Undoubtedly many PSU fans leaving the Minnesota dual will be disheartened and believing the worse about this team. I on the other hand am very excited to report that I believe Penn State will repeat as national champions. I may be getting ahead of myself here. First let's analyze what was learned today.
125: I don't see how you can come out of this match without feeling good about Nico. As a true freshman in his second collegiate match ever he went toe to toe with the #2 ranked Sanders and held his own. Not only did he hold his own but he was on the attack and close to securing a takedown at the end of the match. Sanders was not able to hold Nico down, which is one of Sanders's primary weapons. Most importantly Nico went full speed for the whole match and at note point seemed to mentally buckle.
133: People seem to think Martellotti will be PSU's savior at 133 but he is completely untested at this weight. Either way this weight should only improve as the year goes on.
141: Sherlock needs confidence. He was going toe to toe at the beginning of the match and even got in on a good shot, but as soon as he gave up a takedown he became a whole different wrestler.
149: Tank got a bit too comfortable here. Ness has an awesome ankle shot and wasn't nearly as tired as I think Molinaro assumed he was. Still, Molinaro dominated a very good opponent.
157: Dylan looked great for the first minute or so, then exhausted for the rest. He clearly had Deitchler outclassed on his feet when at full energy. I don't think this is any reason to panic because Dylan has all season to work on it. Really it's not fair for me to sit and criticize conditioning when every wrestler is in the room busting their hump day in and day out.
165: Taylor wrestled a very talented grappler in Yohn today and he had absolutely no problem getting the tech fall (was actually a pin). I'm pretty sure Taylor could have had the tech in the first period if he wanted to.
174: Ruth looked fresh and aggressive. Apparently the cradle still works too.
184: I have no doubt people are dissing Wright, but notice that Steinhaus didn't get too excited about beating the returning national qualifier. Until you beat Wright in one of the tournaments, you haven't really beaten Wright. Was it disappointing? Sure, but this should be what we have come to expect.
197: I can't say enough good things about this match. McIntosh lost but he didn't have to. Credit to Yohn for taking advantage of the moment to get his takedown, but McIntosh is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Put the nation on notice.
HWT: Wade being Wade...HWT's are inconsistent at best. There's really nothing to be learned here.
I say hold your judgements until the Southern Scuffle. Give the news kids in the lineup a chance to get comfortable. Penn State is a much better tournament team right now than dual team. Two true freshman in the lineup today showed they could be a source of big points come tournament time. Guys like Sherlock need a tournament like the Southern Scuffle to build some confidence. It's hard to go in cold turkey against a top 10 wrestler. So before the negative talk starts, please just wait until we actually know what this team is going to be.
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