Marsteller was trained by Kolat for years when Kolat had his original club outside Baltimore.
Kolat in high school
- Thread starter mcpat
- Start date
no doubt Jimmy was great just to bad he didnt use his talent the best way he could!He could have been better than Nate but oh well!
The aura of Kolat was unbelievable. People would say his name with a certain reverence. Had he been able to run for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1992…he would have won by a landslide.
Cuvo, after a couple years off went to the Lock Haven Open (90 I believe). He was starting to prepare for an Olympic team run. Sitting on the opposite side of the bracket was Kolat. The place was giddy all day. Of course they met in the finals, and the staff made it the last match of the day. Everyone circled around the out of bounds circle and got to watch an awsome display of wrestling. They were tied after regulation and Cuvo got an early OT TD to win.
Both Marsteller and Kolat had off-the-mat issues that detracted from what they achieved in college. Just giving my opinion on their high school careers.
Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson made the transition from great high school wrestlers to great college wrestler to great International wrestlers. Their maturity and continued focus set them apart.
Others in that category? John Smith probably (not to mention that Gable, Sanderson, and Smith are probably the greatest all-time college coaches).
I was a freshman at Lock Haven when that happened. I had no clue who Kolat was, but my friend that wrestled for Lock Haven couldn't stop talking about him.
I get you were sharing your opinion. I was sharing an opinion back at you with a why. Cary left HS wrestling, walked across the hall into college wrestling and was immediately ready to win an NCAA title. Granted it took him a few years to actually win one, but he was good enough. At no time during Marsteller's college career was he ever a legitimate threat to win the title. By the last couple of seasons he was pretty good, but if he had won everybody would have been surprised. Yes, I know each had their substance abuse issues and each overcame that challenge.
Cale and Gable are obviously 2 of the greatest college wrestling coaches ever, and Smith is pretty damn good. I would place Smith in with JR Robinson, Harold Nichols and Myron Roderick. Of course Ed Gallagher has to be in there someplace. Probably with Gable and Cael.
Marsteller blew out his elbow at cadet? worlds. He was never the same. Injuries suck.
I’ll respectfully disagree about Marstellar never being a legitimate threat to win NCAAs. He was 4th and then 3rd his last two seasons.
In the latter, as the 5-seed, he beat the 1, 3 and 4 seeds on his way to placing 3rd, and avenged his only loss in the tournament. He also beat that year’s champion (Lewis) twice at the Scuffle the year before.
I actually had live gos with chance when he was junior and senior in HS and I was in my 30s. I think at the time I outweighed him by 50-60lbs. Hes was an impressive HS wrestler. I actually think he could have been even better if his mind was straight. Not blaming him but the adults around him.
I watched Kolat with admiration and hero status as a middle school wrestler. He could have even more special as a college wrestler if his demons could have been dealt with. HIs olympic mystique was stolen from him. Absolutely stolen from him.
I watched spencer and had many conversations with coaches who were from the WPIAL coaching against that FR juggernaut. He has P4P strength in his grip and hips that is just awesome.
For my money Kolat holds the HS edge against the other 3 in a hypothetical matchup of all healthy (body and mind) and similar weight.
Kolat had the better HS career of the 3 I would debate. He has a better college resume than chance and well see where Spencer goes with FS.
I watched Kolat with admiration and hero status as a middle school wrestler. He could have even more special as a college wrestler if his demons could have been dealt with. HIs olympic mystique was stolen from him. Absolutely stolen from him.
I watched spencer and had many conversations with coaches who were from the WPIAL coaching against that FR juggernaut. He has P4P strength in his grip and hips that is just awesome.
For my money Kolat holds the HS edge against the other 3 in a hypothetical matchup of all healthy (body and mind) and similar weight.
Kolat had the better HS career of the 3 I would debate. He has a better college resume than chance and well see where Spencer goes with FS.
If we’re going outside PA, I might mention Seth Nevills in the conversation of all-time high school careers. Didn’t he have a few thousand pins (or something like that)?
Greatest of all time? Nevills wins fourth California wrestling title | Clovis Roundup
www.clovisroundup.com
Kyle Snyder has sumpin like 200 wins thru junior year where he understandably lost interest in hs competition..If we’re going outside PA, I might mention Seth Nevills in the conversation of all-time high school careers. Didn’t he have a few thousand pins (or something like that)?
Greatest of all time? Nevills wins fourth California wrestling title | Clovis Roundup
Mark Hall 6 time state champ and I believe second in his first try at it. He had a few losses IIRC.
Can't believe PDIII isn't in this convo. Didn't he win consecutive state HS championships starting in elementary school through graduation? I think his dad confirmed that on twitter once. 
For those who followed Kolat in HS, was he considered a "dirty" wrestler at all? Given the video clips and comments above about him being savage, brutal, an animal, etc made me wonder. He wasn't on my radar in that era. I assume Kolat did not have a reputation for being dirty.
On one of the PCN broadcasts (I believe the Chris Bohn match below) the tv commentator talks about, paraphrasing, “wrestling Kolat is like wrestling a tornado…he’s wrestling olympians…he’s so far superior…etc.” and this is the state finals. Listen to the broadcast, see how many times the refs stop for potential danger long before any actual danger. I always felt The refs went out of their way to protect the other wrestlers because Kolat was simply so much better. He ended my buddies wrestling career in second grade by breaking his arm. We never felt as though Kolat was dirty, just so much better…
Kolat was never a dirty or overly excessive wrestler. He just went full throttle all the time and was just physically and technically imposing.Can't believe PDIII isn't in this convo. Didn't he win consecutive state HS championships starting in elementary school through graduation? I think his dad confirmed that on twitter once.
For those who followed Kolat in HS, was he considered a "dirty" wrestler at all? Given the video clips and comments above about him being savage, brutal, an animal, etc made me wonder. He wasn't on my radar in that era. I assume Kolat did not have a reputation for being dirty.
I think the kid's name was David Moore from BEN. As told to me by Larry Rippey's kid. The Moore kid was a physical beast and as he is getting ready to go wrestle Kolat in the PIAA semi-finals Moore says to young Rippey, don't worry Rip. I got this, he's never wrestled anybody as strong as me. After getting pinned and coming off the mat Moore says to young Rippey, I ain't ever wrestled anything like that.
I believe it was Kolat's soph year of high school when Line Mountain's Jimmy Meckley took him down early in the first of the PIAA final. Kolat called time out and the ref gave it to him. Kolat wasn't hurt, he was just mad and called time out. And. The. Ref. Gave. It. To. Him.
He got up, made a fake attempt at checking his head gear and was ready to go. He ended up pinning Meckley shortly there after. I think it was his only fall of the tourney as he teched the rest of his opponents something to the tune of 20-5 each time.
Legends were much bigger before every match was on TV or uploaded online.
He got up, made a fake attempt at checking his head gear and was ready to go. He ended up pinning Meckley shortly there after. I think it was his only fall of the tourney as he teched the rest of his opponents something to the tune of 20-5 each time.
Legends were much bigger before every match was on TV or uploaded online.
I don’t recall anyone ever thinking he was dirty. Not at the time or since. He was just incredibly beyond all his high school opponents. I think he was as good as a high school sophomore as he was as a college sophomore.Can't believe PDIII isn't in this convo. Didn't he win consecutive state HS championships starting in elementary school through graduation? I think his dad confirmed that on twitter once.
For those who followed Kolat in HS, was he considered a "dirty" wrestler at all? Given the video clips and comments above about him being savage, brutal, an animal, etc made me wonder. He wasn't on my radar in that era. I assume Kolat did not have a reputation for being dirty.
you all talk about other wrestlers as best ever one thing,they didnt wrestle in PA!
Ohio State's Dunyasha Yetts might disagree. The match between Yetts and Kolat at the Big 10's during Kolat's freshman year devolved into a fistfight. It seems Yetts took objection to Kolat's aggressive style and threw a few punches. I believe cooler heads prevailed and the match resumed with Kolat being the winner.
I was there, that's not exactly what happened.
Kolat had Yetts in a tight front headlock, the ref should have stopped it, but didn't. Yetts passed out. When he came to a few seconds later, he was disoriented and was swinging at everyone. It was Hellickson and the OSU staff that were more fired up than Yetts.
Kolat had lost to Yetts earlier in the year, but it didn't look like any different than the front headlock series that Kolat used on a lot of guys that year.
Dont know about top 30 but it doesnt get any more prestigious then being a Navy Coach. Proud to have him coaching those boys, what a role model!
He seemed to really help Campbell become relevant before taking the job at Navy. He’s also seemed to help Chance get back on track. Chance has been placing more consistently at national tournaments since he started training with Cary again
Dude, I still cant take you serious with that hilarious avatar.
Be happy he's not an Imperial Storm Trooper in a diaper.
Pretty sure Kolat had a bunch of chances to get a "better" job but didn't want to leave Campbell because of how the administration supported him. Navy has a unique situation with the unlimited roster sizes and no scholarships, that was one of the few gigs he would have left Campbell for.
Kolat had a greater mystique than Kelly Leak.
Is that the shrimp from Breaking Away?Kolat had a greater mystique than Kelly Leak.
Admittedly, I found it as part of a meme and decided it’d make a perfect avatar for the board and fantasy football 😂
One of the best hs wrestlers that I’ve seen that i believe, never wrestled in college was joey wilderson, i would have really liked to see how he would have done at the next level
He won two Jr College national championships and was ranked #3 at 118 at OkSt after that but couldn’t make weight for the postseason.
Pokes Have Hole In Big Eight Lineup
AMES, Iowa - Oklahoma State's dry spell at 118 pounds will continue for another postseason with the absence of Joey Wildasin from today's Big Eight championships in the Hilton Coliseum. Wildasin, who…
www.oklahoman.com
Also - are you trying to get banned on tHR?
this wont get the likes it deserves....but know that it is a classic thought process you put down on intranet paper.Kolat had a greater mystique than Kelly Leak.
hes just testing the electronic fenceHe won two Jr College national championships and was ranked #3 at 118 at OkSt after that but couldn’t make weight for the postseason.
Pokes Have Hole In Big Eight Lineup
AMES, Iowa - Oklahoma State's dry spell at 118 pounds will continue for another postseason with the absence of Joey Wildasin from today's Big Eight championships in the Hilton Coliseum. Wildasin, who…www.oklahoman.com
Also - are you trying to get banned on tHR?
Like to stir it up once in awhile, cant help myself. Never heard anymore about Wilderson after HS thanks for that info.
Another of the best of all time was Cejudo in Colorado. He moved there I think after his sophomore year so he could train at the OTC but still wrestled in high school. Talk about domination. It was like watching a college AA wrestle a junior high kid. He just toyed with everyone. Colorado obviously isn’t PA either when it comes to wrestling. CO does have quite a few high level kids every year but the depth is not there. Seeing him win the Olympics just a few years later made what we all saw during his high school years make a bit more sense.
