The winning streak continues for No. 4 Iowa State but this time it’s extra special as they defeated No. 10 Oklahoma State 18-11 at home for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Six wins separated the Cyclones from the Cowboys. The dual started with a standing ovation as walk-on Caleb Fuessley got the call at 125 pounds and secured a 10-1 win over Zach Blankenship.
“I remember him (Fuessley) coming in and thinking ‘this kid is going to get eaten up’ and he just got tougher every year,” Dresser said about the junior from Center Point, IA. “He’s probably the quietest but one of the hardest-working kids on our team.”
The Cyclones and the Cowboys went back and forth swapping wins with three separate instances where the dual was tied.
With such high stakes in the Big 12 matchup, the dual did not go without some heated moments. Heading into 141 pounds, the dual was tied 3-3. Casey Swiderski and Carter Young faced off and the Cowboy secured the win with a 3-0 decision.
The whistle was blown and suddenly arguments were being had with officials and the coaches going back and forth. Ultimately both teams lost team points, Oklahoma State for “control of mat area” and Iowa State for unsportsmanlike conduct.
After the dual, Dresser recounted his memory of the situation:
“I think the referee got himself in a tough position. I’m not trying to throw him under the bus but it was a tough position. Coach Smith came out on the mat. They are a lot harder about that than usual this year. They made a point of emphasis that when coaches come out on the mat they’re going to ding you. I got dinged in Wisconsin and I went out there to ask what the score was. I think some of us older timers are used to just going out on the mat and John definitely likes to go out on the mat,” Dresser said. “He went on the mat to defend his athlete because Swiderski was trying to get out awfully hard and he horse-kicked a little bit there. Rightfully so, he went out but he went out too far. While all that was going on Casey and his opponent shook hands but it wasn’t under the direction of the referee where they raise a hand so the ref said he left the mat area and that was unsportsmanlike. Quite the rodeo.”
The dual reached a head at 197 pounds. Both teams were tied 11-11. There had been some speculation as to whether or not Yonger Bastida was going to wrestle for Iowa State. Dresser had shared Friday night after the dual against Oklahoma that he had gotten a bit dinged up earlier in the week at practice.
For Bastida, it was a no-brainer he’d be walking out of that tunnel Sunday morning.
“He told me this morning that he wanted to go. In those situations, I always leave it up to the athletes. If it was Big 12’s or Nationals I might push him out there but in this situation, it was completely up to him,” Dresser said after Bastida didn’t feel the best on Friday night.
Bastida credits his training and the crowd for keeping him so fired up until the final second. In the third period, Hilton was on their feet chanting his name. For the Cuban native, that’s everything.
“I felt really good. I keep getting better every match and each week.” Bastida said. “It’s awesome. That’s the thing that keeps me going, the crowd, it’s something that I love. I don’t get tired of listening to them scream at me. I love that.”
Bastida set the tone and won 7-2 to hand the lead over to the Cyclones 14-11 heading into the final match of the day.
Carrying the weight of the dual on his back is not new territory for Sam Schuyler.
“He keeps getting better and better and more confident. He gets the chance to win the dual meet. The dual is on the line when you’re the heavyweight and he went out and blew it open,” Dresser said. “Two years ago or at beginning of the year last year I am sure that he would’ve pooped his pants a little bit. But, he’s over those days. He wants the spotlight. He wants that opportunity.”
Schuyler notched the only bonus point win of the day for either team with a 10-1 win over Kyle Haas. He tallied three takedowns, and two near fall points plus racked up over two minutes of riding time.
Dresser’s biggest takeaway was that his team gave the effort he wanted to see.
“It’s been a while since we won against that team in this building. It’s the first time we beat them back-to-back since 2009. Hats off to our guys and especially the 10 guys who represented Iowa State,” Dresser said. “We fought really hard. There were some places where we lost and where we fought really hard. That’s the thing we preach at Iowa State, we’re about effort and there was a great effort with our 10 guys.”
