Midlands Grades

[The Vak]

These grades are relative to each wrestler's expectations

125 - I give Gilman a B. He receives a downgrade for that semifinal scare and I had the highest expectations for him. Otherwise, he was unstoppable. Maybe I'm being too harsh on him, but thems the breaks when you want to be the leader of the team.

133: Laux is what he is. I give him a D.

141: I give Carton a B+. He showed a lot of grit and made me feel a ton beetter about him. I don't think he AA's, but he is solid and a top 15ish type wrestler.

149: I give Sorenson an A. He won the tournament, and was never in particular danger of losing, even though the Finals went to OT.

157: I give Kemerer an A-. He looked great for most of the tournament, and eased my concerns about him that had been raised in a previous thread. That said, I had hoped he'd be beating a guy like Berger by a more comfortable margin.

165: I give Alex Marinelli a B-. He showed flashes and is our best option at the weight, but there are clearly areas for concern. The I-Mart match doesn't bother me, Alex competed and got in deep on at least two occasions, I-Mart is just That Dude. The 3rd place match again Valencia give me more concern. He also had a close match against a guy who isn't an AA threat in, I believe, Round 2.

I give Kaleb Young a B+. Marinelli is the better wrestler, but there were more expectations on him also, hence the lower grade. Young looked great. He should have been in the semis if not for a 4 point move. I wasn't sure he would place and he did, had some nice wins. Marinelli had most of the same wins, and more convincingly, but he's also supposed to be better.

Having seen both guys now as well as Gunther, I'm not sure if it's worthwhile to pull Marinelli's redshirt this year. We may just be wasting a year of him.

174: I give Alex Meyer a B. He just kind of did what he does. Probably should have been in the finals but gave up early backpoints and Weatherspoon held on. Maybe we should just hypnotize him into thinking the first period is actually the second period?

184: Sammy Brooks gets a B+ from me. He lost to Nate Jackson, and I felt he outwrestled him both times. He did avenge the loss, but still, he should have been in the Finals. We have to just accept that sometimes he's going to get caught in his Underhooks to Nowhere doldrums, and if it's at the wrong time, it will cost him.

197: Wilcke is JAG. Will be lucky to qualify. Too small, not enough offense. D grade from me.

HW: Sam Stoll gets an A- from me. The Hall match was always 50/50, and it went against him. Otherwise, he looked good. I had him finishing 2nd or 3rd, and he got 3rd with a nice pin in the consi finals, too.

Thoughts?

 

[Tcalumet]

These grades are relative to each wrestler's expectations

125 - I give Gilman a B. He receives a downgrade for that semifinal scare and I had the highest expectations for him. Otherwise, he was unstoppable. Maybe I'm being too harsh on him, but thems the breaks when you want to be the leader of the team.

133: Laux is what he is. I give him a D.

141: I give Carton a B+. He showed a lot of grit and made me feel a ton beetter about him. I don't think he AA's, but he is solid and a top 15ish type wrestler.

149: I give Sorenson an A. He won the tournament, and was never in particular danger of losing, even though the Finals went to OT.

157: I give Kemerer an A-. He looked great for most of the tournament, and eased my concerns about him that had been raised in a previous thread. That said, I had hoped he'd be beating a guy like Berger by a more comfortable margin.

165: I give Alex Marinelli a B-. He showed flashes and is our best option at the weight, but there are clearly areas for concern. The I-Mart match doesn't bother me, Alex competed and got in deep on at least two occasions, I-Mart is just That Dude. The 3rd place match again Valencia give me more concern. He also had a close match against a guy who isn't an AA threat in, I believe, Round 2.

I give Kaleb Young a B+. Marinelli is the better wrestler, but there were more expectations on him also, hence the lower grade. Young looked great. He should have been in the semis if not for a 4 point move. I wasn't sure he would place and he did, had some nice wins. Marinelli had most of the same wins, and more convincingly, but he's also supposed to be better.

Having seen both guys now as well as Gunther, I'm not sure if it's worthwhile to pull Marinelli's redshirt this year. We may just be wasting a year of him.

174: I give Alex Meyer a B. He just kind of did what he does. Probably should have been in the finals but gave up early backpoints and Weatherspoon held on. Maybe we should just hypnotize him into thinking the first period is actually the second period?

184: Sammy Brooks gets a B+ from me. He lost to Nate Jackson, and I felt he outwrestled him both times. He did avenge the loss, but still, he should have been in the Finals. We have to just accept that sometimes he's going to get caught in his Underhooks to Nowhere doldrums, and if it's at the wrong time, it will cost him.

197: Wilcke is JAG. Will be lucky to qualify. Too small, not enough offense. D grade from me.

HW: Sam Stoll gets an A- from me. The Hall match was always 50/50, and it went against him. Otherwise, he looked good. I had him finishing 2nd or 3rd, and he got 3rd with a nice pin in the consi finals, too.

Thoughts?

I think carton can make the podium.
Jeeeez we need somethin more from wilcke!
Big comeback for stoll - need to figure out bottom quickly.
Agree with grades.

 

[Tcalumet]

Also I imagine Berger has made some strides - he's got a pretty good practice room I'm sure.

 

[rorya]

Gilman gets an A, he had wrestled 4 matches the day before remember, had the weight of team on his back, trying to bonus everyone he wrestled, as the team leader. with Clark out, Stoll first time back, etc... and a pesky Neby...wrestled great...

Kemerer = A, rs freshman comes in and takes first big tournament and hung in well on the double OT, not sure what more one would expect from him.

Wilcke = may be 'just a guy', at 97 as a first year starter wrestling up a weight for the team, but he will likely be jag (just as good) as the others he may wrestle in future years at '84.

the rest of the grades are mostly fine.....

 

[NittanyChris]

From a Penn State fan...
Most impressed by: Kemerer. His defense on some of those shots Berger took was amazing. He's very good now and will only improve.
Least impressed by: Sorensen. He is way too talented to wrestle so passively. He could have beat that kid by 5-8 points easily if he was aggressive.

 

[UndercoverHawk]

From a Penn State fan...
Most impressed by: Kemerer. His defense on some of those shots Berger took was amazing. He's very good now and will only improve.
Least impressed by: Sorensen. He is way too talented to wrestle so passively. He could have beat that kid by 5-8 points easily if he was aggressive.

Well he won by 6 so...

 

[ih8iast8]

Welcome to the PSU Ignore list Chris!

 

[NittanyChris]

Well he won by 6 so...

True. I suppose I meant in regulation time.

 

[UndercoverHawk]

True. I suppose I meant in regulation time.

I know. Just busting balls

 

[whejoe]

From a Penn State fan...
Most impressed by: Kemerer. His defense on some of those shots Berger took was amazing. He's very good now and will only improve.
Least impressed by: Sorensen. He is way too talented to wrestle so passively. He could have beat that kid by 5-8 points easily if he was aggressive.

During the finals Gibbons talked about BS not being offensive in the 1st period but waiting until the 3rd to open up a bit and he thinks Brandon has the ability to get to his offense in the 1st. I was hoping BS would improve offensively in his jr year like Gilman did between his soph to jr year.

 

[Kwoodhawk]

Liked most of the guys and improvements many have made.

Gilman being The Machine.

Can't say anything bad about Clark........

Topher has really bought into the whole 7 minutes of wrestling and had a pretty good tournament. Really fun to watch him.

Brandon has 2 Midlands Titles....both in OT..........

Kemdawg is getting to be really good. Best defensive reflexes I've seen this year. Well..... Berger's got some good defense too I guess.

165 -Don't know how I feel about pulling shirts. Martini doesn't look big enough for 165. Looks like a better 157. He's not gonna "Bull" many at 165. And Young looks promising, but still not very big for 165. Does anybody else worry about this talk of him at 174 next year?

174-Well what were you expecting?

184-Same as 174

197 It is what it is. Needs some seasoning and to go down to 184 next year.

Stoll house looks to be back to normal and on his way to some good improvement. Too bad he missed so much time. Good to have him back. Gilman starts it and Stoll finishes it.

 

[Knight563]

I'm with ya Kwood. Both guys can bulk up for 65 (AM) and 74 (KY) this year during their redshirt season and be ready to DOMINATE next year. I'm a realist and the team title is going to be tough with the bonus point potential of PSU. Build for the future and let's rattle off numerous titles in a row.

 

[wasdt21]

I have been wondering about young at 174 myself,don't know what he cuts to make 165, maybe spooner can tell us he is supposed to have the ability to put guys where they belong by looking at them.

 

[Lsanders20]

Wilcke is quite undersized but he did have some nice moments if you watched him. Seemed like he had some great take downs in first periods and then shut down. He is slick at times. Definitely looking forward to watching him grow at 84 rather than 97.

Without Clark we are not the Hawks we should be and it sucks.

Topher wrestled one bad period and it cost him big time. Great wrestling though. Would like to see him finish td's cleaner. Does a great job just has to finish stronger.

Kemdawg finals match was very exciting. His defense was quite impressive at times which is a massive upgrade from last year.

Marinelli and Young will keep getting better and could use a red year but if Clark makes it back I think you have to pull a shirt. By March I feel like huge strides could be made and could be a difference at Nationals.

Great to see Stoll out there. He will beat Hall later in the season. Would like to see him work on scrambling away from td's.

I know Sorenson likes to wrestle his pace but he could do so much more. He really is impressive, but too much idle time.

Thomas had me worried in semis. That should be a major for him and possibly a tech fall if the Hawks want to even think about keeping pace with the PSU bonus machines at Nationals.

Gunther unimpressive, Laux too small for 33, St John room guy only.

 

[texas twister]

Meyer and Brooks - not what a senior should look like. I think I would never lose to Meyer in a one minute match and possibly win some (I'm an old, fat, bald guy).

 

[Neo_Hawk]

Meyer and Brooks - not what a senior should look like. I think I would never lose to Meyer in a one minute match and possibly win some (I'm an old, fat, bald guy).

That's funny because it's probably true.
I have not been a big fan of Meyer over the past two years, not because I don't like the kid, but because I think he is a really good wrestler that allows inferior wrestlers across from him dictate the pace of the match (much the way BS has been doing lately).
I honestly believe, if he set the pace from the whistle and got on his offense on his terms, he could be competing for a title this year, he has the skills.

 

[MVPFAN]

We will need some luck to win this year. That said, next year is a re-group for sure and no one is touching a PSU team with everyone back but Gulibon and Hall for sure coming into the mix. Marinelli is not going to be favored to win 165 next year either so IMO there is not a whole lot lost if you pull his shirt this year and let him sit out next year when we are down. One option seems a little better for him and one a little better for the team. Clark's status plays a major role obviously. Also as a team are we tying to get the best finish we can even if it is not first or are we Ricky Bobby. IMO getting second is a lot better than 4th or 5th.

 

[pablow]

That's funny because it's probably true.
I have not been a big fan of Meyer over the past two years, not because I don't like the kid, but because I think he is a really good wrestler that allows inferior wrestlers across from him dictate the pace of the match (much the way BS has been doing lately).
I honestly believe, if he set the pace from the whistle and got on his offense on his terms, he could be competing for a title this year, he has the skills.

If he did all that he wouldn't be Meyer, he'd be Jay Borschel. I'm not expecting him to do much this year.

 

[Mattski]

What's frustrating about BS is aside from retherford it's not like anyone can ride him so why not let the fur fly and piss pound some people on his feet? Worse case he gets taken down, gets out in 15 seconds then gets back after it. Must not trust his offense or gas tank.

 

[MSU158]

I wonder if Meyer is dealing with butterflies at the start of every match. Many competitors deal with major nerves at the onset of their competitions. How Meyer starts off nearly every match makes this a strong possibility. It may honestly take him a wrestling minute or 2 to get his nerves in check and get the blood flowing properly.

Some guys can turn the switch on and off when they want. Some guys(Metcalf/Gilman) have a hard time turning the switch off. Meyer appears to be in the category that has a hard time turning it on.

 

[kingslayer_85]

Meyer and Brooks - not what a senior should look like. I think I would never lose to Meyer in a one minute match and possibly win some (I'm an old, fat, bald guy).

seems a bit harsh, haven't seen a lot of them but remember being impressed with Meyer last year at nationals in some of his matches. Didn't he lose his first and win the next 3 or 4 probably didn't do as well as he wanted but didn't give up. Brooks has beaten several top folks ( I think Dudley a couple of times) There are some large obstacles in there way to get to the top but would think they have a good chance to AA agains

 

[Jay on HR]

These grades are relative to each wrestler's expectations

125 - I give Gilman a B. He receives a downgrade for that semifinal scare and I had the highest expectations for him. Otherwise, he was unstoppable. Maybe I'm being too harsh on him, but thems the breaks when you want to be the leader of the team.

133: Laux is what he is. I give him a D.

141: I give Carton a B+. He showed a lot of grit and made me feel a ton beetter about him. I don't think he AA's, but he is solid and a top 15ish type wrestler.

149: I give Sorenson an A. He won the tournament, and was never in particular danger of losing, even though the Finals went to OT.

157: I give Kemerer an A-. He looked great for most of the tournament, and eased my concerns about him that had been raised in a previous thread. That said, I had hoped he'd be beating a guy like Berger by a more comfortable margin.

165: I give Alex Marinelli a B-. He showed flashes and is our best option at the weight, but there are clearly areas for concern. The I-Mart match doesn't bother me, Alex competed and got in deep on at least two occasions, I-Mart is just That Dude. The 3rd place match again Valencia give me more concern. He also had a close match against a guy who isn't an AA threat in, I believe, Round 2.

I give Kaleb Young a B+. Marinelli is the better wrestler, but there were more expectations on him also, hence the lower grade. Young looked great. He should have been in the semis if not for a 4 point move. I wasn't sure he would place and he did, had some nice wins. Marinelli had most of the same wins, and more convincingly, but he's also supposed to be better.

Having seen both guys now as well as Gunther, I'm not sure if it's worthwhile to pull Marinelli's redshirt this year. We may just be wasting a year of him.

174: I give Alex Meyer a B. He just kind of did what he does. Probably should have been in the finals but gave up early backpoints and Weatherspoon held on. Maybe we should just hypnotize him into thinking the first period is actually the second period?

184: Sammy Brooks gets a B+ from me. He lost to Nate Jackson, and I felt he outwrestled him both times. He did avenge the loss, but still, he should have been in the Finals. We have to just accept that sometimes he's going to get caught in his Underhooks to Nowhere doldrums, and if it's at the wrong time, it will cost him.

197: Wilcke is JAG. Will be lucky to qualify. Too small, not enough offense. D grade from me.

HW: Sam Stoll gets an A- from me. The Hall match was always 50/50, and it went against him. Otherwise, he looked good. I had him finishing 2nd or 3rd, and he got 3rd with a nice pin in the consi finals, too.

Thoughts?

I wish Young and bull had a few more matches at opens earlier this year to figure out where they truly are. Both had a few what I would call freshman losses. I would feel much better about either having their redshirt pulled if we had a few more matches to point to that they are ready to go right now.

 

[overeasy]

Meyer and Brooks - not what a senior should look like. I think I would never lose to Meyer in a one minute match and possibly win some (I'm an old, fat, bald guy).

I'm not bald, but certainly am old and fat.

And I could stay with Meyer through the handshake.

I think.