SHEETS MAKING HIS CASE
Oklahoma State's Wyatt Sheets is on a hot streak as he attempts to lock down a spot at 157 pounds in the Cowboys' lineup
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith will have a couple tough lineup decisions to make as the postseason nears.
Wyatt Sheets is trying to make one of them easier on his coach. The 157-pound sophomore from Stilwell didn't enter the undefeated Cowboys' lineup for duals until four weeks ago against West Virginia, and he's lost once in six matches since.
Sheets hadn't done anything to force his way into the lineup prior to mid-January, but has elevated himself in the last month.
The 157-pound weight class will be crucial for the Cowboys in the postseason, and it carries a good bit of importance on Saturday when second-ranked OSU visits undefeated and fifthranked Missouri for one of the Cowboys' final duals of the season.
OSU finishes its dual schedule Feb. 24 at home against Iowa.
Andrew Shomers had been wrestling at 157 for the Cowboys, but moved up to 165 when All-American Chandler Rogers was injured. Now, Shomers is likely to stay in the 165-pound weight class, even though Rogers has returned to the lineup.
That leaves Sheets and Jonce Blaylock at 157. Whichever of them gets the call on Saturday, Missouri will send out 17th-ranked Jarrett Jacques, who is 21-6 on the season.
And the final two duals of the season could impact the decision Smith makes at 157 for the postseason as the Cowboys try to put together a lineup capable of competing for a national title.
“I think they'll probably iron themselves out,” Smith said of the decisions that lie ahead of him at multiple upper weight classes. “We'll see how it materializes. Nobody's gonna be given a spot. They're gonna have to fight for it.”
Since joining the lineup on Jan. 18, Sheets has defeated both ranked wrestlers he's faced, with a 9-3 decision over Pittsburgh's 10th-ranked Taleb Rahmani and a 7-5 sudden-victory decision over Northern Iowa's No. 18 Josh Humphreys.
“I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that, just because I was in Gallagher,” Sheets said of the overtime win against Humphreys. “It was a completely different experience I've ever been in.”
Last week, Sheets turned in his most impressive performance in Gallagher-Iba Arena, with an 18-3 technical fall against Air Force's Alex Mossing.
Sheets' first match in front of the home crowd was a loss to Iowa State's Chase Straw, but Sheets said that loss changed his attitude for the better.
“After that, I just kind of cut loose and went out there and had fun,” Sheets said. “I'm a lot more active on my feet. I'm not sitting around waiting for the other guy to come to me. I'm going to them now. Just go out there and wrestle and have fun. That's my attitude now.”