Home (Athens, GA) from the Southern Scuffle. I’m not a wrestling expert, but thought I would post my impressions:
125-Nico looked as good as he has all year, in total control vs. Klimara (OKST), who had a nice tournament himself, in the finals. The Cruz (LEH) match seemed a little more comfortable than the 6-3 score, but Cruz has gotten a lot better too. The gap between the top 4 (Nico, Tomasello, Gilman and Dance) at this weight class and the rest of the field still exists, and there was another gap between Klimara and the next group of six or eight guys at the Scuffle. Yanovich might not have been 100% and was disappointed to finish 1-2, but looks like he has some potential.
Interesting stat: You do the math. Moisey (WVU) lost to Polakowski (MINN), who lost to Fleetwood (CMU), who lost to Moisey for third place. So if Moisey were to wrestle himself…well, that would be pretty weird.
133-Jordan had an excellent tournament. Was up 14-0 on Moore (WVU) before the injury default, after Moore had beaten the #7 seed, Richardson (PENN). Great win at the end against Dicamillo (UVA), one of the best matches of the tournament. In the finals…well, sometimes it’s the other guy. Garrett (COR) is a cut above, but Jordan, as always, just keeps going; he seemed to catch up to Garrett’s pace a little better in the third period and was on Garrett’s leg as the match ended. Tough break for Brock (OKST). He’s very slick. Had 10-6 wins over a couple solid guys, including #5 seed Martinez (Air Force). In the semis, Garrett took him down and almost got him in a cradle at the edge of the mat. Went back to watching Jordan, then heard the cry of pain from the Garrett-Brock mat. Won’t speculate on Brock’s injury, other than it was his right knee, it sounded painful, and he was on crutches afterward.
Interesting stat: 25. Number of minutes after the match Jordan was still hanging onto Garrett’s leg. The guy never quits.
141-I’ll start with Moss…something in Chattanooga must really agree with him. His win over Prince (NAVY) on Friday was my favorite match of the day…back and forth, throws and near throws. That guy is tough, and Kade earned the win, fair and square. After another win, Kade was a handful for the #1 guy in the country, Heil (OKST), getting down early, before closing to 8-5 at the end. He then lost a close rematch with Prince Saturday and ended up finishing 8th. Very solid. Gulibon. Saw some quotes from Cael and won’t presume to try to improve on them. There’s just not much separating a lot of guys at this weight class, from Heil on down. Pull up a bracket and check the scores in the winners’ bracket from the quarters forward. I like Jimmy, and I think he’s still in touch with that top group. Work to do, for sure, but I think we’ll be OK here before it’s over.
Interesting stat: 0. Which equals the amount of fun Gulibon looked like he had at the tournament. One of those days. You’re still a good wrestler. And the sun always comes up in the morning.
149-I don’t know what it is about this weight class, but Zain’s opponents seem unusually prone to bloody noses after being ridden for a while. What a miserable day’s work it must be to wrestle that guy. Hadn’t seen Dinmore before, but thought he looked solid in all positions, even up a weight. (Word was he didn’t make weight?) Lost to Oliver (CMU), the third place finisher, 14-4, then to Marchetti (ARMY) on an injury default (looked like a foot or ankle). I think he was leading 2-1 at the time. I think we’ll be hearing from him.
Interesting stat: 5. The number of 149 pounders’ facial images visible on the UTC mats (“The Shrouds of Chattanooga”?) this morning.
157-I know exactly the strategy I would use if I were scheduled to wrestle either Zain or Nolf: eat a lot of donuts, go to 165, and let someone else try those two. One of my two (Nickal-Realbuto being the other) most anticipated matches of the tournament was the Nolf-Smith (OKST) final, and it did not disappoint. There were a couple fleeting moments Jason looked to be in serious trouble. Smith is a real talent. Of course, so is Nolf. In the semis against Minotti (LEH) and then against Smith, Nolf got away from “catch-and-release,” opting for “stick and pin” against Minotti, and “takedown and ride” against Smith. After the first period takedown/rideout in the finals, though it was a tough, closely contested match, Jason always seemed to have the edge and enough margin for error to withstand what Smith was bringing. Smith’s a top five guy right now, for sure. Very impressive win for Nolf. And what a great tournament for Beitz. Here’s a guy who only has to beat out Retherford or Nolf to reclaim a starting position on the team. Whatever he’s done for the past year, it doesn’t seem to include pouting. He said he was excited to get the chance to compete, and he made the most of it, beating two ranked guys…#8 Smith (CMU) by fall, and #14 Parsons (ARMY), 8-6, to finish 5th. He lost only to #10 Minotti, a two-time All-American, in sudden victory on a counter to his takedown attempt, and to Smith. Beitz looks stronger and more versatile than last year. He is an outstanding wrestler.
Interesting stat: 26. Approximate number of good Lehigh wrestlers in this weight class. Every time you looked around, some Lehigh 157-pounder was wrestling somebody. Anybody. Including each other. (I’d have drawn the line at the parking lot attendant, but that’s just me. She’s a really nice lady.) Eventually, they got tired of it, with one forfeiting to the other in the placement round. Can’t say I blame them.
SR/BHF
125-Nico looked as good as he has all year, in total control vs. Klimara (OKST), who had a nice tournament himself, in the finals. The Cruz (LEH) match seemed a little more comfortable than the 6-3 score, but Cruz has gotten a lot better too. The gap between the top 4 (Nico, Tomasello, Gilman and Dance) at this weight class and the rest of the field still exists, and there was another gap between Klimara and the next group of six or eight guys at the Scuffle. Yanovich might not have been 100% and was disappointed to finish 1-2, but looks like he has some potential.
Interesting stat: You do the math. Moisey (WVU) lost to Polakowski (MINN), who lost to Fleetwood (CMU), who lost to Moisey for third place. So if Moisey were to wrestle himself…well, that would be pretty weird.
133-Jordan had an excellent tournament. Was up 14-0 on Moore (WVU) before the injury default, after Moore had beaten the #7 seed, Richardson (PENN). Great win at the end against Dicamillo (UVA), one of the best matches of the tournament. In the finals…well, sometimes it’s the other guy. Garrett (COR) is a cut above, but Jordan, as always, just keeps going; he seemed to catch up to Garrett’s pace a little better in the third period and was on Garrett’s leg as the match ended. Tough break for Brock (OKST). He’s very slick. Had 10-6 wins over a couple solid guys, including #5 seed Martinez (Air Force). In the semis, Garrett took him down and almost got him in a cradle at the edge of the mat. Went back to watching Jordan, then heard the cry of pain from the Garrett-Brock mat. Won’t speculate on Brock’s injury, other than it was his right knee, it sounded painful, and he was on crutches afterward.
Interesting stat: 25. Number of minutes after the match Jordan was still hanging onto Garrett’s leg. The guy never quits.
141-I’ll start with Moss…something in Chattanooga must really agree with him. His win over Prince (NAVY) on Friday was my favorite match of the day…back and forth, throws and near throws. That guy is tough, and Kade earned the win, fair and square. After another win, Kade was a handful for the #1 guy in the country, Heil (OKST), getting down early, before closing to 8-5 at the end. He then lost a close rematch with Prince Saturday and ended up finishing 8th. Very solid. Gulibon. Saw some quotes from Cael and won’t presume to try to improve on them. There’s just not much separating a lot of guys at this weight class, from Heil on down. Pull up a bracket and check the scores in the winners’ bracket from the quarters forward. I like Jimmy, and I think he’s still in touch with that top group. Work to do, for sure, but I think we’ll be OK here before it’s over.
Interesting stat: 0. Which equals the amount of fun Gulibon looked like he had at the tournament. One of those days. You’re still a good wrestler. And the sun always comes up in the morning.
149-I don’t know what it is about this weight class, but Zain’s opponents seem unusually prone to bloody noses after being ridden for a while. What a miserable day’s work it must be to wrestle that guy. Hadn’t seen Dinmore before, but thought he looked solid in all positions, even up a weight. (Word was he didn’t make weight?) Lost to Oliver (CMU), the third place finisher, 14-4, then to Marchetti (ARMY) on an injury default (looked like a foot or ankle). I think he was leading 2-1 at the time. I think we’ll be hearing from him.
Interesting stat: 5. The number of 149 pounders’ facial images visible on the UTC mats (“The Shrouds of Chattanooga”?) this morning.
157-I know exactly the strategy I would use if I were scheduled to wrestle either Zain or Nolf: eat a lot of donuts, go to 165, and let someone else try those two. One of my two (Nickal-Realbuto being the other) most anticipated matches of the tournament was the Nolf-Smith (OKST) final, and it did not disappoint. There were a couple fleeting moments Jason looked to be in serious trouble. Smith is a real talent. Of course, so is Nolf. In the semis against Minotti (LEH) and then against Smith, Nolf got away from “catch-and-release,” opting for “stick and pin” against Minotti, and “takedown and ride” against Smith. After the first period takedown/rideout in the finals, though it was a tough, closely contested match, Jason always seemed to have the edge and enough margin for error to withstand what Smith was bringing. Smith’s a top five guy right now, for sure. Very impressive win for Nolf. And what a great tournament for Beitz. Here’s a guy who only has to beat out Retherford or Nolf to reclaim a starting position on the team. Whatever he’s done for the past year, it doesn’t seem to include pouting. He said he was excited to get the chance to compete, and he made the most of it, beating two ranked guys…#8 Smith (CMU) by fall, and #14 Parsons (ARMY), 8-6, to finish 5th. He lost only to #10 Minotti, a two-time All-American, in sudden victory on a counter to his takedown attempt, and to Smith. Beitz looks stronger and more versatile than last year. He is an outstanding wrestler.
Interesting stat: 26. Approximate number of good Lehigh wrestlers in this weight class. Every time you looked around, some Lehigh 157-pounder was wrestling somebody. Anybody. Including each other. (I’d have drawn the line at the parking lot attendant, but that’s just me. She’s a really nice lady.) Eventually, they got tired of it, with one forfeiting to the other in the placement round. Can’t say I blame them.
SR/BHF
