In years past, I did my own analysis of a "match breakdown" for each individual after each match. I haven't really had time to sit down and share my thoughts but have still been able to watch every event in the entirety, almost. I figured I would just take the time now to give an assessment of where I think each guy stands and possibly just use this thread moving forward to update.
125: A pleasant surprise. When I was watching Howard and Steen earlier in the year, I figured it would be another year confirming the "curse". I like watching both of those men compete. Regardless of how anyone may feel, Steen has improved from last year. I think Howard's shoulder may be too far gone, I certainly hope not for his sake, but after watching him early in the season he is either limited in his ability due to the shoulder, or has a lost a great deal of confidence, in either event, I hope he is able to work his way back. I then thought McHenry coming in would provide good depth if not a serviceable starter. Not saying he wouldn't be, but I was worried the curse continued. Fast forward, and we are watching a freshman in Davis really climb the rankings. In each of his matches, I thought he has shown exceptional positioning and poise. As of now, I think he is looking like an AA candidate with some really good tests in McCrone tOSU, and Ayala Iowa approaching.
133: Was extremely excited when news broke that Nagao would be transferring in. Then was extremely disappointed when news broke that he was injured at some point. Cael put some of that to ease when during one of his pressers said it was an older injury that was kept quiet for some time so we were going to be seeing him back sooner rather than later. Here we are, and Nagao has taken a couple losses but I don't think it is something to worry about. I think losses to Crookham Lehigh and Ragusin Mich are both winnable matches. Right now, it seems his biggest barrier to overcome are finishing shots. I've learned in this sport that trying to get someone to open up is one of the most frustrating things to do, and usually the reason that particular wrestler struggles so much. Nagao has a willingness to shoot and is able to get in deep on a lot of his shots. Another poster mentioned it but I think the staff is working with him on different ways to finish which maybe he isn't quite used to at this point. I don't think I'm going out on a limb here when I say I think he will be an AA. His top game can be the difference in a match.
141: BB has looked that part of a finalist since last years tournament. Losing in the semis last year and then finishing 3rd is what all of us fans have thought he could accomplish. Coming into this season expectations have obviously been high and I think he has met those quite well. In the last few matches, I thought he has slipped back into the 49 version of himself being a touch reserved. However, from watching this team for so long, it seems like this happens to a lot of guys this time of the year. Going down through the rest of lineup, this will be a common theme. Most have mentioned that this is the time of the year for work outs to be more difficult which causes guys to look a little more sluggish, and just when the fan base starts to panic and wonder how the ncaa tournament will play out, we put 5-6 guys in the semis and then the finals. I'm excited to see BB wrestle Mendez. If I had to fill out a bracket right now, I'm putting BB in the finals. In my hypothetical bracket challenge, I get to change the rules as I see fit, so I don't have to pick a winner yet.
149: An absolute bummer. SVN comes out with such a high pace and beats Parco ASU 5-1 in the all star classic late November. Beginning of December we hear he is out for the season with an injury. As of now, I have not heard what that injury is. Not sure if it was mentioned somewhere on here or not, but if it was I missed it. Next man/men up. Evans and Kasak have done an incredible job filling in for a title contender. Up until this weekend, it appeared Kasak was going to be the man for the job. But Evans got both starts in Michigan. Not sure if Kasak is sick, dealing with injury, or possibly Evans has won the job for the time being. From my understanding, match numbers could be a concern for whoever gets the nod toward the end of the year, but I think either guy will qualify. That is really all I have on this weight for now until I know more about who will be holding the spot down moving forward. I am confident that points will be scored in March here regardless of the guy.
157: Anytime you have a returning NF at a weight, expectations are extremely high. I just read a post last night stating there very well could be an injury here and if I read it correctly, there is a chance of Haines not finishing the season. Catastrophic if true. Haines has had some close matches lately, and like I stated before, I was chalking it up to being "that time of the year". Haines is a competitor. He knows how to win as evident against MSU. Hopefully he is able to reach the finals again, but more importantly, I hope if he is injured, he doesn't do more damage that would have even longer effects. I'm surprised after the new information someone hasn't started a thread on all the possibilities of what it could look like if he was forced to sit the rest of the year out.
165: I knew we were getting a stud, I didn't know we were getting a psycho. MM, I believe, has put up double digit points in every match he has wrestled so far this year. His pace is relentless. 165 returns 2 National Champions in O'Toole Mizz and Carr ISU. Carr has a loss to Ramirez Cornell, and Ramirez has a loss to Olejnik OSU. As of right now, I put MM in the top 3 behind KOT and Carr. Unfortunately we won't get to see him prove he can beat those 2 until the big dance. He will have an opportunity to improve his own ranking when he wrestles Caliendo Iowa in a couple weeks. That will be the lone guy he sees ranked ahead of him until March. From everything we have seen so far with MM on his feet, I'm not sure too many guys can match his pace for 7 minutes. To me, his mat wrestling is the only question mark. Can he get out from bottom against someone who is a top tier rider like KOT or Carr. We also haven't seen him in a series of higher level scrambles (partly due to his efficiency in finishing his shots). As already stated, his next highly ranked opponent is Caliendo who he will see in a couple weeks and again at BIGs. Seeding for this weight could be interesting if KOT and MM are the only undefeated guys heading into the tournament.
174: Not much to say about someone going for 4. I think he's taken another step and distanced himself yet again with his top game improvement in the offseason. Hoping it was a sickness that caused him to miss the last 2 matches and not a lingering injury. Whatever our lineup is going to be in March, I think we see Feb 2 against Ohio State, but if not, for sure the week after against Iowa. Depending on the issue, I could see Starocci not wrestling again this coming Sunday against Maryland if not 100% or atleast close to it.
184: What does it say when a kid who is coming off of 3 straight 4th place finishes at the NCAA Tournament is "disappointing". I in no way shape or form share that opinion. Some of those comment I have seen may not even be from the faithful here, but I have seen questions raised about his ability. From what I have seen Truax is very good at what he does, and so far, I haven't seen him veer to far from that. Could that be why he has taken a few losses so far? Maybe. Could that be why he hasn't been able to crack top 3? Maybe. But if our expectations of wrestlers is top 3 or bust, then I think we should take a step back and look at the other 77 Div 1 wrestling teams that would take a Bernie Truax in a heartbeat. I would like to remind everyone that every wrestler except 1 has taken a loss or losses in their college career. I don't think there is a wrestler in the weight that he can't beat.
197: Brooks is the second one going to be a 4xer. Could history be made in what could be the most anticipated weight class moving forward? I think regardless of what Iowa does with AJ, we will see a new page in the record books be written this year with 2 guys becoming 4x champions in the same night from the same team. Brooks still has the slickness he had before moving up in weight, but I've noticed he is wrestling more of an upper body style the last few weeks. He is still shooting off his under hook, but lately have seen a few more throw bys and knee picks. I think him and Hidlay meet again in the finals.
285: Kerk is looking like the clear cut favorite at the weight which would make atleast 3 champions on this years team. He has already wrestled the number 2 guy this year in Hendrickson from Air Force and teched him. I know that result isn't necessarily "official", but what it is official for is the eye test. Along with Starocci, Kerk improved his top game from last year, I think added more good weight, and is still able to shoot blast doubles and sweep singles with high efficiency.
When you want to start writing something like this, you don't realize how hard it is until you start. There isn't a lot of things that need to be said for the majority of our starting roster. I haven't seen a glaringly bad match from anyone so far. There are obvioiuisly a few things that need cleaned up by a few guys but that happens every year. All I know is we are watching a dynasty, and they don't last forever. As soon as Taylor and Ruth graduate we will join the pack... Sooner or later, for one or many reasons, the gap will close. However, until that happens we should definitely enjoy the ride. Even when it does happen, every day will still be a good day to be a Penn State Wrestling fan.
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