I thought Fix's style, the entire tournament was very non-aggressive and also thought he got a couple of calls. Also thought he was stalling and not called. One of those things if they called stalling in the first like they sometimes do in the 3rd he would have had to change his tactics
Or…..that thing was bleeding as he came to the mat. Ryan found a new way to get lungers and coaching. Start a match bleeding and don’t have one of those thin waterproof bandaids available.
I know some of his family and he worked hard with plans for a year to beat Aaron. We all have watched him straddle the circle for the last few season. Sat night, while he got hit for stalling and really only went to the edge once, he did attack Aaron for the better part of the neutral time, with little to no actual opportunity to shoot. Unfortunately, it simply doesn’t work. That was the most visibly upset person on the podium, and for that year of singular focus and lost….the hurt is imaginable.
"You don't start thinking about next year tomorrow, we were thinking about next year 3 to 4 years ago"
I don’t blame Fix for the confusion in the semis. I put that squarely on the refs.
Except that confusion and parade of bricks and reviews follow him around.
The reasons for booing during that match were many: Vito is a likable character, Fix is a known juicer, people are sick of him being in the finals (30+ minutes of wrestling and never scored an offensive point), he got bailed out against Ragusin, the officials tried to take the match from Vito, and Smith's constant complaints in the corner do nothing to help his wrestler's reputations.
It was already done yesterday over there in a respectful manner and within a broader discussion about recruiting. No one got upset. Cael used to get dumped on by the minute over there, but there is huge respect for what he has done. Extremely few nut jobs over there question Cael's ability to lead, recruit, plan, and maximize what he is getting for the effort. Most now assume that if Cael's doing it, it must be the right answer.
A Hawk fan did post that quote and compared it to Brands saying it was too soon to be talking about next year.
I’m not a hawk fan.
The thing is: they're both right.
triblive.com
I think Kevin Jackson might have been onto something back in 2020 when he was interviewed for this article.
I love this kid, and I’m crushed that he lost basically due to a brain fart at the wrong time, but he has the attitude to use that as motivation and not get down about it. I know he’ll have to deal with Dake, Nolf, Starocci, KOT, Carr, Levi, Cenzo and other great wrestlers at the OTTs, but I am not counting Mitch out from winning the spot and being in the hunt for a medal at the Olympics. With his attitude and drive, the sky is the limit for him.
But you know the well known definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. All the Hawk complaints that I have read seem to point to the fact that Brands is stubborn and doesn't seem inclined to change his preparation/training approach. For some people, admitting that they are wrong is a lot harder than doing something that requires a lot of physical exertion.
As a fan, I can sympathize. We've all gone through it in football, and someday we will go through it in wrestling. I hope that's in 20 years, but it will happen and when it does I'll be just as unhappy as some of them are. Unmet expections can do that.
As always, we need MORE stalling calls, not less. Fix could have been disqualified for stalling vs Vito and it would have been appropriate.
Absolutely true.
Angel bailed him out against RBY, too. It didn't work, though.
@El-Jefe your wrestling knowledge and the ability to produce so many detailed and on-point posts always impresses me!
I mentioned that on another thread it spoke volumes to the difference between Penn State and any other program. Just wow I don't even know what thinking about next year three or four years ago even ****ing looks like or where to start
Poor Iowa. Imagine putting your hopes on the Ferrari clan. What a colossal f up.
Again, Cochran also lost to 2 nq wrestlers during the season. Penn State absolutely should kick the tires in the portal.
The one thing I absolutely believe in all the rumors coming out of Iowa today is that the AD was very unhappy that Brands entertained the idea of the Ferraries to Iowa. It must have been incredible blowback when AJ did the double soldier salute to the fans. It may have produced a permanent scar on Brands' legacy from the AD point of view. Just very poor judgment.
Yeah, after that semifinal fiasco against Ragusin, it's no wonder most were rooting for Vito over Fix in the final. And as you note, John Smith's near constant whining doesn't help the popular sentiment.
