Seven Minutes with Cory Clark

[MARION_HAWK]

http://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/PortalPost.jsp?postId=369066076

Good write up by Andy Hamilton. I am gonna miss watching Clark in the black and gold...

 

[Neo_Hawk]

I've said it before on other threads, nothing but respect for Cory. He is an old school Iowa great. He is such a multi dimensional wrestler who can take you down in a number of different ways. Unlike a lot of the guys having success today, he does not have a go to move, he uses them all; Russian tie, ankle pick, single leg, double leg, high crotch, duck under...the list goes on.

Great ties, great scrambler, great snap downs, a hammer on top, one of the best to get up and out, I can't imagine how much work went in to perfecting not just 1 or 2 aspects of being a good wrestler, but mastering all of these different aspects. Could have been a 3 time champ, but glad he got the last one.

Proud to have him represent Iowa and make it to the wall with all the other Iowa greats!

 

[Mattski]

I'm still trying to figure out how he got those 2 late TD's on Nato. Just pure will, strength and skill. Absolutely unreal. What a stud.

 

[andegre]

I'm still trying to figure out how he got those 2 late TD's on Nato. Just pure will, strength and skill. Absolutely unreal. What a stud.

I may make a separate post for this, but I've been going through adding A BUNCH of B1G Tournament and NCAA Tournament match videos on the site.

Here's a link to Cory's profile that has the match vs Tomasello:

http://www.wrestlestat.com/wrestler/13249/clark-cory/profile

 

[Gusaford]

Love the comment about getting distracted by his opponent's shoes.

 

[Ihawkd9times]

I'm still trying to figure out how he got those 2 late TD's on Nato. Just pure will, strength and skill. Absolutely unreal. What a stud.

I know it, I believe a heard Terry say in an interview that, that was something Cory had been tinkering with. IMO Likely to bait a guy into his strong side with the ol' heres my leg trick.

I thought it was interesting Cory said throwing Terry was a highlight considering he didn't want to at first. Goes to show the hater of that moment that it wasn't a ploy to make Iowa look fun, it was something more between Terry and Cory.

 

[hawkster03]

I'm still trying to figure out how he got those 2 late TD's on Nato. Just pure will, strength and skill. Absolutely unreal. What a stud.

Sneaky. That's what I call it. It was sneaky.

 

[93hawkeye]

Sneaky. That's what I call it. It was sneaky.

pure strength on the side headlock (legal near-choke-hold...squeeze a guy's neck long enough, and he'll forget why controlling your leg is so important)

 

[bammhawk1]

Sneaky. That's what I call it. It was sneaky.

Loved how he duped him into it not once, but twice.

 

[whejoe]

I may make a separate post for this, but I've been going through adding A BUNCH of B1G Tournament and NCAA Tournament match videos on the site.

Here's a link to Cory's profile that has the match vs Tomasello:

http://www.wrestlestat.com/wrestler/13249/clark-cory/profile

Thanks for posting!

I really like Shane Sparks doing pbp in the semifinal match. He's really into the match without being obnoxious. He doesn't go into hysterics on a takedown like some guys from flo do.

 

[Gusaford]

Loved how he duped him into it not once, but twice.

If I recall correctly, Cory's first takedown in the third period against Tomasello was off of a deep Tomasello shot to Cory's right leg, but the second takedown in that period came off of a shot by Cory to Tomasello's leg. Cory was in deep, Tomasello defended by grabbing Cory's right leg, and the fight was on. I hope I'm not imagining this, but I also seem to recall that each time Cory secured the takedown, the ref initially started to raise his hand signaling two for Tomasello, then caught himself mid-act, and raised his other hand signaling two for Cory. The ref twice almost gave me a heart attack.

 

[The Vak]

If I recall correctly, Cory's first takedown in the third period against Tomasello was off of a deep Tomasello shot to Cory's right leg, but the second takedown in that period came off of a shot by Cory to Tomasello's leg. Cory was in deep, Tomasello defended by grabbing Cory's right leg, and the fight was on. I hope I'm not imagining this, but I also seem to recall that each time Cory secured the takedown, the ref initially started to raise his hand signaling two for Tomasello, then caught himself mid-act, and raised his other hand signaling two for Cory. The ref twice almost gave me a heart attack.

I believe the first TD was actually a shot to Cory's left leg, and then while Cory was defending it hard, Tomasello for some reason switched to the right leg, playing right into Cory's strong side and his slick little side-headlock TD he's been running for awhile now.

 

[jvclark]

I've said it before on other threads, nothing but respect for Cory. He is an old school Iowa great. He is such a multi dimensional wrestler who can take you down in a number of different ways. Unlike a lot of the guys having success today, he does not have a go to move, he uses them all; Russian tie, ankle pick, single leg, double leg, high crotch, duck under...the list goes on.

Great ties, great scrambler, great snap downs, a hammer on top, one of the best to get up and out, I can't imagine how much work went in to perfecting not just 1 or 2 aspects of being a good wrestler, but mastering all of these different aspects. Could have been a 3 time champ, but glad he got the last one.

Proud to have him represent Iowa and make it to the wall with all the other Iowa greats!

Good call on Cory winning the one but could have been three. I have said it on here before, there is very frequently such a small difference between getting first and second at this level. On that stage, in front of 20k people under that pressure, and after having made weight for three days and already having wrestled 4 tough matches.

Add to it the injuries that Cory was dealing with and his "small difference" was even smaller. It is a testament to how tough he is physically, but even more so how tough he is mentally. Usually the mind gives before the body does and only strong minded people win. Cory was facing the body AND mind at the same time and his mind(guts) won out. TOUGH FREAKING KID!!

If watching him win like that doesn't make us proud to be an Iowa fan, nothing will.

 

[anon_0pi0cv8t1ggvb]

pure strength on the side headlock (legal near-choke-hold...squeeze a guy's neck long enough, and he'll forget why controlling your leg is so important)

Exactly this. If you rewatch those takedowns, focus on his lock around Tomasello's head/neck. He was squeezing incredibly hard and controlling Tomasello's head/upper body.

That match was incredible. Amazing technique, and amazing display of sheer will and determination.

 

[Mattski]

I may make a separate post for this, but I've been going through adding A BUNCH of B1G Tournament and NCAA Tournament match videos on the site.

Here's a link to Cory's profile that has the match vs Tomasello:

http://www.wrestlestat.com/wrestler/13249/clark-cory/profile

Thanks for posting. Great match, great memories. Nato was completely gassed during the final scramble when Clark got his 2. Goosebumps.

 

[Gobblin]

Thanks for posting. Great match, great memories. Nato was completely gassed during the final scramble when Clark got his 2. Goosebumps.

We believe that he almost had Tomasello choked out on the second one... If watch closely, Tomasello is extremely wobbly and dazed after he gets up from that sequence.. It looked like more than just fatigue.

Incredible guts, determination, and sheer will to win displayed by Cory in St. Louis... It will never quit bringing up my emotions everytime I think of it... Quite possibly my favorite Hawkeye quarter final, semi final, and national championship matches, ever. I've re-watched them no less than 17 times already.

 

[whejoe]

We believe that he almost had Tomasello choked out on the second one... If watch closely, Tomasello is extremely wobbly and dazed after he gets up from that sequence.. It looked like more than just fatigue.

Incredible guts, determination, and sheer will to win displayed by Cory in St. Louis... It will never quit bringing up my emotions everytime I think of it... Quite possibly my favorite Hawkeye quarter final, semi final, and national championship matches, ever. I've re-watched them no less than 17 times already.

I've watched the semis and finals pretty much everyday at work the past week or so. I still get nervous, even though I know the outcome. His post match interviews are just as good as the matches.

 

[UndercoverHawk]

Loved how he duped him into it not once, but twice.

They actually teach the rope a dope at SEP. ask Alex Meyer.

 

[CCAHawkeye]

The post match interviews after the semifinal win and the final win are so impressive to me. I can't remember Cory giving very many interviews in his career, especially ones that aren't the standard post match speech. You know, I worked my ties, got to my leg attacks, need to score more points, blah, blah, blah. These two interviews seemed to be straightforward, giving me the chance to see a wrestler's thoughts, his fears, and how he overcomes those doubts. Ultimately to will his way to a win with an injury that he shouldn't even be competing with. Look at the videos of the matches, he never uses his left arm with any force at all. Mostly as a hook is all. I have watched the interviews as much as the matches. An impressive run by Cory. It is a performance that will stand with the all time best Hawkeye tournament runs.

 

[Azchief32]

Have to agree...probably my favorite post match/game interview of all time.

 

[StParis]

http://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/PortalPost.jsp?postId=369066076

Good write up by Andy Hamilton. I am gonna miss watching Clark in the black and gold...

"Clark was once ranked the eighth-best Halo player in the world"

I want proof.

 

[CCAHawkeye]

It has been reported in several threads, multiple times right here on HR. I mean, what more proof do you need.

 

[Bryowan]

I may make a separate post for this, but I've been going through adding A BUNCH of B1G Tournament and NCAA Tournament match videos on the site.

Here's a link to Cory's profile that has the match vs Tomasello:

http://www.wrestlestat.com/wrestler/13249/clark-cory/profile

This will be a great way to get through the off-season! Nice addition to an already great website.

 

[24 so far]

"Clark was once ranked the eighth-best Halo player in the world"

I want proof.

Play Cory Clark for money, then let us know how it goes.

 

[StParis]

Play Cory Clark for money, then let us know how it goes.

Thanks but I don't play Halo. Still does not mean he's ranked 8th in the world or ever was.

 

[StParis]

It has been reported in several threads, multiple times right here on HR. I mean, what more proof do you need.

How about a username?


duh'

 

[Azchief32]

Thanks but I don't play Halo. Still does not mean he's ranked 8th in the world or ever was.

Would be a pretty random thing to tell people. Bet his Halo homies are like "PROOF?" when he tells them he's a national wrestling champ.

 

[LaxHawk174]

You'd probably be hard pressed to find 'proof' of Clarks former halo ranking. I'm assuming his Peak of Halo was sometime before being in the starting lineup for Iowa, so you'd have to find some Esports Halo ranking service archives from like 2011-2013. Video games are much more fluid in rankings, as there are up and comers every year, so I doubt Clark is near top 10 currently after focusing on mainly wrestling for the past 4-5 years. Probably still damn good though. Don't find it hard to believe at all that he was ranked very highly in the world at one point.

 

[24 so far]

Thanks but I don't play Halo. Still does not mean he's ranked 8th in the world or ever was.

If Andy Hamilton says it is so. It is so. Deal with it as best you can.