Usually a chance to watch two of the Big Ten’s best go toe to toe makes for a fantastic afternoon. Don’t get me wrong, watching Penn State win 7 matches in a row and beat the 2nd ranked Hawkeyes 22-12 was pure delight, but it couldn’t make up for the news of Joe Paterno’s passing. Penn State has a lot of rabid wrestling fans that follow our beloved Nittany Lions through good times and bad but we all lost a true treasure Sunday morning. Before the match started, Rec Hall had a moment of silence for Paterno that ended in a long standing ovation, it was a small gesture but one that almost brought me to tears.
We will miss you Joe!
Details of the beat-down after the break…
| Wt | Winner | dec. | Loser | Bout Score | Team Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125: | #2 Matt McDonough | dec. | # 10 Nico Megaludis PSU | 3-1 (sv) | 0-3 |
| 133: | #2 Tony Ramos | pinned | Frank Martellotti PSU | WBF (4:20) | 0-9 |
| 141: | #3 Montell Marion | dec. | Bryan Pearsall PSU | 7-3 | 0-12 |
| 149: | #1 Frank Molinaro PSU | dec. | Mike Kelly | 11-5 | 3-12 |
| 157: | #8 Dylan Alton | dec. | Nick Moore | 5-3 | 6-12 |
| 165: | #1 David Taylor PSU | dec. | #6 Mike Evans | 9-4 | 9-12 |
| 174: | #2 Ed Ruth PSU | maj. dec. | #9 Ethan Lofthouse | 10-1 | 13-12 |
| 184: | #3 Quentin Wright PSU | dec. | Vinnie Wagner | 8-2 | 16-12 |
| 197: | #13 Morgan McIntosh PSU | dec. | Grant Gambrall | 5-3 (sv) | 19-12 |
| 285: | #6 Cameron Wade PSU | dec. | Blake Raising | 4-0 | 22-12 |
Nico Megaludis continues to close the gap between him and the nation’s elite at 125. It took an overtime sudden victory takedown by the nation’s 2nd ranked wrestler for Iowa’s Matt McDonough to leave the mat with a victory. Nico was aggressive from the start and wasn’t intimidated by the guy that won a national championship as a freshman two years ago. I’ll be shocked if Megaludis doesn’t finish the year an All-American.
Speaking of continued improvement, Bryan Pearsall does what he needs to do to contribute to this team. Pearsall needed to keep the score close and not give up bonus points. Not only did he do that but he also kept the pressure on till the final whistle. Bryan could wrestle himself into a national qualifier if he continues to improve at the rate he is.
Don't anger Frank, he will rip your face off (photo: BSD/Galen)
Frank Molinaro just missed out on bonus points but had a great match winning 13-5 and amassing over 3 minutes in riding time. The same can be said for Taylor who dominated 6th ranked Evans from Iowa with over 2 minutes in riding time. Both Penn State wrestlers were the aggressor and dominated even if the score didn’t show it.
Ed Ruth was the only Penn State wrestler to get bonus points and he got it through stall calls. After Ruth wrestled his way to a 7-1 second period lead he worked his way toward backpoints. Lofthouse laid on the mat to end the second period, got a stall warning and started the third on bottom. Ruth couldn’t turn Lofthouse but got two more points off of stall warnings. Those points plus the bonus point for over 3 minutes of riding time gave Ruth the 10-1 major.
Quentin Wright came out of the gate looking for a big throw and a pin. The Hawkeyes knew that was going to be the case so Vinnie Wagner stayed away from the upper body throws. Q tried everything, including an elevator after Wagner got in on a single, but could not get the throw and 6 points. With a small 3-1 lead after a 3rd period escape for Wagner, Wright switched to leg work and added two more takedowns for the 8-2 final. If Q had started out that way he probably gets a major but he was going for the 6 team points to take the pressure off McIntosh and Wade.
Probably the best match for a Penn State wrestler was that of Morgan McIntosh. McIntosh faced Grant Gambrall who is not currently ranked at 197, but finished 3rd at 184 last season and beat Quentin Wright in the dual last year. Gambrall is no slouch and got the bouts first takedown. But McIntosh worked his way to a reversal and tied the match after the 1st. Two escapes later and the match went into sudden victory overtime tied 3-3. Morgan countered two Gambrall shot attempts converting the second into the bout ending takedown. Morgan’s victory put the dual out of reach for Iowa.
Cameron Wade only beat Blake Raising by a 4-0 score but Cam dominated the match. More importantly, Wade had an early takedown with a quick double leg shot in the first. Cam’s matches usually end up like two lumbering bears battling over a pile of day-old donuts but it was great to see him shoot early. Cam has the ability and quickness to get leg takedowns but doesn’t often try. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
I usually focus my reviews on Penn State and not the opponent but this match was different. Iowa’s strategy was painfully obvious, they went for bonus in the first three matches and then tried to keep the rest close and hopefully win a couple of the close ones. The bad thing is, they didn’t keep it close by wrestling smart and taking calculated shots, they kept it close by stalling and staying away from Penn State’s strengths. It turned what should have been an exciting match into a boring snoozefest. It’s that kind of wrestling that many in the sport want to eliminate. You can wrestle at the edge of the mat and stall to keep a match close or you can wrestle like Bryan Pearsall; take smart shots and remain aggressive even though you are out-manned. The latter is far more entertaining than the former.
Frank Martellotti is not back to where he was a year ago when he left the lineup for academic reasons. That match was arguably his worst in a Penn State singlet. He needed to keep things close and he did the worst thing possible: get pinned. Not only that, but his shots were not crisp and were easily countered by Ramos. I didn’t expect Frank to win but I expected better than that. There’s still a lot of time before now and the Big Ten’s, hopefully Frank can get back on track.
It was a great win for Penn State and sets up a really tough dual with Ohio State next Sunday. The Buckeyes are young but will be a tough out for Penn State. The dual next weekend sets up pretty much like the Iowa dual with OSU’s strengths at weights where Penn State isn’t ranked. With their win over Iowa, tOSU will come to Rec Hall with a lot of confidence. It’s sold out and should be a good one.
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0 recs | 90 comments
Nice commentary on The Bad
Iowa’s tough. Probably goes without saying, along with how well-coached they are. But yeah, they’re pretty different right now. I have no idea what we’re gonna see from them come B1Gs.
And isn’t it fun when Quentin shoots? Watching him try, try, try to set up those upper body throws from neutral can get incredibly frustrating, cuz you can just feel the opponent is wary of them as well (the Hamlin & Steinhaus losses early this year come to mind). But when he decides to switch tactics and goes into high-low, followed by what Gibbons called a ‘freight train double,’ it’s so exciting. And satisfying.
Other than that one takedown from Quentin, the highlights were the true freshmen. Nico was amazing! McD is still superior to him in all those little ways that make the difference: just a little longer, just a little tougher on the head, just a little more experienced. But they are dead fucking even in the fight department. Nico’s attitude and fight are gonna be so fun to watch over the years, as he continues to improve in other areas. I dug this picture from the Intermat recap:
First, that’s an awful position to be in: head & hips on the mat, left leg neutralized by the ankle. But Nico’s hands are locked in a vise and his shoulder & leg flexibility is on display, as is his strength. And McDonough can feel the lock across his lower back and looks resigned to the possibility of another stalemate. That first period was so awesome. They both were aggressively trying to score, clearly, and no dice. Two escapes, only :45 of riding time for McD and the thing goes into OT, two dudes with huge gas tanks. So exciting. Then the vet gets the final TD to end it. Just awesome. This Sunday he’ll get a buckeye who sounded like he stalled his way to a loss vs. McD on Friday (and who spells his name ‘Johnni’), and there are still 3 guys ranked ahead him in the league, but Nico keeps wrestling like this, and he could get into that top 3 at B1Gs.
jtothep - January 23, 2012
Yesterday sold me on Nico
Kid is gonna be a beast
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
I just peeked in on hawkreport
And was reminded again how wildly differently two people can characterize the very same match. Heck, see below for Bman and me who normally see things pretty eye to eye.
But yeah, like Taylor, McDonough is a freakin handful. And when you’re facing a guy who’s got those sorts of offensive weapons, there’s only so much attacking you can pull off; you’ve still got to have some counters and some defense. But I thought Nico looked like he was doing both. He was definitely very feisty and looked like his attitude is just where it needs to be to become a champion some day.
jtothep - January 23, 2012
Nico shot more times in his match than anyone from Iowa from 149 to HW combined. Sorry, they didn't see the same match
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
You should read BGHP if you haven't already
Clowns. Talking smack on the fans, the size of Rec Hall, Nico stalling etc. It’s pretty hilarious
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
BHGP*
Must be dyslexic
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
Yea I saw that
Their idea that they boo when Iowa wrestlers are stalling at Carver was laughable at best. They wonder why all wrestling fans hate them.
Although I would agree there are plenty of unknowledgeable PA wrestling fans. I can promise you there are just as many in Iowa, Oklahoma, Ohio and each of the other ‘wrestling states’.
psuwresfan - January 24, 2012
I did think that PSU fans don't know wrestling
but I was mostly just speaking about Rambler’s mom.
We do kind of wonder that. Well, not really.
Lycurgus - January 24, 2012
Iowa fans need to just accept that all fans suck and our biased to their team.
psuwresfan - January 24, 2012
Shouldn’t single Iowa fans out for that. I’m sure people hate Penn State, Oklahoma State fans for the same thing to.
Rabid fanbases always have this weird our shit doesn’t stink complex.
psuwresfan - January 24, 2012
Perception is Reality?
I had a supervisor pull the perception is reality crap on me once in a review. Seems some of her girlfriends in the office were expressing their concerns that I was spending too much time out of the office and they percieved that I was always out goofing off. She got pissed when I asked “What if your perception is wrong”? So I pointed out the numbers, my team and I were top of the class for chargeablity since my goofing off was all billable work. Meanwhile, she and her friends were racking up all kinds of hours in the office writing proposals for jobs they weren’t winning. Needless to say, I don’t work for her anymore.
Of course, most of my billable hours were with a client that liked goofing off and paying me to keep him company.
Frank O'Brien - January 23, 2012
I can't believe Brands had his guys, especially young guys, stall wrestle to try and win a dual when what they need to do is find out what works and what doesn't for later on.
This match is going to hurt Iowa come the post season. For one, there will be very few refs that let Kelly hang on Franks right arm and do nothing but hang on. Lofthouse should have been DQ’d and holy crap, Evans didn’t do shit offensively. The kid has tons of talent but it sure wasn’t on display and come post season he still won’t know what to do against DT. Ed sitting on his opponents back and proving the guy isn’t doing anything to improve is funny and frustrating but the ref seems to almost take offense DT’s reversal on Evans attemped crab ride was a thing of beauty. Also, all of the extra curricular crap from Kelly and Moore was bullshit. I thought Frank was going to rip Kelly’s face off after he started the match by poking Frank in the eye. The ref warned but still let the crap go on. He also let the stalling go until Lofthouse and still let him get away with it for two periods. Brands, who I always appreciated the way he got guys ready really lost a lot in my eyes. I like the way PSU wrestled last year and got whipped rather than the crap I saw from Iowa last night on the replay.
Nico and Pearsall, great matches. Martellotti isn’t ready yet, been saying that. Hopefully it start clicking soon because that was a poorly wrestled match. MM is taking that step. He doesn’t score well yet but is slowly realizing he can and instead of losing close is winning close. I’m feeling good about him come post season and I am seeing a good chance of AA for both him and Nico. Cam, love to see the early offense. Something I have moaned about with him for a couple years. He can do it, just has to try. Get the early takedown and then be the rider/defensive wrestler that he is and he could go a long way.
Thanks for the write up Galen!
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
Yes, this
I rewound that one three times, til I could see what he had done. The backward pressure at just the right time was so slick.
jtothep - January 23, 2012
I still think Evans wrestled extremely tenative. he tried very little offense.
I guess if he doesn’t mind losing to DT for the rest of his career while not giving up and bonus points, well then he is fine but I really expected him to try to win the match. You are not going to beat DT by playing defense. Even Bubba, who took advantage of a DT mistake last year was getting after him and not waiting on him.
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
Man, I dunno
I rarely disagree with you, Bman, but you’ve got a lot of personal time in watching Evans in the past, so maybe we had different expectations. I’m not sure how I would personally approach strategizing against the Unicorn, but I sure don’t hate on Evans approach of stanch the scoring against you first. Taylor has so many scoring weapons that you’ve got to stop the big ones first. He was working his ass of on bottom defending those turn attempts. Taylor’s really been working the chicken wing this year and Evans didn’t let him have it. He also fought off those wrist two on ones that DT’s made look so easy this year so he never gave up the NF pts. On top, normally his fun time, he gave up that sick/slick reversal, which I’d have to guess he won’t fall victim to again any time soon, so he never got much time up there to score like he’s used to. But I thought he was also kind of impressive in neutral. He did give up three takedowns, but did fight off a fourth by keeping pressure moving forward while still maintaining some shot defense.
Obviously, David Taylor is a really tough opponent and we’re probably talking semantics here, but I didn’t see tentative so much as looking like he had his hands really full.
jtothep - January 23, 2012
could be right but usually Evans is as busy as Taylor.
I thought Evans looked good at 165 too. He wrestled up as a junior in high school and looked puffy. I will give him credit for fighting off all the turns, which are what I’m used to seeing him use. You are right, DT didn’t let him on top long and that is probably a good thing. HIs loss friday makes me curious
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
also, what do you think
Brands sure seemed to be accepting the fact that they couldn’t really wrestle with PSU this year, unlike last year. His look, though still firey, seemed subdued to me. PSU just had more horses and he has a 197 lber that isn’t good for that weight, a HW that is up in the air.and some other inexperience. He was way more into the first three matches than anything after.
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
This is a fascinating thing to ponder
Well, truth be told, Tom Brands is a fascinating thing to ponder. I’m still trippin on this little tidbit from Iowa’s postseason banquet last year:
I emphasized the imagination part, cuz I think this is where Brands is right now. Sure he’s got that old history of INTENSE, INTENSE, but dude is bright too and that quote belies it a little. I think he knows he needs to reinvent. How he coaches, how he recruits, how he motivates. One of the guys on FOS had a really astute observation about how well-coached Ohio State, Cornell & Penn State are and that they are all sitting right on top of the most voluminous quality youth wrestling areas in the country. But that’s a down-the-road thing and what he’s facing right now is a this-year thing.He caught two really bad injury breaks in Gambrall & DSJ. Yeah, we lost one of our five top-4s from last year, but they’ve lost two, in a parity year they can’t really afford. Ramos has been steadily improving and seems to be responding well to coaching, but he has got to figure out how to get more out Marion, Kelly, Nick Moore & one of those Heavyweights. I know it seems counter to Brands’ reputation, but he is sharp and I wouldn’t put it past him to be self-aware and to have challenged his team in different ways this weekend. Maybe he trained him hard leading into OSU (like Sanderson seemed to have ahead of MSU) and maybe he strategized with a less-offensive style (gasp!) against us. That’s a lot of ish to be talkin, but that’s what the Internet is for, right? So, yeah, I can picture him changing up styles to try to steal a win. And hey, it did very nearly work.
In any event, he’s got to know that the Iowa multi-year Team Dominance era is over, what with PSU & Cornell out here now, Minny & Okie State doing what they always do, with Ohio State coming on. That’s not at all to say he’s not gonna fight; he will—he’s Tom Brands. But I don’t have a hard time at all picturing him trying out anything new.
jtothep - January 23, 2012
I personally don't hold to this theory
but it certainly is not out of the realm of possibility.
I am not so worried about Cornell. I think Oklahoma State will always be good, PSU is obviously right there, and so is Minnesota. Illinois, with Mark Perry, isn’t too bad either and Pritzlaf might do some things at Michigan. Barry took one on the chin at Wisky losing Thielke and McCauley. I am not sure what to think of ISU’s future.
I think Tom is going to want to revert to basics. As much as some want to mock Iowa’s wrestling style, they have, over the last 35 years, generally displayed a characteristic approach on the mat. When they get away from this style, they tend to do poorly. They are currently wrestling very tight and not working offense. It isn’t fun to watch and it sure isn’t a good way to win a match.
Lycurgus - January 23, 2012
Yup
You guys are a power. The pendulum will swing back your way at some point. Though I’m not really looking forward to that…
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
Eh, we will see
That is certainly what I hope; however, the universe frequently sees fit to kick me sharply in the most sensitive of places, so I hold no illusions.
It is my damned Iowa pride that drives my intense disdain for all other wrestling programs and the memory of my mother’s disappointed glance, a rebuke for my departure from SE Iowa humility, that pushes me to admit a grudging respect for you and yours.
Lycurgus - January 23, 2012
And we respect you guys too. Begrudgingly as well (Tim Dwight, Daniel Murray, Claiborne etc.)
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
She always racks up the coutur sacks.
Lycurgus - January 23, 2012
Yeah not sure how I screwed up the spelling there
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
Ha! I'm glad I took the time to phrase that
Wasn’t sure if any Hawks might pop in for a chat.
You mentioned Wiscy, Illinois & Michigan, psshawed Cornell and abstained from mentioning Ohio State. Is Tom Ryan looked upon less favorably than those others from the Gable tree?
jtothep - January 24, 2012
I am not sure about Ryan, I just don't worry about Ohio State too much
They recruit well, but eh, I just don’t see them in the same league as the top schools. Hard to say why. I think you get a feel for which coaches have it and which are always going to have pretty solid programs.
Brands, Sanderson, Smith, Koll-occasionally, J-Rob (douchebag): They have it.
Davis, Zalesky, Jackson (maybe), Ryan: Always solid.
Lycurgus - January 24, 2012
They're just silly young this year
So is Nebraska actually. Eh, we’ll see.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
A lot of schools are pretty young this year
Iowa isn’t even very old, mostly sophomores
Lycurgus - January 24, 2012
Yeah
Out of those four teams, we’re probably the veterans, and almost all our starters have 2+ years of eligibility after this one.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
I think multi year team dominance era is over
You can remove Iowa from that statement. I think it’s unlikely any team dominates for more than a year or two. Recruiting has become more nationwide then ever in wrestling, in large part thanks to all the national high school tournament.
There are plenty of good teams with the resources to do well. I do think there will be an upper echelon of 5 or 6 teams, that will always be near the top. But there will be the Americans, Marylands, and Lehighs who will make a run every few years.
psuwresfan - January 24, 2012
I think it is all about the right lineup in the right system
There are some schools that have the depth and can get the right lineup in place to rip off a string of 2-3 championships in a row. It isn’t like much more than that has been that common in college wrestling. Iowa had a string of nine in a row and OSU won like 25 before the civil war or something. For the most part, it seems, Iowa and OSU have been trading 2-4 championship streaks. Now, there will just be more teams in the mix for those.
My dad is completely terrified that the new “full cost of tuition” rules will decimate major college wrestling. My brother is looking at some D1 schools and my dad is steering him D3. Hopefully, we don’t sacrifice everything for football and basketball. What is wrong with sleeping in campus housing and eating from the meal plan anyway? Why not take out a loan, like every other college kid?
Lycurgus - January 24, 2012
Yea I could see or 2 or 3 in a row
In fact I think Penn State has a chance at their 2nd this year.
But even when Iowa wasn’t winning they were usually 2nd or 3rd. Or at least it seemed that way.
I just think overall there will be more parity. Which while as a fan of Iowa or Oklahoma or even Penn State, it sucks to not be as dominate. It’s better for the sport overall if more teams are contending each year. What would actually be really good is if someone outside the Big Ten or Big 12 won a title for once.
psuwresfan - January 24, 2012
The Big Red had a very nice chance last year
But Simaz, Get the Bosak & Lewnes couldn’t hack the semis and they dropped to second.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
I am pulling for Cornell College to get their 2nd
Go Rams!
Lycurgus - January 24, 2012
/risks the douche label
Also, sorry if this is only a spelling typo, but if it’s a real grammar intent, it’s being misused:
Dominate is a verb only and not an adjective. Dominant is the adjective that should be used in this case. I see it in a lot of wrestling writing and never correct it, so did so here.jtothep - January 24, 2012
Douche-baggery is in the eye of the beholder.
Frank O'Brien - January 24, 2012
Ya think so?
Then I’m the biggest dbag that ever did behold a ramzy or mgocook.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
It was an I’m at work and I’m typing quickly error. And no worries don’t think your a douche.
I will admit writing was never my strong suit.
psuwresfan - January 24, 2012
/whew
jtothep - January 24, 2012
dbag
picks on blog grammer and rips me for f-bombs when I’m drinking. Total f-ing dbag
BMAN13 - January 24, 2012
Uh, I think that is spelled "strong suite"
just trying to be helpful
Lycurgus - January 24, 2012
Oh, but yeah
I’m also curious about that brutus loss on Friday. A bunch of them, actually. The Stiebers I get, but there were a lot of dudes I don’t know anything about. I suppose we’ll find out more about them this Sunday, eh?
jtothep - January 23, 2012
hoping to find out in person! still haven't heard whether I have the tickets yet.
Agree with you about Brands and what is happening with Cornell, PSU and Ohio St. I just wonder how long Cael is in it for and hoping its a while. Saw another JROB commercial on the BTN during the match and still think that is creepy and not for me or my kids. We have a real nice local club that is putting out some great talent so Zayden will have somewhere to go eventually. By the Way, Dawson Peck is back at HW for CHambersburg. He already signe with Va Tech, 6’7 240, going to be an interesting college wrestler.
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
We had a couple Pecks in the Boro
But none of em were that kinda size. Who are your other studs, Hammonds brothers or something? Will def be interested in hearing more about Chambersburg at states this year.
What’s the ‘local club,’ and how does it work?
jtothep - January 24, 2012
Only one Hammond, Garret. Ian had a serious head injury qualifying for Fargo and is done for his career
Dawson Peck’s dad is Dave, Played BB a c-burg early 80’s, then tight end at Ship U then tight end during NFL scab season in Seattle.
Tanner Shoap is D3 no 1 at 113. Peck was runner up HW in states last year and only weighed 215.
The club is the Lincoln Highway Wrestling Club. The guy running it is an asst at c-burg and was a Div2 AA at Ship U. You pay a fee and its basically open gym year round at the high school with instructors plus you get your amature wrestling card and they set you up to compete in tournaments that match your skills, including taking a bunch of kids to Fargo this past year. Youth and high school tournaments all over the east in the off season and they hook up their wrestlers with other clubs that go to the big team tournaments off season. Zayden loves the sport so I will have to be careful he doesn’t burn out young like a lot kids. He’ll be 7 in March and we will discuss getting him started this summer. Frank Molinaro’s parents told me he started in something similar when he was 6 or 7 and has loved the sport forever. Zayden wants to be Frank, its pretty funny.
BMAN13 - January 24, 2012
You won't have a problem with OSU
Iowa wrestled about as poorly Friday night as I have ever seen them.
Lycurgus - January 23, 2012
Yea plus the matchups are more favorable to Penn State
While I agree Iowa wrestled poorly that dual just based on matchups was going to be close. OSU had their two big hammers and two of Iowa’s best weights.
Looking at the matchups there are 1 or 2 toss ups but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Penn State win 8 bouts on Sunday.
psuwresfan - January 24, 2012
matchups are better for you.
Lycurgus - January 24, 2012
Sorry for what might be a dumb question but,
who is #3 Jason Welsh NU and why do his points counts for PSU?
FB6244 - January 23, 2012
Opppssss
Copypaste error. I’ll take care of that, good catch.
Galen - January 23, 2012
Ha!!
Ha ha ha!!
FB6244 - January 23, 2012
Other impressions
133: Martellotti’s got a lot of work ahead of him to qualify, but he does face opponents whose defeat could help him
141: Pearsall’s still real weird to me, but I think you’re right. I still wonder if he can look as good against lesser comp as he does against the topranked guys in a loss.
149: This guy is the easiest to dislike in Iowa’s current lineup. While I do kinda dig Tank’s relative patience in the face of those kind of disruption attempts, he did also give up a late TD that precluded the Major. So that was disappointing.
157: Dylan’s style may be settling into this kind of thing for a little while. He’s ‘closed the gap’ against some top guys recently by maintaining good defense from neutral and not getting ridden too terribly long, but his explosive scoring from his feet is kind of backburnered and he hasn’t ridden well from top lately either. I don’t know much about this Josh Demas cat who brutus trotted out to defeat a reinjured St. John on Friday, so no idea what is in store this week for Dylan, or for the rest of the year actually. I can’t quite tell what to expect from him at B1Gs or Nationals.
165: Besides the freshmen, this was probably the most tightly contested of the night. It was highly technical, but Evans’ hand defenses on bottom were very effective. He only gave up 3 takedowns, and in a match where he also fought off all turn attempts and gave up zero NF points, that seemed impressive. Taylor did look frustrated and pretty tired walking off the mat.
174: Lofthouse just doesn’t have enough for Ed. When I saw the weigh-in lists, I thought Sanderson might send out Matt Brown as a big fuck you emphasis to this point, but I was glad to see Ed come out. In the end, I was fine with Ed’s strategies (to keep trying to beat him up from top & take the stall points, rather than cut and TD). Not sure what Okie’s Chris Perry would bring to a match with Ed, but right now it looks like Ed is on a mission, and there’s nobody in the B1G who can touch him.
184: I thought this was really well-fought by Wagner. He’s kinda likable actually.
197: Morgan is funny. First, he looks funny, both head and body. He looks small & tanky, but he’s really quick and has really intuitive balance. I feel like we’re still two years away from seeing his natural offensive arsenal, but he’s still very polished for such a young cat. Real evidence of the value of national touring in HS, if you can afford it.
HWT: I was so glad that McIntosh clinched it, so there wouldn’t be any Camstress, but he did look pretty decent. If he can stay right here, at just this level of consistency (scap out Ws vs. the lessers), I will absolutely take a 6th place finish from him at nationals. Not counting on it, mind you, but if he makes AA this year, we are going to be very hard to unseat at Nationals.
jtothep - January 23, 2012
I forgot to say
It sure looks like Dylan A is wrestling Frank in practice. He is picking up some of his style, not a bad thing, just needs to have more confidence in his shots and finish them when he takes them. He has a tendency to shoot, get a single and lay down and try to muscle the finish rather than just finish the shot. Seeing him work the leg ride was good too. Just has to learn to do some stuff with it.
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
You're killin' it jtot
Had Frank and DT pulled some bonus points maybe sending Brown out would have been on. Ed was working hard to try to score but the turtle wasn’t budging.
SmackIntosh looks to be learning from Q as well. At one point it looked like he wanted to “Freight Train” Gambrall but couldn’t quite pull it off. That’s got to be the confidence issue everyone’s talking about. The outstanding wrestler award for the night seemed to be a token gesture to help build him up, I thought Q or Ed were more deserving.
As for Cam, I was laughming MFAO at his vain attempts to score some back points.
Frank O'Brien - January 23, 2012
The CDT's Travis Johnson
Had a funny quote about the Ridge Riley (outstanding wrestler award):
Clearly, the whole team & coaches were very excited by winning the dual.jtothep - January 24, 2012
Great win on a sad day.
Both true freshmen took it to overtime against Iowa! It would be nice for them to be able to redshirt next year like AA is doing this year.
I see a trend with Iowa in both the Nebraska and PSU matches of what I’ll call dirty tactics; there were too many “blood stoppages” caused to Nebraska and PSU wrestlers to be just coincidence. The scratch on Taylor’s upper arm is a mystery — I thought the refs checked finger nails at weigh-ins?
I thought Cam would do OK because Raising stalled against him last year.
I was looking to see If Iowa wrestlers would — after an escape — turn and shoot immediately against PSU like they did with Nebraska and they did somewhat with some success.
OlderBudweiser - January 23, 2012
My son used to come out of matches with Evans looking like he was in a cat fight. Just saying, that didn't suprise me at all.
BMAN13 - January 23, 2012
Gambrall's shot right off the whistle in overtime was aggressive
For all the stalling they did that shot took McIntosh by surprise and almost worked. Wish they used that aggressiveness throughout the match but that’s the Iowa “style,”
Galen - January 23, 2012
Damn straight
I screamed at the tv on that shot. Glad to see MM fight it off and recover for the win.
Frank O'Brien - January 24, 2012
I must say I am not a huge fan of wrestling
even though my old high school and obviously PSU take it seriously, and I really want them to do well. This was a great and exciting win IMO over a ranked opponent, following last years dissapointment, and a very sad day.
FB6244 - January 23, 2012
When I switched from Comcast to Verizon this past summer...
… I had to trade in MLB Network for BTN. As a huge baseball fan, it was rough. However, when I’m channel surfing on a Sunday night and come across Penn State – Iowa wrestling, it’s a ton of fun. I wish Maryland had televised wrestling.
Just watching it got my blood pumping like when I used to wrestle.
Yeah, watching Iowa stall was frustrating, but I still enjoyed the match. There was some really impressive shooting by several Penn State wrestlers. McIntosh and Ruth were a joy to watch.
Tezcatlipoca - January 23, 2012
OH beating Iowa is ALWAYS enjoyable to watch.
I don’t care how it goes.
Galen - January 23, 2012
Who wants to see David Taylor drive?
link
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
Ha!
So hilarious! Just indicative of the state of the sport, and I mean this both observationally and endearingly. An interview in a car, with the athlete driving? In the dark, with the overhead lamp on? Smh and lmao at the same time.
But still, huge props to Flo Wrestling. What those guys are doing for the sport (and I have no idea how or if they are in the black financially) just feels really important in this media age, and when wrestling is competing for eyeballs against the big revenue sports.
And they know their stuff! I loved how the interviewer delicately asked him that question about his thoughts about HWT while watching the McIntosh match. And through their work, we get this kind of Gold:
Thanks for that link, Omar!
jtothep - January 24, 2012
no problem
And yes, like you I have no idea how those guys are in the black, but they’re great
OmarLittle - January 24, 2012
Great scene
I never wrestled as a kid, so I don’t know much about it, but I’ve been getting into it more since I moved back to State College unfortunately, I don’t really understand it.
I get the basic rules, but don’t always understand what counts as a take-down or a reversal. Can anyone explain that simply?
reedjohnmiller - January 23, 2012 via mobile
This is probably not simple, but better than nothing:
Rulebook
2.6 Takedown
A takedown shall be awarded when, from the neutral position, a contestant gains control by taking the opponent down to the mat in bounds and beyond reaction time. (See Illustration Nos. 49 through 52.) When a significant portion of the defensive wrestler’s weight is borne on a hand(s), it is considered control.For the purpose of awarding takedown points at the edge of the wrestling area, points shall be awarded when control is established while any part of either wrestler finishes in bounds. (See Illustration Nos. 43 through 49.) If the opponent’s body and both feet of the wrestler attempting a takedown are outside the wrestling area, breaking the boundary of an imaginary cylinder surrounding and extending above the wrestling area and the opponent is out of bounds, a takedown shall not be awarded. (See Illustration No. 54.)
2.8 Reversal
A reversal occurs when the defensive wrestler comes from the bottom/defensive position and gains control of the opponent, either on the mat or in a rear-standing position. For the purpose of awarding reversal points at the edge of the wrestling area, points shall be awarded when control is established while any part of either wrestler remains in bounds. (See Illustration Nos. 57 and 58.)
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
Thanks. One more
Is an escape, like when the guy starting on bottom gets free, the same as a reversal?
reedjohnmiller - January 23, 2012 via mobile
To keep it simple, a reversal is when wrestler B not only escapes the control of wrestler A, but then takes control of his opponent, whereas in an escape, wrestler B works his way out of the control of wrester A, but doesn’t simultaneous take control himself. Then both wrestlers are neutral. Escape is one point, takedown and reversal are worth two.
OmarLittle - January 23, 2012
That explains a lot
Thanks. That clarifies a lot. There are lots of times when a guy gets 2 pts and I wasn’t really sure why.
I’m not always clear on who has the advantage in a given situation or what they’re trying to do sometimes, but I think it will make more sense if I watch it more. I wish it were on tv or online more.
reedjohnmiller - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Another q
How much discretion does the ref have on calling stalling or stalemate? There were some moments in yesterday’s match where it looked like a guy was just stalling, the crowd was mad, and I had to agree. You’d think they’d want to keep it moving.
I also don’t understand why they let Iowa and PSU wear such similar colors. I didn’t have a great seat so it was hard to see where each guys’ legs were. It seems like Iowa should have worn yellow or PSU should have worn white.
It’s a remarkable sport. The athletes are just unbelievable.
reedjohnmiller - January 24, 2012 via mobile
Someone like Galen or jtot would be more qualified to answer that question, though I understand stalling was supposed to be enforced/emphasized more this year. Or at least I was under that impression
OmarLittle - January 24, 2012
Yeah, I'd defer on that one, too
I’m finally on top of the tournament scoring, but I still haven’t watched enough modern wrestling to know what nuances different refs bring to the meets. Tho I did notice this guy (I think his name was Mike McCormick) was a little more verbal with the wrestlers than I’ve seen the past couple years. He was all over warning both Tank & Kelly after that slap fight they had early, got in both their faces and said ‘you hear me? Knock it off.’ I dug that.
Omar’s right, tho, that there were stalling rules changes this offseason. I guess I could also add that the rules are designed to give the refs guidelines, but they have sole discretion to call it as they see it, and if you read enough message boards, you’ll quickly learn that lots of chatter about meets & matches involves the calling, or not, against stalling.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
Stalling and Stalemante
About the only parallel I can draw in football terms is stalling is like holding, each ref calls it differently. Some call it a lot, some don’t call it at all. The new rules were put in place to eliminate the “edge wrestlers,” guys who wouldn’t seriously wrestle until the action was near the edge of the mat. That way if they got in trouble they could just push the action off the mat and get a restart. Now if you do that it’s stalling. There’s other small changes that I won’t go into because it would get confusing. That’s the biggy. Like I said, some refs call it more often than others, the key is (and this is true of ALL officiating); be consistent!! If you call it one way at 125, call it that way for the entire dual, nothing pisses me off more than an inconsistent ref.
Stalemate – this is also up to the discretion of the refs and every person has a different idea of when to call a Stalemate. Basically, if the two wrestlers are in a position where neither can advance for more scoring it becomes a stalemate. That could be a shot attempt that gets blocked off and neither wrestler can do anything or it could be a wrestler in control of another wrestler who is trying to escape and neither can do anything more. Sometimes refs will call a stalemate when it should have been a stall – at least that’s how I often view it, but then again I’m a guy that wants to see action, action, action.
Having said all that, when the national tournament rolls around, generally speaking, refs start calling stalling a LOT more than during a dual meet.
Galen - January 24, 2012
to add a little to stalling
Whether on top or on the bottom the wrestler is supposed to constantly be trying to improve position. You can’t just ride a wrestler on top without trying to turn him or break him down.. When on the bottom you are supposed to continue trying to get out. See Lofthouse just sucking it in or stretching out to block while never trying to get out. You get one warning, next time its a point, then 2 points. There is no longer a DQ rule, they just keep giving points
BMAN13 - January 24, 2012
Hey, good for you, getting into it!
I’m the same way when I watch MMA. It often becomes clear that something dramatic or exciting is happening that is beyond me, b/c I don’t know so many of the moves & positions. But it’s kinda cool, isn’t it? To watch with that eye toward answering that question? ‘Whoa, dude looks like he’s out of it, but everybody’s acting like he’s in total control.’ Ed Ruth did this twice I think when he got that cradle locked up—tried to just flip his whole body over and pull Lofthouse with him. And I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the Taylor/Evans match as much as I did if this was three years ago in my viewing history.
Did you have fun at the meet? Watching Taylor & Ruth these next three years is gonna be an amazing way to learn more about this awesome sport.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
we should watch an mma match together
Sam was very into it and at his dojo they worked multiple disciplines. Had a guy that was ex-MMA from the early days come in and another that was ex US national jujitsu team member. His wrestling skills helped his MMA work much more than the MMA helped wrestling. I will be watching Phil Davis on Fox Saturday night. Not often the big matches are on free TV.
BMAN13 - January 24, 2012
So pumped to watch Phil
I historically prefer boxing to MMA, but am a big fan of Mr. Wonderful, seeing as he won a national title my freshman year at PSU, and was probably the genesis of my passion for college wrestling. Rashad Evans is going to be real tough though.
OmarLittle - January 24, 2012
Oh yeah
I wish I could go to all of the meets, but it seems like I always have to go out of town for work when they’re here. The only other one I’ll be able to make this year is Pitt. But I plan to keep getting a season ticket regardless of how many I can make. It’s well worth the season price even if I can only make a few. I try to give the others away.
I noticed that Ruth almost pinned himself doing that. That would have sucked.
I don’t like MMA as much because a lot of the action on the mat seems to get bogged down. Also, I don’t really like seeing knockouts. Knowing what we know now about head injuries, I feel like bad being entertained by that. Unlike Mr Gracie, I’m not all that interested in finding out who the “best fighter” is. I just want to see a good athletic competition.
Having said that, I’ve seen some of the old pictures of Rec Hall when they had intercollegiate boxing. PSU v Navy was the big event on the year back in the day. I wouldn’t mind seeing that come back if it could be done safely.
Is there a championship awarded to the BigTen team with the best dual-meet regular season record? Or is it all just about the final tournament?
reedjohnmiller - January 24, 2012
Ha! Nothing like the old apparent oxymoron
You dislike the striking in MMA, but dig on boxing. I’m like that in a lot of ways too. The beauty of life, imho, is in the large oceans of grey areas.
That’s awful gracious of you with the wrestling tickets. How many season tix did you get? I know Bman is looking to go to the Ohio State meet this weekend.
Yeah, similar to other sports with post-season tourneys, there’s not much keeping track of ‘regular season championships’ in wrestling, with the emPHAsis on the post-season tourney. But there are a couple sub-movements in the sport to try to re-emphasize the importance of dual-meet wrestling. There’s a cool national tournament next month, sponsored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, which is drawing some great teams, but Penn State is not one of them. We wrestled in a dual tourney last year (the Virginia Duals), but Sanderson didn’t book any on this year’s schedule, instead opting to travel to Utah for a meet against Utah Valley State. I haven’t heard him weigh in on this specifically, but would like to. Obviously, he’s very very focused on preparing his wrestlers for individual & team tourney titles, but I’d love to see Penn State support this dual-tourney effort by participating.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
After what the guy here at work said, I am probably getting my own season tickets next year.
we have a lot of fun when we go up. Zayden is great to take to stuff because he’ll eat anywhere. Faccia Luna is his current favorite but he wants to try Otto’s, too. Last match we sat next to the pizza maker and oven and Zayden chatted him up about making pizza and tellling him we were opening our own shop when I retire. Fun kid.
BMAN13 - January 24, 2012
Awesome!
You sound like a fun Granddad too!
I’m having a blast teaching the ‘fundamentals’ to my kids. These consist mostly of lots of half nelsons to roll them over and then making them work a little to get back to their bellies and scramble out by just putting a little weight on them. And, thankfully, they’ve largely ceased the headbutting dives into the body pile that they started out with. Wifey & and I both are glad to let our face-smash guard down a little; that was pretty stressful in an otherwise fun floor-time.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
the running head butts into the groin when you are not watching are next. Good luck
BMAN13 - January 24, 2012
take him to Rotelli's
I love me some Rotelli’s
OmarLittle - January 24, 2012
I just have one ticket
I gave away my OSU and Michigan ticket to some kids sitting near me at the Iowa match. They seemed like they were into it and could surely find another kid who wanted to come.
Boxing doesn’t bother me if it’s the amateur kind like they do at the military academies. Olympic boxing would be ok except the officiating is really bent.
MMA is actually safer, I think, than professional boxing because there aren’t as many strikes per match. Or so I’ve read.
reedjohnmiller - January 24, 2012
Oh, but forgot this
Here are the Big Ten Dual Standings and complete results this season:
jtothep - January 24, 2012
Good stuff
Man, our Friends at The Pants had a couple awesome Wrestling 101 threads last year, but Sb’s search function sucks anymore, so I can’t find it. If anybody can find those at BHGP, please link em here.
jtothep - January 24, 2012
Attn: Reedjohnmiller, or any other Wrestling newbies!
Just got an email from a friendly hawk fan with the links to those intro threads from last year. He’s undergoing the 24hr BSD join-up period, so emailed them.
Wrestling 101, by Clayborn Smash. This is a very thorough starter kit that includes individual match scoring, team scoring, positions, penalties & even some common moves. Very fun thread.
Idiot’s Guide to College Wrestling: Tournament Scoring, by RossWB. This is a solid review of the three flavors of tourney scoring and some breakdowns of how brackets function generally. More applicable in two months when the B1G & National tourneys get going, so maybe save this one for later while you take in the first.
Thanks Tom Ace for the link share! More evidence of the existence of decent Hawk folk ;)
jtothep - January 24, 2012
thanks
Bookmarked these on firefox last year before the NCAAs, gonna have to add these to my bookmarks on Chrome
OmarLittle - January 24, 2012
Thanks!
reedjohnmiller - January 24, 2012
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