Okahoma State good, bad and ugly in Southern Scuffle romp

UTC's Jared Johnson, above, wrestles Hofstra's Mike Hughes to finish 6th in the 285-pound class of the Southern Scuffle Monday night at McKenzie Arena. Hughes won the match 4-3. UTC's Jared Johnson, above, wrestles Hofstra's Mike Hughes to finish 6th in the 285-pound class of the Southern Scuffle Monday night at McKenzie Arena. Hughes won the match 4-3.

By Ward Gossett January 3, 2017 6 min read

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Okahoma State good, bad and ugly in Southern Scuffle romp

Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock, left, works for a single-leg takedown on Lehigh's Scott Parker in the 133-pound championship match Monday night at McKenzie Arena in the 2017 Southern Scuffle. Brock, a red-shirt freshman, won with the match by injury default.

Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock is seen loosening up on the big screen at McKenzie Arena before winning his championship match over Lehigh's Scott Parker in the 133-pound weight class Monday night.

Oklahoma State's Dean Heil, right, shoot for the takedown on North Carolina's Joey Ward in the 141-pound championship match Monday night at McKenzie Arena. Heil won 3-1.

Fans acknowledge the winners in the 141-pound class Monday night at the 2017 Southern Scuffle at McKenzie Arena.

Oklahoma State's Anthony Collica attempts to break free from Missouri' Lavion Maves in the 149-pound championship match Monday night at McKenzie Arena. Collica won 7-6.

Southern Scuffle team scores

1. Oklahoma State 198; 2. Missouri 126; 3. Lehigh 124.5; 4. Minnesota 118; 5. Northern Iowa 87.5; 6. Edinboro 73; 7. Virginia 64; 8. Cornell 63; 9. North Carolina 56; 10. Stanford 55.5; 11. UTC 46; 12. Drexel 43.5; 13. Duke 40.5; 14. Appalachian State 36; 15. Northern Colorado 29.5; 16. Gardner-Webb 27.5; 17. Campbell 27; 17. Penn 17; 19. Navy 22; 20. Utah Valley 21; 21. Cleveland State 15.5; 22. Air Force 13.5; 23. The Citadel 5.5.

Record-setting Oklahoma State continued its scoring barrage on the final day of the Southern Scuffle wrestling tournament.

The Cowboys set event records for points (198) and margin of victory (72) in winning the championship Monday, their first after runner-up finishes to Penn State in three of the past four seasons.

“It was good. You bring several guys, you’re going to have some good, you’re going to have some bad and you’re going to have some ugly. We had all three of them,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “I’m pleased with the effort and the number of points, but the tournament definitely showed us some areas where we’re going to really make a run at a (national) championship.

“It’s a great tournament for us, but there are definitely (improvement) areas we can take from it. We had some sloppy moments, but it wasn’t lack of effort.”