Clarion Dual Discussion Thread
- Thread starter nittinsc
- Start date
Okay, that explains Facundo. cutting his guy late in the 3rd period. But it doesn't explain a very similar cut (also with about 15 seconds left) in the first period. Was rather surprised that Facundo just conceded the escape point and didn't even bother to try a 15 second rideout.
Coach Kennedy answered a question about AB wrestling yesterday at the PSWC pre-match luncheon. He said AB was prepped to wrestle but wasn't sure if he'd go. He also said that AB is giving WTT a go after NCAA'S. He added they are trying to rest him as much as possible since he wrestled for the team this year and didn't shirt.
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Mark McKnight who is with NLWC?
IDK, but Coach Kennedy spoke at the social before the Michigan dual. Maybe his speaking is now a regular duty.
I'm well aware who mark is. It was Jimmy speaking yesterday as he was volunteered by Casey.
Was fortunate enough to be in the front row yesterday, about 4 seats from Cael. Thanks to my brother who is good friends with a big-time booster. It was really neat being able to watch the wrestlers and the staff up close. A couple of observations:
- SVN and BB look pretty close to the same size just like Levi and Facundo do. Of course, Levi looks 2 to 3 weight classes bigger than SVN.
- On that note, a few of the Clarion wrestlers were really big. Koleno dwarfed BB. Pine was really big as well.
- I got to see Carter about three or four times before he took the mat over about a 90-minute period. He has his game face on ALL the time. The only time he cracked a smile was greeting a couple of guys he knew - and that was for a split second before he wiped that smile right back off. As discussed before, he approaches his craft with a chip on his shoulder and it definitely works for him.
- Levi is pretty mean on the mat, not that that is a bad thing. There were a few audible expressions of pain uttered by Elvin yesterday. I saw Elvin in the back hall right after the match and he looked like he had been in a street fight and looked a bit pissed off.
- Like every good staff IMO, our staff is very judicious with coaching during the matches. But it was pretty cool to see the interaction between Casey, Cody, and Kennedy and the younger guys when they did call out. A few examples:
- One of the coaches yelled "get your thumb in there" late to Steen on the inside tie. And Steen promptly switched his thumb position.
- SVN looked over and Cody yelled "drive forward over your right knee" which SVN did to complete the TD.
- In the Facundo match, the 2nd time Pine had double unders, Kennedy yelled for the duck just before Facundo hit that beauty.
- Then later in the match when Pine had a front head, Casey yelled "the roll is coming, be ready to catch it" and 5 seconds later Pine tried the gator roll which Facundo caught.
- Of course, I had a chuckle later when Carter was in a scramble and one of the coaches yelled, "reach back with your left arm" and Carter just looked at him and waited for the stalemate. It was kind of like a "Nah, I'll just restart and take him down anyway" look.
- I may be wrong about which coach yelled what. I think Cody was in the corner before the break and Kennedy after, but they may have switched bout to bout.
- Cael does not say anything during a bout. Nor does he change his expression much. There was, however, a slight audible grunt and definitely a look of being "slightly" perturbed when 1) Facundo gave up the 1st short time escape against Pine, and 2) when Max walked into Bagoly's TD for a 2nd time.
- Walked by Max during the break as he was warming up. He looked like the Tasmanian Devil made of 195 lbs of rock. Just the warmup was super impressive.
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This is the content we all crave! It’s so hard to hear what the coaches are saying. Can you keep your seat for next season please?
Sorry I get Mark and Jimmy mixed up. I'm thinking that David Taylor is married to a sister of one of them.
I think Kennedy is his brother in law.
Funny you say that; yesterday was the closest I’ve been to some of the guys too. I also noted that SVN wasn’t as big as I had thought and only slightly bigger than Beau. Beau, on the other hand, while “short” for 141, has huge legs and a very, very wide back.
I thought Dean looked shorter than everyone else on the team wrestling 157+.
Agree that the Clarion team looked big, but that might have also been because outside of Levi, I don’t think our guys are cutting a lot of weight. Pine in particular looked like he was two weight classes bigger than Facundo.
I was pretty close to the where the alumni and NLWC sat. Saw Kyle Dake, in particular, be extremely gracious to a young fan.
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Gabe Dean was also there and wearing a PSU shirt. Things I didn't think I'd ever see is Kyle Dake and Gabe Dean cheering on PSU.
I sit just to the right (when looking at the mat from your seat) of all those NLWC/alumni. Was seated pretty much across the “aisle” from Morgan McIntosh with Dake a couple seats lower. Saw Dake be particularly gracious to a much older fan, as well (autographed a photo).
Funny; I don’t recall seeing anyone in a diaper and storm trooper helmet.
I spotted Morgan also and he unfortunately was wearing an ankle boot. There are great wrestlers and there are great human beings and Morgan meets both criteria.
By now isn't everybody much older than Dake?
I get it, but it had its own style of “entertainment.” I’ve never seen so many reversals, body locks, and high crotches in my life.😉
I had a diaper, but conspicuously covered it with pants.
The helmet I left at home. What do you think I am, some kind of weirdo??
(The helmet is for Big Tens)
I have a picture of Gabe in a NLWC shirt, with @hlstone, at the Iowa meet last year, right after he got his ice cream cone. He was a very nice guy to talk to.
Gabe is cool. He loves storage units. Can't blame him. Good money in it.
