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Discussion Topic: Ohio U early season analysis
Ethan Moore added to this discussion on November 21, 2023
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As you know I like to keep other Ohio programs in the news on this site. If anyone has good intel on KSU or CSU, I'd be interested.
As you likely know, it was a tumultuous off season in Athens but in the end the coaching staff was exonerated of all wrong doing and could finally get back to coaching. I am curious what long term impact this could have, possibly on recruiting, but I believe the team had great internal leadership and has had a decent start to the season.
About the line up; it's almost a tale of two teams. From 125 - 141 it looks like the season will be a real challenge. This group is young and unheralded and has given up massive amounts of bonus point losses early in the year. Tough to win duals when you're down double digits after the first 3 classes. The staff really needs development from the lower weights in order to win duals.
A real-time example of this is the dual vs Chattanooga. OU was down 13-0 after 3 matches. Thanks to their upper weights they were able to come back and win, but that's not sustainable.
Now the good news. From 149 - 285 the line up looks solid. You have potential for NCAA qualification at almost all these classes, which is awesome. I will break down the line up below.
125 - Looks like true FR Ryan Meek is the answer here. Meek is currently 5-5 by has been pinned 4 times in 10 matches. The learning curve on the mat is steep in D1 wrestling, so here's hoping he can improve on the bottom. Props to the kid for wrestling as a FR.
133 - Paul Woo appears to be the lead candidate to start. He's a RS FR from Illinois where I believe he placed 5th as a senior in the large school division. Woo is 2-4 on the young season but if there's a silver lining he seems to keep matches close. Mason Brugh from Wadsworth has also competed here.
141 - Appears Aidan Waszak is the starter. I think he's a gamer but has a heavy learning curve to be successful at this level. He seems to like to compete (wrestled 21 matches as a RS), so that's a good start.
149 - Derek Raike. Raike was in most national ranking to start the season and is currently 9-3. His matches are fun to watch with lots of scoring. Only issue is, he gives up a TON of points. Won a match 19-17 last weekend. Fun, but a little better match management would certainly help the win-loss column. Raike was 11-2 last season during RS.
157 - Peyton Kellar. Kellar is a returning NQ. If you're bored, find his R1 match vs. Andonian last season. He had Andonian on the ropes the entire match. He was 24-9 as a FR and is currently 6-0 having won the SE Open. Good on top and a good scrambler, a recipe for success.
165 - Garrett Thompson. Thompson has had a great start to the season, currently 10-1 and appearing in most rankings. He has a win over returning AA Peyton Hall at the SE Open. According to Willy he never qualified for PA State in HS, so his rise shows outstanding grit and development.
174 - Sal Perrine. Another returning NQ, Perrine is a goer and tough on his feet. He has taken some early season losses, every match he wrestles is close because he doesn't ride well. It's basically a TD contest. I really appreciate Sal's toughness and could watch him wrestle all day. Scrapper.
184: Zayne Lehman. Lehman is a returning NQ and is currently 4-2. I believe he took a leadership role during the offseason to get the program through the summer. Another Ohio kid who goes hard and is fun to watch. He's a steady performer.
197: Austin Starr. An Ohio kid from Indian Creek in SE Ohio. He's strong as an ox, just needs to refine technique. Currently is 9-2 but man both his losses he was up big. Not sure if it's cardio or match management, but as he matures expect him to close those matches down. A quality start to his career as a starter.
285 - Jordan Greer. Greer is an Ohio kid who I believe wrestled for OU AA Jeremy Johnson in HS. He is in the mold of a lighter heavy who bulks up to wrestle. He has light weight skills on his feet which can be advantage vs. slower, bigger heavies, but he will need to get out on bottom which can be a challenge. Early returns are good for Greer.
All in, this is a fun team to watch with a bunch of Ohio representation in the line up.
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Discussion Topic: Ohio U early season analysis
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on November 21, 2023
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Ethan: Great write-up! I have watched two duals of OHIO and, for the most part, I do like what I see.
A few kids who jump to the front of my memory are Kellar, Perrine, and Greer. Kellar is a force and Perrine's motor seems to keep him in or up in matches. As you mention, an RT-1 in his favor could be the difference in his W-L mark given the fact that the extra point is always nice, but also the it has the potential to wear down an opponent.
One last kid is Greer. I think this kid is a diamond in the rough kind of kid. He has a large from, solid technique, and I think will only improve, having success in the MAC and across the D1 landscape.
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