At this moment, all wrestling enthusiasts are focused on the Big 12 Championships. The anticipation surrounding these matches has been palpable ever since the conclusion of the regular season in the NCAA. Among the top teams? David Taylor’s OKSU achieved an impressive record of 13-1 in the regular season, with their sole loss coming at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, it was a fiercely contested match, with the final score being 16-21. Recall what Taylor mentioned as they approached the Big 12 Championships?

“I mean, it would be great. I mean, um, but really, it’s just I want our guys to be able to go and compete, you know, and I’m excited to watch them wrestle. I mean, tournaments are, uh, you know, tournaments are what defines the end of the season in every aspect,” stated the coach of OKSU. The objective was straightforward. He aimed for them to acquire valuable experience. Nevertheless, unpredictability is an inherent aspect of sports, and wrestling is no exception to this reality. So what transpired?

Caleb Fish was excelling in the 157 lbs division after his win against Missouri’s James Conway. The match concluded with a challenging 8-5 victory, yet the wrestler remained resolute in his preparation for the upcoming bout. However, he was defeated by Vince Zerban from North Colorado with a score of 5-4, but there was an interesting twist to the outcome. During the post-match interview featured on the Pistol Firings YouTube channel, David Taylor remarked, “Yeah, uh, he did went concussion protocol and just kind of threw the rhythm of the match off, and then Caleb just kind of stopped scoring a little bit, you know.”

The wrestler from OKSU underwent concussion protocol during the match, indicating that officials likely paused the action to assess for any potential head injury. Taylor highlighted that this was the reason behind Fish’s disruption in his momentum during the match. Is the coach feeling let down by his wrestler? Not at all!

“Um, gave the kid a chance there at the end, so it’s a good learning lesson for him, you know. Now he’s got to battle back, you know, so, um, obviously we got to respect the safety of the sport and make sure guys are good when they come back in there,” Taylor stated. The head coach of OKSU expresses pride in his students’ achievements.

Even if Fish didn’t manage to clinch those victories, the coach expressed satisfaction with the wrestler’s considerable effort during the match. Nevertheless, in light of so much success, OKSU found themselves embroiled in a notable controversy.

Could’ve been a trouble for David Taylor

In the 141 lbs category, OKSU showcases their standout wrestler, Tagen Jamison. According to reports, he encountered some difficulties when Justin Basch posted on X, “Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison got DQ’d, he’ll be out for the tournament.” However, a subsequent update was issued, indicating, “UPDATE: Belton & Jamison are now both back in and warming up and are in the hole on Mats 3 and 4. Their matches were skipped, and the opposing teams were told they were DQ’d. Decision reversed.”

This development brought significant relief to both the fans and the team, as they faced the potential loss of one of their key wrestlers. How did Jamison perform in the Big 12 Championships? He completely dominated the competition! Jamison’s victories over Carter Nogle, Andrew Alirez, and Mosha Schwartz have elevated his season record to an impressive 20-3.

Nonetheless, the manner in which the officials made their decision faced backlash from Iowa State coach Kevin Dresser, who expressed, “Just disappointed in, you know, nobody wants anybody to sit out. But, you know, if this was the NCAA tournament, there would have been two or three wrestlers that would not have wrestled because the NCAA wouldn’t have put up with the hooey that went on this morning. Right? So there’s policies and there’s procedures that you follow. So I hope all those guys learn because they got a freebie today.”

Those familiar with Dresser understand that he is a man who adheres strictly to the rulebooks. He expressed strong disapproval of the officials, arguing that such decisions could jeopardize the integrity of wrestling entirely.