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2022

Wittlake lost by decision to Imar 9 to 3. Blown away for the first minute and a half but then actually would have won 3 to 2 after that.
In consolation Wittlake wrestled Michael O'Malley of Drexel and lost 4 to 3. He gave up 4 points in the 1st minute so he was behind 4 to 0. Wittlake scored 3 points in the last 20 seconds of the match. Frustrating to watch him wrestle 5 minutes without any urgency when he was behind 4 to 0. O'Malley is a good college wrestler but he is not an All American. Wittlake should be handling him. I don't like Wittlake at 174 and sometimes I don't like his lack of aggression.
 
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In consolation Wittlake wrestled Michael O'Malley of Drexel and lost 4 to 3. He gave up 4 points in the 1st minute so he was behind 4 to 0. Wittlake scored 3 points in the last 20 seconds of the match. Frustrating to watch him wrestle 5 minutes without any urgency when he was behind 4 to 0. O'Malley is a good college wrestler but he is not an All American. Wittlake should be handling him. I don't like Wittlake at 174 and sometimes I don't like his lack of aggression.
Also young Mastro is not wrestling for Blair at the National preps. I have heard nothing about him since he got hurt at Whose Number 1. It seemed he hurt his neck and had to default.. Anyone know anything?
 
In consolation Wittlake wrestled Michael O'Malley of Drexel and lost 4 to 3. He gave up 4 points in the 1st minute so he was behind 4 to 0. Wittlake scored 3 points in the last 20 seconds of the match. Frustrating to watch him wrestle 5 minutes without any urgency when he was behind 4 to 0. O'Malley is a good college wrestler but he is not an All American. Wittlake should be handling him. I don't like Wittlake at 174 and sometimes I don't like his lack of aggression.
Consolation round was painful to watch Haas get beat by some Georgia kid Jaxon Smith, His balance seems a weakness, lacks a leg attack and his wrestling IQ seems lacking. Doucette is ahead on criteria 1 to 1 both shot clock points and his coaches get on his case about not trying to get a takedown. Next he makes a foolish move and gives up 4 points to lose the match. I just watched Haas in the 5th place match and his lack of footwork, slow reactions and balance are concerning. Several times he has a front headlock and tries to go around but gives his opponent his legs and gets taken down. He looked so good after his sophomore year but seems lost now.
 
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Consolation round was painful to watch Haas get beat by some Georgia kid Jaxon Smith, His balance seems a weakness, lacks a leg attack and his wrestling IQ seems lacking. Doucette is ahead on criteria 1 to 1 both shot clock points and his coaches get on his case about not trying to get a takedown. Next he makes a foolish move and gives up 4 points to lose the match. I just watched Haas in the 5th place match and his lack of footwork, slow reactions and balance are concerning. Several times he has a front headlock and tries to go around but gives his opponent his legs and gets taken down. He looked so good after his sophomore year but seems lost now.
At least Surber won his 3rd place match.
 
Consolation round was painful to watch Haas get beat by some Georgia kid Jaxon Smith, His balance seems a weakness, lacks a leg attack and his wrestling IQ seems lacking. Doucette is ahead on criteria 1 to 1 both shot clock points and his coaches get on his case about not trying to get a takedown. Next he makes a foolish move and gives up 4 points to lose the match. I just watched Haas in the 5th place match and his lack of footwork, slow reactions and balance are concerning. Several times he has a front headlock and tries to go around but gives his opponent his legs and gets taken down. He looked so good after his sophomore year but seems lost now.
Doucette did take 5th with a tech. He might have been too responsive to his coaches. Maybe Haas is having a bad day. Time will tell. But he did look like he did in whose number 1. Surber lost a decision to Elam but then in consolations won 3 techs to take 3rd. I think 2 weeks of wrestling with us not having 1 cadet, or junior champion has been hard to watch. We have had our moments but lost the big matches. Examples Cael Hughes found a way to lose a 6 to 0 lead in the last s3econds of the match. Anthony Ferrari lost to Ed Scott this week at the end of the match after leading 95% of the match. Wrestling can be a vicious sport. The finals are next and so we are done for this tournament.
 
Doucette did take 5th with a tech. He might have been too responsive to his coaches. Maybe Haas is having a bad day. Time will tell. But he did look like he did in whose number 1. Surber lost a decision to Elam but then in consolations won 3 techs to take 3rd. I think 2 weeks of wrestling with us not having 1 cadet, or junior champion has been hard to watch. We have had our moments but lost the big matches. Examples Cael Hughes found a way to lose a 6 to 0 lead in the last s3econds of the match. Anthony Ferrari lost to Ed Scott this week at the end of the match after leading 95% of the match. Wrestling can be a vicious sport. The finals are next and so we are done for this tournament.
How closely did Surber wrestle Elam?
 
Austin Schafer won senior nationals @ 97 kg. He also won it back in 2018. Was wondering what happened to him. He told an interesting story after his victory...

Tore his knee up twice and stopped competing. Been coaching HS in NJ. He coaches the team Jimmy Mullen is on, one of the top heavies in the country. Ricky Dellagatta convinced him to wrestle again (Ricky's son is also on the team). He's been training at the NJRTC.
 
Consolation round was painful to watch Haas get beat by some Georgia kid Jaxon Smith, His balance seems a weakness, lacks a leg attack and his wrestling IQ seems lacking. Doucette is ahead on criteria 1 to 1 both shot clock points and his coaches get on his case about not trying to get a takedown. Next he makes a foolish move and gives up 4 points to lose the match. I just watched Haas in the 5th place match and his lack of footwork, slow reactions and balance are concerning. Several times he has a front headlock and tries to go around but gives his opponent his legs and gets taken down. He looked so good after his sophomore year but seems lost now.
I totally agree with you about Haas. I sense mainly a lack of spirit or fire in him. He was a dominant wrestler when younger but like a lot of wrestlers who mature early by the time they get to late High School or college many others have now caught up with their strength and now since he relied on this strength early, did not mature tactically and or like you say he has not a lot of wrestling IQ. I do not know if this can be remedied over time but he certainly can not make our team at any weight above 165. Like you say he is not quick and now no stronger than his opponents and really is just an average wrestler. Finishing 6th in a weight that had few wrestlers in it is not a crowning achievement.
 
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Willie came out with his senior big board
Victor Voinovich #15
Travis Mastro #21
Kyle Haas #38
Teague Travis #143
Cooper Birdwell #183
Talmage Carmen #211
Luke Melcher #215
Also Carter Young is #11
 
or maybe since Kyle Haas hasn't wrestled in competition for a year or so, he was just a little rusty?

Nope, on this board if you under perform at one freestyle event you are basically done as a competitive folkstyle wrestler.
 
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The sky is falling. No effort, no skills, slow, uninterested, lack of wrestling IQ, time to start over.
 
The sky is falling. No effort, no skills, slow, uninterested, lack of wrestling IQ, time to start over.
I wonder if some you you guys even watched the matches. I watched the matches and reported what I saw in these matches. I don't remember projecting on his future, but he was unimpressive in his last 3 matches. I am sure if you asked him or his coaches about these matches the feedback would not be good. Also why would I think the sky is falling the Cowboys are set at 197 with Ferrari and maybe Surber. Maybe Haas can get down to 84 but we have Geer , Montalvo and maybe Plott could be there in a year or 2. Now HWT their are some questions but we have Harris, Doucette and some day Surber or Ferrari there. Now what did concern me is I was hoping someone would explode and demonstrate dominance at Cadets or juniors. An example AJ Ferrari exploded on the scene at junior nationals last year beating the Missouri kid in the finals and then won an NCAA title.
 
I wonder if some you you guys even watched the matches. I watched the matches and reported what I saw in these matches. I don't remember projecting on his future, but he was unimpressive in his last 3 matches. I am sure if you asked him or his coaches about these matches the feedback would not be good. Also why would I think the sky is falling the Cowboys are set at 197 with Ferrari and maybe Surber. Maybe Haas can get down to 84 but we have Geer , Montalvo and maybe Plott could be there in a year or 2. Now HWT their are some questions but we have Harris, Doucette and some day Surber or Ferrari there. Now what did concern me is I was hoping someone would explode and demonstrate dominance at Cadets or juniors. An example AJ Ferrari exploded on the scene at junior nationals last year beating the Missouri kid in the finals and then won an NCAA title.
I didn't watch them and I 100% believe you Haas didn't look good. I think it is perfectly fine to say that and discuss it. My comments were about someone saying he can't make the team. I think that is a little overboard based on one freestyle tournament that happened to be his first action in a long, long time.

Let's at least get him in the room and wrestling some matches before we say he can't do something.
 
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I didn’t watch any of the matches. I appreciate your updates Harley, but sometimes I wonder if putting so much negative on a message board is helpful. I watched Haas in his who’s #1 match. After that match my thoughts were that he has plenty of work to do. I have also seen guys like Marsteller destroy people in HS then not be able to wrestle half a match without gassing in college. I really feel like having a true freshman national champion is going to motivate a lot of the team to get to the next level.
 
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That’s the pit fall of all fan boards. Unfortunately, we, as fans, do have unrealistic expectations
This is very true. I want all my freshman wrestlers to blow me away like Picc, Ferrari, Espo, Hendrix, Hardell, etc. It's hard to wait for kids to develop, not knowing if they'll ever jump levels.

I will say that this board overall is relatively respectful compared to other sports' boards, and I do hope that it continues as such. As a niche and sometimes under-performing sport (fan and attendance wise) it's a good idea to stick together as fans and advocates, keep discussions civil and enthusiastic, be both critical and supportive, etc. Just IMO of course.
 
That’s the pit fall of all fan boards. Unfortunately, we, as fans, do have unrealistic expectations
There are probably 5 teams capable of winning the NCAA tournament. I don't view expecting ours to win 1 out of every 5 as unrealistic.
 
There are probably 5 teams capable of winning the NCAA tournament. I don't view expecting ours to win 1 out of every 5 as unrealistic.
Would you rather win 4 in a row or 4 over 20 years?
 
Looking at history where a team won at least 1 title in a 5 year span and how many titles they won over that span. I did not count titles that were not multiples and they did not win another title within 5 years. I predict Iowa again next year then Oklahoma State 2023 and 2024.

Okahoma State:
1928-1971 27 titles
1989-1994 3 titles
2003-2006 4 titles

Iowa:
1975-2000 22 titles
2008-2010 3 titles

Penn State:
2011-2019 8 titles

Oklahoma:
1951-1963 5 titles

Iowa State:
1965-1977 6 titles

Minnesota:
2001-2007 3 titles
 
We are currently in the middle of a 14 year drought. Our longest period without a team title is 17 years. Will we win one in the next few years? Hopefully. Unfortunately, right now I think Iowa & PSU will be co-favorites next year, and then PSU will be a sizable favorite the next few years after that.

 
Looking at history where a team won at least 1 title in a 5 year span and how many titles they won over that span. I did not count titles that were not multiples and they did not win another title within 5 years. I predict Iowa again next year then Oklahoma State 2023 and 2024.

Okahoma State:
1928-1971 27 titles
1989-1994 3 titles
2003-2006 4 titles

Iowa:
1975-2000 22 titles
2008-2010 3 titles

Penn State:
2011-2019 8 titles

Oklahoma:
1951-1963 5 titles

Iowa State:
1965-1977 6 titles

Minnesota:
2001-2007 3 titles
You are missing the point. There weren't 5 teams capable of winning back then. I'm talking about current, right now be nice, and expect at least 1 every 5 years.
 
You are missing the point. There weren't 5 teams capable of winning back then. I'm talking about current, right now be nice, and expect at least 1 every 5 years.
For 2022 today FRL indicated that Oklahoma State was really recruiting Real Woods hard and Brachy thought there was a good chance that we would get him. I hope that he is right because it would really strengthen our lineup. He is wanting to finish his degree at Stanford and so if he commits' to us he would not join the team until January.
 
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For 2022 today FRL indicated that Oklahoma State was really recruiting Real Woods hard and Brachy though there was a good chance that we would get him. I hope that he is right because it would really strengthen our lineup. He is wanting to finish his degree at Stanford and so if he commits' to us he would not join the team until January.
I don't think Flo is well connected to our program anymore. They thought Dusty Hone was a sophomore this past season. Bratke even mentioned reading this board for info. I think he's probably getting the Real Woods stuff from Willie's earlier post.

We need to get both Woods & Bouzakis.
 
You are missing the point. There weren't 5 teams capable of winning back then. I'm talking about current, right now be nice, and expect at least 1 every 5 years.
I understand your expectations. I disagree that there weren’t 5 teams that could win it back then. History shows that there were more teams back then winning titles than now. History also shows that when teams do win titles that many times they come in multiple long runs. Hopefully the next multiple long run is Oklahoma State.
 
However there will not be this run unless more of our wrestlers start to demonstrate greatness potential versus good potential.
 
However there will not be this run unless more of our wrestlers start to demonstrate greatness potential versus good potential.
I agree. We need guys like Dustin Plott, that have beaten NC wrestlers in HS, to be in the finals from here on out.
 
I don't think Flo is well connected to our program anymore. They thought Dusty Hone was a sophomore this past season. Bratke even mentioned reading this board for info. I think he's probably getting the Real Woods stuff from Willie's earlier post.

We need to get both Woods & Bouzakis.
This seems true. I've been a Flo subscriber for several years. When the Big 12 made the move to ESPN, Flo's coverage of OSU decreased significantly. Flo was great for those wrestler-by-wrestler analyses and match replays. But I didn't watch a single thing on Flo this last season - we just got so little attention from them, and very few of our duals or tournament matches were on there. I won't be renewing. It isn't just the lack of coverage, it's the change in attitude. I always try to check myself for butthurt before jumping to intagible conclusions, but with the exception of AJ they are pretty obviously not invested in our program the way they were before the move to ESPN. OSU wrestling makes for accessible filler content.
 
This seems true. I've been a Flo subscriber for several years. When the Big 12 made the move to ESPN, Flo's coverage of OSU decreased significantly. Flo was great for those wrestler-by-wrestler analyses and match replays. But I didn't watch a single thing on Flo this last season - we just got so little attention from them, and very few of our duals or tournament matches were on there. I won't be renewing. It isn't just the lack of coverage, it's the change in attitude. I always try to check myself for butthurt before jumping to intagible conclusions, but with the exception of AJ they are pretty obviously not invested in our program the way they were before the move to ESPN. OSU wrestling makes for accessible filler content.
Never mind, that sounded too harsh.
 
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He seems to have a lack of offense. I was hoping he would be the one to bulk up to heavyweight where you can still be top 5 without much O and maintain an amazing D like his brother. His new light weight puts him at an even bigger disadvantage in my opinion. However if he is willing to put in the work anything can happen.
 
This seems true. I've been a Flo subscriber for several years. When the Big 12 made the move to ESPN, Flo's coverage of OSU decreased significantly. Flo was great for those wrestler-by-wrestler analyses and match replays. But I didn't watch a single thing on Flo this last season - we just got so little attention from them, and very few of our duals or tournament matches were on there. I won't be renewing. It isn't just the lack of coverage, it's the change in attitude. I always try to check myself for butthurt before jumping to intagible conclusions, but with the exception of AJ they are pretty obviously not invested in our program the way they were before the move to ESPN. OSU wrestling makes for accessible filler content.

I don't think Flo is well connected to our program anymore. They thought Dusty Hone was a sophomore this past season. Bratke even mentioned reading this board for info. I think he's probably getting the Real Woods stuff from Willie's earlier post.

We need to get both Woods & Bouzakis.
Flo has an articles about Iowa recruiting Austin Gomez which also indicated we have contacted Gomez who plans on wrestling 141.
 
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