125: C
Schnupp did pretty much what we all expected. He competes hard but he just isn't at a level where he can win consistently on the D1 level (yet). I really hope Teasdale can make 125 next year or that Teske is ready to go right away.
133: D
I think it's safe to see that we are all relatively disappointed with Keener's results at the Scuffle. He got manhandled by Harding who is a decent wrestler but not someone who you can get almost majored by and have any hope of finding the podium in March. He was similarly beaten by Nickell from CSUB who is also a qualifier type but not a top flight guy. Keener is a huge upgrade for dual meet purposes over Carpenter/Law last year, but as far as NCAAs are concerned, we might see a 1-2 point improvement at this weight class if we're lucky.
141: A- for Lee, no grade for Cortez
I have been critical of Cortez this year but I absolutely hate seeing him go down with an injury. He's a tough kid and I hope that his ankle injury isn't anything severe and he can be back on the mat ASAP. Having said that, based on what we saw this weekend from Lee combined with the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Cortez's health, I feel pretty confident that we are going to see Nick Lee in the lineup moving forward. The kid has a great motor and his neutral offense is excellent and diverse. His win over Alber impressed me and even though the finals match didn't end well, he looked great before the sequence that ended his tournament. I love that he is constantly attacking and that he doesn't seem to care if someone scores on him (similar to Nolf). I'm optimistic about this weight moving forward.
149: A
What can I say that hasn't been said 10,000 times? Zain is a legend. This field was not particularly challenging (although I would have liked to see him wrestle/maul Thomsen) and he treated it accordingly. Pure dominance is all he knows. I'm going to miss the hell out of watching him. Also, I thought Verkleeren wrestled well and could push Berge for the 149 spot next year.
157: A
Somehow Jason Nolf has found a way to up his game even further. I believe he has all pins and one tech so far this year, which is ludicrous. His patented Winn Dixie drape over jiu jitsu wizardry is just ridiculous. I actually felt kind of bad for Paul Fox when Nolf hit it a second time in their match because he just looked so helpless and confused. His lefty headlock in the finals match was absolutely filthy as well. Finesilver is no slouch but Nolf just savaged him. He is the pound for pound most exciting wrestler to hit the NCAA since David Taylor.
165: A-
The only reason that I am going A- instead of A is because of his quarterfinal match against the Drexel kid. He looked somewhat sluggish and uninspired for some reason, but excluding that match he absolutely wrecked everyone. His finals match against Steiert was a very dominating performance and he looks fully healthy and ready to defend his title. I love seeing him transition from feeding someone stone hips to an immediate counter attack. He doesn't look insanely impressive physically but damn he must be incredibly strong.
174: A-
Again, the argument could be made that he deserves an A but I thought his semifinal win against Bernstein of Navy was an uncharacteristically close match against a wrestler that Hall has dominated in the past. He was never in danger of losing but I would have loved to see a little bit more urgency and a little bit less contentment with a 4-0 win. He is clearly capable of a bit more than what he showed there. As far as his finals match with Kutler, he completely controlled it and even though it was also 4-0 (same as the Bernstein match), I felt he was more dominating. Kutler is clearly a tough customer but he couldn't muster up anything whatsoever.
184: A
Nickal was just doing what he does best all tournament. Got some great falls early on and then worked people from neutral and found a way to get major decisions at the end of matches. Can't wait for the Myles Martin matchup later this year as both guys (unsurprisingly) are looking awesome.
197: A+ for Rasheed, B- for Cassar
Rasheed might have just won himself the 197 spot after what I thought was the best individual performance of the tournament. His cradle is absolutely lethal and reminds me of how Ed Ruth used to just crunch guys up even though they knew it was coming. At minimum, I think he's earned a shot in a few upcoming duals. So glad he seems to be settling into 197 and I hope his knee is feeling good after this weekend.
As far as Cassar is concerned, the kid is just an enigma. When you watch him attack, he is so smooth and explosive and crisp is just makes you wonder why he isn't doing it more often. He clearly has a ton of potential but he also seems to lack awareness of match situations and it has cost him several times this year. I feel that he was screwed in the semifinal, but the match never should have been that close to begin with. He needs to attack in the first period and he needs to improve on the mat. I hope he figures out how to be consistent because he's clearly a talented kid and I think he could be a contributor for us.
285: C-/D+
I don't know what happened to Nevills this weekend. The Boykin match had me scratching my head and the the Butler match made me scratch it again. He looked bad on bottom, tame and slow from neutral, and solid but not great from top. I'm not going to jump to conclusions and sound the alarm just yet, but this was not an inspiring performance by any stretch and he is capable of much better. This hurts him a lot for seeding at NCAAs too because his win over Hall is unofficial and besides that his only other significant wins are over Kasper and Wood. Hope to see him get back on track.
Flo Coverage: A+
Cliff Fretwell had me cracking up talking about how they were paying him in breakfast vouchers and using phrases like "feeding him hip snacks". He might not be everyone's cup of tea but I find him entertaining, knowledgable, and hilarious. Mike Mal does a great job letting the action speak for itself and inserting actually insightful commentary. He doesn't just talk for the sake of it and I appreciate that. As always, Pyles did a good job on the play by play as well. The video was clean for me all tournament long and I had no issues with the broadcast.
Schnupp did pretty much what we all expected. He competes hard but he just isn't at a level where he can win consistently on the D1 level (yet). I really hope Teasdale can make 125 next year or that Teske is ready to go right away.
133: D
I think it's safe to see that we are all relatively disappointed with Keener's results at the Scuffle. He got manhandled by Harding who is a decent wrestler but not someone who you can get almost majored by and have any hope of finding the podium in March. He was similarly beaten by Nickell from CSUB who is also a qualifier type but not a top flight guy. Keener is a huge upgrade for dual meet purposes over Carpenter/Law last year, but as far as NCAAs are concerned, we might see a 1-2 point improvement at this weight class if we're lucky.
141: A- for Lee, no grade for Cortez
I have been critical of Cortez this year but I absolutely hate seeing him go down with an injury. He's a tough kid and I hope that his ankle injury isn't anything severe and he can be back on the mat ASAP. Having said that, based on what we saw this weekend from Lee combined with the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Cortez's health, I feel pretty confident that we are going to see Nick Lee in the lineup moving forward. The kid has a great motor and his neutral offense is excellent and diverse. His win over Alber impressed me and even though the finals match didn't end well, he looked great before the sequence that ended his tournament. I love that he is constantly attacking and that he doesn't seem to care if someone scores on him (similar to Nolf). I'm optimistic about this weight moving forward.
149: A
What can I say that hasn't been said 10,000 times? Zain is a legend. This field was not particularly challenging (although I would have liked to see him wrestle/maul Thomsen) and he treated it accordingly. Pure dominance is all he knows. I'm going to miss the hell out of watching him. Also, I thought Verkleeren wrestled well and could push Berge for the 149 spot next year.
157: A
Somehow Jason Nolf has found a way to up his game even further. I believe he has all pins and one tech so far this year, which is ludicrous. His patented Winn Dixie drape over jiu jitsu wizardry is just ridiculous. I actually felt kind of bad for Paul Fox when Nolf hit it a second time in their match because he just looked so helpless and confused. His lefty headlock in the finals match was absolutely filthy as well. Finesilver is no slouch but Nolf just savaged him. He is the pound for pound most exciting wrestler to hit the NCAA since David Taylor.
165: A-
The only reason that I am going A- instead of A is because of his quarterfinal match against the Drexel kid. He looked somewhat sluggish and uninspired for some reason, but excluding that match he absolutely wrecked everyone. His finals match against Steiert was a very dominating performance and he looks fully healthy and ready to defend his title. I love seeing him transition from feeding someone stone hips to an immediate counter attack. He doesn't look insanely impressive physically but damn he must be incredibly strong.
174: A-
Again, the argument could be made that he deserves an A but I thought his semifinal win against Bernstein of Navy was an uncharacteristically close match against a wrestler that Hall has dominated in the past. He was never in danger of losing but I would have loved to see a little bit more urgency and a little bit less contentment with a 4-0 win. He is clearly capable of a bit more than what he showed there. As far as his finals match with Kutler, he completely controlled it and even though it was also 4-0 (same as the Bernstein match), I felt he was more dominating. Kutler is clearly a tough customer but he couldn't muster up anything whatsoever.
184: A
Nickal was just doing what he does best all tournament. Got some great falls early on and then worked people from neutral and found a way to get major decisions at the end of matches. Can't wait for the Myles Martin matchup later this year as both guys (unsurprisingly) are looking awesome.
197: A+ for Rasheed, B- for Cassar
Rasheed might have just won himself the 197 spot after what I thought was the best individual performance of the tournament. His cradle is absolutely lethal and reminds me of how Ed Ruth used to just crunch guys up even though they knew it was coming. At minimum, I think he's earned a shot in a few upcoming duals. So glad he seems to be settling into 197 and I hope his knee is feeling good after this weekend.
As far as Cassar is concerned, the kid is just an enigma. When you watch him attack, he is so smooth and explosive and crisp is just makes you wonder why he isn't doing it more often. He clearly has a ton of potential but he also seems to lack awareness of match situations and it has cost him several times this year. I feel that he was screwed in the semifinal, but the match never should have been that close to begin with. He needs to attack in the first period and he needs to improve on the mat. I hope he figures out how to be consistent because he's clearly a talented kid and I think he could be a contributor for us.
285: C-/D+
I don't know what happened to Nevills this weekend. The Boykin match had me scratching my head and the the Butler match made me scratch it again. He looked bad on bottom, tame and slow from neutral, and solid but not great from top. I'm not going to jump to conclusions and sound the alarm just yet, but this was not an inspiring performance by any stretch and he is capable of much better. This hurts him a lot for seeding at NCAAs too because his win over Hall is unofficial and besides that his only other significant wins are over Kasper and Wood. Hope to see him get back on track.
Flo Coverage: A+
Cliff Fretwell had me cracking up talking about how they were paying him in breakfast vouchers and using phrases like "feeding him hip snacks". He might not be everyone's cup of tea but I find him entertaining, knowledgable, and hilarious. Mike Mal does a great job letting the action speak for itself and inserting actually insightful commentary. He doesn't just talk for the sake of it and I appreciate that. As always, Pyles did a good job on the play by play as well. The video was clean for me all tournament long and I had no issues with the broadcast.
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