Packard

What is going on in the Nagao match? ASU coaches are going nuts

133 is such an odd weight class. Hard to argue it doesn’t have the overall best two guys in the tournament. Fix and Vito have some of the best college and international credentials in the tournament. But neither have looked like dominating monsters this year. Not surprising with Fix, but Vito has been surprising.

All par for the course. Just the other day the Brands called a puss on the mat after Iowa lost. The Brands spend more time yelling at the opposing coach then coaching their own athletes. Remember when they tried to copy the “fun” Penn State and made all these happy videos? They realized they couldn’t fake it and decided to lean in on being full on heels. Now it’s all about getting people to boo as much as possible. The more people boo the more Iowa fans cheer / regardless of actions on the mat. Sad that Iowa used to show extreme aggression and dominance while using it as a character building trait. Now it’s just low character antics to get social media clicks.

These are the same people that desperately tried to get Downey. It’s the same people busted for gambling and blamed the cops. Lets stop pretending like the Brands are upstanding people who build great men. They accomplish what 90% of coaches could accomplish at Iowa. Bring in Schwab or any number of people and Iowa would have similar, maybe even, better results, but you wouldn’t have the ridiculous antics. Think theirs a reason most of the Iowa stars find some place different after graduation?

So going into match 5 and it will be Iowa’s fourth transfer?

If you’re a blue chip coming out of HS why go to Iowa? How many starters do they have that went to Iowa out of HS? Have the Brands given up on recruiting and developing?

Funny how wrestling enthusiasts espouse the virtues of wrestling over team sports. “It’s just you and the opponent across from you. Man o man o and the Victor walks away.” Then we don’t perform well at a tournament and it’s, “Why are we just sending the ones who won the wrestle off? We should pick who we think is really better.”

It’s a shame seeing the decline of both OK programs. When looking at coaching jobs an old head coach once told me, “The guys that were there got there for a reason. They didn’t forget how to coach all of a sudden.” Mark Cody did a great job at his other stops and Rosselli was put on the same level as Casey Cunningham. Probably gonna be hard to sustain success at either program until OK HS wrestling gets good again. Even if one of MI, Iowa, and Ohio take a dip in HS the travel to another talent rich place is so much closer.

To be fair at this point “vaulting them above Okie State” would only mean about 30 team points at NCAAs next year.

If I were an Iowa fan it wouldn’t be placing second that bothered me, it’d be they don’t seem to be making any progress toward challenging Penn State. Two years in a row without a champ and the last champion, not namer Lee, was in 2017. The only finalist this year was a mercenary, Cass losing ground on Kerk, and how many All American’s do they have returning? Don’t get me wrong, what the Brands have accomplished is amazing, but like Bama football, the standard is different at Iowa.

Yianni’s arms are so dang long KOT is so tall. Aaron Brooks is so short. I wonder if that will play a factor in his international career.

Can Penn State get two 4 timers in the same year? Will Starocci and Brooks be back to become the 6th and 7th 4xer?

Penn State won the team title, but they went 2-3 in the finals including one going for his third title. Cornell knocks off a potential Penn State 3 timer and finishes with Yianni as a 4 timer Feel like Penn State/Iowa a few years ago.

Watching RBY all year and just got the feeling he was coasting and it would cost him. He was way better then most, but didn’t go after the matches with a killer instinct. I don’t think he got any better throughout the year and Vito did.

I’m as obsessed with wrestling as all of y’all, but we’re nearly two hours in and only halfway through. This can’t be good for the casual fan.

I’m waiting for somebody to use Stone Cold’s glass shattering music

My wife, who knows nothing about wresting and hates it, just said, “I still don’t understand how riding and stalling are not the same thing.”

Are we really looking at this line up for Penn State next year? 125 - Howard 133 - ? 141 - Bartlett 149 - SVN 156 - Haines 165 - David Carr ?? 174 - Starocci 184 - Brooks 197 - ?? HWT - Kerk They have a chance to make a run at the Iowa record.

With all the COVID stuff I can’t figure it out. Is Brooks back next season?

What’s that? By a grown adult and using old man strength? Think Haines will out grow that blue print

Not a very exciting match by AOC, but glad he got this one. Definitely should have been hit with stalling, but Haines had nothing for him.

Lee doesn’t open anybody a thing. It’s his body and mind. I dare say nobody on this board has dealt with the same disappointment and have no idea how they would react.

Anybody making fun Lee’s mom, or criticizing her, should be ashamed. She has been a part of Spencer’s journey as much as he has and I can’t imagine the pain from watching her son fall short of a major goal again. The world would be a better place if we had more parents with her much passion.

Surgery and injury management aid in recovery. Also have to imagine RBY as a practice partner would be better for injury management then Austin DeSanto.

Hall only had 3 opportunities because of COVID and he had another generational talent to contend with.