STILLWATER — With his soft voice and unassuming smile, Jax Forrest sat behind the microphone answering questions about third-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling’s 32-11 win over No. 7 Iowa on Sunday.
A sellout crowd of 12,629 at Gallagher-Iba Arena watched the Cowboys roll up the most points they’ve scored against Iowa in any of the previous 59 renditions of this incredible rivalry.
And Forrest helped set the tone for OSU’s dominant victory with a technical fall of Iowa’s Drake Ayala, a two-time runner-up at the NCAA Championships.
Yet Forrest sat there speaking to reporters with a calmness and maturity that far exceeds his 19 years — but is also a direct antithesis of his wrestling style.
“They call me the 'Squirrel,'” he said with a shrug, describing the nickname his unorthodox maneuvers have earned him in the OSU wrestling room. “I just find my ways in and out of positions.”
A week ago, Forrest showed he can contend with some of the best wrestlers in the 133-pound weight class with his thrilling 10-9 win over Virginia Tech’s Aaron Seidel.
But Sunday’s win took excitement to another level for the teenager who opted to enroll at OSU in January rather than completing his final season of high school wrestling.
“It was surreal wrestling somebody who’s that high caliber,” Forrest said of ninth-ranked Ayala. “And I’m just feeling that flow state where everything I’m doing is perfect timing, perfect amount of strength, everything, where it felt like that was the best version of myself — which is what I strive for.
“Last week, I wasn’t where I wanted to be, then this week, that happening leading up to Big 12s and NCAAs, it’s just surreal. It’s awesome.”
Forrest’s 19-3 technical fall was the second of three key wins to start the day, with seventh-ranked Troy Spratley opening the day with a 5-2 decision over No. 6 Dean Peterson. At 141, second-ranked Sergio Vega pinned Kale Petersen to give OSU a 14-0 lead right out the gate.
“That beginning, those first three matches really set the tone,” OSU coach David Taylor said. “Proud of those guys. It takes courage to go out and do those things. It’s easy to stand around.
“That’s been the biggest message to our team. You can stand around and be like everybody else, or have a little vulnerability and be willing to make some mistakes and wrestle through them, and some awesome things happen.”
OSU’s Zack Ryder triumphant in return
After a pair of Iowa wins at middle weights, OSU’s lead had dwindled to 17-11 with a couple of toss-up matches remaining.
But 184-pound redshirt freshman Zack Ryder moved the Cowboys to the doorstep with a 2-1 sudden-victory decision over Iowa’s Gabe Arnold. From there, Cody Merrill pinned Brody Samson and Iowa opted to use backup heavyweight Gage Marty, who was pinned by Konner Doucet.
It wasn’t clear until a couple days before the match that Ryder would be ready to compete. He hadn’t wrestled in a dual since suffering a shoulder injury against Northern Iowa on Jan. 30.
“He’s had an up-and-down season,” Taylor said. “He’s lost some close matches. But the messaging this week was, ‘Dude, just have presence. Expect the end result. Maybe it’s gonna be ugly or whatever. I just thought he had very good, calm presence.
“Those are matches this year that he’s fallen short in.”
Arnold had been warned for stalling in the third period, but when he was penalized for it — which gave Ryder the winning point in overtime — Iowa coach Tom Brands argued vehemently and ultimately walked off the arena floor while gesturing toward Oklahoma State fans.
Taylor detailed the call and why he believed it was done by the book.
“If you’re on the edge, if you kick and turn out of bounds, it’s a stall,” Taylor said. “That’s what the rulebook is.
“But I felt like Zack earned it. He was aggressive the whole match and I think that definitely plays a factor in that.”
Konner Doucet closes out record-setting day
The only senior in the OSU starting lineup, heavyweight Konner Doucet secured a pin in his final match at GIA.
His points gave OSU its most points ever scored against Iowa, surpassing the 2004 victory of 30-10. And it gave the Pokes their largest margin of victory in the rivalry since a 25-2 win in 1961.
“Honestly, we’re just trying to get better,” Taylor said. “This is not a surprise to anybody in our room. This is what we’re striving to do. We’re striving to be the best program in the country. You have to wrestle up to the challenges.
“I’m really proud of the guys. This is a moment in time. Tomorrow, it’ll be over and we’ll be on to the next thing. But for today, it’s a pretty cool thing.”
OSU also set its season average attendance record for the third straight year, with the sellout crowd of 12,629 bringing the six-dual average to 9,259.
And Doucet soaked up the final celebration in the arena he has called home since he arrived in the fall of 2020.
“It really didn’t hit me until the match was over,” said Doucet, who is from Comanche. “I hit the ‘O-S-U’ and kinda got choked up a little bit. I’m never gonna forget wrestling in Gallagher-Iba. It’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.”
Oklahoma State wrestling results vs. Iowa
Oklahoma State 32, Iowa 11
125: Troy Spratley, OSU, dec. Dean Peterson, 5-2
133: Jax Forrest, OSU, tech. fall, Drake Ayala, 19-3 (6:07)
141: Sergio Vega, OSU, pinned Kale Petersen, 6:31
149: Ryder Block, Iowa, tech. fall, Kolter Burton, 19-4 (5:36)
157: Landon Robideau, OSU, dec. Jordan Williams, 5-1
165: Mikey Caliendo, Iowa, dec. Dee Lockett, 4-2
174: Patrick Kennedy, Iowa, dec. Alex Facundo, 8-3
184: Zack Ryder, OSU, dec. Gabe Arnold, 2-1 SV
197: Cody Merrill, OSU, pinned Brody Sampson, 4:47
HWT: Konner Doucet, OSU, pinned Gage Marty, 5:54
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jax Forrest's wild win helped Oklahoma State wrestling dominate Iowa