From most confident to least confident:

1. Kerk- Head and shoulders better than Davison and prior meeting confirms this.

2. Haines- He is just so technically sound in every position. When he was wrestling Andonian I thought he was backing out of positions due to the danger Andonian can put you in. Once he got behind he was forced to take a little risk and secured a takedown somewhat easy. He is just oo good.

3. Brooks- He is the most technically sound wrestler in NCAA and I fly expect him to win but Hidlay is very good. It could also be that Hidlay is so much better than competition but Aaron is still a level above Hidlay. For some reason I think this season gives Hidlay confidence to engage more where in past he knew he was outmatched and tried to keep it close for a late win. Just a hunch.

4. MM- Love watching him wrestle and think his activity can be the difference but Carr has faced similar in O'Toole in the past and has had success 3 out of 5 times. I think MM is more active and will have success but expect Carr to try and slow it down and if he gets the chance ride hard. Carr is very good but I think Mitch is great and going to be the next 4 timer barring injury.

5. Carter- I expect him to win but has some reservations. So far this tournament Lewis and Griffith wrestled a style mostly forced by Carter that didn't push Carter athletically to move around. I think Carter can dictate this but Welsh seemed to have a good tank the last time they wrestled and if I am his coach I am having him move constantly and make Carter chase. I would also do a lot of fakes getting him to react.

6. Beau- Being honest I would put this at less than 50 percent to win but obviously close to 50/50. I would like to see Beau handle this like the Woods match earlier this year where he commits to an early attack. It is more likely they go into the last minute of the match tied at 1 or Beau down 4-2.

PSU colored glasses has PSU with 6 champs, 2 thirds, scoring record, point differential record and TNT announce on the mat that Cael and Company are better and will always be better. Obviously not all of these will happen but one can dream.

First win over a #1 since 2005!

Now that I have KYPSW stuff out of the way, it's time to get focused on being there. (Actually, I called Dad Wednesday afternoon to ask if he had packed, yet, because I was considering packing that night.)

We're staying at the Marriott Country Club Plaza. Initially, our seats are in 206, Row 1, 18-19. Any close-by seat mates? Anyone I'll find in the bar?

Let's goooooooo!!

Oh wait ….







WE ARE …….. !!!!!!!!!

Sure we have 2 likely 4xers and 5 ranked #1 but I seemed to get more excited about watching the guys from Cael's earlier teams much more.

There is nobody doing crazy and outlandish things like in days past.

There seems to be no "must see TV"

Don't get me wrong, I still watch the crap out of PSU wrestling but the highlight reel is not as much fun to share as it was in the past

Boom Supersonic made its first test flight today. It was a 1/3rd scale model jet and stayed below 300 MPH, which is standard for first flights of new keys with new technology.

From video below I didn’t see it retract landing gear which I assume is a safety thing in case it has a serious issue and must land quickly. Also, aerodynamics would change and they are just happy it flew.

Company says first commercial flights will be 2030 but I expect delays. And they have 130 already ordered.

I've been following Carter Starocci since his freshman year in HS. We heard about the new hotshot fromErie, but he was something of a disappointment. He lost to an Upper Darby kid early on and wrestled back for 8th place, being hammered on the way by Sammy Sossa. His Soph year he placed 2nd, and I still thought he was overrated. Then his Jr year he won his first title, but had to go to OT twice on the way. And there was a semi-final bout against a kid from Canon Mac (I was sitting right there watching it), that I thought the ref kinda leaned Starocci's way a bit. I thought that bout might have been won by the other guy. So CS wasn't overwhelming me. I think it was after his Jr year that I read that he had signed to go to PSU. I was less than enthusiastic -- didn't think he could crack the lineup. But he won states his Sr year more impressively, and I admitted to myself that each year, CS had gotten better. I wondered what Cael and Co could do with him. I guess they could do pretty well.

Each year at PSU, CS has improved. Simple as that. It's reached the point that he has become an all-timer along with AB. And today, Starocci took it a step farther by essentially beating a NC on one leg. I didn't want to watch this one. I thought he was a shadow of himself, and it was so unfair that he end his career at PSU on an injured leg. I was wrong. Even injured, Starocci is going out with his shield, rather than on it. It will only enhance his legend.

Over the years, my opinion of Carter Starocci has undergone a total transformation. When CS was in HS, I never thought I would say this. But my listing PSU's all-time greats is Nolf, Zane, Bo, CS and AB (with a nod to Mark and Cenzo). If I'm being generous I throw in Andy Matter, another Upper Darby kid.

Twas the night before nationals, when all through the roster,
Not a wrestler was tweeting, not even a Carter;

The headgears were packed in the duffles with care,
In hopes that Aaron wouldn't again need a spare;

The fans were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of the podium danced in their heads;

With Cody and his stache, and Casey with his beard,
No other assistant coaches are nearly so feared;

When outside the hotel there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my room to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes on the street,
But a wrestling mat, and ten elite athletes;

With a commanding presence, so lively, if pale,
I knew in a moment it must be Coach Cael.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

“Now, Braeden! now, Aaron! Now, Beau, Tyler and Levi!
On, Mitchell on, Carter! on Bernie, Aaron and Greg!

To the top of the podium! And don’t you dare stall!
Go for the major, a tech or a fall!

So into the drills and away they flew,
With a cache of medals, and team trophies too;

And then, in a twinkling, I heard from the opponent’s chair,
That wrestling Penn State isn’t hardly fair;

As I drew my head, and heard quite a whinen,
I saw a Manning, two Brands and a Ryan;

But Cael couldn’t care less, that I could see,
And no one could see the Brands behind the trophy;

As I looked down upon these very different men,
I was reassured that Penn State would win again;

And back to bed again did I go,
With one final thought that I know you all know;

We are blessed to be witness to this dynasty,
And should be grateful for all that we get to see.

For the second time this spring, the Penn State media got an inside look at the Nittany Lions as they worked through their fourth spring practice of the year. Unfortunately, it was not as nice of weather in Happy Valley this week, forcing everything inside into Holuba Hall.

Here are our takeaway's from the 15-minuets that we had to watch the Nittany Lions on Tuesday evening.

QUARTERBACKS​

True freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer was getting a strong amount of reps alongside walk-on Jack Lambert. He was throwing a strong ball during drills, a nice tight spiral, not to the level of Drew Allar's whose arm talent is unmatched but he was going toe-to-toe with Beau Pribula.
We did not see Jaxon Smolik on the field today after being at practice last week. It's unclear why the former three-star quarterback wasn't there today but could be something to watch the rest of the spring. The Iowa native was garnering a lot of hype around the program last fall and entered this spring as the probable third-string quarterback. James Franklin did not mention anything regarding Smolik following practice, for what it's worth.

RUNNING BACKS​

Another practice, another week that redshirt freshman Cameron Wallace continued to look good. The Georgia native has plenty of competition in true freshman Quinton Martin for the Nittany Lions' third spot in the running back rotation and no matter who wins that competition this fall, Wallace is going to make it tough for James Franklin and Ja'Jaun Seider to keep him off the field. He also could prove to be a special teams weapon thanks to his size and speed.
As a whole the running backs were working a ton with the quarterbacks during our viewing period on routes coming out of the backfield.

TIGHT ENDS​

My biggest takeaway on Tuesday was Andrew Rapplyea. The Massachusetts native saw brief time on the field last season but appears to be ready to factor into the conversation at the position this fall. The one that is clear is he's every bit of his listed 6-foot-4 and 249-pounds. He moves well carrying the weight and still has the athleticism that he showed often at Milton Academy.

CENTER COMPETITION​

During one drill, we got some insight on Penn State's competition at center. The four participants, not too shocking. Redshirt senior Nick Dawkins was taking snaps alongside true freshman Cooper Cousins while next to them was Olaivavega Ioane and what appeared to be Sal Wormley, the Nittany Lions' returning starting right guard participating as well. The Nittany Lions will have plenty of versatility with Ioane and Wormley but we ultimately expect this battle to come down to Dawkins and Cousins this fall.

DEFENSIVE LINE​

After not appearing at practice last week, we did not see Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton again at practice today. Like with Jaxon Smolik, James Franklin did not have any mention of Dennis-Sutton on Tuesday which if the talented junior is banged up would be a good sign as Franklin usually only mentions season ending injuries. That being said, it's unclear of why Dennis-Sutton has missed practice each of the last two weeks.

SECONDARY​

The entire secondary was working together on Tuesday so it was a bit tougher to really find a pattern or any sort of groupings involved at the position when it comes to potentially figuring out depth chart order. After writing down all the numbers partaking in the secondary on Tuesday, one number that I did not see was redshirt freshman DaKaari Nelson.
Cam Miller was impressive throughout the drills and Zakee Wheatley who earned praise from James Franklin prior to the start of spring camp was also a smooth operator and appears to be set to make a bigger impact this fall.

SPECIALISTS​

We didn't really get to see any special team work going on but the one amusing part of Tuesday's 15 minute practice window was seeing the 6-foot-6 Gabriel Nowsu play running back in a drill for the Nittany Lions' defenders.



If anyone has any questions on anything, I'll try to answer it to the best I can.

Now that the brackets are out, setting this up in advance of tomorrow morning's action. Please use this thread for any and all PBP's and match discussions. As always, if you are replying to another post, please use the Quote function. And avoid those "Wow"'s, "Holy Crap"'s and "WTF"'s type posts. Give some friggin' context, for Pete's sake!

When:
Saturday, March 9 @ 10 am EST; then at 5 pm; and at 7 pm.

Where:
@ Maryland

TV:
BTN will televise the action at 10 am, though they choose which of the four mats they show.
BTN+ will televise the Consi's and Wrestlebacks at 5 pm.
BTN will televise the Semi-Finals at 7 pm.

Video Streaming:
BTN+ will have coverage of each mat, for those that are subscribers. Make sure you contact B1G+ Support directly at: https://support.bigtenplus.com/hc/en-us with all of your complaints and supportive comments.

Audio:
Byers will have the radio call of the action and PBP's. The radio show starts at 9:40 am EST, and the later session coverage starts at 4:40 pm. You can access the LionVision audio at:
https://gopsusports.com/watch/?Live=2107&sport=30&type=Live, or via the Penn State Athletics app. If LionVision ain't working again, maybe this link will work: https://www.audacy.com/stations/bigfootcountrylegends.

PBP:
Hopefully, one or more of you will step up and provide some PBP. As always, please remember to provide the score at the end of the match. Also, it's always helpful if folks can provide a heads up on which mat a PSU wrestler will be on. Mat assignments can be found here: https://bubbaland.net/wrestling/Big_Ten_Wrestling_Championships_2024.htm and https://twitter.com/pennstateWREST. Thanks!!

Team Scoring:
The best source for team scoring throughout the tournament is the Penn State Wrestling Club's website. Their link for live team scoring is: https://pennstatewrestlingclub.org/. Learn it. Know it. Live it. And don't forget it.

Brackets:
And lastly, here are the brackets (in PDF): https://pennstatewrestlingclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024_B1G_Wrestling_Brackets_Friday.pdf

WE ARE!

How many challenges does each team get and is there a record online of how many have been used?

there have been some threads on how dangerous this is and we are now starting to see the fruits of our actions. We are starting to see some responsible people speaking out.

Cavs Coach, JB Bickerstaff

Hopefully this takes us one step closer to a two conference league

If anyone truly thinks college football and college basketball aren't stronger than ever you aren't paying attention.

Hello all! Going forward we have decided to make the Test / Politics board a premium forum, as we believe it will help cut down on all nonstop fighting / bickering between posters. It gets tiring after a while and it becomes very hard for us to moderate all the postings.

Now you guys are obviously more than welcome to continue to post on that forum, but you will need a premium subscription to do so. If you chose to do so then you can sign up here very easily. However just because this board is becoming a premium one, does not mean that you can take the political banter to the football board as those posts will still be immediately moved over to the now named current events board.

Thanks all for understanding and have a great day!

Oregon becomes the latest program to offer class of 2026 running back commit Messiah Mickens, he's been hearing from a long list of programs, but remains solid to Penn State.
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Everyone’s favorite quarterback in the upcoming draft?

Down 12 in the 4th quarter.

If you had to bet your beer/bottle money for a year the number is 3 1/2.
Are you going under or over for Penn State Champions this weekend??🤔

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Just hired a little while ago from Wisconsin. He would have been better off carrying an unregistered weapon. That is tolerated within the program, especially if you just happen to be on the way to file the license.