Cliff Keen
- Thread starter BigD_cowboy
- Start date
It was a blast. It’ll be an every year thing for me.
I definitely plan to go at some point. Couldn’t make this year unfortunately due to Finals but maybe I’ll have a more accommodating schedule next year.
Just got back from Vegas and I was very impressed with the team overall. Their prowess was great but it was matched by their attitude. David has a calm attitude in the corner but I noticed after most matches he was with the wrestler and instructing him as were the other coaches. It was a great tournament and we dominated. KC Scott and Mr. Earl
were also very excited as was I (at least as much as you can be at my age) LETS GO POKES!!!
They are going to wrestle several more times this but the last one is the only one that counts. He has already beat Plott several times so what is a few more. I would use these next few bouts against Keck to test things out and set things up for the last one.
At the all star classic last month.
It was a great tourney and I got to see Oberebo and KC Scott and Mr Earl. I was a bit disappointed that I did not get to run into Howie_Fartz, Pennstate1985, or Jim Reaper, or any of the other characters on this board, but such is life.
The only other disappointing thing is I got a picture of Coach Taylor and my wife, but he did not ask to get a picture of me. He must not have recognized who I was.
And of course the best news of the weekend is that both Taylor and Gilman have yet to take me down. I am pretty proud of that one.
The only other disappointing thing is I got a picture of Coach Taylor and my wife, but he did not ask to get a picture of me. He must not have recognized who I was.
And of course the best news of the weekend is that both Taylor and Gilman have yet to take me down. I am pretty proud of that one.
We probably saw each other but didn’t talk 34&CIt was a great tourney and I got to see Oberebo and KC Scott and Mr Earl. I was a bit disappointed that I did not get to run into Howie_Fartz, Pennstate1985, or Jim Reaper, or any of the other characters on this board, but such is life.
The only other disappointing thing is I got a picture of Coach Taylor and my wife, but he did not ask to get a picture of me. He must not have recognized who I was.
And of course the best news of the weekend is that both Taylor and Gilman have yet to take me down. I am pretty proud of that one.
I learned it is really hard to bring up the board. This place really isn't a popular thing with some of the powers that be.It was a great tourney and I got to see Oberebo and KC Scott and Mr Earl. I was a bit disappointed that I did not get to run into Howie_Fartz, Pennstate1985, or Jim Reaper, or any of the other characters on this board, but such is life.
The only other disappointing thing is I got a picture of Coach Taylor and my wife, but he did not ask to get a picture of me. He must not have recognized who I was.
And of course the best news of the weekend is that both Taylor and Gilman have yet to take me down. I am pretty proud of that one.
Of course, I could've just been getting a hard time from it.
Also, OSU was fortunate to have me in attendance on one instance @AtownPoke can vouch that I made it clear to Pearsal that Hamiti wasn't getting his point for locked hands. He jumped up and told DT and it was fixed. Now, that is probably where my attendance was a benefit to the Program stops and goes the other way.
Probably need to coordinate better at meeting, as we most likely all rubbed shoulders a few times and I did meet a few posters.
But, like I mentioned earlier. This is a must event for fans and supporters. Lots of times I was standing in a spot that will make a guy feel like part of the team. You get to hear the guys coaching and getting coached as well as see the interaction of our guys...man, it was impressive.
I'll wait on @Howie_Fartz to give his write-up, because, well, he's better than I am so I will give grades?
Spratley - A+, man I love that kid! Motor than never stops and he wants it. He's going to be a problem in March for anybody that draws him!
Reece - A+, tough, gritty and dangerous. Can't say enough about him being injured and still fighting the long-way back.
Jamison - A+, kid battled and hung with Mendez. He's close to figuring some stuff out!
Young - A+ in so far as he competed. He's got a small confidence problem I think?
Fish - A+, he could've easily been in the finals. After his loss to Chumbley, he walked off saying he won't lose to that guy again and I believe him!
Cam - I can't really grade. I seemed to miss a bunch of his action because I'd turn my head or something.
Dean - A+, that guy is fun to watch. I also think he doesn't quite know how good he is?
Plott - A+, he was much closer to Keck than it seemed. He got his bell rung and that was the difference really.
Surber - A+, he seemed a little sluggish, but that is all the negative I can come up with.
Wyatt - A+, not much else to say.
I thought about trying to coordinate a time or two but the way we all moved and flowed with the action it wouldve been hard to wait around and meet up... We were all over the place
Last edited:
I agree with your grading system. Prior to this weekend I would have been hard pressed to give Fish an A+ but he proved
me wrong. I liked the way he wrestled-hard nosed. BTW, Chase I do not know what you look like or I would have
introduced myself. A wild guess though is that you were one of the 3-4 guys together, below where I was sitting, that
had 3 buckets of empty beer bottles that were confiscated by the arena official. I talked to look left several times and Proud2bPokes came up and introduced himself. A lot of great fans were there. Some may not know that Look left's son was in the tournament at 125 for APP State and looked very good in the matches I saw.
Yes sir! Fish impressed me! Go back to the mentality of RS or active duty. He was light-years better than he was at MSU.
I thought about asking a few times who you were, but there was a lot to take in. And yes, they made us put our beers behind the stage instead of having buckets in the stands...not a smart move (they weren't empty.) The arena guy was super nice about it and it probably wasn't a good idea anyway. I hope we weren't a bother!
I hear somebody talking about that. I didn't get eyes on him...I was having a hard time at first with my flo account until I realized just to follow the Orange around.
Actually, my son was 133 for App state and thanks for the compliment. He has come a long way and is really enjoying the journey.
I cannot say enough about how good the average D1 wrestler is and how hard they work. We are blessed to be able to be around those types of kids. If gives us hope for the future.
Oh yeah, Orebero - you looked a bit older than the last time I saw you.
I am sure I have not changed though !!
Chase, You were not a bother-except you did not offer me one of those beers!
My mistake, I remember you telling me that Chad had gone up this year to 133.Actually, my son was 133 for App state and thanks for the compliment. He has come a long way and is really enjoying the journey.
I cannot say enough about how good the average D1 wrestler is and how hard they work. We are blessed to be able to be around those types of kids. If gives us hope for the future.
Oh yeah, Orebero - you looked a bit older than the last time I saw you.
Here is the real Great information about Chad that Lookleft should be exceptionally proud of and I know he is. I looked up his accomplishments academically and they are as follows: Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar spring 2024, Scholar All-American
2024., Best Academics Award 2023, Chancellors list 2023, Dean's list 6 semesters, 3.6 GPA with BA in Business Admin
specializing in Cyber Security. This academic record is something to really be proud of in my humble opinion.
It’s the main reason to do this IMO.
Oh come on-now that I know we just need to get tables at the west gate lobby bar…that’s where I spent 70% of my non shenanigans time and where most OSU people were anyway
Next year, the tournament is back in the Westgate conference area like it was last year. Dates are Dec 5-6, 2025 so watch for sales and book your rooms early. If the team doesn’t go, you should be able to cancel your rooms in Oct without penalty (but make sure of that when making your reservation!)
No problem. You will not believe this, but I occasionally forget things. I think it has to do with getting wiser (which is just a polite way of saying older)
It is so kind of you to care enough to take an interest in Chad.. If I show it to my wife, she may cry.
Ok I DID read this. However I can’t find the replay on Flo by searching for either guy… guess they didn’t film it.
Plott looked a little hesitant in his match with Keck, almost like he was thinking a little too much. If that is the case, by the end of the year, he will get that worked out
He got his bell rung early in the match. Once he came around, it was a tight match.
100%.. He kept Parker off the legs in the 3rd. He was knocked out on his feet and it took him awhile to get back going. I'm not saying he will or wont beat Parker but DP was messed up and most of Parker's damage came directly after the hit.
Warning: THIS IS LONG
What a awesome time in Las Vegas! That being said its great to be back home in good ol' Oklahoma (at least my liver thanks me). It was great seeing some of you guys and let me say I apologize for not meeting more of you. Granted its a little awkward not knowing who is who. I mean I guess I couldv'e walked up to some of the groups of older guys and said "hey, any of you guys on the forum? I'm the Howie Fartz guy"! I imagine I'd of either been greeted with handshakes and hardy hellos or very strange looks and awkward silence as they moved away. For those still wondering I'll give a clue. I wore a black hat Saturday with Wrestling Pete on it.
But enough of that, on to the wrestling! The coaches did a fantastic job getting these guys ready. Regardless of who was in the corner the wrestlers responded well to the new staff and it was obvious they had done their homework. There wasn't a ton of it but they obviously new who to avoid going under and what choice to make when the time came. One thing though, DT is HARD to hear. I've had moments of flatulence that wouldve echoed louder in that building than Coach Taylor, even when he was trying to be loud lol. The boys looked sharp and ready and overall conditioning was solid. The foot work, hand fighting, go behinds and top game are vastly improved with every guy, none more than our lightest athlete so let me segway to Mr. Spratley and the rest of the team with that.
Spratley- the confidence and determination to win emanates from this guy. He hardly ever gets out of position. Flo has him #2 now and rightfully so. He dominated everyone he should have and even though the score was close with Smith he was never really in danger and you knew he was going to win. His top game has absolutely jumped levels and is exciting to watch. His semi against Ramos was tight (much tighter than Ramos had in the finals) and came down to one td being the difference. Ramos is the new #1 in the country and Spratley is right there with him. Troy will finish high on the podium in March and could very well be on top!
Witcraft- I mentioned some things briefly about Reece on Sunday. If you haven't read it I suggest you go back and do so. After suffering a knee injury Thursday with no chance at a replacement Reece couldv'e sat out but instead he decided to lace up and kick some ass for the team. Visibly limping every match Reece showed the entire country just how dangerous he is. Many guys knew what was coming and STILL couldn't stop it! If Reece can recover from the injury he has my vote for 133 going forward, the guy is pure excitement to watch!
Jamison- Two weigh ins? No problem! Tagen put the tourney on notice with a TF over Brooks who he had previously went OT with. Jamison then went on to get a major and in a thrilling match gave Brock Hardy a sound defeat, not giving up a TD in any of his 3 matches on his way to the finals. With a whizzer from hell and a new and improved top game like Spratley, Jamison was able to navigate his semi match and his strength was to much for Hardy. His match against Mendes didnt have the results we wanted but he was close with him and we all know it was valuable for him to get a feel for the defending national champ. Tagen is the new #4 wrestler at 141 in the country!
Young- Very proud of Carter. His two losses were to absolute studs and taking down Caleb Henson is no small thing. You could see the improvements and adjustments that he had made since the duals. Better hand fighting but more importantly securing TDs. He did seem to fade in the third period somewhat in some matches and IDK if that is a weight cut issue or conditioning or a mental thing. Either way I think we see Carter continuing to improve and climbing the rankings!
Fish- Was it just me or did anyone else not know quite what to expect? Let me just say overall I was IMPRESSED! He is a big 57 and he has the power to go with it. Combine that with crazy moments of explosiveness and look out! Quality/dominating wins over Saldate and Paniro J. I'm exciting to watch this guy going forward!
Amine- I know he wrestled his usual close matches but I saw something different this tournament. It looked like to me he was wrestling with a chip on his shoulder. His hand fighting was downright brutal and he had more shot attempts than I had previously seen. One guy he damn near ran thru the scorers table! I'm not worried about Cam and I don't think the coaches are either. I think we see him in the B12 finals in march followed by a high placing at NCAAs!
Hamiti- who doesn't enjoy watching this guy wrestle and score points? That being said I saw the grit and determination and confidence to win some tight matches this weekend. Hamiti is great in all positions and will be a threat in March to win it all. He's also the consensus #3 ranked 174 in the country now.
Plott- I also briefly mentioned Plott in my post on Sunday. He has closed the gap some imo. No, thats not looking thru orange colored glasses. Last year by NCAAs Keck was practically taking Dustin down at will. I think the match got chippy because Parker could feel the difference and wasnt liking it. With this new staff there WILL be adjustments made and little changes and strategies implemented to help Dustin get that W!
Surber- Solid tournament by Luke. I'm a huge fan but I'll be the first to say I'd of liked for Luke to have shown more in some matches just with intensity, aggressiveness and offense. Basically I wouldv'e liked to have seen him go get more TDs. Someone said DT thought the same thing and Luke did come out firing in his 3rd place match. If DT can keep getting more out of Luke then I think its very likely he's a big 12 finalist and on the podium in March.
Hendrickson- What is there to say? Just a powerhouse and total dominance from Wyatt the whole tournament.
Just a special weekend for the coaches, team and fans! The Cowboys currently sit 3rd across the rankings today. The season is only going to get better and the future is BRIGHT!
Fartz out ✌️
What a awesome time in Las Vegas! That being said its great to be back home in good ol' Oklahoma (at least my liver thanks me). It was great seeing some of you guys and let me say I apologize for not meeting more of you. Granted its a little awkward not knowing who is who. I mean I guess I couldv'e walked up to some of the groups of older guys and said "hey, any of you guys on the forum? I'm the Howie Fartz guy"! I imagine I'd of either been greeted with handshakes and hardy hellos or very strange looks and awkward silence as they moved away. For those still wondering I'll give a clue. I wore a black hat Saturday with Wrestling Pete on it.
But enough of that, on to the wrestling! The coaches did a fantastic job getting these guys ready. Regardless of who was in the corner the wrestlers responded well to the new staff and it was obvious they had done their homework. There wasn't a ton of it but they obviously new who to avoid going under and what choice to make when the time came. One thing though, DT is HARD to hear. I've had moments of flatulence that wouldve echoed louder in that building than Coach Taylor, even when he was trying to be loud lol. The boys looked sharp and ready and overall conditioning was solid. The foot work, hand fighting, go behinds and top game are vastly improved with every guy, none more than our lightest athlete so let me segway to Mr. Spratley and the rest of the team with that.
Spratley- the confidence and determination to win emanates from this guy. He hardly ever gets out of position. Flo has him #2 now and rightfully so. He dominated everyone he should have and even though the score was close with Smith he was never really in danger and you knew he was going to win. His top game has absolutely jumped levels and is exciting to watch. His semi against Ramos was tight (much tighter than Ramos had in the finals) and came down to one td being the difference. Ramos is the new #1 in the country and Spratley is right there with him. Troy will finish high on the podium in March and could very well be on top!
Witcraft- I mentioned some things briefly about Reece on Sunday. If you haven't read it I suggest you go back and do so. After suffering a knee injury Thursday with no chance at a replacement Reece couldv'e sat out but instead he decided to lace up and kick some ass for the team. Visibly limping every match Reece showed the entire country just how dangerous he is. Many guys knew what was coming and STILL couldn't stop it! If Reece can recover from the injury he has my vote for 133 going forward, the guy is pure excitement to watch!
Jamison- Two weigh ins? No problem! Tagen put the tourney on notice with a TF over Brooks who he had previously went OT with. Jamison then went on to get a major and in a thrilling match gave Brock Hardy a sound defeat, not giving up a TD in any of his 3 matches on his way to the finals. With a whizzer from hell and a new and improved top game like Spratley, Jamison was able to navigate his semi match and his strength was to much for Hardy. His match against Mendes didnt have the results we wanted but he was close with him and we all know it was valuable for him to get a feel for the defending national champ. Tagen is the new #4 wrestler at 141 in the country!
Young- Very proud of Carter. His two losses were to absolute studs and taking down Caleb Henson is no small thing. You could see the improvements and adjustments that he had made since the duals. Better hand fighting but more importantly securing TDs. He did seem to fade in the third period somewhat in some matches and IDK if that is a weight cut issue or conditioning or a mental thing. Either way I think we see Carter continuing to improve and climbing the rankings!
Fish- Was it just me or did anyone else not know quite what to expect? Let me just say overall I was IMPRESSED! He is a big 57 and he has the power to go with it. Combine that with crazy moments of explosiveness and look out! Quality/dominating wins over Saldate and Paniro J. I'm exciting to watch this guy going forward!
Amine- I know he wrestled his usual close matches but I saw something different this tournament. It looked like to me he was wrestling with a chip on his shoulder. His hand fighting was downright brutal and he had more shot attempts than I had previously seen. One guy he damn near ran thru the scorers table! I'm not worried about Cam and I don't think the coaches are either. I think we see him in the B12 finals in march followed by a high placing at NCAAs!
Hamiti- who doesn't enjoy watching this guy wrestle and score points? That being said I saw the grit and determination and confidence to win some tight matches this weekend. Hamiti is great in all positions and will be a threat in March to win it all. He's also the consensus #3 ranked 174 in the country now.
Plott- I also briefly mentioned Plott in my post on Sunday. He has closed the gap some imo. No, thats not looking thru orange colored glasses. Last year by NCAAs Keck was practically taking Dustin down at will. I think the match got chippy because Parker could feel the difference and wasnt liking it. With this new staff there WILL be adjustments made and little changes and strategies implemented to help Dustin get that W!
Surber- Solid tournament by Luke. I'm a huge fan but I'll be the first to say I'd of liked for Luke to have shown more in some matches just with intensity, aggressiveness and offense. Basically I wouldv'e liked to have seen him go get more TDs. Someone said DT thought the same thing and Luke did come out firing in his 3rd place match. If DT can keep getting more out of Luke then I think its very likely he's a big 12 finalist and on the podium in March.
Hendrickson- What is there to say? Just a powerhouse and total dominance from Wyatt the whole tournament.
Just a special weekend for the coaches, team and fans! The Cowboys currently sit 3rd across the rankings today. The season is only going to get better and the future is BRIGHT!
Fartz out ✌️
Last edited:
Just to be helpful, my wife bought me a black sweatshirt that said "Lookleft Goright" on it. Be on the look out next time. Oberebo was able to spot me. Try to keep up!Warning: THIS IS LONG
What a awesome time in Las Vegas! That being said its great to be back home in good ol' Oklahoma (at least my liver thanks me). It was great seeing some of you guys and let me say I apologize for not meeting more of you. Granted its a little awkward not knowing who is who. I mean I guess I couldv'e walked up to some of the groups of older guys and said "hey, any of you guys on the forum? I'm the Howie Fartz guy"! I imagine I'd of either been greeted with handshakes and hardy hellos or very strange looks and awkward silence as they moved away. For those still wondering I'll give a clue. I wore a black hat Saturday with Wrestling Pete on it.
But enough of that, on to the wrestling! The coaches did a fantastic job getting these guys ready. Regardless of who was in the corner the wrestlers responded well to the new staff and it was obvious they had done their homework. There wasn't a ton of it but they obviously new who to avoid going under and what choice to make when the time came. One thing though, DT is HARD to hear. I've had moments of flatulence that wouldve echoed louder in that builder than Coach Tayor, even when he was trying to be loud lol. The boys looked sharp and ready and overall conditioning was solid. The foot work, hand fighting, go behinds and top game are vastly improved with every guy, none more than our lightest athlete so let me segway to Mr. Spratley and the rest of the team with that.
Spratley- the confidence and determination to win emanates from this guy. He hardly ever gets out of position. Flo has him #2 now and rightfully so. He dominated everyone he should have and even though the score was close with Smith he was never really in danger and you knew he was going to win. His top game has absolutely jumped levels and is exciting to watch. His semi against Ramos was tight (much tighter than Ramos had in the finals) and came down to one td being the difference. Ramos is the new #1 in the country and Spratley is right there with him. Troy will finish high on the podium in March and could very well be on top!
Witcraft- I mentioned some things briefly about Reece on Sunday. If you haven't read it I suggest you go back and read it. After suffering a knee injury Thursday with no chance at a replacement Reece couldv'e sat out but instead he decided to lace up and kick some ass for the team. Visibly limping every match Reece showed the entire country just how dangerous he is. Many guys knew what was coming and STILL couldn't stop it! If Reece can recover from the injury he has my vote for 133 going forward, the guy is pure excitement to watch!
Jamison- Two weigh ins? No problem! Tagen put the tourney on notice with a TF over Brooks who he had previously went OT with. Jamison then went on to get a major and in a thrilling match gave Brock Hardy a sound defeat, not giving up a TD in any of his 3 matches on his way to the finals. With a whizzer from hell and a new and improved top game like Spratley, Jamison was able to navigate his semi match and his strength was to much for Hardy. His match against Mendes didnt have the results we wanted but he was close with him and we all know it was valuable for him to get a feel for the defending national champ. Tagen is the new #4 wrestler at 141 in the country!
Young- Very proud of Carter. His two losses were to absolute studs and taking down Caleb Henson is no small thing. You could see the improvements and adjustments that he had made since the duals. Better hand fighting but more importantly securing TDs. He did seem to fade in the third period somewhat in some matches and IDK if that is a weight cut issue or conditioning or a mental thing. Either way I think we see Carter continuing to improve and climbing the rankings!
Fish- Was it just me or did anyone else not know quite what to expect? Let me just say overall I was IMPRESSED! He is a big 57 and he has the power to go with it. Combine that with crazy moments of explosiveness and look out! Quality/dominating wins over Saldate and Paniro J. I'm exciting to watch this guy going forward!
Amine- I know he wrestled his usual close matches but I saw something different this tournament. It looked like to me he was wrestling with a chip on his shoulder. His hand fighting was downright brutal and he had more shot attempts than I had previously seen. One guy he damn near ran thru the scorers table! I'm not worried about Cam and I don't think the coaches are either. I think we see him in the B12 finals in march followed by a high placing at NCAAs!
Hamiti- who doesn't enjoy watching this guy wrestle and score points? That being said I saw the grit and determination and confidence to win some tight matches this weekend. Hamiti is great in all positions and will be a threat in March to win it all. He's also the consensus #3 ranked 174 in the country now.
Plott- I also briefly mentioned Plott in my post on Sunday. He has closed the gap some imo. No, thats not looking thru orange colored glasses. Last year by NCAAs Keck was practically taking Dustin down at will. I think the match got chippy because Parker could feel the difference and wasnt liking it. With this new staff there WILL be adjustments made and little changes and strategies implemented to help Dustin get that W!
Surber- Solid tournament by Luke. I'm a huge fan but I'll be the first to say I'd of liked for Luke to have shown more in some matches just with intensity, aggressiveness and offense. Basically I wouldv'e liked to have seen him go get more TDs. Someone said DT thought the same thing and Luke did come out firing in his 3rd place match. If DT can keep getting more out of Luke then I think its very likely he's a big 12 finalist and on the podium in March.
Hendrickson- What is there to say? Just a powerhouse and total dominance from Wyatt the whole tournament.
Just a special weekend for the coaches, team and fans! The Cowboys currently sit 3rd across the rankings today. The season is only going to get better and the future is BRIGHT!
Fartz out ✌️
Sorry, must've been the hangovers. 🤕😂Just to be helpful, my wife bought me a black sweatshirt that said "Lookleft Goright" on it. Be on the look out next time. Oberebo was able to spot me. Try to keep up!
You should get a shirt that says "Fartz out" 🤣🤣
I've come down to earth just a touch and after listening to Willie and Bausch, Willie isnt too far off. We had some good wins, sure, but it wasnt like we pulled any major upsets. The best thing about it was we didnt underperform at any weight and did what we were supposed to do and looked good doing it, which is a marked change from last couple of years where we would routinely disappoint. Glad we picked up some spots in the rankings, but still need to catch Ramos, Keckeisen etc...
We may not have outperformed our seeds by finish but getting into one take down matches with two national champs and Ramos is very close
We outperformed 7 out of 10. Good stuff for sure, but the big matchups we could’ve made a big jump, we didn’t make. I agree we’ve closed the gap on those top ranked guys but didn’t finish. Still have 3 months to keep getting better tho!
It’s the bonus wins that we need to focus on. The team is much more aggressive in scoring in the 3rd period to extend leads.
Oh that’s for sure a thing. In perspective tho; we have a lot of better wrestlers so more bonus is to be expected
