Five Things to Watch for in Bedlam Wrestling

The first round of this season’s Bedlam wrestling at 5 p.m. Sunday in Norman on ESPNU. Let’s look at five intriguing storylines surrounding the dual.

1. Dom Demas and Mitch Moore

At 141 and 149 Oklahoma State has two new starters — true freshman Carter Young at 141 and Kaden Gfeller at 149. For OU to have a chance to win the dual, the Sooners would have to win these weights. At 141 we have not seen Dom Demas all season, though, and based on the rumblings out of the room, I wouldn’t expect to see him here this season. Mitch Moore went down with an injury at the Cliff Keen tournament in Las Vegas. It’ll be interesting to see what happens here. If they don’t role out the combo of Demas at 141 with Moore at 149, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the Sooners.

2. Ferrari vs. Jake Woodley

This is the first in what could be a trilogy of really good matches this year between Woodley and Ferrari. There are a few wrestlers in the OU lineup that have made some gains recently, and Woodley is one of them. He’s had a solid season so far. If Ferrari goes out and dominates this, fans should feel an even higher level of confidence in him repeating as an NCAA champ again this season.

3. Nationally televised dual on ESPNU

Oklahoma State and Oklahoma have been blessed with something that very few programs get — nationally televised wrestling. If fans want this to keep happening, they need to keep watching. It’s a very cool thing that Bedlam gets this, and hopefully that continues. Some of it will be dictated by whether or not fans tune in.

4. Dustin Plott vs. Anthony Mantanona

These two split last year, but I think it’s one for OSU fans to watch. Mantanona is a talented kid, and Plott is starting to rack up a lot of ranked wins. If he’s going to continue his rankings rise and work towards getting into a top-eight seed at the NCAAs, he’ll need to win these types of matches.

5. Luke Surber vs. Josh Heindselman

With Surber’s transition to HWT, he’s taken one tough loss to an Olympic Gold Medalist. Otherwise, he’s looked pretty solid. But this is his toughest test besides an arguably unwinnable match against one of the best wrestlers in the entire world in Gable Steveson. Heindselman has lost a few I wouldn’t have expected this season, so he’ll essentially be looking to bounce back, while Surber will look to continue his rise. Even if the dual is already decided before they get to heavyweight, this will be a big match for both of these guys.