Preview: closer look at U20s

[jrod65]

Posted this on GIA, but @backdrft76 said I had to here as well. Be warned, the first three are Iowa centric:


U20 Nationals gives us a very recent example on what we could see this weekend. WTT are basically a condensed version with the best guys competing again(plus a few additions)for a spot on the team. 57kgs was a gauntlet then, and will be again.

Lilledahl came out on top at Nats, so he sits in the best of 3 finals. He earned himself a huge advantage here as the mini tourny is going to be a war, with highly ranked matches from 1st whistle.

Top competition -

Forrest - not best performance at Nats, but everyone knows he's one of the best there is
Knox - 3rd at Nats, top pfp
Mendoza - 4th at Nats, took out Forrest and Desmond in convincing fashion
Kilkeary - looked really, really good at Nats. Took 2nd with wins over Mendoza and Knox
Castillo - world medalist
Seidel, Desmond, and Cortez are all highly ranked and in the mix as well

Not sure how DeLuca will fare here. He's good enough to go with anyone on that list. Talent level is so high at this weight that I can't pick any one person to make the finals. I guess I will say 4th for Leo, and hope that I am very wrong. I lean Forrest to make finals, if only because when he is at his peak performance, very few can compete.

I have Lilledahl ultimately winning the spot. Partially because he's damn good, and partially because he doesn't have to string together 3-4 high quality wins to do it.

 

[jrod65]

79kgs for Arnold:

This weight isn't nearly as stacked as 57. Gabe has a great chance to make the finals/win the spot.

Zack Ryder sits in the best of three. He's a top pfp guy that kind of reminds me of Trent Hidlay.

top competition-
Mulvaney finished 2nd to Ryder at Nats
Henckel - finished 3rd and highly ranked
Norman - finished 4th, close loss to Henckel
Ruiz - finished 5th

I have Gabe as the favorite to make the finals. All the above guys are tough outs, but my confidence is high Gabe can get it done. A finals vs Ryder would be an interesting series, that I hope materializes. Both have fantastic defense. Gabe may be a bit more explosive, while Ryder is very physical. Give me Gabe in 3 because we gotta start beating PSU at some point, right?

 

[jrod65]

125 doesn't have many entries, but the top 5 are all monsters.

Mullen sits in the best of 3. He was fun to watch at Nats, teching Hopke and getting the fall in finals against Sahakian.

top competition -
Sahakian - 2nd at Nats, was leading Mullen before getting pinned. Big, big boy who is quite dangerous
Hopke - has been a top ranked guy for a while, very tough out
Attao - another big boy. Think he's better at greco, but also dangerous

I believe this will be Kueter's 1st time up at 125 for free, and he's got some large competitors that he will be facing. I think Ben is a tough matchup for everyone, but the size of these guys could be an issue. We shall see. If Ben makes the finals, the match with Mullen will be a lot of fun.

Hill is a guy who just keeps impressing me. Probably wasn't really on anyone's radar. He just wrestles, and wins when most don't expect it. Not picking him to beat any of the above guys, but he's certainly capable.

 

[jrod65]

rest of the weights

61-

Hughes sits in best of three. Larkin, Dekraker, Hockaday, and Garcia finished 2-5. Vega is coming down from 65, where he gave Bassett all he could handle. Big story here is the guys registered that didn't compete at Nats:
Nasir Bailey, Ben Davino, and Marcus Blaze. Good chance one of these three is the U20 rep. I'm taking Blaze to win the whole thing.

65-

Not many competitors at this weight. Bassett sitting in best of 3 finals. I'm going with Bassett winning in 3 over Valencia. Although I could see Manville, Zepeda, or Lemly with a small upset win over Valencia.

70 -

Duke sits in the best of three. The mini-tournament is going to be interesting. Lots of people penciling in a showdown between Duke and Kasak. If it happens, give me Duke. Webster is good enough that he could spoil the party, though. Routledge, Robideau, Mantanona and Gaj are solid, but just a step below the other 3. I'm very interested in seeing how Antrell Taylor does. He wrestled 165 last season and is on his way down to 157. Talented kid that may now be at his ideal weight.

74-

Lockett sits in best of three. I'm anticipating a rematch with Sealey for the spot. Shoutout to Steed, who won 10 matches on the backside at Nats to finish 3rd. Bouzakis looked pretty good as well for his 1st time up at 74, finishing 4th. Mantanona is always dangerous and could sneak in an upset.

86 -

Sinclair sits in best of three and I believe he will be the rep. Giving the nod to Barr to make finals, but McEnelly, Lamer, and Rogotzke could knock him off. Wildcard in Rowley. His college career hasn't quite panned out(so far), but he's had a lot of success in freestyle.

92 -

Mirasola next topic

97 -

While McDanel sits in best of three, Cody Merrill did not compete at Nats. He is here, and I fully expect him to be the rep.

 

[backdrft76]

rest of the weights

61-

Hughes sits in best of three. Larkin, Dekraker, Hockaday, and Garcia finished 2-5. Vega is coming down from 65, where he gave Bassett all he could handle. Big story here is the guys registered that didn't compete at Nats:
Nasir Bailey, Ben Davino, and Marcus Blaze. Good chance one of these three is the U20 rep. I'm taking Blaze to win the whole thing.

65-

Not many competitors at this weight. Bassett sitting in best of 3 finals. I'm going with Bassett winning in 3 over Valencia. Although I could see Manville, Zepeda, or Lemly with a small upset win over Valencia.

70 -

Duke sits in the best of three. The mini-tournament is going to be interesting. Lots of people penciling in a showdown between Duke and Kasak. If it happens, give me Duke. Webster is good enough that he could spoil the party, though. Routledge, Robideau, Mantanona and Gaj are solid, but just a step below the other 3. I'm very interested in seeing how Antrell Taylor does. He wrestled 165 last season and is on his way down to 157. Talented kid that may now be at his ideal weight.

74-

Lockett sits in best of three. I'm anticipating a rematch with Sealey for the spot. Shoutout to Steed, who won 10 matches on the backside at Nats to finish 3rd. Bouzakis looked pretty good as well for his 1st time up at 74, finishing 4th. Mantanona is always dangerous and could sneak in an upset.

86 -

Sinclair sits in best of three and I believe he will be the rep. Giving the nod to Barr to make finals, but McEnelly, Lamer, and Rogotzke could knock him off. Wildcard in Rowley. His college career hasn't quite panned out(so far), but he's had a lot of success in freestyle.

92 -

Mirasola next topic

97 -

While McDanel sits in best of three, Cody Merrill did not compete at Nats. He is here, and I fully expect him to be the rep.

Good stuff, as always.

You going with Lockett or Sealy at 74?

 

[jrod65]

Good stuff, as always.

You going with Lockett or Sealy at 74?

Lockett, but not with much confidence.

 

[zzs006]

Thank you @jrod65! I’m with you on most of these. I see Lilledahl, Blaze, Bassett, Duke, Sealey, Arnold, Sinclair, Mirasola, Merrill, and Kueter

57kg is insanely deep. I think a number of guys could beat Lilledahl on any given day but I can’t see anyone running the gauntlet of the mini tournament and then beating Luke 2 out of 3. Winning the open was huge for LL. I think Jax rebounds from his open performance and makes the final.

61kg got so much deeper with Blaze, Davino, and Bailey entering. Hughes is tough and sits in the finals but I see the winner of Davino and Blaze winning the spot. I lean Blaze but it’s super tight

Bassett vs Valencia round 3. I thought Valencia had the freestyle edge against Bassett before their first meeting but Bassett has now beat him twice in a row. I think he wins another 2 straight

70kg is as deep as 57kg and probably has the most anticipated matchup for me. Duke sitting in the finals is a massive advantage and one he earned. I’m very interested in seeing Antrell Taylor especially at this weight. He is much better in free and could do some damage. Webster, Mantanona, and Kasak could all win the mini tournament as well. I think Kasak beats Taylor to make the final where Duke wins the spot in 3 matches. This is the match I’m most wanting to happen

I definitely see a rubber match between Sealey and Lockett. I have Sealey winning in 3 in what should be a really fun series.

I hate picking Arnold over Ryder but I think Arnold improved a lot this past year. Ryder did beat him 2 years ago on his way to making the U17 team (also beat Mirasola and Sinclair in that tournament). I won’t be surprised if Ryder wins and I’m hoping he does but just have a feeling Arnold pulls it off. I want to see Henckel vs Arnold as well. People are sleeping on Henckel a bit but the kid is tough and just barely lost to Ryder at the open. Will be 2 extremes in body type

I see Barr getting by McEnelly to make the finals. I think he puts up a better fight against Sinclair than he did at the open but still falls in 2 straight

Connor Mirasola in a cakewalk

I’m looking forward to Cole Mirasola vs Cody Merrill. Merrill hammered him last time they wrestled so let’s see if Cole can figure out a way to turn that result around. Unfortunately I think Merrill wins again and then beats Camden McDanel as well. Merrill is the real deal

Mullen looked great at the open. Sahakian did as well actually. He was beating Mullen until Big Jim went feet to back for the fall. This weight is pretty deep with Attao, Kueter, and Hopke. I love Attao. Kid gets after it and isn’t afraid to go big. Oregon State is getting a good one. I’m interested to see how Kueter does against these big boys. I think he’s talented enough to win the whole thing but who knows how much time he has spent wrestling these days. I guess I can say the same with Mullen though as he’s playing football as well. A final between those 2 should be a good one and I’m leaning Kueter but not with much confidence

This team will be absolutely stacked. One of the best I’ve seen and should bring home a bunch of medals