Replacing seven starters can be tough. Replacing a legend is nearly impossible. Joel Greenlee's squad will have to do both this season, however, as the Bobcats can no longer be defined by four-time All-American Jake Percival, who graduated with a 142-10 career record and an unblemished 17-0 mark in the Mid-American Conference.
Opportunity abounds, though, for young Ohio grapplers who have been waiting in the wings. Projected to join returning starters Caleb Metcalf (sophomore 125-pounder) and Brian Cesear (junior 184-pounder) in the Bobcat lineup are 133-pound redshirt freshman Albert Madsen, 141-pound sophomore Frank Brown, 149-pound junior Aaron Gomoll, 157-pound redshirt freshman Jake Frerichs, 165-pound junior Vinny DiGiovanni, 174-pound sophomore Ryan Knapp, 197-pound junior Nick Terbay and junior heavyweight Marcus Adelman.
Brown and DiGiovanni are both injured, however, and Frerichs will not make the trip so in their places will be redshirt freshman Terry Jackson at 141 pounds, true freshman Mike Grandominco at 157 and freshmen Kent Smith and Anthony Spooner at 165. Also competing for Ohio this weekend will be junior 133-pounder Matt Smith, 149-pound redshirt freshman Jesse Irwin and 197-pound redshirt freshman Larry Reichard.
The tournament will include wrestlers from 12 teams, including No. 2 Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rutgers, Rider and MAC rivals Buffalo and Kent State.
"We're tired of beating each other up in the practice room so I think we need to wrestle competition right now," said Greenlee about his squad. "This will be a good mix of teams. I'm excited to see where we're at because I think we have a pretty solid team."
Tentative Bobcat lineup for Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic:
125 - Caleb Metcalf (11-20 last year, 11-20 career)
133 - Albert Madsen (redshirt last year), Matt Smith (11-20, 20-37)
141 - Terry Jackson (redshirt)
149 - Aaron Gomoll (8-15, 17-29), Jesse Irwin (redshirt)
157 - Mike Grandominco (true freshman)
165 - Kent Smith (true freshman), Anthony Spooner (redshirt)
174 - Ryan Knapp (5-9, 5-9)
184 - Brian Cesear (13-22, 20-32)
197 - Nick Terbay (8-6, 11-14), Larry Reichard (redshirt)
HWT - Marcus Adelman (14-8, 22-17)
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