Archives for January 2014

The Buckeyes lost 28-12 to the Huskers. I suppose one could be disappointed by that but the truth is, there was much for a Buckeye fan to be pleased with. Certainly a lot for a wrestling fan to be pleased with. That’s a curious observation but I think it speaks well to what a marvelous sport wrestling is.

Why is that? Well first, I wish the sport were called something else because it is nothing short of fighting in the most basic human way—much like the 100 yard dash is running at its essence. True, punches and kicks are mostly, but not entirely, disallowed, but once two combatants have a hold of each other, around the world, the fight quickly becomes what wrestling is: two individuals trying to inflict maximum harm on each other. But of course done with the utmost of sportsmanship. Usually.

In the crucible of the fight experience you get the passion that people associate with other fight venues—boxing, or MMA. I think of the Iowa team that mirrors their seemingly half crazed coach, the always entertaining but thoroughly likable Tom Brands, himself an Olympic gold medalist. You cannot help but love the sheer fun of the despotism a team like Iowa brings any time they are on the mat.

But as a sport you get the best of all worlds. If the team is great, that means the team has very strong wrestlers up and down the lineup. But even if the team is not great, it can have individual wrestlers that can scale the heights and provide all the excitement a school partisan could want. I think of a few years ago when a Harvard wrestler stood on top of the podium at the NCAA tournament. Crimson partisans had a blast that weekend, and that fun centered around just one fighter.

Once you become a fan, you simply root for other wrestlers. One of my favorite Buckeye fighters is the currently red-shirting Josh Demas who wrestled at 157 last year. Josh did great, but in following him I could not help being a fan of the harrowing style of Northwestern wrestler Jason Welch. So when Welch ascended the elevated stage in the NCAA finals, I felt as if I had a wrestler in the finals and it was as fun as rooting on a Buckeye—it would have been a lot more fun if a faux one point penalty had not been assessed against Welch for a hand lock.

Ohio State is a GREAT program. It is a little down this year due to red-shirting, but next year when those wrestlers return and new super star recruits show up on campus, Ohio State fans will have all they can handle in excitement. But even this year, in the midst of a 28-12 loss to a very strong Nebraska team, there is much to be thrilled about. Wrestling is truly a sport where the Ohio State focus is on the March B1G tourney and the NCAA tourney. Ohio State is not stacked up and down the line-up this year. Rather it has one fighter, Logan Stieber, shooting to become one of the iconic figures of all-time, and supporting cast members in other weight class who are either a rung below or who seem on the verge to elevating themselves in status.

Let me also say something about the coaches. Head coach Tom Ryan has said in a self-deprecating way that Ohio State fans should feel blessed that Stieber and his red-shirting phenom brother Hunter decided to come to Ohio State. True, but they are there because of Coach Ryan and his incredible staff of Lou Rosselli and Buckeye great and sartorially magnificent J Jaggers. Ohio is one of the greatest fighting states in the country but until Coach Tom arrived, Ohio State coaches had not been able to keep much of the in-state talent at Ohio State. That has all changed. So, long after the Stiebers have taken their talents to the world stage, Buckeye coaches will be establishing a dynasty for all Buckeye fans to enjoy.

So let’s do a post-mortem of Nebraska as we head to a deliciously fun rivalry match against Michigan at St. John’s Arena next Friday. While I believe some of the brightest moments occurred in the matches with the darkest results, let’s start with the winners.

All Buckeye conversation starts with 141 pound Logan Stieber and rightfully so. People should know, for all his greatness, Logan is simply the nicest, most decent kid you will find in sports. He is not comfortable in the spotlight and rejoices only when the conversation turns to his teammates, a quintessential Ohio trait. In the month of January, Logan has not needed to go past the first period. Last night in the time it took me to tweet out a brief note on the previous match, Logan had drained all the blood from talented Colton McCrystal’s shoulders and pinned him neatly to the mat. The only bad thing about Logan is, right now, if you show up to see him, you better not blink because your viewing time is limited to about 120 seconds.

197 pound Nick Heflin never disappoints. Even when he loses, which is only once so far, he powers through his matches with the consistent drive of a steam engine. Nick says he has a mental block about shooting for takedowns and that was in evidence last night. He took 20th ranked Caleb Kolb to overtime but spent the entire third period on the defensive. That was not a particularly bad tactical move—I contend that Nick is such a good athlete that he can defend any shot and likely scramble for the takedown. Sure enough, Kolb shot and Nick pounced, but unfortunately ran out of time, sending the match to overtime.

Dan Gable once famously said, “I shoot, I score. You shoot, I score.” Nick has the second part down, but after seeing him aggressively hit the takedown to win in sudden victory I tweeted that I don’t know why Nick would ever be afraid to shoot. He may have just seen the weakness he wanted or he just decided what the heck. Now it is really true, especially at the heavy classes, a missed shot can put you on your back. But the better fighters learn how to recover from a bad shot and usually have a back-up in mind. I was proud of Nick for throwing caution to the wind in overtime—he has done it before—but if Nick would only bring that sort of confidence earlier in the match, is there anyone who could challenge him?

At 133, Johnni DiJulius was the only other Buckeye winner. The match should not have been close, but Johnni is coming off an injury. Maybe that accounted for the narrow 2-1 win. Johnni was in control the entire match, even though he was tied 1-1 with a point waiting to be awarded because he had over a minute of riding time advantage. But, if you let an opponent hang around, bad things can happen and they almost did. When Husker Shawn Nagel went for a third period takedown DiJulius found himself in a fix that most wrestlers do not overcome. But DiJulius is obviously one of those wrestlers who is comfortable in a scramble. Time and time again I have seen him wriggle out of impossible looking dilemmas. And, as per his usual, he did it again, staving off the takedown to preserve a win. I don’t have a problem with Johnni’s tactic here—he is a guy who knows how to shoot and he was protecting a lead, but his loved ones must have suffer many near heart attacks as they watch him compete.

184 pound Kenny Courts has lost twice now to talented TJ Dudley, but there is no doubt in my mind Kenny is the better wrestler. I was only afraid of an early mistake and that happened. Kenny executed a lightning quick ankle shot which Dudley countered by locking in a cradle that led to a pin. It happens. Kenny’s task is to use that as a teaching moment to protect himself as he continues to take advantage of his quickness. Beating Penn State’s Ed Ruth is a tall order, but short of that, Kenny, like Nick Heflin is capable of making it to an NCAA final. Yes, the loss must have been painful, but it was a loss borne out of exactly the correct aggressive frame of mind.

At 125, No. 16 Buckeye Nick Roberts had a big task to bring down a really tough and aggressive 9th ranked Tim Lambert but coming out of the first period, Roberts had a 5-1 lead, counting riding time. But then a problem emerged which would haunt the Buckeyes the rest of the night—the inability to escape from the down position in the second period. Now this is no small tactical issue—it takes a very strong wrestler to ride out another at this level—so it does speak to a difference in class. To elevate in class, several Buckeyes will have to at least start with a change in mindset to expend the energy necessary to get out—the failure to do so is simply too tiring as accomplished fighters will beat the tar out of an individual who cannot escape from the bottom position. Nick simply got wore down and pinned. But this kid is not far away and once he elevates in class he can become a terror.

The story is much the same at 149 with Ian Paddock. Ian fought 5th ranked Jake Sueflohn tough for the first period, ending at 4-4. I did not sense a loss of energy for Ian even as he was put on his back in the third period. He was up against a very tough opponent. But again, he just could not free himself in the second period. Ian is a senior but it has been three years since he has had the benefit of the grind of a full season as a starter. He has the requisite wrestling ability if he just continues to increase his mat stamina throughout the match. If there is one Buckeye I tab for a surprise breakthrough it is Ian.

Mark Martin never got it going against Robert Kokesh at 174, but that’s just a difference in toughness. Kokesh is a talented grinder. Mark is very smooth but until he develops into a more brutish force like Kokesh, he is going to have a bit of problem with exactly that type of opponent. But Mark is young and there is ample time to hit the weight room and throw around a similar kind of force.

Nick Tavanello at heavy started strong but also got punished a bit in the second period and was obviously off his game from that point. That happens too—if you let the momentum swing in the other guy’s favor it is very hard to remember you can still come back and reassert control. Keep grinding Nick and don’t get lulled into thinking a bad change of momentum has to dictate your result—you have the quickness and conditioning to make things happen.

The Buckeyes had a key match with Courts go against them, and in a big way for a pin. They also may not have expected Nick Roberts to win at 125, but they certainly were not expecting him to be pinned. But still they lost each of what might have been considered the toss-up matches, including at 125 and heavy. They also lost the third toss-up at 165 when Joe Grandominico was thoroughly dominated by Austin Wilson. Wilson is very good, don’t get me wrong, but I really had thought Joe would make this a close match—it was not, so “on paper” did not reflect the Husker advantage that actually unfolded.

Finally, in some respects Randy Languis showed what fighting, in the sport we call wrestling, is all about. Again, on paper, Randy had no business competing at 157 against No. 1 ranked James Green, but Randy battled tough throughout. Green pushed his way to a major decision but was never close to extending that to a technical fall precisely because Randy, though likely going down to defeat as the third period went on, kept up his own determined heat as he took valiant shots from his feet and nearly took Green down on a couple of occasions. Coach Ryan posted a Randy Couture quote the other day:

”Bravery has never and will never mean you are not afraid. Bravery is going forward even when you are terrified.”

Randy has been around long enough that I am sure he was neither terrified nor afraid, but facing James Green certainly had to be an unpleasant task. Randy stayed game throughout and managed to deliver his own sting, and that was fun to watch.

To sum up, even in a year of pause, this Buckeye team has a handful of wrestlers with the potential to go deep in a tournament, and that is what a season is all about. So soon enough what seems like a lackluster showing could well prove to be very satisfying.

As mentioned, the Buckeyes face none other than Michigan, a team on a roll, having bested no. 2 Minnesota last week. More on that later.

After more than a month, the 10th ranked Buckeye wrestling team returns to campus Friday night, January 24, to face 7th ranked B1G foe Nebraska, a team that matches up very tightly with Ohio State.

The first thing I do for every match is to see what is in store for seniors Ian Paddock at 149 and Nick Heflin at 197. Ian had struggled in certain respects, primarily with match fitness, but that is looking like a thing of the past. He did wrestle very poorly at Penn State in early December, creating doubt he could regain his All American stature from a few years back. Whether it was just a matter of healing his injured body or whether he took the Penn State loss to heart, Ian has come back from the break to wrestle very well. His 2-1 January record belies the fact that he has regained a third period gear. He did lose to Northwestern’s fourth ranked Jason Tsirtis, but he wrestled him tough. This week he goes against 5th ranked Jake Sueflohn. While I give Sueflohn the edge, that is only because they wrestle this week. Based upon what seems to be Ian’s obvious progression, if this were March I think we would see a different result, and we may yet this Friday. I expect Ian to give Sueflohn a tough match, and Jake has his own energy problems in the third period. This could be a Buckeye upset.

At 197, Nick Heflin faces Caleb Kolb, who happens to be the son of four-time Steeler Super Bowl Champ John Kolb. Although unranked, Kolb is a tough kid who is not afraid to mix it up. As I’ve noted, and it is no secret, Nick tends to be defensive on his feet. Kolb may be tough but Nick is the better athlete meaning Kolb’s aggressiveness could get him in trouble with Heflin. However, Nick came out and scored four takedowns against a game Northwestern opponent. So my hope is that Nick continues to pick up his offensive game and take chances—if he shoots and only gets in a scramble, chances are Nick is going to win that scramble. Yes, he risks a little danger, but at this point, Nick has the goods to focus more on what it takes to stand atop the podium in March.

Another power match-up is at 184 pounds where eighth ranked Kenny Courts goes against the Huskers’ 11th ranked TJ Dudley, an impressive red-shirt freshman. These two guys have similar styles, and they are both unafraid to take risks. But I don’t even see this one being close. Kenny is the stronger wrestler from start to finish. Unless he gets in trouble early, by the time the third period rolls around I expect Kenny to be punishing the Nebraska wrestler.

The Buckeyes should not struggle at 133 and 141. That is not to say the Nebraska wrestlers are not strong. At 141 Colton McCrystal is a four time Iowa finalist and two time state champion who gamely fought and lost to a ranked Iowa wrestler. But he is no match for Buckeye Logan Stieber. Much the same could be said at 133 where I expect Buckeye Johnni DiJulius to overpower his Nebraska opponent.

Two Buckeyes face extremely stern tests: Mark Martin who goes against the fourth ranked, grinding Robert Kokesh at 174 and Randy Languis, who has a huge mountain to climb against number 1 ranked James Green. Green (whose training partner is none other than the best wrestler in the world, former Husker, fellow New Jerseyite Olympic gold medalist and internationally undefeated Jordan Burroughs) just took it to defending national champ and previously undefeated Derek St. John. I always think Mark Martin has a chance to win, so don’t assume that one away, but Randy, for all his talent and determination, will do well to make his match competitive.

At this point, on paper at least, the Buckeyes would seem to have a 4-3 match advantage, leaving three pivotal matches. The first could occur right at the start when No. 16 Nick Roberts will tangle with No. 9 Tim Lambert of Nebraska. Nick has his work cut out for him—Lambert is an aggressive fighter who seems to pick up steam as the match progresses. This will be a good test of where young Nick is at this point. If we start with a pivotal match, why not end with one: Buckeye Nick Tavenello? This freshman continues to impress—he is quick on his feet and shows good match stamina. He wrestled fourth ranked Mike McMullan of Northwestern very tough. If the three Nicks can go 3-0, the Buckeyes win this meet going away.

Finally, at 165 Buckeye Joe Grandominico goes against Austin Wilson. This match is just too close to call. Wilson can wrestle with anyone though he lets himself get lulled to sleep on his feet, and gives up takedowns that he seems positioned to defend but just does not seem to see the attack coming in time to respond. Joe is a well-schooled and smart wrestler who should match up well against a determined Wilson.

This will be an exciting fight—go see it on a Friday night. The fun starts at 7 PM at historic St. Johns Arena (you can also watch live on the Big Ten Network). I don’t think you will be disappointed.