Surprised nobody has put these out yet, I'll give it a go.
125- C Ybarra wrestled the best he's looked vs a top 5-7 guy in the country, then sh*t the bed in the 3rd. Speaks to Iowa's depth at the weight, when our 3rd stringer can hang with someone of Mastro's pedigree. I think it’s pretty apparent that Ybarra is who he is at this point. Hoping Drake can get back in there for B10s, but not holding my breath.
133- C DeSanto was A+ on bottom as he's obviously worked on that position and made adjustments since their last meeting. ADS looked better/more focused vs RBY, he really struggled to get any offense going against Fix. Fix's TD efficiency was pretty perfect and those top guys have figured out how to weather DeSanto's storm and generate counter offense.
141- B Eirman looked pretty solid against a future star. Carter Young is a stud and will be on the podium many times before his career is over. It looked like the game plan was try an exploit Young's inexperience on bottom, unfortunately Eirman was able to turn him despite riding the dog sh*t out of him.
149- A Max Murin has looked really solid all year. I love the hardnosed workman like effort he puts into every match. I thought Gfeller was going to present some challenges stylistically for him, but the opposite was true. He out worked and out smarted Gfeller. Feeling really good about Max putting himself on the podium this year.
157- A- Kaleb Young has rebounded really well from his slow start to the season and reeled off several quality wins in a row. Like Murin he grinded out a tough win against a quality opponent. Kaleb's ability to ride, get the TD when he needed it and out hustled Sheets was the difference. Love to see KY coming on late.
165- A- The Bull looked like classic Bull in this one. When he scored the early TD, I thought he was going to run away with a dominant win, but credit to Wittlake, he hung tough and made the Bull earn it. This is a damn tough weight class.
174- A- Kemerer looked really good. Plott was a highly recruited kid out of HS who has been taking his lumps lately. Grandpa Mike is obviously not 100%, but when he decides to go get a damn takedown, he goes and gets it! Another tough weight, hoping Big Mike can keep it together and get himself a title.
184- D+ I knew Geer's tricky top game could be an issue for Abe, but I had hope that Abe's confidence was going to transition into great things for him. When he got those double unders in the first, I thought Abe might get himself a throw. Geer is an elite scrambler and Abe is a tick below that at this point. Abe is going to need to pull some upsets to get himself on the podium. Showed some big heart getting that escape as time expired avoiding the major.
197 B Jwar did just enough to get the major vs an undersized back-up. Looked a little sloppy at times, but I liked the hustle late in the 3rd.
Hwt B Big Tony still looks like he's figuring out how to compete at the highest level with his new frame. Okie State's kid is not on the same level talent wise as Big Cass, but he kept himself in the match with some scrappy scrambling. Tony absolutely has the ability to get into the finals vs. Gable, but I worry about him getting caught by one of these scrappy heavies and getting upset. When he was bigger, guys couldn't really scramble and funk out of positions, who else was sh*tting himself when Tony was rolling around on his back? Good for Tony finishing strong and getting the major.
125- C Ybarra wrestled the best he's looked vs a top 5-7 guy in the country, then sh*t the bed in the 3rd. Speaks to Iowa's depth at the weight, when our 3rd stringer can hang with someone of Mastro's pedigree. I think it’s pretty apparent that Ybarra is who he is at this point. Hoping Drake can get back in there for B10s, but not holding my breath.
133- C DeSanto was A+ on bottom as he's obviously worked on that position and made adjustments since their last meeting. ADS looked better/more focused vs RBY, he really struggled to get any offense going against Fix. Fix's TD efficiency was pretty perfect and those top guys have figured out how to weather DeSanto's storm and generate counter offense.
141- B Eirman looked pretty solid against a future star. Carter Young is a stud and will be on the podium many times before his career is over. It looked like the game plan was try an exploit Young's inexperience on bottom, unfortunately Eirman was able to turn him despite riding the dog sh*t out of him.
149- A Max Murin has looked really solid all year. I love the hardnosed workman like effort he puts into every match. I thought Gfeller was going to present some challenges stylistically for him, but the opposite was true. He out worked and out smarted Gfeller. Feeling really good about Max putting himself on the podium this year.
157- A- Kaleb Young has rebounded really well from his slow start to the season and reeled off several quality wins in a row. Like Murin he grinded out a tough win against a quality opponent. Kaleb's ability to ride, get the TD when he needed it and out hustled Sheets was the difference. Love to see KY coming on late.
165- A- The Bull looked like classic Bull in this one. When he scored the early TD, I thought he was going to run away with a dominant win, but credit to Wittlake, he hung tough and made the Bull earn it. This is a damn tough weight class.
174- A- Kemerer looked really good. Plott was a highly recruited kid out of HS who has been taking his lumps lately. Grandpa Mike is obviously not 100%, but when he decides to go get a damn takedown, he goes and gets it! Another tough weight, hoping Big Mike can keep it together and get himself a title.
184- D+ I knew Geer's tricky top game could be an issue for Abe, but I had hope that Abe's confidence was going to transition into great things for him. When he got those double unders in the first, I thought Abe might get himself a throw. Geer is an elite scrambler and Abe is a tick below that at this point. Abe is going to need to pull some upsets to get himself on the podium. Showed some big heart getting that escape as time expired avoiding the major.
197 B Jwar did just enough to get the major vs an undersized back-up. Looked a little sloppy at times, but I liked the hustle late in the 3rd.
Hwt B Big Tony still looks like he's figuring out how to compete at the highest level with his new frame. Okie State's kid is not on the same level talent wise as Big Cass, but he kept himself in the match with some scrappy scrambling. Tony absolutely has the ability to get into the finals vs. Gable, but I worry about him getting caught by one of these scrappy heavies and getting upset. When he was bigger, guys couldn't really scramble and funk out of positions, who else was sh*tting himself when Tony was rolling around on his back? Good for Tony finishing strong and getting the major.
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