
Penn State wrestling notes: Lions move in latest rankings; early look at Oregon State
Penn State wrestling is fresh off a perfect dual meet weekend and will be back on the mat this Sunday when Oregon State invades Rec Hall.
Nailed it! I have a hard time disagreeing with anything ya wrote here.My early season thoughts that may or may not have any value later in the season:
1. 125 still looks like a non qualifier, and I’m sad about it.
2. Beau can podium at 141 if he finds a consistent shot that he likes and is willing to take.
3. The freshman are DYNAMIC and both will win a championship at some point.
4. Bear Claw isn’t it, but I understand why they want to hold Levi back at this point.
5. Max Dean will be fine, but he’s my least confident repeat this year by far.
6. RBY/Carter/Brooks are all currently on my all-Cael team? Yes I think that’s correct.
6. Kerk will not lose a match and him vs Fat Tony in the BJC is my current match of the year.
1. 125 still looks like a non qualifier, and I’m sad about it.
5. Max Dean will be fine, but he’s my least confident repeat this year by far.
I was really really excited for Howard to come back and be good this year. Not even championship good, but just really competitive.A few things here. First, as Smalls has said many times, the two toughest weights to recruit are the bookends, 125 & 285, as they can't slide to a different weight, and there aren't a lot of elite guys at either weights. Second, Howard's injury kind of hamstrings PSU here. PSU has some depth at some weights, but even they would have a tough time plugging in somebody that would end up being ranked top 10 if one of their expected starters got injured at most weight classes. It's just the nature of the sport. Lastly, PSU has signed some excellent light weights for future years, so between Howard, Steen, and the recruits I think this will get resolved in future years.
I kind of thought that heading into the season. That said, none of them will have a cake walk.
133: Few would be surprised if we see RBY - Fix, Round 3. And while RBY has won the past 2 battles, Fix is a really good wrestler. And Vito Arujau is never an easy win.
174: Mekhi Lewis always scares me. And Labriola is really good. CStar has a knack for winning close matches. There's little room for error in those type of matches, and the two aforementioned guys can make you pay for any errors.
184: Brooks just wins. But Trent Hidlay and Parker Keckeisen are going to make him earn another championship, as both have the talent to win it as well. AB defeated Keckeisen in the recent NCWA Classic, so there is that in his favor.
197. When you lose twice in a weekend, it does take away some of your fear factor. Seems like Rocky Elam, Yonger Bastida, Nino Bonaccorsi, Michael Beard, Jacob Warner, Ethan Laird, Isaac Trumble will be battling all season to get a top seed, and all will be in the mix at NCAAs.
Of course not cake walks, but all of those would be significant upsets at this point, no? All those guys have the talent and could certainly win on an off-day for our guys, but it would need to be an off-day, especially with RBY and AB. Star / Lewis 3 could be Legit because he doesn’t seem to score on Lewis but damn Star’s riding is INSANE.
A healthy appreciation for your opponent’s skills is very important! Especially in those big matches! I mean RBY was half a second from his back via inside trip this march before getting the opening TD. He just always seems to be able to pop out with the advantage. It’s aways a tight rope to walk, but one that, til now, he’s navigated every single time.That said, I think the difference between Fix and RBY is razor thin. Fix has a big frame for the weight class, and is strong. Two years ago it was a SV decision. I spoke with RBY at the Rider dual, and promised to not disclose what he said. Let's just leave it at he has a lot of respect for Fix and his abilities.
Can I request Kirk to wipe the mat with Cass? Please? That kid has not impressed me his entire career, but up until now Kerk couldn’t beat him.My early season thoughts that may or may not have any value later in the season:
1. 125 still looks like a non qualifier, and I’m sad about it.
2. Beau can podium at 141 if he finds a consistent shot that he likes and is willing to take.
3. The freshman are DYNAMIC and both will win a championship at some point.
4. Bear Claw isn’t it, but I understand why they want to hold Levi back at this point.
5. Max Dean will be fine, but he’s my least confident repeat this year by far.
6. RBY/Carter/Brooks are all currently on my all-Cael team? Yes I think that’s correct.
6. Kerk will not lose a match and him vs Fat Tony in the BJC is my current match of the year.
Labriola at 174? Either Mikey has a younger brother, or this is his 12th season.I kind of thought that heading into the season. That said, none of them will have a cake walk.
133: Few would be surprised if we see RBY - Fix, Round 3. And while RBY has won the past 2 battles, Fix is a really good wrestler. And Vito Arujau is never an easy win.
174: Mekhi Lewis always scares me. And Labriola is really good. CStar has a knack for winning close matches. There's little room for error in those type of matches, and the two aforementioned guys can make you pay for any errors.
184: Brooks just wins. But Trent Hidlay and Parker Keckeisen are going to make him earn another championship, as both have the talent to win it as well. AB defeated Keckeisen in the recent NCWA Classic, so there is that in his favor.
197. When you lose twice in a weekend, it does take away some of your fear factor. Seems like Rocky Elam, Yonger Bastida, Nino Bonaccorsi, Michael Beard, Jacob Warner, Ethan Laird, Isaac Trumble will be battling all season to get a top seed, and all will be in the mix at NCAAs.
Nope, it's still him. It's the Big Ten. Every sport has guys who are at their respective school forever. Him in wrestling, Robbie Hummel in hoops, Sean Clifford in football, and yes, I know the list could go on and on and on.Labriola at 174? Either Mikey has a younger brother, or this is his 12th season.![]()
In the two prior matches against AB it seems like Hidley stalls and hangs on the edge of the mat. His plan seems to be to time 1 good shot with about 30 seconds left. He knows he cannot go toe to toe with AB for 7 minutes. I think that the next time they meet, Aaron really needs to push the pace and force stall calls so Hidley will need to present himself more.Since the PSUers are returning champs, I guess them losing would be an upset.
That said, I think the difference between Fix and RBY is razor thin. Fix has a big frame for the weight class, and is strong. Two years ago it was a SV decision. I spoke with RBY at the Rider dual, and promised to not disclose what he said. Let's just leave it at he has a lot of respect for Fix and his abilities.
After Lewis bested Cenzo in the final, I'm always going to be scared of Lewis. That said, he hasn't shown a lot of offense against top opponents since returning from his injury. He lost this past weekend to Labriola at Cliff Keen LV, 3-1 SV. But by the same token, CStar doesn't exhibit a lot of offense against elite opponents. He seems to gut out tough wins. It's unfortunate that PSU and Nebraska don't wrestle a dual this year, so Labriola and CStar likely won't face each other until B1Gs.
I'm probably the most confident about AB, but Hidley is a bear, and a very good wrestler.
There's still a long season to play out. Let's hope everyone mentioned here stays healthy, and that they get to decide things at NCAAs.
Pretty sure he is taking classesHopefully the 125 pound transfer from Ohio State will be enrolling next month. Many say he’s now in our room. Wrestled 133 for Ohio State last season but undersized.