I am good with being a rabbid fan of anything PSU dating back to when JoePa was just getting started. Cael's program the best spanning a decade, and both this year and next could play out to be minor speed bumps in Cael's continuing string of greatness or somewhat unexpected championships while behind the eight ball a bit due to big injuries to big kids. We enter the year with three 6th year title contenders and exit with one struggling to get 'it' back. Most other programs wouldn't have a shot at top 5 facing such adversity. We are - blessed
I don't go off the rails everyone of our weaker weights get some criticism though on the board, and I don't knee jerk want to toss someone who criticizes some of these great kids with some honesty as opposed to trollism. Like it or not assessing the team is what 30% of this board content is, and by nature it is not always going to be homerism, 100% positive.
Kids like Schnupp and Meredith work as hard and sacrifice a much as Nick, Markie and Cenzo and my hat is tipped to all 32+ kids on the team. They tread on ground I can only dream of for sure.
A look a those 5 weights:
125 - he works hard and gives his all but he is out classed athletically by elite kids and we get 0 points there likely don't even qualify I still cheer him on and virtually every match I hope for a surprise, and he has given us one this year already!
149 - probably three most frustrating wrestler on the team from a fan's perspective. He has a pretty good pedigree and resume but is the most conservative wrestler I have seen in maybe a decade. He can 'manage' almost any match to a late decision loss, but if you are honest with yourself, lacks the vision in his head and drive to win any of them. If you don't shoot you cant win and he simply has zero offense especially late in matches. If you transplanted Nolfs brain in his body he would probably be a NC for sure. There is no physical reason (yes, including his diabetes) why he can't win against ranked kids 75% of the time and be an easy AA. He just does not have the feel or confidence to let it rip and shoot 5+ times per match, so despite his having yet another "impressing" loss against a top ranked kid he has no realistic path to victory against most. So multiple times he has taken a top 4ish kid to the brink, but the next time out will do the same against a #15 or a #20 as to a #1. To be perfectly honest he could, probably should, have been hit with mutiple stall calls last night maybe to the point of a DQ, but somewhat inexplicably gave just enough to get none. Sasso did not impress for a #1 as well. I wouldn't be surprised at 0 points here.
It's all that disrespectful or just observing the facts as I can see them. As with Meredith I totally respect the commitment and sacrifice Verk has made to represent our team, and I will still go into each match cheering him on hopping he will simply let it go and get some offense.
157 - not much comment here. We are blessed to have him back on the mat, and anything he can give us indeed a blessing. He could get a bad draw at Bigs and might deliver anything from 0-somewhere in the teens. Let's sit back and enjoy his journey, he seems to be healthy and has a future so all is good.
197 - much like Berge above. He is definitely progressing, but still looks light years from 2018. I haven't seen even one cradle yet. I think we are blessed if he can eke out an AA, but I am not calling for Beards shirt. I see 0-8ish points, anything more is icing on the cake.
HWT - an enigma. He had as strong a resume as any and a full grey shirt year in the room. He looks like a kid who is getting beat by Cassar and Kirk daily to the point here has lost his confidence. Gable broke him mentally (as if he wouldn't break all of us) and yesterday's match if you are honest was just so deflating. Vs a RS freshman 2nd string nobody kid with whom you have a 40 pounds advantage? Come on Seth you are a 4x state champ who has been in the PSU room long enough to know you belong. He looked solid the first period and then....? Maybe (probably) he did hurt his knee so we must grant him that., but he definitely has a pattern of late match fading that will kill him in the tourney. It could be many things but he seems like a kid whose dream of a career in blue and white may have been taken away. On paper he should be tearing it up with everyone not named Gable, Mason and Cass and we saw some indications earlier in the season, but to me he does not look like the same kid mentally. The difference was on display, a 220 lb gas tank Garry has all of the confidence in the world right now and shows it against all comers, Seth looks like he doesn't believe in himself especially in the 3rd period when all wrestlers get tired. I know this is a bit harsh but he could be anywhere from 0- AA points if he gets his mind right. I still think he will have a better career than his brother Nick when all is said and done.
So in summary we could see 0 points worst case from all 5, but to be honest who gives a shit. Cael has and will continue to give us the best sports fan platform on the planet including all sports right now. His is a legend, the team is awesome, we may or may not do it this year, but I am 100% confident we will win another NC within 3 years and multiples thereafter. I honestly hope our kids don't read these boards but if they do they should know we love being fans of each and every one of them and feel blessed to have the honor to sit on the sidelines, overweight with or better days behind us, talking about what they do. If we talk shit about you ignore it and listen to Cael.
