Author: marklongmainstream (Page 2 of 309)

The #11 UNI Panthers are back on the mat on Tuesday November 26th at 7 pm in Hartland Wisconsin, against #6 Missouri in what should be an outstanding meet. The dual features 14 ranked wrestlers and 6 ranked head to head bouts. The main attraction is a top 10 match at 141 lbs.

Don’t Miss: 174 and 184 both feature returning NCAA Champions, both of which are always exciting to watch. The most even match of the night takes place at 141.

Keys To Victory:  The Panthers are favored in 5 of the 10 bouts, while Missouri is favored in 4, while the heavyweight bout is a complete  toss up. With a dual this close, bonus points are going to be huge. The Panthers have an opportunity for bonus points at 157 and 184. Missouri can score bonus points at 174 and maybe 197. The swing bout is a must win for both teams.

125 Trevor Anderson #21 vs  Noah Surtin #17

133 Julian Farber vs Kade Moore

141 Cael Happel #6 vs Josh Edmond #10

149 Colin Realbuto #13 vs Logan Gioffre #17

157 Ryder Downey #6 vs James Conway

165 Jack Thomsen vs Cam Steed #15

174 Jared Simma #17 vs Keegan O’Toole #1

184 Parker Keckeisen #1 vs Colton Hawks #13

197 Wyatt Voelker #17 vs Rocky Elam #3

285 Lance Runyon vs Seth Nitzel

Conclusion: This one is extremely close and could honestly go either way. I see both teams winning 5 matches and UNI walking away with a 17-16 victory. No matter who wins, there should be some fantastic wrestling.

Along with 174, these two weight classes are the most anticipating in terms of what could possibly happen at nationals. Two Juggernauts at the top, some big names leaving in Trey Munoz who finished 3rd last year and Bernie Truax graduating. There are also some big additions with Edmund Ruth, Silas Alfred, Gabe Arnold, and obviously Carter Starocci.

#1. Parker Keckeisen- Showing partiality to the returning champion, we believe that if he gets the chance to come up against Starocci that his relentless offense will be too much for his defensive style. Not many people know that these two have faced off in the past under freestyle. Parker came out on top back in 2018, but the same question for Haines vs. O’Toole still counts here, how will the match go under folk style. These two just wrestled an outstanding match at the NWCA All-Star Classic. The match ended in overtime with a 4-1 Carter Starocci victory. We suspect a different result the next time out, although either man winning is possible. 102-6 overall with a 94 percent win rate. Preseason rank of #2 with Flo and #2 with wrestlestat.

#2. Carter Starocci- Striving to become one of the greatest of all time, it is hard to place him here based off of a freestyle match that happened forever ago but a win is a win. We think we speak for all of us when we ask, will he be able to remain dominant with the move up from 74. While his losses are only due to injury, his wins are dominating and he remains control over everyone he faces but he’s not the bonus machine like Parker is. For these little things we put him in 2nd. Although, he more than proved he is capable of winning the whole damn thing. Honestly the top 2 could go either way. Preseason rank of #1 with Flo and #1 with wrestlestat.

#3. Dustin Plott- Perfect spot for him at No. 3, once again, maybe Dave Taylor has come in and introduced something new for Plott to use against Keckeisen being that they’ve faced off three times, Parker winning all three. To Plotts credit he only lost to Lenny Pinto outside of Parker, he’s a tremendous wrestler but we believe this is a two man race at the top. Unanimously preseason ranked #3 across the board and we agree.

#4. Gabe Arnold- Has already showcased three wins on the season this year in the first three duals as a freshman, took on some high profile All Americans last year in Lennox Wolak and Will Feldkamp showing he can wrestle in the top 5. Has a good chance at taking out both Bennett Berge and Dustin Plott. Also capable of pushing points against the top 2, but a win might be too much to say just yet. 10-1 overall record at 90 percent win rate. #6 with Flo and #8 with wrestlestat.

#5. Bennet Berge- Looking really solid last year at 25-7, had a great final match against Trey Munoz finishing 4th, he has to be on every podium list. He had two tough losses against Sam Wolf, once in a dual and the other in the Big 12’s which knocks him down on our list a little bit. We’ve seen him lose to Dustin Plott already, It will be interesting to see how he does against Ruth. 32-12 record overall with a 72 percent win rate. Preseason rank of #6 with Flo and #5 with wrestlestat.

#6. Edmond Ruth- Returning Big 10 champion at 174 eventually falling to Rocco Welsh at nationals but still beat him at Big 10’s. Held his own remaining within the top 5 for most of the season , is holding out okay at 84 so far with a 4-2 record. Suffered tough losses against Brian Soldanoin and Will Ebert. Bounced back defeating Dylan Fishback.

#7 TJ Stewart- even though he struggled at nationals last year, we have a spot on our list for wild cards. Losing to #9 Isaiah Salazar in the 3rd round then beating #6 Chris Foca, before losing to #4 Bernie Truax, finally finishing in 7th beating #23 David Key, he’s all over the place. We’ll see if he discovers some consistency this year but we still believe he finds his way to the podium. 28-9 Overall at 75 percent. Preseason rank of #9 with Flo and #8 with wrestlestat.

#8. Max McEnelly- Took on some quality wins last year as a freshman, #26 Brian Soldano #10 Aaron Ayzerov, #11 Colton Hawks and several other unranked guys, a lot of people underestimated this young talent, but we believe he has the capability to make it even  higher on this list. Undefeated 15-0 to date, Preseason rank of #11 with Flo and #15 with wrestlestat.

Looking back again at 184, most of us could agree it’s looking like a two man race at the top with Dustin Plott being unable to find a way to beat Keckeisen. Are one of these guys outside the top 2 able to come in and bring an upset? I don’t believe so, but stranger things have happened.

The #11 UNI Panthers kickoff their dual meet season on Sunday November 24th at 1 pm in Cedar Falls Iowa, hosting #9 South Dakota State in what should be an fantastic dual. The dual features 13 ranked wrestlers and 6 ranked head to head bouts. The main attraction is a top 5 match at 184 lbs.

Don’t Miss: The 157 bout is a matchup of two former Iowa State Champions and both are nationally ranked. 184 is a top 5 matchup, anytime Keckeisen takes the mat its a must see attraction.

Keys To Victory:  The Panthers are favored in 5 of the 10 bouts, while SD State is favored in 3, while 2 of the bouts remain a toss up. With a dual this close, bonus points are going to be huge. The Panthers have an opportunity for bonus points at 141 and 184. The swing bouts are must win for both teams.

125 Trevor Anderson #21 vs  Jordan, Tanner #6 

133 Julian Farber vs Cardinal, Derrick

141 Cael Happel #6 vs Gross, Caleb 

149 Colin Realbuto #13 vs Martin, Alek #20

157 Ryder Downey #6 vs Siebrecht, Cobe #18

165 Jack Thomsen vs Gaynor, Connor

174 Jared Simma #17 vs DeVos, Cade #4

184 Parker Keckeisen #1 vs Berge, Bennett #5

197 Wyatt Voelker #17 vs Glazier, Zach #12

285 Lance Runyon vs Rasmussen, Luke

Conclusion: I see UNI winning 6 of the 10 bouts, and winning the dual 20-13. South Dakota State picks up wins at 125,174, 197, and heavyweight.

A lot of talent at 74, arguably the most active out of all the others, about half of the top 10 currently listed ,5 of them have moved up or down to wrestle here. Several returning All-Americans, things will be interesting this year.

#1. Levi Haines- Hard to admit even as Iowa matmen, but give credit to where it is due. He already shut Keegan O’Toole out at the World Team Trials this year and yes it was freestyle and yes he’s moving up in weight. But he’s filled out and looks like a big 74, almost unrecognizable compared to this past season at 57. The main reason is shear momentum, he looked so confident against O’Toole and is highly expected to stay undefeated. 48-2 overall at a 96% win rate. Preseason rank of #2 with Flo and #2 with wrestlestat.

#2. Keegan O’Toole- Has to be number two and while he may have had a an off day at the World Team Trials, a rematch could look a whole lot different in folk. Keegan has seemed to struggle a lot with freestyle anyways. sWe can’t count him out, to his credit he’s a professional scrambler and exemplified great success against David Carr when he was still around, will it bring a different dynamic to a rematch? Of course it will, the real question is, will it be enough to beat Haines monstrous offense. 93-4 overall at 95 percent win rate. #1 with Flo and wrestlestat.

#3. Dean Hamiti- Even though he he lost in the blood round this past year at 65, he gave Mesenbrink some serious trouble this past march at Big Tens and at one point was up 6-1. He’s capable of scoring against the top 2, has a hell of a gas tank and has some offensive skill. Hopefully the transfer to the Dave Taylor show at Oklahoma State has taught him more to add to that offensive skill set. 81-14 overall at am 85 percent win rate. #5 with Flo and #3 with wrestlestat.

#4 Lenny Pinto- The Nebraska junior is back and is down a weight class, back at his more natural weight class of 174. He is a prefect 2-0 on the year and is currently ranked 6th by Flowrestling. In high school he was a Pennsylvania state champion and 2019 Fargo National Champion. He has quality wins over DJ Parker, Ryder Rogotzke, and Jaden Bullock.

#5 Nelson Brands- there is a case for someone up and coming at this spot, but with our bias and some rightful facts Brands belongs here. Beating out Dustin Plott twice and Isaiah Salazar once makes him 3-0 against like opponents with Bennett Berge but being at 74 changes things. Can he wrestle the same way with the weight cut. With last year off due to allegations, many believe he’s not ready to compete. After a 2-1 start this year, shaking off the bugs is to be expected. 43-20 record overall with a 68 percent win rate. Preseason rank of #5 with Flo and #10 with wrestlestat.

#6. Carson Kharchla-Carson is in his final season at Ohio State and is a returning all-american after placing 7th in 2022. He was a2x Ohio state champion, as well as an Ironman and Fargo champion with a 101-4 career record. So far in college he has a 68-15 record and has impressive wins over Cam Amine, Alex Marinelli, Alex Facundo, and Michael Caliendo.

#7. Cade Devos- Finished 5th last year at nationals with South Dakota State, very important to note they have developed him into something special. He didn’t have the flashy high school record that everyone else on this list has had and honestly fell into a slump after his dynamic freshman season. Last year turning things around going 26-3, we could expect to see something big out of him in his final year of eligibility. 107-36 overall with a 74 percent win rate. #4 with Flo and #4 with Wrestlestat.

#8. Simon Ruiz- Almost a dark horse contender coming off a 14-1 redshirt freshman year with Cornell, he could almost be higher on list solely based on riding Rocco Welsh into overtime just barely losing to him. A victory against seasoned Lennox Wolak displays that he can compete at the All American level. Is not ranked with either Flo or Wrestlestat.

#8. Lennox Wolak- Placed 6th last year at nationals, losing first to Rocco Welsh by SV then losing to Mekhi Lewis. Taking him to a 5th place match against Cade Devos whom he beat in the Semi-finals but fell short to at nationals, which gives him a perfect spot on our list. Already off to a good start this year at 2-0 pinning both Ethan Riddle and Clayton Whiting at the Mountaineer Invitational. 60-33 overall entering his final year of eligibility at a 64 percent win rate. #7 with Flo and #5  with Wrestlestat.

With a whole lot of transfers and weight shifting we will see if some of these guys wrestle better here, we believe it truly is a two man race and will be challenging for anyone outside of Haines and O’Toole to come and take this storied rematch away.

The dual meet of the year is upon us, and this year’s Cy Hawk meeting is taking place in a sold out Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City! Broadcast live on Big 10+. This is the biggest dual of the season thus far, and it features two outstanding teams with state bragging rights on the line. The dual meet features two top 10 ranked teams with 15 of the 20 starters ranked nationally. The 2nd ranked Hawkeyes host the 6th ranked Cyclones Saturday November 23rd at 6PM.

History: The Hawkeyes have dominated the series winning 69 of 87 meetings between the two teams. The Iowa Hawkeyes have also won 19 straight. The years meeting between the two rivals appears to be a good one as both teams have looked solid so far! 6 of the 10 bouts will be head to head ranked matches, while the dual could feature 3 top 10 matchups. The Hawkeyes are a perfect 3-0 on the season while the Cyclones are 1-1.

Don’t Miss: Ayala vs Frost at 133 will be a fantastic match. Drake has a high offense attack style, while Frost is a fantastic counter wrestler.  Parco vs Echemendia is another outstanding contest.

Keys To Victory: The Hawkeyes are favored in 8 of the 10 bouts. So they just need to win the matches they are favored to win. Iowa State needs to pull a few upsets and score bonus points along the way. Many questions remain for the Iowa State line up. For instance; will we see Yonger Bastida or MJ Gaitan? So without any further ado let’s take a look at each match and I will do my best to give you a winner and team score.

125 #31 Kale Peterson VS Adrian Meza

133 Drake Ayala #7 VS Evan Frost #5

141 Ryder Block VS Zach Redding

149 Kyle Parco #4 VS Anthony Echemendia #7

157 Jacori Teemer #1  VS Paniro Johnson #11

165 Michael Caliendo #2 VS Connor Euton or MJ Gaitan #9

174 Nelson Brands #9 VS Aiden Riggins

184 Gabe Arnold #6  VS Evan Bockman #16

197 Steven Buchanan #1 VS Christian Carroll #20

285 Ben Kueter #11 VS Daniel Herrera

Conclusion:  I see the Hawkeyes gaining victories at 125, 165, 174, 184, 197, and Heavyweight. 133, 149, and 157, are tossups in my opinion, and I favor the Cyclones at 141. It will be interesting to see how Paniro Johnson looks. He hasn’t wrestled a college match in over a year. If he is in shape, he is as tough as they come. Christian Carroll at 197 is very underrated. Last summer he scored impressive wins over Tony Cassioppi, Trey Munoz, and Jacob Warner. While Iowa appears to be heavily favored I expect Iowa State to show up and wrestle tough, Daniel Herrera has been very impressive thus far and I expect he will present Kueter with a few problems. Bockman and Arnold could be another fight to the finish. The 125 bout could also be closely contested. This will be a fun dual to watch, with so many tough battles. My prediction is a 22-9 victory for the Hawkeyes!