Hey people,

The Hofstra loss to Missouri on Saturday left me in a rather melancholic mood for the majority of the weekend.  In watching the replay of the dual on Missouri All-Access (which I better remember to cancel before next month), I could not help but feel that the Pride were so close to victory only to let the opportunity slip throught their fingers.  On top of that, it goes without saying that yesterday’s performance at the Missouri Open left me less than satisfied.   Put simply, too many runners-up, not enough champions.  I am also not too crazy about beating an opponent one day, then losing to them the next.  I saw too much of that in 2007/2008.

That rant having been concluded, I am in much better spirits today because in about five hours, the college season officially kicks itself into the next gear with the annual N.W.C.A All-Star classic.  While the past few weeks have witnessed quite a few of the #1 and #2 wrestlers in the nation pulling out for various reasons, the 20 wrestlers that will be competing tonight are top shelf all of the way and should put on one hell of a show for the adoring fans gathered at the St. John Arena on the campus of The Ohio State University.   In the predictions section of this article, I will make known who I’ll be rooting for when the festivties kick off at 7pm EST. 

In addition to the “week in review” and “top duals” segments of this column, in future editions, I hope to also be able to incorporate some Division I rankings into the mix.   Rankings can often times be very time consuming.  Therefore, I don’t want to make any promises.  However, if all goes well with my personal/professional life and I find that I still have sufficient time to do fair and impartial rankings, I’d love to be able to bring that to you, my faithful viewing audience. 

Anyhow, without delay, we  now return you to your normally scheduled blog !!!

Wrestling Recap

-Hawkeyes Begin Title Defense with Annihilation of Quad Meet:  After running away with the 2008 NCAA title, Tom Brands and company started off 2009 with the complete and utter destruction of their opponents from Coe Colleg, Iowa Central, Minnesota-Mankato, and Arizona State.  Iowa won 39 of a possible 40 bouts, winning by scores of 51-0, 52-0, 45-3, and 41-0 respectively.  Big wins in these duals were turned in by Charlie Falck who won a battle of top-10 recruits at 125 over ASU’s Anthony Robles 2-1, and Daniel Dennis who defeated former U of I teammate, Billy Murphy (Iowa Central), 4-2….The Hawkeyes lone returning National Champion, Brent Metcalf (149), pinned all four of his opponents. 

-Lehigh Upsets #9 Michigan: Wrestling in front of a packed home crowd, the Mountainhawks were victorious in six of the 10 bouts to emerge with the upset over the higher ranked Wolverines.  Michigan did manage to win the marquee bout of the night though, as #1 Steve Luke was a 5-3 winner by decision over #13 Alex Caruso.  Lehigh followed up this win with a 41-3 drubbing of Princeton yesterday afternoon….Michigan bounced back with a 22-15 victory against #21 UPenn. 

-Tigers Prove Who the Real Kings of the Jungle Are in 22-12 over Pride:  Losing the first three bouts of the afternoon to fall behind 12-0, the Missouri Tigers proceeded to win the final seven contests to derail Hofstra’s upset intentions.  Hofstra Junior Lou Ruggirello picked up his sixth pin in seven matches, sticking the Tigers’ Todd Schavrien in 0:51 to give the pride a 9-0 lead.  In the closest bout of the dual, #4 Nick Marable and HU’s Ryan Patrovich were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, before Marable managed an escape and rideout in OT to pull out a 2-1 decision.  In similar fashion, #4 Raymond Jordan and #8 Alton Lucas also saw their bout head into extra time with the score knotted at one apiece.  And again, it was the wrestler from Mizzou who got his hand raised with Jordan countering a Lucas shot attempt to come behind and earn the only takedown in a 3-1 sv win…Both teams competed at the Missouri Open the following day—The host school had 7 total champions (4 in the Frosh/Sophomore division) with the Pride settling for a pair of champions (one in each division). 

-Penn State goes 3-0 at Journeymen Sprawl & Brawl: One week after losing to Hofstra and two days removed from a loss to Cornell to start the year 0-2, Troy Sunderland’s Nittany Lions finally broke out in impressive fashion with a trio of wins–19-15 over #24 Virginia, 24-16 against #15 Edinboro, and 36-8 over unranked Binghamton…Despite the incredible team effort, not everything was peachy for PSU as #2 Dan Vallimont posted 1-2 record on the day with losses to Virginia’s Jedd Moore and Edinboro’s #3 ranked Gregor Gillespie.  The latter was an 8-0 major decision that could have seeding implications come March. 

-Ranked Wrestlers Continue to Drop Like Flies: One week after a pair of preseason #1s went down, more of the nation’s finest were met with some unexpected fate this weekend as #7 Rollie Peterkin (UPenn-125) #7 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra-133), #3 Mike Grey (Cornell-141), #2 Nick Gallick (Iowa State-141) #5 Kellen Russell (Michigan-141), and #5 Scott Steele (Navy-285) all suffered losses this weekend.  Of this sextet, the bad luck bug hit Grey the hardest as he failed to place at the Cornell Body Bar a day after dropping an 8-3 decision to Penn State’s Frank Molinaro…Peterkin lost a 10-4 decision to Michigan senior, Mike Watts…Ruggirello, who started the year 9-0, was defeated in the finals of the Missouri Open 4-2 by the #2 ranked NAIA wrestler in the nation, Ray Stevens of Lindenwood…Russell was a pin victim of UPenn wrestler, Rick Rappo at the 4:50 mark of their bout….Finally, after making the finals of the Navy Classic, Steele had to settle for a runner-up finish thanks to a solid effort by Duke’s Konrad Dudziak, who claimed the title with a 3-2 victory…The most forgiveable of all of the defeats was Gallick’s 7-4 loss at the hands of Wisconsin’s Zach Tanelli, who is ranked 13th in the most recent InterMat rankings. A seventh highly regarded wrestler, PSU’s Dan Vallimont was defeated twice this week, as previously explained. 

Key Duals This Week (With Prediction)—Lineups Subject to Change

N.W.C.A All-Star Classic—November 24, 2008

125- #3 Charlie Falck (Iowa) dec #5 James Nicholson (Old Dominion)

133- #4 Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) dec #2 Jayson Ness (Minnesota)

141- #1 J Jaggers (Ohio State) dec #2 Nick Gallick (Iowa State)

149- #1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec #4 Darrion Caldwell (NC State)

157- #7 Cyler Sanderson (Iowa State) dec #5 Jordan Leen (Cornell)

165- #1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) dec #4 Nick Marable (Missouri)

174- #2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) dec #1 Steve Luke (Michigan)

184- #3 Phil Keddy (Iowa) dec #4 Louis Caputo (Harvard)

197- #2 Hudson Taylor (Maryland) dec #1 Jake Varner (Iowa State)

285- #1 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) dec #3 Kyle Massey (Wisconsin)

133 (exhibition)- #8 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) dec #6 Joey Baker (Navy)

165 (exhibition)- #2 Moza Fay (Northern Iowa) dec #16 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State)

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#1 Iowa vs. #17 Central Michigan—-November 29, 2008 (Journeymen NE Duals)

Synopsis: When preparing my breakdown for this dual, I asked myself, is this going to be a close dual? and, will the score be indicative of the talent of the loser?  I answered no to both questions.  On paper, Iowa is more than likely going to crush their CMU opponents.  I am predicting that the defending national champions are going to win eight of the 10 bouts and cruise to an easy victory.  However, the final score is going to be very misleading.  Anytime you see a school get totally taken apart, it is easy to conclude that the team in question is not very good.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Chippawas feature nationally ranked grapplers at six weight classes.  It just happens that the weights at which they are strong, the Hawkeyes are equally or a little bit stronger.  Had this been any opponent other than Brands’ boys, I’d say that Central Michigan would be a moderate to strong favorite.  Even though the experts are calling this a rebuilding year, I personally consider CMU better than their #17 ranking…Look for the best matchup of the dual to come at 165 where a pair of top-15 wrestlers in the persons of Trevor Stewart and Ryan Morningstar to meet up.  Despite the fact that the Hawkeye junior has looked much more polished in his offense this season, it is hard to forget that in the past, he has struggled to score against upper tier opponents. For this reason, I am going with Stewart to win a tight one.

125- #3 Charlie Falck (UI) dec #10 Scott Sentes (CMU) 3-0 Iowa

133- Dan Dennis (UI) dec #16 Conor Beebe (CMU) 6-0

141- #7 Alex Tsirtsis (UI) dec Eric Kruger (CMU) 9-0

149- #1 Brent Metcalf (UI) dec #8 Steve Brown (CMU) 12-0

157- Matt Ballwag (UI) dec #20 Tyler Grayson (CMU) 15-0

165- #7 Trevor Stewart (CMU) dec #11 Ryan Morningstar (UI) 15-3

174- #2 Jay Borschel (UI) dec #11 Mike Miller (CMU) 18-3

184- #3 Phil Keddy (UI) dec Vince DiDona (CMU) 21-3

197- #19 Chad Beatty (UI) dec Eric Simaz (CMU) 24-3

285- Jarrod Trice (CMU) dec Dan Erekson (UI) 24-6

Toss-ups/Potential Upsets: 125, 133, 157, 165, 174, 285

Potential Iowa Bonus Points: 149, 184

Potential Central Michigan Bonus Points: None

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#5 Missouri vs. #20 Old Dominion—November 29, 2008 (Journeymen NE Duals)

Synopsis: One week after dispatching one CAA favorite, the Tigers are back on the prowl looking to make it two for two by swallowing another of the Colonial Athletic Association’s top teams….ODU, which dropped a pair of rather one-sided duals to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma last weekend are anxious to prove to the world that despite a tough weekend, they still belong among the nation’s top-20.  Accomplishing this task will be no easy feat however as I consider the higher rated Mizzou squad to be favored in six of the ten bouts with the seventh (149) being a virtual flip of the coin.  As has been the case in all of their duals thus far, I fully expect that Martin’s Monarchs will jump out to at least a 9-0 lead behind their terrific trio of Nicholson, Hutter, and Williams.  After that, the momentum seems to switch to the side of the Tigers….In order for Old Dominion to have a realistic chance of winning, they are going to need to pull an upset or two.  The weight class where this could most likely occur are 184 where as I stated in my write-up on the HU/MU match, the Tigers march out Dorian Henderson who has been active in the sport for a little more than five years.   ODU counters with true freshman, Joe Budi, who came to the Virginia based school as one of the best prospects in Wisconsin State history.  Early on, Budi has struggled to make the adjustment to the college scene, dropping both of his dual bouts…Another opportunity for ODU to spring the upset occurs at 165.  While Missouri touts the former #1 wrestler in the nation at this weight class, Nick Marable, it is hard for one to forget the beating that Chris Brown put on two-time NCAA champion, Mark Perry, last season.  Early on, neither talented grappler has looked in top form with Brown losing both duals this past weekend and Marable just narrowly escaping with a 2-1 win over Hofstra’s Ryan Patrovich.  165 will be decided by who is able to break out of their funk first….If the match is close down the stretch, look for the Tigers to seize control with bonus points at 174 and 197.  

125- #5 James Nicholson (ODU) dec Troy Dolan (Mizzou) 3-0 ODU

133- #12 Kyle Hutter (ODU) dec Todd Schavrien (Mizzou) 6-0

141- #14 Ryan Williams (ODU) dec Marcus Hoehn (Mizzou) 9-0

149- Joey Metzler (ODU) dec Andrew Sherry (Mizzou) 12-0

157- #8 Mike Chandler (Mizzou) dec Kaylen Baxter (ODU) 12-3

165- #4 Nick Marable (Mizzou) dec #16 Chris Brown (ODU) 12-6

174- #4 Raymond Jordan (Mizzou) dec Eric Decker (ODU) 12-9

184- Dorian Henderson (Mizzou) dec Joe Budi (ODU) 12-12

197- #6 Max Askren (Mizzou) dec Jesse Strawn (ODU) 15-12 Missouri

285- Dom Bradley (Mizzou) dec Roy Dragon (ODU) 18-12

Toss-ups/Potential Upsets: 149, 165, 184

Potential Mizzou Bonus Points: 157, 174, 197

Potential Old Dominion Bonus Points: 133, 141

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#7 Oklahoma State vs. #22 Lehigh—November 29, 2008 (Journeymen NE Duals)

Synopsis: Thus far, from a team perspective, the big surprise early on in the year has been the success of Lehigh under the guidance of new head coach, Pat Santoro.  The Mountainhawks, who entered the season unranked, have proceeded to start of 2008/2009 with four consecutive wins, including an upset of #9 Michigan this past weekend.  Can Lehigh take their intensity two notches higher and slay the #7 Cowboys? I don’t think so.  When Lehigh beat the Wolverines, they were defeating an extremely young team that is geared more towards tournament success than dual meet play.  John Smith’s cowboys are dangerous in both areas.  Featuring five starters that are either junior or seniors, OSU will enter this match with a significant experience advantage.  The OSU upperclassmen have been to the NCAA tournament.  Therefore, they are better prepared to win the close bouts.  And trust me, there will be plenty of close ones in this dual.  If Lehigh wants to pull off another upset of a top-10 team, they will need to get big efforts out o veterans Matt Fisk, Seth Ciasulli, Trevor Chinn, Alex Caruso, and David Craig.  For Fisk and Ciasulli, the key to victory may be to rely heavily on their strong mat skills and try to win a low scoring decision over their most explosive and slick opponents.  Chinn is going to need to utilize his experience and strength advantage to shutdown the offense of the highly regarded OSU RS freshman from Texas, Luke Silver.  Caruso and Craig are going to need to show their balanced repetoire of solid skills from neutral and tough top wrestling to secure bouts that they are favored in….Featured Matchup: Rosholt vs. Rey @285–I choose this bout not because I believe it will be close, but rather because I consider it a battle of the present vs the future.  Right now, you’d be hard pressed to find a wrestler who is as good in all three positions as is Jared Rosholt.  For the next two years, he may well may assert his domiance over the heavyweight division and conclude his collegiate career with a pair of NCAA titles.  However, starting in 2011, a new sheriff is going to have to enter town; Zach Rey with his impressive resume of folk and freestyle accomplishments looks like a leading candidate to ascend into the top spot.

125- #6 Obe Blanc (OSU) dec Connor McDonald (Lehigh) 3-0 Oklahoma State

133- #11 Tyler Shinn (OSU) dec #19 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) 6-0

141- Jamal Parks (OSU) dec Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) 9-0

149- #14 Trevor Chinn (Lehigh) dec Luke Silver (OSU) 9-3

157- #12 Newly McSpadden (OSU) dec Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) 12-3

165- #10 Brandon Mason (OSU) dec #17 Mike Galante (Lehigh) 15-3

174- #13 Alex Caruso (Lehigh) dec Kyle Griffin (OSU) 15-6

184- #15 David Craig (Lehigh) dec Jared Shelton (OSU) 15-9

197- #18 Clayton Foster (OSU) dec Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) 18-9

285- #1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec Zach Rey (Lehigh) 21-9

Toss-ups/Potential Upsets: 149

Potential OSU Bonus Points: None

Potential Lehigh Bonus Points: None

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#24 Virginia vs. Harvard—November 29, 2008 (Journeymen NE Duals)

Synopsis:  I admit, when you have a team that is just barely nationally ranked going up against a team that is not ranked at all, it hardly comes across as a contest that belongs in the category of “featured dual”.  However, because a lot of the duals involving nationally ranked teams consisted of programs that I used multiple time already this season, I wanted to change it up and introduce a couple of new schools to my audience.  Plus, with Corey Jantzen and JPO leading the Crimson, I figured now would be any good a time as any to throw in a little Empire State bias.  Finally, the reason that I selected this dual is that I wanted to go on record and call the upset.  I am predicting that Harvard, after enduring a sometimes painful 2008 season, will come to the Northeast Duals and leave with an upset of the #24 Cavaliers….The key to the Crimson victory is going to be holding serve at 133-165.  While it would not surprise me in the least to see all of these bouts end with close margins of victory, I do foresee Jay Weiss’ guys as the favorites in all five…If Harvard is able to buid a big enough lead after six bouts, they should be able to overcome whatever short comings they have at the upper weights (exception being Louis Caputo at 184)…One way that the Cavs may be able to spoil Harvard’s upset attempt would be for Rocco Caponi to upend the aforementioned Caputo in the battle of top-10 wrestlers.  Between his involvement in tonight’s All-Star Classsic coupled with the rigourous schedule of the NE Duals, Caputo may be slowed a little by fatigue.  If Caponi is able to carpe diem, he may serve as the saving grace to his teammates….If this dual is within a few points heading into 174, expect UVA bonus points to surge them ahead at the end.

125- Ross Gitomer (UVA) dec Dan Kelly (Harvard) 3-0 Virginia

133- Tommy Picarsic (Harvard) dec Matt Bonson (UVA) 3-3

141- #20 Corey jantzen (Harvard) dec Nick Nelson (UVA) 6-3 Harvard

149- Walter Peppelman (Harvard) dec Kellon Balum (UVA) 9-3

157- #4 J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) dec Jedd Moore (UVA) 12-3

165- Andrew Flanagan (Harvard) dec Mike Sewell (UVA) 15-3

174- #14 Chris Henrich (UVA) dec Andy Olsen (Harvard) 15-6

184- #4 Louis Caputo (Harvard) dec #8 Rocco Caponi (UVA) 18-6

197- Brent Jones (UVA) dec Sean Murphy (Harvard) 18-9

285- John Danilkowicz (UVA) dec Andrew Knapp (Harvard) 18-12

Toss-ups/Potential Upsets: 133, 149, 184

Potential Harvard Bonus Points: 157

Potential Virginia Bonus Points: 125, 174, 197, 285