First Announced Match of the next NLWC Event

[jbkeller72]

It really tripped me out how Kerk, at 240lbs, appeared to totally dwarf Demetrious Thomas at 260lbs. The extra 3-4 inches of height provided a good portion of that trippiness, but then the wrestling! Outslicked him with an ankle pick then bulldozed his face with a Antknee blast double.

Incredibly impressive athletic performance.

The strength and explosiveness in that blast double was wild. That's a big boy to be turning horizontal mid-air to expose. Also, while Thomas is not on the same level as Kerk, he's no lumbering heavy and was made to look so last night. Some great heavies in the BIG

 

[NoVa Lion]

Consensus seems to be Lee is staying at 41. If Lee stays next year (and collects his 2nd national title), I can see one of Bartlett or Van Ness redshirting next season, and the other going at 149.

Then the following season Bartlett and Van Ness going to 41/49 in some order.

Not sure that those that get a free year in the upcoming season will be eligible to redshirt later. I don't think the NCAA has addressed this issue yet so it is wait and see.

 

[86PSUPaul]

Not sure that those that get a free year in the upcoming season will be eligible to redshirt later. I don't think the NCAA has addressed this issue yet so it is wait and see.

I am pretty sure they said it was an extra year of eligibility, so you can still redshirt down the road.

 

[AndEEss]

Verk and Bear Claw matches up on Rokfin now.

 

[tomsc]

The young uns did well for us tonight! Add in Joe Lee and Howard? Our best youngest team yet! Hopefully Beard can get his conditioning right. He looked good until he gassed.

I've not seen Beard wrestle much--basically just the Scuffle earlier this year. I told my brother before watching last night, that Beard looked really good at the Scuffle but lost to 2 pretty good wrestlers after building up sizeable leads and then gassing. It turned out that the same thing happened last night too (except he hung on to win this time). Has anyone seen Beard wrestle other collegiate (open) matches and see if he had a good or not so good gas tank in those matches? If it hadn't been for those Scuffle matches I would have chalked last night up to it being the beginning of the season. He's so talented--I hope he can get a good solid gas tank to with it! I'm hopeful he will.

Note: I am just reading this thread the day after the matches, and hadn't seen that a lot of other people have weighed in on this same issue that I hadn't read when posting. I guess I should read all the posts before responding! My apologies that this was a bit redundant.

 

[AndEEss]

I've not seen Beard wrestle much--basically just the Scuffle earlier this year. I told my brother before watching last night, that Beard looked really good at the Scuffle but lost to 2 pretty good wrestlers after building up sizeable leads and then gassing. It turned out that the same thing happened last night too (except he hung on to win this time). Has anyone seen Beard wrestle other collegiate (open) matches and see if he had a good or not so good gas tank in those matches? If it hadn't been for those Scuffle matches I would have chalked last night up to it being the beginning of the season. He's so talented--I hope he can get a good solid gas tank to with it! I'm hopeful he will.

I think the problem with evaluating his other matches is that he was just a flat out better wrestler than his opponents in the early rounds of those tournaments. His gas tank was never tested until he got to the later rounds of those tournaments. So, he was a) fresher in the earlier rounds and b) facing lesser opponents, then c) he was more fatigued, wrestling better opponents later on.

 

[nerfstate]

I love the eye test, for this reason! We all see what we see. I sure perceived him to be the beastlier physical specimen, despite the 20lb delta.

My eye test takeaway on the delta of his physique at U23’s was that Kerk has been putting on pounds where it matters the most: Hips

 

[82bordeaux]

My eye test takeaway on the delta of his physique at U23’s was that Kerk has been putting on pounds where it matters the most: Hips

Speaking of hips, did you see when Skatzka had one decent shot on Starocci? I thought damn, he’s gonna give up 2. Then BAM! The Cenzoesque hips just obliterated the shot. No worries!

 

[El-Jefe]

Speaking of hips, did you see when Skatzka had one decent shot on Starocci? I thought damn, he’s gonna give up 2. Then BAM! The Cenzoesque hips just obliterated the shot. No worries!

 

[AndEEss]

While I firmly believe that Beau Bartlett is the future of 141/149 for PSU, man, Jarod Verkleeren is a great freestyle wrestler. His lace is just otherworldly. I really hope he can find a way to consistently get to his offense this year because he's capable of being a much better wrestler than his record from last season suggested.

One of the things that I've noticed about Verk is that when he shoots, he swings his arms BACKWARDS at first. Sometimes it looks like he's attempting a super duck while going for a single or a double. So his hands/arms aren't the thing leading towards an opponent's legs. It makes it really hard to get to a leg and convert when they can react as your hands are getting to the leg, as opposed to reacting after your hands are already on their leg. I remember watching him against Lugo and Sasso last year and thought that he's great at the basics. He's really hard to snap down, really hard to blow through. Most of the takedowns on him, IIRC, were from prolonged single legs, and they were few and far between.

 

[NittanyChris]

While I firmly believe that Beau Bartlett is the future of 141/149 for PSU, man, Jarod Verkleeren is a great freestyle wrestler. His lace is just otherworldly. I really hope he can find a way to consistently get to his offense this year because he's capable of being a much better wrestler than his record from last season suggested.

One of the things that I've noticed about Verk is that when he shoots, he swings his arms BACKWARDS at first. Sometimes it looks like he's attempting a super duck while going for a single or a double. So his hands/arms aren't the thing leading towards an opponent's legs. It makes it really hard to get to a leg and convert when they can react as your hands are getting to the leg, as opposed to reacting after your hands are already on their leg. I remember watching him against Lugo and Sasso last year and thought that he's great at the basics. He's really hard to snap down, really hard to blow through. Most of the takedowns on him, IIRC, were from prolonged single legs, and they were few and far between.

If Lee stays at 41 and Bartlett wants to go at 49, I'd have to favor Bartlett over Verk. No disrespect at all, I love Verk's toughness, it just seems Bartlett is at another level in terms of upside.

 

[District four]

Let's not leave Barraclough out of the young uns discussion. He looked good taking down a former AA.

So what do you all think is bear claw legit and can he make the line up

 

[SRATH]

Is Cassar wrestling? I would love to see he and Kerk go at it, big strong and fast against big strong and fast.

 

[Ja1339]

I think we all like Beard and want him to be successful. I think it is reasonable to think that against someone who wrestles a constant pressure style that he will gas late in matches. We have seen it the past 18-24 months. It is not news to the Beard or PSU camp. I am sure they are trying to fix it, however some guys genetically have great gas tanks, which also means others may not. It feels like something we will be talking about for 4 more years, just less and less each year. As MB becomes more dominant in his Jr Sr years it will become less an issue as he puts guys out of their misery early.

Would love to hear from @tjb249 on this topic.

 

[dunkej01]

Beard gas tank issues seems to be common.

Anyone 'member the altons......

 

[Sportfan2017]

I've not seen Beard wrestle much--basically just the Scuffle earlier this year. I told my brother before watching last night, that Beard looked really good at the Scuffle but lost to 2 pretty good wrestlers after building up sizeable leads and then gassing. It turned out that the same thing happened last night too (except he hung on to win this time). Has anyone seen Beard wrestle other collegiate (open) matches and see if he had a good or not so good gas tank in those matches? If it hadn't been for those Scuffle matches I would have chalked last night up to it being the beginning of the season. He's so talented--I hope he can get a good solid gas tank to with it! I'm hopeful he will.

Note: I am just reading this thread the day after the matches, and hadn't seen that a lot of other people have weighed in on this same issue that I hadn't read when posting. I guess I should read all the posts before responding! My apologies that this was a bit redundant.

Watch the Beard vs Gavin Hoffman match at Whose Number One. Beard was the better wrestler for about half the match. He lost. Yes....this Covid thing may have affected some wrestler's conditioning......but this gassing problem has been going on for a while. Hopefully it gets worked out ...because for 3 minutes......he can hang with/beat anyone. "Gotta Have Faith" said someone

 

[El-Jefe]

Anyone 'member the altons......

If Bartlett supplants Verk, then the board will need a new target.

 

[js8793]

Watch the Beard vs Gavin Hoffman match at Whose Number One. Beard was the better wrestler for about half the match. He lost. Yes....this Covid thing may have affected some wrestler's conditioning......but this gassing problem has been going on for a while. Hopefully it gets worked out ...because for 3 minutes......he can hang with/beat anyone. "Gotta Have Faith" said someone

Gassing can be a mental thing. If you struggle with nerves, you can end up dumping adrenaline right away and hitting the wall quickly no matter how good your shape actually is. It can be a hard thing to figure out because the fear of it happening ends up being a contributing factor as well.

 

[AndEEss]

Who is the other coach that Kerk high fives before his match? One is Jake, but I don't recognize the other guy.

 

[Sportfan2017]

Gassing can be a mental thing. If you struggle with nerves, you can end up dumping adrenaline right away and hitting the wall quickly no matter how good your shape actually is. It can be a hard thing to figure out because the fear of it happening ends up being a contributing factor as well.

Absolutely true. Sometimes it is a breathing thing as well. Just hoping it gets worked out.....because he is so talented otherwise.

 

[jack66]

So what do you all think is bear claw legit and can he make the line up

I'm not the one to ask, but I'll give my opinion anyway.

It was reported earlier that Barraclough was moving to 157 ... could be rumor, could be fact. We might see him in the line-up there if Berge is not ready to go.

 

[Ja1339]

I'm not the one to ask, but I'll give my opinion anyway.

It was reported earlier that Barraclough was moving to 157 ... could be rumor, could be fact. We might see him in the line-up there if Berge is not ready to go.

Gardner, Pipher,Busiello, and Austin Boone could make a run at 57 as well if Berge isn’t ready.

 

[jtothemfp]

I love how that quickly-becoming-famous Mean Streak manifests when an opponent does get in on a leg. Dude is extremely committed to being this concrete wall!

 

[jbkeller72]

Watch the Beard vs Gavin Hoffman match at Whose Number One. Beard was the better wrestler for about half the match. He lost. Yes....this Covid thing may have affected some wrestler's conditioning......but this gassing problem has been going on for a while. Hopefully it gets worked out ...because for 3 minutes......he can hang with/beat anyone. "Gotta Have Faith" said someone

As was mentioned previously in this thread, Bulsak had no problem getting to Beard's legs even before the gas tank was an issue - I think after Beard's first takedown (which was sweet), Bulsak was consistently on Beard's legs. To the point that I wondering if it was strategic on Beard's part - he was somewhat effective in his counter wrestling off Bulsak's shots. I agree that Beard has all kinds of talent but I was a little surprised to see the match play out like it did. Bulsak always struck me as a mauler and not super quick to the legs

 

[El-Jefe]

I love how that quickly-becoming-famous Mean Streak manifests when an opponent does get in on a leg. Dude is extremely committed to being this concrete wall!

Starocci Mean Streak.

 

[jtothemfp]

So what do you all think is bear claw legit and can he make the line up

I'll give it a go! Lemme rewatch his bout vs Kyle Shoop's Big Red Beard, and take some notes. Heads up, my Freestyle chops are nearly non-existent, and my #analysis skeelz use a heavy does of...let's call it linguistic freestyle lol:
- slick righty single leg, easy finish, 2-0 (Folkstyle 🤘)
- couldn't quite convert the gut wrench for points on the boundary (n/a to Folkstyle)
- another slick righty single, high leg lift + back pounce for finish, 4-0 (Folk 🤘)
- sloppy, half-hearted left arm reach toward that same right leg; Shoop's Beard easily sprawled, and extremely easily slid around behind for 2 of his own, 4-2. (Folk impact = 👎)
- Byers reminds that Bear Claw is a 4x Utah State Champ (Folk value = pretty 👍)
- another righty single! Shoop's Beard readyish for it, tried hips, but Claw fought hard, pulled in the leg, elevated on the boundary, finished (Folk = 🤘👍), 6-2.
- David Taylor informs that Cyler Sanderson has a "really successful" club in UT called ... The Sanderson Wrestling Academy, and Claw wrestled with them.
- a little sloppy in the upper body tie, Shoop's Beard drops down for very easy access to Claw's left leg, finished, but out of bounds, 6-3. Kinda walked right into it? Taylor adds that the ref should have awarded a TD to Shoop.
- Another righty single leg! Claw's got long ... claws, let's say. Shoop fought a little bit, but Claw elevated & finished for TD#4, 8-4.

Tank Eye Test, at the break: heavy advantage to Claw. Shoop's Beard breathing p heavy, Claw looks relaxed. Other Eye Test notes: Claw is p tall, frame appears very capable of adding bulk & strenTH to. Body still looks kind of young, immature.

P2:
- Taylor: "I think a lot of young wrestlers, who have had a lot of HS success, are just kinda used to shooting a lot & scoring. In that first period, Claw did a good job of getting both hands on the leg, when he shot, and just fought through well to those finishes.
- another upper body lazy-looking underhook defense, Shoop easily shrugs him for a TD, 8-5
- another righty single! And more good fight to the finish (quick shout to the 2019 Nats: Fight Finished!), 10-5.
- another slow walk into the underhooks, Shoop easily drops in on Claw's ... lower claws, easy finish, 10-7.
- two tiring wrestlers now....Shoop with a failed footsweep (failed b/c tired?), tripped himself, Claw back pounce for TD#6, 12-7
- Love this one! Sees Shoop tiredly rise to neutral, shoots immediately on the whistle, but we get a little Freestyle scoring in the scramble to finish. Taylor explains: Shoop exposes Claw (with a gut wrench, as he's getting taken down) for 2, then Claw awarded a Reversal for 1. "In that situation, they reward the wrestler who initiated the move; Shoop initiated the roll, so he got the 2 during the exposure" and Claw got the 1. 13-9.
- Another shot! This time, first time, to the right leg. Sllightly fought by Shoop, but p easy finish at the end, 15-9.
- fin
Taylor: that was a fun match. If you're a young wrestler watching at home: Barraclough went out & got after it! He was firing leg attacks, gave up an exposure here or there, in some of the scrambles.

For me, given Berge's unknowable status, and after watching this action from Claw, and considering the fluidity of the term "lineup" in this amazingly unstructured free season, I'm ready to start considering & talking about him more in the 157 pound spot.

Others also there are:
- aforementioned unknown Berge
- Luke Gardner & Bo Pipher? Do these guys make themselves available to Cael to run out at 157 still, even if 149 is a better weight fit for them, now that Bartlett might be joining the Verk mix at 149? I can picture a lot of fun bouts between Claw & Pipher, maybe even some we'll now get to watch given this new Cael-friendly broadcast model?
- Matt Lee, who just finished a HS SR year in State College. The 2021 Free Season should be great for us to maybe not have to wait til the Scuffle to see this youngest Lee Bro live.
- Busiello?
- Boone?

That was fun for me; hope this post is for you!

 

[82bordeaux]

Gardner, Pipher,Busiello, and Austin Boone could make a run at 57 as well if Berge isn’t ready.

I mentioned that a few times based on my conversations with him in the spring. To my eye, I thought he needed to add a little muscle to be a legit 157. From what I saw of them wrestling live, I have a hard time believing Busiello beats Barraclough. Not sure about Pipher and Gardner. I'd really like to see Boone on the mat in November. He has had some impressive showings in High School and seems like a high upside guy.
But I think it is telling that the coaches sent Barraclough out Tuesday over Busiello and Boone.

 

[1032004]

Barraclaugh's match was at 155 lbs right? Seems like he could be a little small for 157 unless he hits the weights

 

[El-Jefe]

I'll give it a go! Lemme rewatch his bout vs Kyle Shoop's Big Red Beard, and take some notes. Heads up, my Freestyle chops are nearly non-existent, and my #analysis skeelz use a heavy does of...let's call it linguistic freestyle lol:
- slick righty single leg, easy finish, 2-0 (Folkstyle 🤘)
- couldn't quite convert the gut wrench for points on the boundary (n/a to Folkstyle)
- another slick righty single, high leg lift + back pounce for finish, 4-0 (Folk 🤘)
- sloppy, half-hearted left arm reach toward that same right leg; Shoop's Beard easily sprawled, and extremely easily slid around behind for 2 of his own, 4-2. (Folk impact = 👎)
- Byers reminds that Bear Claw is a 4x Utah State Champ (Folk value = pretty 👍)
- another righty single! Shoop's Beard readyish for it, tried hips, but Claw fought hard, pulled in the leg, elevated on the boundary, finished (Folk = 🤘👍), 6-2.
- David Taylor informs that Cyler Sanderson has a "really successful" club in UT called ... The Sanderson Wrestling Academy, and Claw wrestled with them.
- a little sloppy in the upper body tie, Shoop's Beard drops down for very easy access to Claw's left leg, finished, but out of bounds, 6-3. Kinda walked right into it? Taylor adds that the ref should have awarded a TD to Shoop.
- Another righty single leg! Claw's got long ... claws, let's say. Shoop fought a little bit, but Claw elevated & finished for TD#4, 8-4.

Tank Eye Test, at the break: heavy advantage to Claw. Shoop's Beard breathing p heavy, Claw looks relaxed. Other Eye Test notes: Claw is p tall, frame appears very capable of adding bulk & strenTH to. Body still looks kind of young, immature.

P2:
- Taylor: "I think a lot of young wrestlers, who have had a lot of HS success, are just kinda used to shooting a lot & scoring. In that first period, Claw did a good job of getting both hands on the leg, when he shot, and just fought through well to those finishes.
- another upper body lazy-looking underhook defense, Shoop easily shrugs him for a TD, 8-5
- another righty single! And more good fight to the finish (quick shout to the 2019 Nats: Fight Finished!), 10-5.
- another slow walk into the underhooks, Shoop easily drops in on Claw's ... lower claws, easy finish, 10-7.
- two tiring wrestlers now....Shoop with a failed footsweep (failed b/c tired?), tripped himself, Claw back pounce for TD#6, 12-7
- Love this one! Sees Shoop tiredly rise to neutral, shoots immediately on the whistle, but we get a little Freestyle scoring in the scramble to finish. Taylor explains: Shoop exposes Claw (with a gut wrench, as he's getting taken down) for 2, then Claw awarded a Reversal for 1. "In that situation, they reward the wrestler who initiated the move; Shoop initiated the roll, so he got the 2 during the exposure" and Claw got the 1. 13-9.
- Another shot! This time, first time, to the right leg. Sllightly fought by Shoop, but p easy finish at the end, 15-9.
- fin
Taylor: that was a fun match. If you're a young wrestler watching at home: Barraclough went out & got after it! He was firing leg attacks, gave up an exposure here or there, in some of the scrambles.

For me, given Berge's unknowable status, and after watching this action from Claw, and considering the fluidity of the term "lineup" in this amazingly unstructured free season, I'm ready to start considering & talking about him more in the 157 pound spot.

Others also there are:
- aforementioned unknown Berge
- Luke Gardner & Bo Pipher? Do these guys make themselves available to Cael to run out at 157 still, even if 149 is a better weight fit for them, now that Bartlett might be joining the Verk mix at 149? I can picture a lot of fun bouts between Claw & Pipher, maybe even some we'll now get to watch given this new Cael-friendly broadcast model?
- Matt Lee, who just finished a HS SR year in State College. The 2021 Free Season should be great for us to maybe not have to wait til the Scuffle to see this youngest Lee Bro live.
- Busiello?
- Boone?

That was fun for me; hope this post is for you!

Good stuff!

One other factor in folk: Bearclaw likely would've tried to ride in the first, which isn't an option in free.

No way to tell how that would've affected this match. If Shoop gets out easily, then no real change. If Bearclaw rides without NF, then fewer takedowns but maybe a conditioning effect?

 

[AndEEss]

Barraclaugh's match was at 155 lbs right? Seems like he could be a little small for 157 unless he hits the weights

Think about Bear Claw vs a guy like...Deakin, at 157lbs. He'd be giving up 10lbs, or more. Bear Claw looks a hell of a lot closer to 149 than he does 157, to me.

 

[jtothemfp]

Good stuff!

One other factor in folk: Bearclaw likely would've tried to ride in the first, which isn't an option in free.

No way to tell how that would've affected this match. If Shoop gets out easily, then no real change. If Bearclaw rides without NF, then fewer takedowns but maybe a conditioning effect?

Yes, great point! Taylor also reminded us how much of Shoop's Folk Game relied on Top Strenth. So...I think we're all becoming more comfortable with how best to try to compare Free to Folk?

Final Score/Result? Yeah, not much value in the comparison. Freestyle laces distort score value translations in Folk, and the whole 'stand em back up' if they're not lacing or gutting thing distorts strong Folk riders/turners when translating to Free.

Broken out into segments, like segregated neutral action, there's a good deal of comparative value.

Analysis Question for you fine folk: when describing an attack as Lefty or Righty, do you:
1. Give the designation to the leg being attacked or;
2. Use Lefty/Right to describe the attackers direction?

(I used the opponent leg being attacked here)

 

[CurtisLoew40]

I'm not sure there's a better pure athlete than Kerk on the freestyle circuit. He looks like an elite pass rusher out there from a physical standpoint

Hahaha. Don't over do it now. Most "elite passrushers" would dwarf him in size and strength.

 

[CurtisLoew40]

I think we all like Beard and want him to be successful. I think it is reasonable to think that against someone who wrestles a constant pressure style that he will gas late in matches. We have seen it the past 18-24 months. It is not news to the Beard or PSU camp. I am sure they are trying to fix it, however some guys genetically have great gas tanks, which also means others may not. It feels like something we will be talking about for 4 more years, just less and less each year. As MB becomes more dominant in his Jr Sr years it will become less an issue as he puts guys out of their misery early.

This is already his third year lol. He'll be a fourth year freshman next year right? Same with cstar. With their pedigrees they should be dominating already and it looks like cstar is going to.

 

[jbkeller72]

Hahaha. Don't over do it now. Most "elite passrushers" would dwarf him in size and strength.

Maybe a bit of a stretch size-wise but Kerk is what, 6'3" 240? There are quite a few DEs/ 3-4 OLBs in that range (see Yannick Ngakoue). You probably want another inch and 30 pounds as your prototype DE but the guy's only 20

 

[CurtisLoew40]

Starocci Mean Streak.

View embedded media

So standing over someone is a sign of someone having a "mean streak" now? Lol. Well then the NBA must be full of the meanest sob's on earth.
I like the wrestler but that shit is the last thing wrestling needs.

 

[District four]

I'll give it a go! Lemme rewatch his bout vs Kyle Shoop's Big Red Beard, and take some notes. Heads up, my Freestyle chops are nearly non-existent, and my #analysis skeelz use a heavy does of...let's call it linguistic freestyle lol:
- slick righty single leg, easy finish, 2-0 (Folkstyle 🤘)
- couldn't quite convert the gut wrench for points on the boundary (n/a to Folkstyle)
- another slick righty single, high leg lift + back pounce for finish, 4-0 (Folk 🤘)
- sloppy, half-hearted left arm reach toward that same right leg; Shoop's Beard easily sprawled, and extremely easily slid around behind for 2 of his own, 4-2. (Folk impact = 👎)
- Byers reminds that Bear Claw is a 4x Utah State Champ (Folk value = pretty 👍)
- another righty single! Shoop's Beard readyish for it, tried hips, but Claw fought hard, pulled in the leg, elevated on the boundary, finished (Folk = 🤘👍), 6-2.
- David Taylor informs that Cyler Sanderson has a "really successful" club in UT called ... The Sanderson Wrestling Academy, and Claw wrestled with them.
- a little sloppy in the upper body tie, Shoop's Beard drops down for very easy access to Claw's left leg, finished, but out of bounds, 6-3. Kinda walked right into it? Taylor adds that the ref should have awarded a TD to Shoop.
- Another righty single leg! Claw's got long ... claws, let's say. Shoop fought a little bit, but Claw elevated & finished for TD#4, 8-4.

Tank Eye Test, at the break: heavy advantage to Claw. Shoop's Beard breathing p heavy, Claw looks relaxed. Other Eye Test notes: Claw is p tall, frame appears very capable of adding bulk & strenTH to. Body still looks kind of young, immature.

P2:
- Taylor: "I think a lot of young wrestlers, who have had a lot of HS success, are just kinda used to shooting a lot & scoring. In that first period, Claw did a good job of getting both hands on the leg, when he shot, and just fought through well to those finishes.
- another upper body lazy-looking underhook defense, Shoop easily shrugs him for a TD, 8-5
- another righty single! And more good fight to the finish (quick shout to the 2019 Nats: Fight Finished!), 10-5.
- another slow walk into the underhooks, Shoop easily drops in on Claw's ... lower claws, easy finish, 10-7.
- two tiring wrestlers now....Shoop with a failed footsweep (failed b/c tired?), tripped himself, Claw back pounce for TD#6, 12-7
- Love this one! Sees Shoop tiredly rise to neutral, shoots immediately on the whistle, but we get a little Freestyle scoring in the scramble to finish. Taylor explains: Shoop exposes Claw (with a gut wrench, as he's getting taken down) for 2, then Claw awarded a Reversal for 1. "In that situation, they reward the wrestler who initiated the move; Shoop initiated the roll, so he got the 2 during the exposure" and Claw got the 1. 13-9.
- Another shot! This time, first time, to the right leg. Sllightly fought by Shoop, but p easy finish at the end, 15-9.
- fin
Taylor: that was a fun match. If you're a young wrestler watching at home: Barraclough went out & got after it! He was firing leg attacks, gave up an exposure here or there, in some of the scrambles.

For me, given Berge's unknowable status, and after watching this action from Claw, and considering the fluidity of the term "lineup" in this amazingly unstructured free season, I'm ready to start considering & talking about him more in the 157 pound spot.

Others also there are:
- aforementioned unknown Berge
- Luke Gardner & Bo Pipher? Do these guys make themselves available to Cael to run out at 157 still, even if 149 is a better weight fit for them, now that Bartlett might be joining the Verk mix at 149? I can picture a lot of fun bouts between Claw & Pipher, maybe even some we'll now get to watch given this new Cael-friendly broadcast model?
- Matt Lee, who just finished a HS SR year in State College. The 2021 Free Season should be great for us to maybe not have to wait til the Scuffle to see this youngest Lee Bro live.
- Busiello?
- Boone?

That was fun for me; hope this post is for you!

Lol. Thanks. Hope to see him make it

 

[STAND with PRIDE]

So standing over someone is a sign of someone having a "mean streak" now? Lol. Well then the NBA must be full of the meanest sob's on earth.
I like the wrestler but that shit is the last thing wrestling needs.

Never mind the flying elbow the Navy kid threw, huh Curtis?


In HS Carter would have prolly been DQ’d, trust me, and Wino will testify, the kid has grown up.

 

[McScoreley]

Quite honestly - I don't mind a "mean streak" in our wrestlers if that's what you want to call it.

Our guys have been targeted quite a bit by other teams (particularly by a team in NJ) when they realize they won't beat us on the scoreboard. If they're going to smack our face or throw elbows ... I have no issues with our guys letting them know they aren't taking that s***

 

[El-Jefe]

Never mind the flying elbow the Navy kid threw, huh Curtis?


In HS Carter would have prolly been DQ’d, trust me, and Wino will testify, the kid has grown up.

That was far less egregious than the Nijenhuis matches.

 

[82bordeaux]

Never mind the flying elbow the Navy kid threw, huh Curtis?


In HS Carter would have prolly been DQ’d, trust me, and Wino will testify, the kid has grown up.

Correct. He was very reactionary in high school. But many of us (myself included) can't understand how difficult it is to come from an environment where you have to fight for everything you have, to then be placed in a school where you're surrounded by white privilaged kids wearing khakis and ties. It has to be hard. But he navigated that, and has done a great job working towards a very bright future on and off the mat. I love watching the kid wrestle. But I'll love it even more seeing him become a teacher/coach/physical therapist/doctor/lawyer, or whatever career he pursues. The kid was given an opportunity because of his god given gifts and I hope he takes 100% advantage of the opportunity. I'll continue to be his biggest cheerleader.