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Discussion Topic: Mid-season State of the Buckeyes
Scott Nicola added to this discussion on January 12, 2009
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125-Nikko Triggas has had and up and down year. Doesn't seem to have the offense on his feet against the top guys. Animal on top with riding and bars and seems to compete hard.
133-Reece Humphrey has wrestled excellent this year and just had a huge weekend at National duals (beating Grey, Hochstrsser, and Ness). As good as any 133 in the nation on his feet. The only letdown was the loss to Baker in the All star in which Baker pushed him around pretty good. Good bet to AA even at this brutal weight and a contender for an NCAA title if he can put it all together.
141-There have been alot of people writing off J. Jaggers and expecting him to mail it in this year. I am not one of them. Jaggers has taken some tough losses this year for whatever reason (weight, style, mental). I think he is gaining momentum after a nice performance at the National duals. When Jaggers attacks his opponent's legs (usually with singles or knee picks) he creates lots of opportunities for scrambles, which he generally gets the better of sometimes with his opponent ending up on their back. Make no mistake, Jaggers is capable of beating anyone and if history tells us anything Jaggers will be ready at NCAA.
149-Lance Palmer has been outstanding and consistent this year with the only blemishes being the 2 losses to Caldwell. Lance has been outstanding with his double leg, and absolutely brutalizes people with his power half often scoring bonus points via fall. I am interested to see him match up with Metcalf and Jenkins as we get into the Big 10. I see him as a high AA again.
157-Johnstone looked great in the early going but has hit a rough patch, albeit against outstanding competition. Jason is a goer and has outstanding leg attacks. Johnstone still seems a bit undersized for the weight and looks to be a step below the top echelon guys (Leen, Burroughs, Gillespie, Poeta) at this brutal weight.
165-Sponseller has had the opportunity to compete against some great 165's this year and has held his own. Wins over Dwyer, Fay, King, Manuel have shown that he is definitely for real. I agree with the sentiment of most that his improved riding and shot selection have led to his increased sucess. I think Colt will AA and has an outside shot at a title.
174-Rella started off strong but is another Buckeye that has had a tough go as of late. Attacked much more against Minnisota than any match I have seen of his this year and had great results. I would love to see Rella build on that and pick up steam in the second half.
184-Pucillo has been outstanding beating Honneycutt, Kilgore, and Smith since coming back and brutalizing lesser competition. I can't wait to see Pucillo and Herbert go at it.
197-I'm not going to pile on Gardner who has been taking a beating on the internet. Bottom line is the Bucks need to be more consistent here be it with Gardner or John Weakley.
285-Morrison has looked very good at times and not so good at others. He has beat a number of guys ranked in the top 15 but has also dropped some bouts. Needs to improve at not giving up late takedown.
Overall, I think the Buckeyes have solid AA contenders at 133,141, 149, 165, and 184. I think the key for the Buckeyes is the other weightclasses qualifying and scoring points at the NCAA tourney.
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Discussion Topic: Mid-season State of the Buckeyes
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on January 12, 2009
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Scott: I think you hit every nail on the head. In fairness to Morrison and Johnstone, I think both are undersized at their weight classes. Morrison may weigh in the 230's but he has always had a basketball players frame. Johnstone would make a terrific 149 and has always put the team considerations first.
Russ Hellickson's last great recruit was Lance Palmer but when they landed him it created issues that still affect the lineup to this day. I think Johnstone, Palmer and Jaggers could all comfortably compete at 149. But, all have made accomodations. Obviously, Jaggers has managed to have success as has Palmer. But I'll bet Jaggers would have been more consistent if he had 8 more pounds on his frame.
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