I finished my regular season off undefeated, having only three regular decisions the whole year. I was pretty happy with that, but of course I wanted to be more dominant. Until I can pin everyone I step out on that mat against, I will have to keep training and working on getting better. But it's Big Ten's and NCAA's … the fun times. This is where everything counts, all the hard work and training pays off now. It doesn't matter if you're 20-0 or 0-20 going into this part, all you gotta do is win three matches and, boom, you're a Big Ten finalist … and four matches and, boom, you're a national finalist.
Jake Herbert (Photo/Stephen J. Carrera)
I want to win my next nine matches and get that Big Ten title and my NCAA championship. I have made the Big Ten finals every year so far. Losing in the closing seconds my freshman year … and pinning my opponent in the finals last year. This year the Big Ten is representing the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4-ranked kids in the nation all in our weight. I'll be getting Tyrel Todd of Michigan in the semifinals to make it to the finals. He was my last match and I was pretty disappointed with the outcome. I gave up my first takedown the whole year against him … and then one more. I'm really looking forward to a rematch so that I can show the nation that what happened last time will never be repeated.
The match-up I'm interested to see is Mike Pucillo of Ohio State vs. Roger Kish of Minnesota on the other side. Both kids are great wrestlers who fight tooth and nail for every point. I know Kish has been on a warpath since we wrestled at the NWCA All Star Classic and I have been preparing to wrestle all three. I'm looking forward to it.
This Big Ten tournament is very important to win because it's a mindset going into the NCAA's. The winner of this will definitely have mental dominance over everyone else at NCAA's … because if you're the best in the Big Ten, chances are you're the best in the nation. I'll see all you there at the top of the podium
Jake Herbert
Past Entries:
Entry 8 (2/9/07)
Entry 7 (1/24/07)
Entry 6 (1/10/07)
Entry 5 (12/13/06)
Entry 4 (11/29/06)
Entry 3 (11/16/06)
Entry 2 (11/1/06)
Entry 1 (10/17/06)
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now