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Discussion Topic: "An Animal At Every Weight Class"
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on November 23, 2016
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Tom Ryan said it at some point in the past. It was a reference to the type of team he wanted to put on the mat.
This year's squad could prove to be the closest he's had to fulfilling that ambition.
The "weak" weights were supposed to be 125 and 165 but Burcher and J-Rod do not appear to be weak links. Jake Ryan has had some struggles but he's not far off. The rest of the lineup is ridiculous....the weakest starter among the remaining seven is probably Ke-Shawn Hayes. And Hayes is very good.
Kollin Moore has improved to the point where it's not crazy to say he could be an NCAA finalist. Unproven, yes. But his pace and skill are insane. I think he can beat anyone at the weight if he can get out on bottom.
Micah Jordan, who was 5 seconds away from making the NCAA semi finals last season, might not one of the top five guys in this lineup.
Myles has looked head and shoulders better than when he won an NCAA title last season. We'll know more when we see him up against guys like Brooks and Dudley but initial impressions are that he's more than a match for anyone (outside of Dean).
That leaves BoJo (3,3), Nate (1, 3) and Kyle (Olympic Champ).
Nice squad.
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Discussion Topic: "An Animal At Every Weight Class"
Chris Thomas added to this discussion on November 23, 2016
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Hank, you know Moore has Cox at his weight class! He can't beat everyone just yet. I also feel he will be challenged by a few more physically. I think it is to early to think this Buckeye team will have the best results ( to many question). How will NaTO handle the weight change? Can Bo handle Zahid or other challengers? Can Myles create the same magic that he had at NCAA's at an absolutely brutal weight class? Hayes is a great talent but he still learning. Can Micah get out from bottom against the top tier? Can Jake get out of his slump? Will Kyle bonus every match? I think all these situations can come to fruition it just to early to tell.
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Discussion Topic: "An Animal At Every Weight Class"
Chris Shepherd added to this discussion on November 23, 2016
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When will we see Nato and Bo? Is a redshirt helping Pletcher or is he ready to go already? Will Rodriquez be able to maintain performance and even improve with that weight pull over a season? Is Burcher's optimum weight actually 157? Is Tav's career finished or will we see him back at spots throughout the season? Can we lock down one more blue chip in-state commitment this recruiting season?
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Discussion Topic: "An Animal At Every Weight Class"
Joe Kinzel added to this discussion on November 23, 2016
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Quote from Chris Shepherd's post:
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"When will we see Nato and Bo? Is a redshirt helping Pletcher or is he ready to go already? Will Rodriquez be able to maintain performance and even improve with that weight pull over a season? Is Burcher's optimum weight actually 157? Is Tav's career finished or will we see him back at spots throughout the season? Can we lock down one more blue chip in-state commitment this recruiting season?"
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I heard Nato will be back early next month. I believe some thought BoJo could have gone yesterday so he is closer to returning than that.
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Discussion Topic: "An Animal At Every Weight Class"
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on November 23, 2016
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Chris and Chris: Fair points. This is wrestling and we will find out what the story is. I will say...and I've been saying...this Buckeye team attacks in a way I've never seen.
We've watched the Bucks put squads on the mat which had five good wrestlers and five guys who were passive. Or seen some of their talented guys fail to wrestle hard. I'm not seeing that this season. I'm seeing guys wrestle their tails off.
I appreciate the effort.
Win or lose, it's more enjoyable to cheer a team that wrestles the right way than wish they performed like another squad. I admire what I'm seeing so far this season.
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Discussion Topic: "An Animal At Every Weight Class"
Roe Fox added to this discussion on November 24, 2016
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Quote from Hank Kornblut's post:
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"Chris and Chris: Fair points. This is wrestling and we will find out what the story is. I will say...and I've been saying...this Buckeye team attacks in a way I've never seen.
We've watched the Bucks put squads on the mat which had five good wrestlers and five guys who were passive. Or seen some of their talented guys fail to wrestle hard. I'm not seeing that this season. I'm seeing guys wrestle their tails off.
I appreciate the effort.
Win or lose, it's more enjoyable to cheer a team that wrestles the right way than wish they performed like another squad. I admire what I'm seeing so far this season."
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Hank: couldn't agree more. Watching them Tuesday I was thinking the same thing. In the past we had weights where, like some high school teams, you were hoping your guy didn't get pinned to save some points. Not anymore. Competitive at every weight.
My only quibble is ranking the 8-10 wrestlers. Watching Jake, he has no offense and if he goes past two periods he's done. I just don't get it. Hard worker. Good kid. Seems like he knows what he's doing but won't attack.
If I had to bet on a dark horse to AA I would take Rodriguez (very slick and great training partner to prepare him for the familiar comp at 125) or Burcher (gamer with a punchers chance, albeit at a brutal weight class).
I'm a little concerned about Bo. He's winning at the game of life, which is the most important thing, but if we are talking team titles I think he needs to win a title. PSU likely has two champs with a lot of bonus points and several AAs. We have Kyle, maybe Nate, as titleists and several AA candidates.
If Bo wins a championship after having his second kid, he's the MVP. It would be challenging enough to just get a degree while having two kids. As a father of three, I think what he is attempting is Herculean. What a great role model if he does it.
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