Beyond Wyoming's continued progress on the mats one note made by many observers was that elevation in Cheyenne might have played a significant role in the match. While that shouldn't detract from Wyoming's gains, a lack of conditioning did seem to imperil many Cowboy starters, including Dean Heil.
Nothing can, or should, be done about that advantage, but it is worth baking the elevation factor into any assessments of how Heil will perform in a rematch against Meredith in Cleveland -- a sea-level city.
To your questions …
Myles Martin won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title at 184 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: Some wrestling fans seem to be surprised in the jump made by Myles Martin of Ohio State, but not me. The kid wrestled as true freshman and won it, placed fifth as a sophomore in what many thought was the toughest weight class in the country. Not having the benefit of a redshirt and then moving up a class is not the easiest route to take. So what are your thoughts on what you see from Myles this season?
-- Coach J.
Foley: You make an excellent point. Moving up a weight class in your sophomore season as a defending NCAA champion is rarely a formula for success. Reading too much into Myles' fifth-place performance as a sophomore would detract from his incredible freshman campaign and a junior season that puts him in the discussion for another NCAA title.
From what I've seen from Myles there is a noticeable size increase, improved composure and better technical wrestling on the edge of the mat. I think that he's scoring more in difficult spots whereas before too many of his attacks or funky exchanges were going without points.
I also think that you can't discount the impact of being a vital member of an Ohio State squad that seems determined to win their second NCAA team title.
Q: A few high school dream matches (below) and your winners?
-- Jared W.
Foley: Gable Steveson vs. Steve Mocco: Wow. Initially I wrote that Mocco could control Steveson with little issue, but then I remembered that I was thinking of college Mocco. While I still think that weight might be an issue for Steveson, I think that his savviness and match control would ultimately give him the advantage against the heavier Mocco.
Daton Fix vs. Cary Kolat: Cary Kolat may be the greatest high school wrestler ever. No matter how incredible Fix is, or will be, I gotta give the edge to Kolat.
Spencer Lee vs. Eric Guerrero: I don't know that I've seen a lot of Guerrero in high school, but from what I've gathered his speed and agility were something never really seen from high schoolers of the time. I'm a true believer in Spencer Lee and think his mental toughness is second to none. I'd give Lee the nod, but in the tightest match from this whole list.
Joe Williams vs. Chance Marsteller: Joe Williams is a monster. Nobody beats Joe Williams.
Mark Hall vs. Pat Smith: Again, I didn't see a lot of Pat Smith in high school, but I think that Mark Hall's positioning and ability to launch effective counters with minimal risk is the best in the country. Too strong, too smart and too tough. Hall has an easy time of it.
David Taylor vs. Zack Esposito: While Taylor continues to grow as a wrestler (in both the physical and technical sense), I think Zack Esposito was too technically sound in high school. Many of the positions that made Taylor dominant in high school, college and even internationally (defending low singles and crack downs) are where Esposito excels. I'd take Esposito in one match, but Taylor in a best-of-three series since he does seem to learn from his mistakes and make the technical improvements necessary to win.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Snyder's Technique Tuesday
Q: Any guesses on who Mark Cody might hire on his coaching staff at Presbyterian College? Obviously, he has a lot of connections in wrestling.
-- Mike C.
Foley: The first three names that came to mind (not knowing their personal circumstances) were Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, Steve Fittery and Ganbayar Sanjaa. All three have incredible loyalty to Coach Cody and all three can still get on the mats and improve the technique of incoming wrestlers.
I think Cody will also need a strong deputy, someone who is willing to dive into a lot of work for little initial return. A leader with a track record of creating a fan base, recruiting wrestlers and overseeing budgets are all going to play a huge part in Presbyterian's success in 5-10 years.
Q: What do you think about the boy who forfeited to a girl at the high school tournament in Tennessee?
-- Bill M.
Foley: I have absolutely zero patience with this kind of patronizing act by a wrestling coach or his school. While I don't know if his glib response was handed to him by a school administrator, or was of his own concoction, but we are well past the point where we dictate to women and girls what they can and cannot do. Kailiena Allen knows the risks of wrestling and has chosen our sport as her life's passion. How dare someone else attempt to make her feel less-than because she was born a woman.
And for those of you out there who were repulsed by Iran's decision to not wrestle an Israeli wrestler at the U23 World Championships last month, this is the exact same thing. A crappy policy handed down by people who want us all to live in a backwards pastime. It's unacceptable there and it's definitely unacceptable at home.
Delaware Christian and its coaching staff should be ashamed of themselves to not have challenged whoever, or whatever, helped hand down this decision. That they allowed this forfeit to proceed is disgraceful and tarnishes the reputation of our sport.
But hey, maybe the real reason they forfeited was because they DID see the larger picture, the one that showed their wrestler getting his ass kicked by a girl.
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