 1 minute, 27 seconds and the Bison led 6-3.
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“In wrestling, you always have that potential to catch a guy,” said NDSU head coach Roger Kish. “We felt comfortable going into that match; did we expect him to catch him on his back? Probably not. That was a nice addition to get a fall and get the team going the right way. He’s someone who needed something like that.”
Freshman Jared Franek followed with a 3-1 decision over No. 16-ranked Justin Thomas for a 9-3 lead. It was yet another win over a rated opponent for Franek, who is unranked, but perhaps not for long.
“I think that was his first signature win,” Kish said. “We know what he’s capable of and this is a match he needed, to beat a guy like that and prove he can be a mainstay in the top 20.”
Fogarty turned it into an early-match party against Jose Lao Cooper. After a first period of dominating on top, Fogarty found the right takedown hold, took Lao Cooper to the mat and pinned him 32 seconds into the second period.
That made it 15-3.
That momentum didn’t last.
Anthony Mantanona’s pin at 174 pounds for Oklahoma, and decisions by Darrien Roberts at 184 and No. 12 Jake Woodley at 197 tied it at 15-15 heading to the final three matches.
NDSU’s Brandon Metz stopped the slide getting a third-period takedown to defeat Josiah Jones at 285 pounds and the Bison regained the lead 18-15. It brought the dual to the lightweights to decide the outcome.
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“I’m really proud of the guys’ effort tonight,” Kish said. “We knew it had the potential to be a back-and-forth dual. All-in-all, it was a strong effort. I felt like the Bison team came together and executed our game plans well. That was a big win, we let that one get away from us last year.”
141 pounds: Demas, OU, dec. Droegemueller, 12-5. 149: Van Maanen, NDSU, pinned Butler, 1:27. 157: Franek, NDSU, dec. Thomas, 3-1. 165: Fogarty, NDSU, pinned Cooper, 3:32. 174: Mantanona, OU, pinned De La Riva, 4:04. 184: Roberts, OU, dec. Pottinger, 4-2. 197: Woodley, OU, dec. Eaton, 6-2. 285: Metz, NDSU, dec. Jones, 3-2. 125: Midkiff, NDSU, dec. Moody, 2-0. 133: Sykora, NDSU, dec. Madrigal, 6-4.
