Matt Manley knew he had to win big in his match against Oklahoma’s Trae Blackwell in order to pump up his team after a losing start to the dual.
Manley, a redshirt junior and Missouri wrestling’s 141-pound starter, scored a two-point nearfall, followed closely by a four-point nearfall, and finally, with the crowd and the coaching staff on their feet, pinned Blackwell with 20 seconds left in the first period to help Missouri tie up the score 6-6.
“I’m just always looking to score… and it was just me trying to find the right time to get my hips over and finish him off, but I knew I had him right where I wanted him,” Manley said. “I think the team got a little more excited after that, everyone kind of took a breath and knew we would do OK.”
After two losses from 125-pounder Barlow McGhee and 133-pounder Zach Synon, Manley’s pin was the first in a series of bouts to help No. 5 Missouri beat No. 7 Oklahoma 31-12 Saturday at the Hearnes Center.
Junior Lavion Mayes kept his undefeated record by beating Davion Jeffries 4-2 at 149 pounds, and senior Le’Roy Barnes followed at 157 pounds with a major decision over Brock Wingbermuehle, 7-0. Barnes’ quick feet and multiple attacks started off a row of four wins where the Missouri wrestlers did not let Oklahoma score a point.
“All the way through I thought we wrestled well from (Manley’s pin) on,” coach Brian Smith said. “I keep saying I’m looking for consistency from guys, and Matt Manley has been that guy all season.”
At 165 pounds, redshirt freshman Daniel Lewis defeated Clark Glass 4-0, followed by senior Blaise Butler at 174 pounds with the fall in the first period over Matt Reed.
At 184 pounds, senior Cody Johnston stepped in for sophomore Willie Miklus, who has had a hurt ankle for a few weeks, and scored a technical fall for the Tigers.
Johnston’s role on the team has shown in situations similar to this one over the course of his career with the Tigers, and although it is hard to sometimes stay motivated to keep practicing with the tough line-up for Missouri, he knows that he is helping the program out in doing so.
“The chance for me to wrestle at the MAC tournament is slim and I realize and understand what my job is on the team,” Johnston said. “So I was pumped today to get out there and wrestle and trying to make the most of it. It’s hard to find motivation, but you also have to realize that you’re wrestling more than just yourself here.”
Junior J’Den Cox took the mat after Johnston, and although looking sluggish at the start, he won 4-2 over Brad Johnson.
Rounding out the match, freshman heavyweight James Romero was pinned by Oklahoma’s Ross Larson in the first period.
Missouri’s win today came after a loss against Oklahoma State last week. Smith said how important it is to bounce back after a loss like that, both for overall rankings and the team’s motivation.
“It shows some character,” Smith said. “I saw some really good things; we had a couple of falls and tech falls and that’s a great thing to come back with.”
Missouri comes back to the Hearnes Center tomorrow at 1:30 p.m to wrestle Old Dominion University.
