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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Brady Hiatt added to this discussion on February 13, 2023
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Justin Hayes added to this discussion on February 14, 2023
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Rex, if so inclined to answer:
1) Did you have a pre-set strategy in mind for this match?
2) Was this your toughest match of that season? If not, who was and why?
3) What was the day like leading up to this match?
4) Were there any "take aways" from the previous year's finals match that carried over into this final's match in regard to preparation, execution, approach, etc?
5) Where is your NCAA Champion hardware located/stored today?
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on February 14, 2023
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Damn--Rex is pretty ripped for a nerd.
And am I crazy or did Rex hit a side arm roll to start the second period?
That was a very good wrestling match.
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Rex Holman added to this discussion on February 16, 2023
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That was the fourth time I wrestled Sharratt that year. Gable was his coach and they made adjustments.
National Duals, I won fairly easily. 12-5 maybe
Dual in Iowa, tough match. It wasn't decided until I used a reshot while he was in a shot. Some trickery.
Big Ten, I barely escaped with a win. He challenged me on the crab ride and caught me on my back. Some refs might have called the fall. I rode him out in the third.
NCAA finals, smart match management by me.
I knew he was'nt shooting on me and his collar tie bull rush was meant to fatigue me and beat me at the end. I made an adjustment to deflect the "fatigue causing" ties by limiting my shots.
0-0 after 1 period.
That was vintage elevator, not a side roll. Not used a whole lot, but in my bag of tricks.
He made a mistake by shooting on me. I finished with a low tackle. Low tackles weren't used a whole lot at the time.
As you probably know, I feel strongly about being excellent at some things that when given or creating the situation; you have an advantage against your opponent.
A low tackle is largely indefensible and prevents a scramble.
If you have leverage on your opponent, elevator makes a lot of sense when done right. But again, that's in the details.
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Last edited by Rex Holman on February 16, 2023; edited 1 time in total
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on February 16, 2023
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Thanks for the clarification. The elevator is a great move to have in ones bag of tricks.
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Bruce Andrews added to this discussion on February 16, 2023
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Enjoyed watching the match. Got a kick out of the announcer who declared that Rex had the lead at the end of the second quarter.
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 16, 2023
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Ben Golden added to this discussion on February 17, 2023
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Here are some of the most memorable to me:
2008 141 Pounds - Jaggers / Mendes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3va6G5tg7Xs
This was the first OSU national title that I watched live on TV--I had just started following college wrestling the year before as a freshman at OSU, and could tell the momentum was in a good direction. I remember seeing Jaggers ankle in Mendes' arm, and you could feel the crank coming. Of course, Pucillo followed this up with another title a few matches later. Very exciting night.
2009 149 Pounds - Caldwell / Metcalf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2BQaQgakRI
What a trilogy these two had! Caldwell spladles for a pin to give Metcalf his only loss of the 07/08 season (didn't this happen in the St. Ed gym?!). Then, Metcalf avenges that with a tech fall in St. John Arena at the All Star classic at the beginning of the 08/09 season--I saw that match in person. So coming into the finals, Metcalf was a huge favorite to win both the match and the Hodge after smashing nearly everyone all year. So Caldwell smashing him in this final was as shocking of a beating as I've seen. Not a one move upset, a beating that started off with that "dagger" in the early seconds.
2011 197 Pounds - Kilgore / Foster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyj3JbX7PXk
I recall this was such a terrible year and NCAA tournament for Ohio. I wrote an article about it at the time. The Buckeyes stunk that year, and only 4 Ohio natives finished as All-Americans (Sponseller, Taylor, Honeycutt, Kilgore). The freshman Taylor had been a superstar all season but had been planted by Bubba Jenkins a few matches before Kilgore took the mat in this one against Foster. Kilgore was a fun wrestler to watch. A bruiser, a brawler, a pinner. I was ecstatic to see him win, and this is one of my favorite things about being a wrestling fan: Even if a season and tournament are really bad overall, there's almost always something to celebrate. In the 2011 Ohio dumpster fire, that something was Dustin Kilgore's NCAA title. Side note: I had an incredible seat for these NCAA finals. Probably better than anyone in the arena except the coaches sitting in the corner.
2012 133 Pounds - Stieber / Oliver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LNmZLIxgEE&t=600s
Jordan Oliver had been simply incredible for 2 years. I recall a match where he had something like 10 takedowns in less than a minute. Pinned a ton of fools in a row... Just a monster. And he had beaten Stieber convincingly at National Duals earlier in the season. And yet, a faithful Ohioan, I believed in the Stieber who was superb in all three positions and had recorded a takedown in every match of his life as far as I could tell. I had hopes of Stieber being a 4x champ, but that's a very difficult task when you face Jordan Oliver in the finals your freshman year! Again, I happened to have a fantastic seat on press row for this one, and I remember my heart beating heavy the entire match, and thinking most of the third period, "He's going to do this." Don't come at me with any garbage about the takedown that Oliver didn't secure at the end of the match.
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I could (and may) add more: Both of MyMart's finals against Nickal. NATO's (semi) final against Waters, and Delgado before that. Dake / Taylor.
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Drew Taylor added to this discussion on February 17, 2023
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Ben, fantastic list and post.
I’ll add another favorite from 2008. It didn’t go our way, but J.D. Bergman physically beat the hell out of Dustin Fox. It was more a fight than a wrestling match, both guys completely wrecked by the end of it. Fox outweighed Bergman by a lot.
That was 15 years ago. I’d argue this was the golden era in Ohio wrestling. Bergman, Pucillo, Jaggers, Schlatters, Lang, Lester, Ott, etc …
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on February 17, 2023
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I vividly recall watching Stieber v Oliver and feeling sick to my stomach towards the end of the match....and then incredible relief.
Let's add Myles Martin over Bo Nickal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7sH322deAU
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Ben Golden added to this discussion on February 17, 2023
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You're probably right about that being a golden era for Ohio wrestling. All the guys you mentioned were in college, but the high school scene was also great. Ohio had a ton of top preps, many of whom did great things in college later. But I remember a year where Ohio had like 4 of the top 5 at 103... Taylor/L Stieber/Clark/White. Crazy good set of 4 103 pounders there! Then you've got Collin Palmer and Ty Mitch around there as well.
The next year, you add guys like Hunter Stieber, Tessari, Phillips to the mix. And I'm sure I'm forgetting others. Felipe Martinez around that time, too.
And of course the enormously entertaining Tony Jameson.
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Jack Muni added to this discussion on February 17, 2023
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Quote from Hank Kornblut's post:
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"I vividly recall watching Stieber v Oliver and feeling sick to my stomach towards the end of the match....and then incredible relief.
Let's add Myles Martin over Bo Nickal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7sH322deAU"
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I always wondered if that throw had been at the center of the mat would Myles have been able to pin Bo, he seemed to be near a fall when they went all the way off the mat? Great match!
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Discussion Topic: NCAA Finals
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on February 17, 2023
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Jack: The irony to me is that Myles was a much better wrestler by his senior season but he never won a bigger match. When opportunity knocked he was ready.
Myles and Nato were two incredible talents who were never able to make it back to the top of the podium. This is such a hard sport.
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