New year's freshman class
The weekend's attention centered around top-ranked wrestlers like Dustin Kilgore and Kendric Maple, but the real studs were the unattached freshman who were wrestling well in their first Midlands.
We already knew that Corey Clark of Iowa had the ability to compete at the highest level after his 6-1 decision win over Jesse Delgado two weeks ago, but it was unclear how he'd handle a difficult two days of wrestling. Though he dropped a close match to eventual Midlands champion Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech, Clark showed fans that he'll be a top three ranked wrestler next season ready to compete for the NCAA title, by handling fellow redshirt and All-American Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma). He's poised and with a year of coaches focused on his progress it's evident he'll be one of the nation's best in 2013-2014.
No less impressive was Jason Tsirtsis, Nothwestern's stud 141-pound redshirt and former top recruit. The eighth-seeded Tsirtsis knocked off fifth-seeded Luke Vaith (Hofstra) 10-1 and gave Kendric Maple all he could handle in a 7-5 quarterfinals loss. He then beat Virginia Tech's Zach Neibert 5-3 before losing to fifth-ranked Evan Henderson of North Carolina, and falling again to take eighth. Though Tsirtsis didn't finish his tournament strong, it was his first appearance on the mats at 141 pounds and only his third collegiate tournament overall.
Coaching matters
One the favorite gripes among collegiate wrestling coaches and media had been the attention Illinois assistant coach Mark Perry had earned since he started his coaching career a few years ago with Cal Poly. "Why does everyone think this guy is worth the money/time?" Well, those naysayers have capitulated to the idea that Perry, though at times still abrasive, is one of the very best assistant coaches in the country.
Mark Perry is in his second season as associate head coach at Illinois (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)This isn't to take ANYTHING away from Jim Heffernan, who was not only a stud wrestler, but who is managing his team with expertise and stoic leadership. I talked to a former two-time Illini All-American and former coach recently who told me that his career was made by Heffernan and that his deepest loyalties in the sport are with him. Perry is earning a lot of the attention, but Heff also deserves a hat tip or two.
Pat Santoro's Lehigh Mountain Hawks also wrestled well at Midlands, putting three into the finals. Nathaniel Brown wrestled into the finals from the No. 9 seed knocking off two-time All-American Jordan Blanton in the quarterfinals and Michigan's Dan Yates in the semifinals before falling to Nebraska's Robert Kokesh in the finals. Brown shows that the in-the-room development Santoro is known for has persisted and we can expect his team to once again compete for a top ten finish at NCAA's.
Other programs whose coaches are making a noticeable positive impact:
Carl Fronhofer's Columbia squad finished in 15th, ahead of a few Big Ten schools. Steve Santos is an All-American candidate, but his entire team performed, earning the most bonus points of any school in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Central Michigan's Tom Borrelli is a Hall of Fame coach. Every year he makes it work, and this year is no different. His team finished fifth despite some late setbacks.
Kevin Dresser's Virginia Tech team is one of the most consistently impressive in college wrestling. They improve every year and each season fans are treated to the emergence of another star. The 2013 campaign is about Nick Brascetta whose counter offense is among the best in the country. Against Donnie Vinson, Brascetta found three counter high crotches, two on the edge that not only allowed him to score, but made Vinson's future attacks limited to one for fear of losing position and being exposed to yet another counter attack by the VT star. Overall the team finished runner-up, two points out of the championship and with two champs: Garnett and Brasccetta.
Take top
If you didn't think riding tough on top mattered before Midlands, it was impossible to deny after watching the finals. Kendric Maple put a saddle on B.J. Futrell, racking up more than four minutes of non-stalling ride time. "You can't get out, you can't score," and when your opponent has the match's only takedown it's impossible to even the odds.
The riding extended to 157 where Jason Welch used a low ankle bow and arrow ride to look for a turk and keep Lehigh's Joey Napoli's chest flat on the mat. That alone ran out the second period and tacked on to the two-point takedown at the end of the first was essentially a four-point margin (no escape, plus ride time).
At 174 Kokesh was first being ridden before earning a reversal and grinding out Brown for three minutes of ride time.
It happened throughout the tournament as it has throughout the entire season. Riding is the new difference maker. The long and lanky guys who once were told to ride legs as their advantage have diversified their attacks and are working a half ride from the side (as opposed to the riskier crab ride) and keeping opponents knees and hips tight to the mat. Once flat we're seeing more turk attempts and better pressure.
Look at the body type and styles of many of the top wrestlers this season: Matt McDonough, Kendric Maple, Derek St. John, Kyle Dake/David Taylor, and Ed Ruth all focus on their top games, have longer bodies and can score from their feet. It's a total game approach that's become necessary to win at the next level. Sure, there are still your stout wrestlers like Chris Perry and Logan Stieber, but they are now the exception.
Oh, and Stieber ain't bad from top, either.
Televised finals
Unbelievable. Though the HD came without sound via Comcast, the Big Ten Network aired the finals LIVE to more than 50 million households around the country. Ben Askren and Jordan Burroughs, states apart, were tweeting their same joy, that they could watch an incredible finals LIVE on television.
Wrestling is always looking for validation that we've made an impression, and last night we received our validation that on a Sunday night when they could have played college basketball against the most-watched NFL game of the season (Redskins vs. Cowboys), but instead chose to air Midlands. It's unclear right now what the share was, but it was nice to see the evening dedicated to wrestling with ads by Asics, Cliff Keen and J. Robinson camps.
Keep up the good work, wrestling fans!
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