en-us Copyright 2006-2009 Flocasts Inc Fri, 9 Jan 2009 18:37:32 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/assets/portal/simple30/images/logos/flowrestling-logo.gif http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/play/114732 Russ Ventimiglia at the Tinley Quad Friday 11/28/08. This is the second round where Russ faces a kid from Tinley Park High School, Il. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/play/114732 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:29:21 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/play/114716 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/play/114716 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:37:21 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/331-tom-borrelli Tomorrow the Tom Borrelli's Chippewas take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the semi finals of the Virginia duals. Here Borrelli talks about the match and what he likes about the Virginia duals. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/331-tom-borrelli Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:31:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/179-teague-moore Clarion coach Teague Moore talks about his team and how they are doing up to this point. He also discusses where they are going and what he likes about the Virginia Duals. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/179-teague-moore Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:20:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/737-john-mesenbrink Arrowhead graduated a lot of individuals making the way for some new guys to take foot on the mat. It will be interesting to see if any can have breakout tournaments this weekend at the cheesehead. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/737-john-mesenbrink Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:13:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/726-why-the-iowa-hawkeyes-wont-win-the-national-duals National Duals Preview and Picks  Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling.org  While our crew at Flo will be at the Virginia Duals this weekend, which boasts national powers Lehigh, Oklahoma State, Central Michigan, and Edinboro, there will be another frenzy of dual meets in the Midwest.  This weekend is the annual NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, theoretically crowning the best dual meet team in the country.  As always, it is a star studded field, with top ranked Iowa looking to defend its crown and win the event for the fifth time.  The Hawkeyes will certainly be tested though, as they are one of seven top ten teams entered in the field.  There are enough salient match ups that this is worth a full bracket preview equipped with picks.  First Round (seeds appear before team names) #1 Iowa vs. #16 Wyoming This match is more about the future than the present.  Iowa is a runaway favorite and the popular pick to win the entire tournament.  Wyoming hardly has the name recognition of the Gold and Black, but being entered in this tournament is an important first step in the overall plan of first year head coach Mark Branch.  Branch is the type of young, enthusiastic head coach needed to spread wrestling outside of the Big 12/Big Ten vice grip.  His Cowboys finished 19th in Vegas, with red-shirt freshman Joe LeBlanc being the surprise of the tournament at 184 pound.  LeBlanc defeated Nebraska standout Vince Jones there to finish 3rd, and shouldn’t be counted out against Hawkeye star Phil Keddy.  While I don’t expect this one to be close, it is the change in attitude and the expectations that go along with just being here are the real wins for Wyoming.  #8 Minnesota vs. #9 Buffalo Minnesota finds itself in an unusual spot.  They are seeded 8th here and ranked outside the top ten for the first time in years.  This is a green Minnesota squad, and while they may not make serious waves in this tournament, they match up well with the Buffalo Bulls.  Kevin Smith, the Bulls wins leader, meets Minnesota’s best wrestler, Jayson Ness, at 133, Mickey Moran, the most experienced member of the Bulls lineup meets super talented redshirt freshman Sonny Yohn at 184, and John Martin-Cannon draws Tyler Safratowich at 157.  While this is the Minnesota team for a school like Buffalo to upset, the match ups just aren’t there.  #5 Missouri vs. #12 Penn State Anybody who follows the NCAA basketball tournament knows that there is a 5-12 upset every year.  While Penn State would certainly hope that this steadfast rule carries over to wrestling too, it will be an uphill battle.  The Missouri upper weights have the kind of firepower the Nittany Lions cannot handle.  From 57 up, the Tigers are brutal, and I don’t see either Dan Vallimont or Quentin Wright being able to steal decisions for Penn State.  The Nittany Lions need to build momentum in the first four bouts.  Marcus Hoehn and Frank Molinaro, as well as the Vallimont-Michael Chandler and Wright-Raymond Jordan bouts will be key for Penn State, but I don’t think this one will ever be in doubt for Missouri.  #4 Nebraska vs. #13 Northwestern One of the impressive storylines of this season so far has been Nebraska’s ability to overcome a series of off-season distractions and reload after a resurgent 2008 season.  Northwestern lost boatloads of experience, and while they have a few outstanding individuals, they will have a tough time overcoming the Cornhuskers depth.  Nobody has a top of the lineup quite like Nebraska.  They trot out Jordan Burroughs, Stephen Dwyer, Brandon Browne, Vince Jones, Craig Brester, and Tucker Lane.  Oh my.  Burroughs and freshman phenom Jason Welch will have everybody watching in this one, but a less showy but equally intriguing match up is Husker freshman John Burns against NCAA qualifier Keith Sulzer.  Burns has raced out to a 14-3 record, cracking the Nebraska duals line up against Michigan.  He gets much less press than Welch, the other true freshman in this dual, but could turn some heads with an upset of Sulzer here and fuel the Husker victory.  #3 Cornell vs. #14 Michigan Will we see Troy Nickerson this weekend?  That is the question on the mind of everybody in Ithaca.  Nickerson has been out of action since the first weeks of the season.  If he is here and healthy, the Big Red are as good as anyone in the country.  Mike Grey is back to 133 and looks like himself again, and Jordan Leen, Mack Lewnes, and Steve Anceravage is a difficult middle of the lineup to get through.   Meanwhile, this Michigan team looks familiar; three absolute studs in Kellen Russell, Steve Luke, and Tyrell Todd, but matching up in every match they’ll have trouble.  Luke and Anceravage will be worth the price of admission, but Cornell should win going away.  #6 Ohio State vs. #11 Northern Iowa The Buckeyes have a chance to roll here.  They came into the year with national title hopes based on last season’s runner up finish.  While that goal is doubtful, Tom Ryan’s squad has the balance to be successful in duals.  They have few wrestlers that will overwhelm you but plenty that beat you.  Northern Iowa suffers from a case of bad match ups.  Their best wrestlers seem to catch the best the Buckeyes have to offer.  However, the Moza Fay-Colt Sponsellor rematch at 165 will have everybody in the arena watching.  Fay has been spectacular this year, while Sponsellor is an aggressive fan favorite.  While I think Fay will win the battle, the Buckeyes should win the war.  #7 Wisconsin vs. #10 Boise State Wisconsin was my preseason sleeper.  Boise State is also one of my unheralded teams to watch.  Unfortunately they draw each other here in the first round.  While I like the young squad from Boise State, in particular I think Jason Chamberlain is a flat out stud and will defeat veteran Kyle Ruschell, I like the Badgers here.  Zach Tanelli looked like a world beater at Midlands, Andrew Howe may be the best of a strong class of freshman, and they could get bonus points up top from Dallas Herbst and Kyle Massey, which will push this one over the edge.  #2 Iowa State vs. #15 Indiana The Hoosiers lower weights have been the strength of their lineup for years now.  Starting matches with Angel Escobedo, Matt Ortega, and Andrae Hernandez is a great way to build momentum.  Unfortunately, Iowa State has Nick Fanthorpe to match up with Ortega and Nick Gallick to match up with Hernandez.  From there, the Cyclones have a bevy of wrestlers that can put up bonus points, and I don’t see the Hoosiers being able to keep up.  The best match here is Kurt Kinser and Cyler Sanderson.  Sanderson has really impressed me this season, and this should be his first of a couple big wins this weekend.  Quarterfinals #1 Iowa vs. #8 Minnesota I just sat and looked at the potential match ups here, trying to pick out which bouts would be key.  But as I scored the bout to myself, I was blown away with just how much I expected to see the Hawkeyes win by.  Jayson Ness and Daniel Dennis will be a great individual match up, but if Dennis pulls the upset it is possible that the Gophers will only win one match.  Although this is a Minnesota team caught in a rebuilding year, it’s still Minnesota, and the Hawkeyes will send a message in this one.  #5 Missouri vs. #4 Nebraska This will be the battle of the big guys.  From 157 up, all of the matches are barnburners.  Top ten wrestlers face each other at 57, 65, 74, and 97.  All four of these are tosses, with each team slightly favored in two.  The separation up top will come in the battle at 184.  The Huskers Vince Jones is much more proven, but the Tigers Dorian Henderson has bottomless talent and will be a star in the future.  For right now though, I like Jones in the match up.  The other key for Nebraska will be the performance of heavyweight Tucker Lane.  He’s been impressive, but Mark Ellis is national title good.  If Lane can avoid bonus, coupled with the Jones win, I like the Cornhuskers here.  But it’ll be the match of the day. #3 Cornell vs. #6 Ohio State This will be another nail biter.  The health of Josh Arnone will be critical here.  Arnone defaulted out of the consolation bracket at the Southern Scuffle after making his first appearance of the year.  If he does not wrestle or even if he’s not on top of his game, Cody Gardner can and will win here.  That splits my bout count 5-5.  The question of Nickerson’s health is also a concern.  Without him here, Nikko Triggas swings another match in the Buckeyes favor.  Ohio State also has a good shot at bonus points with Mike Pucillo lurking at 184.  The first upset of the day comes with the Buckeyes knocking off the Big Red.  #2 Iowa State vs. #7 Wisconsin While the dual here should be a comfortable Iowa State win, Nick Gallick and Jake Varner should both be out for revenge.  Gallick was defeated by Zach Tanelli when Iowa State beat Wisconsin 27-7 earlier in the season.  Tanelli has been a giant killer recently, knocking off Corey Jantzen and Alex Tsirtsis at Midlands, giving him three wins over top two wrestlers already this season.  Varner has split is matches this year with Dallas Herbst, with Herbst winning the latest installment of the rivalry and claiming a Midlands title.  If both Iowa State wrestlers avenge these losses, the final in this one won’t be pretty.  Semifinals #1 Iowa vs. #4 Nebraska Is it possible?  Can anybody beat the Iowa?  The Huskers certainly think so.  There are two keys here to fuel the upset.  One is Jordan Burroughs matching whatever bonus points Brent Metcalf puts up.  Second is how well Nebraska’s other stars perform.  Stephen Dwyer and Brandon Browne have huge toss ups with Ryan Morningstar and Jay Borschel.  Should they win those two, the upset then is really brewing.  While Iowa is much better suited for tournaments, Nebraska matches up well with them in a dual setting.  Iowa has already had a close call with their archrival Iowa State, and if they are at all looking ahead to a rematch, they’ll be watching an all Big 12 final.  I smell an upset here by Nebraska.  #2 Iowa State vs. #6 Ohio State This bout will come down to three toss ups.  The first is at 133 where Reece Humphrey and Nick Fanthorpe clash.  Humphrey has made the leap this year from young wrestler to contender.  Fanthorpe had a similar breakout last season, and now is one of the nation’s elite.  Humphrey has more to prove here, and I like the hungry dog in the fight.  The next important bout is 141.  This weight class has been topsy-turvy all year long, and nothing is a better sign of that than the struggles of defending national champion J Jaggers.  If the Buckeyes want to go to finals, they’ll need him to beat Nick Gallick.  At this point, I don’t see that happening anymore.  Finally, two sophomore studs will clash at 165.  Colt Sponsellor is a goer, while Jon Reader likes to control tie-ups and pace.  Sponsellor has struggled at times when his motor can be slowed down.  This will put the Cyclones over the edge.  Finals #2 Iowa State vs. #4 Nebraska Like all of their duals this weekend, Nebraska will need to keep it close in the early going.  If Tyler Clark, Fanthorpe, Gallick, or Mitch Mueller pick up bonus points, this one is over.  But then that stellar top of the line up will have a chance to work.  Stephen Dwyer will have to have yet another stellar performance on the day, as he takes on Jon Reader in a must win.  Craig Brester will also need to defend his top ranking in the nation when he wrestles the man he claimed the title from, Jake Varner.  Even if things fall so perfectly for Nebraska and they avoid early bonus points and win those two toss ups, Iowa State still has one thing they don’t:  a closer.  A great heavyweight is like the back end of a lights out bullpen.  It’s tough to win when Mariano Rivera is lurking to finish.  Iowa State has a Rivera in Dave Zabriskie.  If this comes down to the wire, which it very well could. Zabriskie is the kid you want to see running out if you’re a Cyclone fan.  He’ll close the dual, and Iowa State will be your 2009 National Duals Champion. Ian McCutcheon http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/726-why-the-iowa-hawkeyes-wont-win-the-national-duals Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:52:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/221-matt-pell Spiderman vs Batman Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/221-matt-pell Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:21:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/1984-steve-garland Steve Garland talks about the Cavaliers team that is heading to The Virginia Duals and what to expect at the Duals. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/speaker/1984-steve-garland Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:40:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234470-virginia Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234470-virginia Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:22:51 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/photos/album_assoc/189693 Photos from... Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/photos/album_assoc/189693 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:34:25 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234463-wrestling-and-workout-facilities Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234463-wrestling-and-workout-facilities Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:45:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234462-campus-tours Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234462-campus-tours Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:28:11 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234460-cheesehead Results Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234460-cheesehead Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:31:25 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234457-ohio-state-vs-kent-state Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234457-ohio-state-vs-kent-state Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:21:36 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Andy Hrovat/5549-russian-training Andy Hrovat http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Andy Hrovat/5549-russian-training Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:23:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Brandon Scott/5532-florida-state-rankings-january-3-2009 The official half-way point of the season has been reached. What lays before us is a clearer picture of contenders and pretenders. What we know is this - Brandon is for real. Led by Eric Grajales and a host of super-duper diaper dandies, the Eagles are primed for one of their biggest outputs in their recent (and glorious) history. A 54 - 15 defeat of South Dade exposed a chink in the armor of preseason favorite South Dade. With the recent rise of Oviedo, Osceola, and the looming, but somewhat distant Columbus squad, are the Bucs capable of reaching the top of the summit? As they say, that's why they wrestle the matches. 103 1. Travis Laxton - Junior, Suwannee 2. Earl Hall – Frosh, South Dade3. Ricky Rodriguez – Senior, Belen Jesuit 4. Marco Gomes – Junior, Douglas 5. Richard Bliss – Sophomore, Springstead 6. Dryden Dennis – Frosh, Northside Christian 7. Jeremy Hall – Junior, Lincoln 8. Brandon Jorge – Frosh, Lake Gibson 9. Terry Tran - Junior, Edgewater 10. Mookie Forbes - Wakulla11. Brayton Logan - Junior, North Ft Myers12. Mark Gulesian - Soph, ColumbusThe first big news here is the unfortunate end of a career. Flagler Senior JR Lopez has decided not to wrestle this season. I also hear that Laxton may move up for the state series, apparently to challenge TBC's Kevin Norstrem. That would be an amazing state finals! No other head -to-head matches have been wrestled since my last rankings, so welcome to the ladder Brayton Logan, a state placer a year ago in 2A and Columbus' Gulesian, who is probably ranked too low. 112 1. Alex Chiricosta – Senior, Douglas2. Kevin Norstrem – 8th, Tampa Bay Christian 3. Ryan Renkey – Senior, Brandon 4. Armani Harris - Junior, American5. Quintavian McPherson – Junior, South Dade 6. Mike Hess – Frosh, Jensen Bench 7. Tony Milanes – Junior, Alonso 8. Joey Hefley – Soph, Oviedo 9. Alex Backer - Senior, Winter Springs 10. Alex Hamm - Junior, Durant 11. Blaine Ison – Soph, Palmetto Ridge 12. Timothy Locksmith - Freshman Osceola 13. Travis Fulk – Soph, ManateeWe have a new #1! Chiricosta defeated Norstrem at the Zac Jarzynka, and although I love Norstrem's body of work, for the moment, Chiricosta has earned his spot above the rest. I've dropped Dawson of Brandon out of the rankings, as it seems Renkey has solidified his hold on his spot in Brandon's ridiculous line-up. Renkey also majored McPherson, and is very close to supplanting Norstrem as the state's #2. Harris enters the rankings at 112. American and South Dade did not meet at the District 16 Duals, denying us all a Harris - McPherson match. But alas, they did meet on the wednesday BEFORE and Harris won. 119 1. Gabe Chandler – Senior, Braddock2. Rossi Bruno – Frosh, Brandon 3. Kyle Grueninger - Senior, Countryside 4. Robert Herrera - Senior, Sarasota 5. Cody Singletary – Junior, Palmetto Ridge 6. Mauricio Villanueva – Senior, South Dade 7. Matt Noffo – Junior, Columbus 8. Cody Ross – Frosh, Springstead 9. Domingo Simmons – Senior, Cardinal Gibbons 10. Craig Barker - Senior, Citrus 11. Nick Hynes – Junior, Zephyrhills 12. Dalton Dennis - Soph, Northside ChristianChandler ascends to the top spot after defeating Brandon's Bruno. All I can say is, thank God for youtube! An exciting match, to say the least, it is clear that Chandler is looking to avenge his brother's loss to Grueninger. 125 1. Eric Chandler – Senior, Braddock 2. Tyler Liberatore – Frosh, Brandon 3. Jacob Gregory – Senior, Manatee 4. Nick Soto – Soph, Springstead 5. Alex Curley - Senior, Winter Srpings 6. Matt Jones – Senior, Osceola 7. Kevin Lowery - Martin County 8. Alex Paraschuk - Soph, Riverdale 9. Paul Marcello – Senior, Cardinal Gibbons 10. Matt Barrera – Senior, Miami Springs 11. Stephon Jenkins - Senior, Oviedo12. Jeff Pitts - Soph, MosleyNo movement here, no fun!130 1. Clark Glass – Frosh, Brandon 2. George Gulesian – Senior, Columbus 3. Wilson Metellus - Senior, South Dade 4. Joe Locksmith - Junior, Osceola5. Matt Nereim – Junior, Winter Springs 6. Garrett Soileau - Senior, Clay7. Tre McCollough – Soph, Wakulla 8. Alex Abramat – Senior, Cypress Bay 9. Austin Brown – Junior, Sarasota 10. Josh Burgess - Senior, Belleview 11. Jeffrey Pitts – Soph, Mosley 12. David Gonzalez – Senior, Jesuit 13. Robert Rojas – Frosh, South Dade 14. Hugo Espinoza – Senior, EdgewaterGlass makes me look like a genius after defeating Metellus at the District 16 Duals. For the moment, I am dropping Metellus to 130, because I believe he will stay here in an effort to avoid Osceola's suddenly dominant Pete Baldwin. The Metellus-Glass match is also on youtube, and it looked like Glass is the better wrestler, a statement I never dreamed of making, especially at this point in Glass's young career. Soileau takes a move down after losing to Brandon back-up (and defending State Runner-up) Hutchinson at the District 16 Duals. Unfortunately, we were denied a Soileau-Metellus match-up. Also, Nereim and Locksmith flip-flop again, after Locksmith won the Jarzynka over his rival. 135 1. Eric Grajales – Senior, Brandon 2. Pete Baldwin - Soph, Osceola 3. Jake Rio - Senior, Columbus 4. Alex Doran – Soph, Manatee 5. Jordan Frease - Senior, Countryside 6. Gunnar Magliocca – Senior, St. Thomas Aquinas 7. Leo Santibanez – Junior, American 8. Zach Boyer – Senior, Robinson9. Hans Rasmusson – Junior, Jupiter10. Ariel Bosque - Junior, Palatka11. Brad Saxton - Senior, Palmetto Ridge12. Jimmy Kahle - Soph, Mosley13. Luke Grantham - Senior, Suwannee Badwin has to be the most unassuming superstar in the state. At the conclusion of another stellar senior class, Baldwin is setting himself to be one of, if not the, best Florida wrestler. He defeated two State Champs on the way to a win at the Jarzynka, and just continues to showcase dominance from the top position. Welcome to the rankings, Kahle (6th at Jarzynka), Bosque (returning State Placer) and Grantham (winner over Kahle at Capital City Classic). 140 1. Kevin Timothy - Senior, Brandon 2. Ray Parrado – Senior, Goleman 3. Brent Jorge –Senior, Lake Gibson 4. Oxsunn Ramirez – Senior, Southwest 5. Chase Gordon – Junior, Oviedo 6. Dustin Paridon – Senior, Mosley7. Gabriel Bird - Junior, Osceola 8. Dillon Dennis - Senior, Northside Christian 9. Daniel Pritz - Hernando 10. Scott Varner – Junior, Wakulla 11. Mardel Gabriel – Soph, Doral 12. Wilfred Perez – Junior, Miami Sunset 13. Billy Ortiz – Senior, Cypress Creek 14. David Isme – Senior, LelyIn an effort to maximize state points, I believe Bird will stay here at 140. However, his recent performance may indicate that move may not be the smart one. At the Jarzynka, Bird lost to Jorge and Ramirez. Jorge has cemented himself as one of the state's best, after defeating the aforementioned Bird and Gordon in the same weekend. 145 1. Shakendrick Sanders – Senior, South Dade 2. Joe Cozart – Junior, Brandon 3. Carlos Montero – Senior, Bloomingdale 4. Nick Rex – Senior, Lake Gibson 5. Tucker Raich – Senior, Jupiter Christian 6. Bryce Neff – Senior, Charlotte 7. Daniel Dykes – Senior, Manatee 8. Nic Hajner - Senior, Cypress Creek 9. Michael Rodriguez - Senior, Ely 10. CJ Burke - Junior, Cardinal Gibbons11. Darius Fleurimond - Senior, Palm Beach Gardens12. Richard Manwarren - Senior, RidgeviewNo changes. Welcome to the rankings, Fleurimond and Manwarren. 152 1. Alex Eggers – Senior, Osceola 2. Kyle Mills - Senior, Clay3. Wally Figaro – Soph, Brandon 4. Frank Pettineo - Senior, Cardinal Gibbons 5. Allen Pena – Senior, Columbus 6. Geordan Speiller – Frosh, St. Thomas Aquinas 7. Antonio Starr – Senior, Hialeah Miami Lakes 8. Lee Wildes – Junior, Oviedo 9. Zach Pincus – Senior, Wellington 10. Adam Lessor - Senior, Ocala Forest 11. Julian Eddie – Senior, South Dade12. Deanarius Wilson - Senior, Gainesville Some great movement here! Mills moves up on the strength of wins over both Speiller and Figaro at the District 16 Duals. Wilson enters the rankings after placing 4th at the Jarzynka, over Wildes. The two did not meet head-to-head. 160 1. Didley Weche – Senior, Miami Pace 2. Chris Figari – Senior, Bloomingdale 3. Frank Cousins – Junior, St. Cloud 4. Erin O’Dell – Junior, Oviedo5. David Richardson - Frosh, Lake Gibson 6. John Nichols - Senior, Lakeland 7. Isaac Riley – Junior, Manatee 8. Luis Montalvo - Senior, South Dade 9. Kyle Koziel – Frosh, Brandon 10. Michael Wexler - Senior, Ocala Forest 11. Tyler Hayes - Senior, Okeechobee 12. Kyle Thacker - Senior, Riverdale O'Dell makes the big move up after defeating Richardson in a close match at the Jarzynka (the match did end in a pin, however). Cousins is apparently at 160 to stay, so, he enters here. Other than that... blah. 171 1. Jacob Harmer – Senior, Gainesville 2. Levi Clemons - Junior, Osceola3. Antonio Talley - Senior, Dunedin 4. Luke McGurrin - Senior, Bolles5. Zaq Berridge – Senior, Brandon 6. TJ Sturgeon – Senior, University 7. Julian Martinez – Senior, Miami Pace 8. James Bland - Senior, Avon Park 9. Davin Morris – Senior, Oviedo 10. JC Velasco – Senior, Coral Springs 11. Max Piasecki – Junior, Jensen Beach 12. Dominick Pierre – Junior, Coral Springs CH Clemons finally showed the talent I thought was apparent and gave Harmer a close match at the Jarzynka, losing 3-2. If there is a such thing as a "moral" victory, this was it. Got word that Bolles Senior and defending State Champ will be staying at 171. Also Clemons moves up to #2 after majoring Talley at the Kowboy Kup Duals. 189 1. Caylor Williams – Senior, Palm Bay 2. David Castillo - Senior, American3. Kendall Ivy – Senior, Alonso 4. Jay Taylor – Soph, Oviedo 5. Luis Alba - Junior, Cypress Creek 6. Chris Ferrito – Senior, Seabreeze 7. Scot Wern - Senior, Springstead 8. Matt VanScoy – Senior, Gainesville 9. Mike Ettore – Soph, Brandon 10. Billy Kartsonis – Senior, Episcopal 11. Travus Webster – Senior, South Dade 12. Justin Wilson – Junior, Western 13. Trevor Dunn – Junior, RiverdaleI've finally moved Alba up to 189, and I'm sure I will regret it. He hasn't competed at 171 yet, but as soon as I write this, I'll bet he does. Ah, such is the life of a ranker. The top 4 at 189 all inhabit Class 3A, and I don't see anyone touching Williams. He has already beaten Alba, and bumped up to beat Michael Ducre of Dr. Phillips. 215 1. Willie Wiggins – Senior, South Dade 2. Dylan Gamret - Senior, Palmetto Ridge 3. Michael Ducre - Senior, Dr. Phillips4. Mike Miller – Senior, Orange Park 5. Michael Albadin – Senior, Columbus 6. Ariel Klein – Senior, Cooper City 7. Wilder Rislin – Senior, Poinciana 8. Casey Hines – Senior, Bradford 9. John Sennett – Senior, Miami Pace 10. Shawn Henderson – Junior, Coconut Creek 11. Louis Gonzalez – Senior, Lely 12. Emilious Davis – Senior, South MiamiNo moves, although Ducre enters the rankings at 215. I hear he'll be going back down to 189. 285 1. John Dixon – Junior, Ridgeview 2. Henry Chirino – Junior, American 3. Caleb Rainwaters - Junior, Palmetto Ridge4. Danny Vinegra - Senior, Braddock5. George Mills - Senior, Winter Springs6. Donovan Green - Junior, Timber Creek 7. Eugene Scott – Senior, Unversity 8. Cody Barton – Senior, Bayside 9. Byron Dames – Senior, Jupiter Christian 10. Brenton Clayton – Senior, Lakeland 11. Alex Wethy – Junior, Columbus 12. John Lopez - Senior, Palm Beach Gardens 13. Josh Wofford – Senior, Palm Bay 14. Steven Jacques – Senior, South BrowardSay hello to Vinegra. The Braddock Senior owns a pin over Mills, while Mills enters the rankings after defeating Green in the finals of the Lyman Inv. Brandon Scott http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Brandon Scott/5532-florida-state-rankings-january-3-2009 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:15:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Martin Floreani/5463-whats-wrong-in-cali The fresno area is full of wrestling nuts. More dense per capita than Jersey. I really havent seen it that crazy in any place. I love the passion they have for wrestling even if it has taken a steady turn into fanaticism. The rivalry between Selma and Clovis is at another level. These teams really hate each other. And yes, "hate" is a strong word. I hear, maybe to the delight of some Selma fans, that the Tirapelle's got suspended from coaching their arch rivals and the defending State Champions, Clovis HS. Selma fans shouldnt be happy but probably are about the developments. I cant really blame them for being happy, they are in a competitive mindset and anything that gives them an advantage is a good thing. However, the fact is that a NCAA Champion turned California State team champion coach Adam Tirapelle, is out of coaching in their area for at least a year (who knows if he ever comes back). In this whole ordeal there has been vague statements by the administrators with nothing that completely adds up. Rumors have been spread that this has its roots in recruiting violations. What the haters never understand is that success breeds success. Parents are always going to want their kids to be taught by the best. They will move into the area and make sure their kids have the best teachers, and there isnt anything wrong with it. Raise your hand if you want your kids to be taught by teachers with a proven record of success on multiple levels. Maybe this was a campaign against Steve Tirapelli and Adam was thrown in for good measure. Either way Im pretty sure the kids education was not taken into effect when making the decision. Instead it probably was the right mixture of politics, personal vendettas and, of course, success that did Adam Tirapelle in. I have learned as much from wrestling about life than I did in the classroom, and i believe that Clovis just lost one of the best teachers they had. If I were Adam I probably wouldnt be back at Clovis next year, I would go and coach somewhere else. Start from the ground up and start winning championships. Parents, seeing how good the team was, will started moving into the area to have their kids be educated by one of the best. At that time I would be ready for the haters to start accusing me of cheating all over again. Of Course that is only if I were Adam Tirapelle with his coaching abilities. So unfortunately Adam Tirapelle and his father are suspended for a year, however fans from schools like Selma should be secretly calling Adam Tirapelle asking him to stay in the valley to continue coaching their arch rivals. If Selma wants to be a national player in wrestling they are going to have to have top notch competition locally. Steel sharpens steel. You have to take a step back to see the forrest from the rivalry that engulfs the mindset in the fresno valley. If Adam decides not to coach Clovis anymore expect Selma to have more "success". But "success" is one hell of a relative term. The fact is a revamped and reorganized Selma will go down as never being able to have beaten a Clovis with Adam Tirapelle on the staff. That is why if I were a fan at Selma, which I am, I would be just waiting for the day for Adam Tirepelle to be coaching Clovis again, marking a rare event that Selma wrestling fans have the same interest as Clovis wrestlers and parents. Martin Floreani http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Martin Floreani/5463-whats-wrong-in-cali Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:12:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Ben Askren/5455-home-for-the-holidays Dec 25 Happy holidays everybody, I am just getting home to Columbia, MO. The team had a really good practice today and last night getting ready for the Midlands, I am very excited because the midlands is so tough this year, but I really think the Tigers are ready to break out, only a few days and we will know. I also had a really good training camp in Florida, learning how to fight. It has been a lot of fun so far and I have my first fight on Feb.7 right here at home in Columbia, MO and I think that it will be streamed live on purefight.com, but I can't say for sure yet. If you want to here anymore about me hit up benaskren.net. The topic of my blog today will be skin conditions in wrestling. I know you don't like hearing it and I don't really like talking about it, but the fact of the matter is skin conditions are an issue in wrestling. When I went back home to work out with the Arrowhead Warhawks they had some bad skin problems and I thought a lot of it had to do with lack of education. Knowing that my HS coach is very intelligent and involved made me realize that this is a widespread problem. So hopefully the next paragraph will get you informed and keep your team on the mat this season. Like I said the first thing that I think can be done about skin problems is educate the kid, because there is nothing worse than a kids who spreads staph or herpes to half the team before he realizes he has anything wrong and just thinks he has a strange looking cut. It doesn't take long, maybe 30 minutes to teach kids what things look like and that they need to get off the mat before they spread the problem to their teammates. Also how many times have you seen a kid hide something because they dont want to miss one practice, you have to teach them that one practice isn't a big deal in the larger scheme of things when whatever skin problem they have could really hurt the team. The second thing you need to do is prevent. To me this means two things cleaning the mats and getting kids to shower properly. As far as cleaning the mats properly it should be everyday either before or after anyone has used the mats. A product we have used a lot this year at Missouri is CSG sport coatings, they do stuff for a lot of sports, but also have a branch directed at wrestling. Their wrestling specific site is http://www.csggrp.com/sas/wrestling.html. After cleaning the mats you have to get kids to shower properly, too many kids are using the shower gels which have limited cleaning power. An example of a good show product is hibiclens, this combined with the CSG sports coatings Sportsaide has kept Missouri cleaner than any year since I have been here. Lastly it is so important to get guys of the mat when they got something growing on them. Like I said one or two days of practice isn't worth getting the whole team infected. I hope this helps and I hope you have a great season. I also wish for Christmas that all you Flo fans can make it to St. Louis in March and cheer for the Missouri Tigers. Ben Askren http://www.flowrestling.org/blogs/blogger/Ben Askren/5455-home-for-the-holidays Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:02:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/695-the-last-chapter Eric Grajales, at the ripe old age of 19, is having a mid-life crisis.In just a few months the nation’s best wrestler will no longer wrestle for Brandon High School. At 7 pm on February 21, 2009, Grajales will don the white Brandon Wrestling singlet for the last time.He won’t cry, but for a moment he will be at his introspective best.His entire life, all he has ever wanted to do was wrestle for Russ Cozart and the Brandon Eagles. “What am I going to do when I don’t wrestle for Brandon anymore,” he thinks.“While some of my classmates wanted to be veterinarians, or whatever, all I ever wanted to do was wrestle for Brandon.” The nations’ best high school wrestler is also a member of the nation’s most historic team.A documentary was filmed a year ago about the team’s season.It has a Hall of Fame Coach, in Russ Cozart.The Brandon High School Wrestling Eagles own the world’s longest winning streak in any sport at any level, after winning 459 straight dual matches.This team, it’s all he’s ever known, all he’s ever wanted. Imagine having everything you ever dreamed and wished for, and having to leave it behind.Now you know how Eric Grajales feels. Eric Grajales’ story as a Brandon Wrestler doesn’t start in a sweaty, musk gym.It doesn’t begin by watching the WWE on television and a chance meeting with a neon-colored flyer.   His initiation began exactly 28 years ago when Cesar Grajales, a wrestler at Pinellas Park fell head over heels in love with Leslie Baker.Ironically, their first meeting was at a football game. “It was very uneventful,” Leslie recalls.“We just knew from the start that we belonged together.” The longest the two have been away from each other was during the summer months following Leslie’s sophomore year of high school.Young Cesar had to travel north to work in his uncle’s auto shop to save money so that, during the wrestling season, he didn’t have to.After that, the two traveled north together whenever Cesar had to go. “We’ve been living together, basically, since I was 17,” Leslie says.“All we had was each other.We knew we wanted to give our kids everything and give them the opportunities we didn’t have.” The two love birds moved north permanently after Leslie’s graduation.However, Leslie became home-sick, as living in New Jersey, she knew no one except Cesar.She returned home to Florida in late November.Predictably, the relationship hit a rough patch, as the two had to decide whether to continue the relationship or possibly, break up.The decision was made for them on a chilly night on Christmas Eve. Leslie’s mother, tragically, passed away after being involved in a car accident.There was never another discussion about breaking up.Cesar stayed in Florida to console Leslie, and never left her side. The two eventually had children, three in all, in Anthony, the oldest, Melissa and finally Eric. Cesar and Leslie eventually started their own business, Rubber City, Inc., an auto shop in St. Petersburg.A highlight of their dedication is the hour drive to work that the Grajales’ brave every day.The burgeoning business afforded them the ability to dote on their three highly successful children. Anthony, known in wrestling circles as Cesar, was a top-ranked recruit himself and is enrolled at Penn.Melissa is a future law student, attending the University of Florida. Eric is the youngest and you can see that his personality is an amalgamation of his siblings and parents.Eric has the compassion of his mother, the work ethic and leadership of his brother, the mental toughness of his highly independent sister, and the sense of humor and vision of his father.Eric is the kid that lights up the room, is always ready with an intelligent quip and the one who leads by example. Big Cesar, is the architect behind the success of both of his boys.After transferring to Brandon his senior year, he always knew he wanted his boy or boys to wrestle for Cozart.He knew Cozart would push his kids the same way he pushed every one of his other wrestlers.Through wrestling, his boys would have the opportunities he never did – namely, go to college. After Anthony turned 5, the Grajales traveled twice a week, an hour away to practices in Brandon for the elementary-aged kids. “Our lives changed forever,” Leslie says. What followed was Cesar doing everything possible one father could do to ensure the success of his children.His boys and other future Brandon wrestlers traveled the country, looking for the best matches and the best competition - all in an effort to become the best wrestlers possible. “The goal was never to be good in Florida,” Cesar says.“It was to be good on a national level.” Tulsa Nationals was one of the largest national tournaments the boys went to.Anthony and Eric both came within a match or two of placing their first time competing.After that, Big Cesar decided that the boys would focus only on wrestling.No more peewee football or baseball. “They [Eric and Anthony] were not happy about it,” Cesar says. Showcasing his strength and determination, Eric made a deal with his dad.He told him he would wrestle at Tulsa Nationals and win, and that the next year he was playing football. “I said deal,” Cesar says.“The next year, just like he said, he won it.” Early on Cesar decided that he would lead by example.When they would work out, Big Cesar would lift alongside his boys.Father and sons would go on 5k runs.He would take them to wrestling camps and take notes.He made sure they saw that he was willing to do the same things he expected them to. “The desire to win is important,” Cesar says.“But the desire to want to train hard is much more important.” And so, Eric’s life has always been co-driven.As father and coach, Big Cesar played the role with delicate aplomb. “Every now and then it gets kind of annoying,” Eric says.“Especially when you’re cutting weight.But we try to be honest with each other 100% of the time.We each understand the other one’s position.” Eric started wrestling sometime after he turned 3.From the beginning, working out with the Brandon Wrestling Club and Coach Cozart, he has been a phenom. “I thought he was a little ball of fire,” Cozart remembers.“He was all muscle, really aggressive and a really good wrestler, even then.” His talent apparent, Eric admits that Cozart was the right coach for him. Because Eric Grajales is no saint. “I wasn’t a bad kid,” Eric says.“But I like to push people to their limits.He [Cozart] always put me in my place.” On a day that Eric states was probably a bad one for Coach Cozart, he added fuel to the fire.While warming up, jogging around the mats, Eric and workout partner Austin Figari decided that pushing the other wrestlers would be a better warm up.Coach Cozart didn’t agree.He sent the two deviants to do push-ups in the corner. “At first, we were making jokes, laughing,” Eric remembers.“After about 20, 30 minutes it got old, and after 45 minutes we’d do about 3 or 4 pushups every 5 minutes or so.” The two did pushups the entire practice… all ninety minutes of it, and Eric got the point.Not that he didn’t continue to push the boundaries, but he knew when to back off.He realized Coach Cozart would help him become the wrestler he so desperately wanted to be, but he realized it would be by Cozart’s rules. Russ Cozart fostered and developed Eric’s ability the only way he knew how. It was the only way he coached and it was the same way he coached his own two sons – hard work.The Brandon Wrestling Club opens the door for wrestling every day. Russ Cozart is wrestling, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Much in the same way he busts his own tail on a daily basis, he expects nothing less from his wrestlers. Eric picked up on that.His earliest memories are of a bearded Cozart, wrestling in open tournaments right along side his own sons, Rocky and Joey. Saturday’s were a family day, with the Grajales’ and whomever else from the Brandon Wrestling Club decided to travel.Through trips to cities such as Las Vegas, Atlanta, Chicago and Oklahoma City, Eric has seen much of the country’s sports arenas.He loved every minute of it, and it didn’t hurt to have teammates of similar mind. Every wrestler who joins the Brandon Wrestling Club dreams of one day having their name placed on The Wall.It is the place where all of Brandon’s 70 State Champions have their name marked under their weight class and year.While it is common for athletes to dream big, it is unholy common to have athletes, plural, work big.Every week of Eric’s life at least 2 times a week, he trained with the Brandon Wrestling Club.And every week, at least 4 times a week, the club was filled to the brim with other kids with the same dream and the same work ethic. Coach Cozart’s greatest accomplishment isn’t the 459 dual-match winning streak, it isn’t the 19 Team State Titles he’s won, and isn’t the 139 All-Americans he’s coached.It’s the culture he has created, where coming to practice year-round and doing so with your fullest effort isn’t enough. At Brandon, you’re expected to come to every practice.You’re expected to work hard in practice, every day.You’re expected to wrestle tournaments every Saturday.You’re expected to win a State Title.You’re expected to be an All-American.And while at most programs you have 2 or 3 guys who are willing to pay the price, the Brandon Eagles average 20 – 30 wrestlers at every practice.If Coach Cozart says there is 5 am run on Christmas morning, you can bet that everyone will show up. This atmosphere, this camaraderie is what Eric craves.He eats it up, he lives it, and he basks in it.It’s a lot easier to go through practice with 20 other guys suffering with you. Monday through Friday it was intense training with constant repetitions.On Saturdays it was time to compete, and win.Coach Cozart is a realist. While he understands and coaches his kids to enjoy the work and practice necessary, deep down, it’s about winning.It’s about winning wrestling matches week in and week out because your opposition is not training as intense, or as often, as you are. It is no coincidence, then, that Eric Grajales will continue the next chapter of his illustrious career at the Division I school of his choice. That next chapter will start in Ann Arbor, Michigan.On October 14, he committed to Coach Joe McFarland and the Wolverines. That the Number 1 ranked recruit in the nation got away from the likes of Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Minnesota isn’t that much of a surprise.It happens a lot more in collegiate wrestling, than say, NCAA Division I football, where powerhouses like USC and Florida build a veritable storehouse of talent.Thanks to a scholarship limit of 9.9, there is a lot more competition for the best recruits.Still, for a wrestler not even to consider the supposed “top” schools is an anomaly. “I wanted a balance between academics and athletics,” he says.“Not to say they aren’t good schools, but Iowa, Iowa State, it doesn’t add up.” Consider, Eric Grajales is one of those kids.Beyond Michigan, he considered and visited Cornell, Penn and Columbia.That’s Ivy, Ivy, Ivy and then one of the nation’s best public schools.When it comes to academia, Grajales is Einstein with a suplex. “I have a 4.78 GPA,” he says. “I guess I have good genes, because I never study.”He says this with a shadow of arrogance and a lot of gratitude. Remember that kid?The one who rarely does homework, rarely studies, rarely stays awake in class and still manages to pull a 97 on every test?That’s Eric Grajales.He remembers everything, the first time.Absolutely nauseating to the rest of common society, he admits, that, if anything, his grades should be better.But he doesn’t try, and he doesn’t have to.Because even when he doesn’t try, he’s still better than average. Brandon High offers AP Calculus to those few daring and intelligent individuals looking for a challenge in the discourse of math.At 7:25 in the morning, Eric Grajales saunters into the classroom, sits in his desk, and goes to sleep. A certain recipe for failure for the other 95% of the population, Grajales sleeps his way to two C’s.His mother received a phone call at least twice a week from his Calculus teacher, expressing concern that Eric was sleeping in class, and that he was not reaching his full potential. “His teacher would literally have him stand next to his desk,” Leslie recalls. “It didn’t seem to have a point,” Eric says with disgust. Couple that with the daily three-hour grind sessions that Coach Cozart’s practices are known for and the extra 3 or 4 mile run at 8 o’clock every night and you have one really disinterested Calculus student.That he pulled a C is a testament to his intelligence.Even without caring, without being even marginally interested or involved Eric Grajales passed a class a majority of Americans have never even seen the book cover for. His achievements in Honors and AP classes in addition to his first-try score of 1240 on the SAT afforded him opportunities most secondary students only dream of.But he always knew he’d go to a good school.He expected it.His parents expected it, and it was never in doubt.Now he simply had to make the first real big decision of his life.He made a check list. Great Academics Great Wrestling Teammates who share same goals Coach I can Trust to push me The weather was the only thing that did not play a part in his decision.Living in the Sunshine State, Eric knew wherever he went, it would be cold. “Whether its -10 degrees or 0, it’s still cold,” he says. New York (Columbia) and Philadelphia (Penn) were just too big, and Ithaca (Cornell) was too small. “I couldn’t see myself in a big city like New York or Philadelphia,” he says. “I know it would be too much of a distraction.At the same time, I didn’t want to be in the sticks.” And there was something that itched him the wrong way when he took his visit to the Ivy Schools. “A lot of the guys had different intentions.They wanted to get amazing degrees and wrestle along the way,” he says.“I want to win an NCAA title and have great academics.” Predictably, Grajales had a great time when he took his official visit to Michigan. “They’re supposed to show you a good time,” he says without a hint of naiveté.“But even when we weren’t out doing something, I could, just, you know, hang.All of the wrestlers, were just, wrestlers.” The wrestlers talked about bringing home the school’s first NCAA Team Championship.They talked about working hard and pushing each other in practice every day.The more they talked, the more Grajales respected these guys.He felt the same camaraderie that he felt when he talked with his Brandon teammates back home. Grajales respects wrestlers like you respect a NAVY SEAL.“People don’t understand what wrestlers go through,” he says with a bit of anger seeping out.“If you’ve never done it, you don’t know anything in my book.” Grajales isn’t talking about wrestling for four years as a high school wrestler. He’s talking about logging over 10,000 miles in extra running, just to make weight.He’s talking about giving up every single Spring Break to train at the Olympic Training Center, sometimes three times a day.He’s talking about wrestling year round and traveling annually to Vegas and Fargo, ND.He’s talking about training 4 -5 days a week in the so-called off-season.He’s talking about sacrificing meals, plural.He’s talking about not going to the movies with friends.He’s talking about not hanging out with a girlfriend who worships at your feet.He’s talking about not being at home for months on end to train in a sport where you are thrown on your head in practice. He’s talking about sacrifice.Grajales, like every other elite athlete, is married to his craft.For better or worse, in success and defeat, sacrifice is the unforgiving bitch of a wife who needs your attention like an unborn child needs an umbilical chord.The training that is necessary to compete for wrestling is far more taxing than anything a boxer or an MMA fighter experiences.Imagine training for the biggest fight of your life, every week for 11 months.While boxers and MMA athletes train with similar intensity, they do not train at a similar length.An elite boxer and/or MMA athlete train for, max, 2 or 3 fights a year. But Eric can’t help himself.As much as he’d like to spend more time with friends or eat that second helping of his Mom’s Cajun Chicken Alfredo, he can’t.He loves to win.He loves to have his hand raised, while his opponent’s head nods in defeat.Much in the same way a symphony was meant to be appreciated by an audience, Eric Grajales loves to put on a show for any and everyone watching him.The bigger the crowd, the better. “I want to get my hand raised in front of hundreds, thousands of people,” he says.“I love that pressure.” Due to his incessant quest for training, it has only been on rare occasions that Eric has not had his hand raised.He has never lost a Greco-Roman match at the nation’s most prestigious junior/high school tournament – code name Fargo. The Asics Cadet and Junior National Championships, held annually in Fargo, ND, is, ‘where State Champs go to die.’ It is the world’s largest tournament and it is also the single most important tournament in a sport where scholarships at the Division I level are scarce.Place top eight in this tournament, where it is not uncommon to have more than 70 competitors in a single weight class, and you can pretty much punch your ticket to a Division I school. Or, you can just beat Eric Grajales. Like adding seasoning salt and pepper to any dish, wrestling is Eric Grajales spiced up.As if wrestling wasn’t easy enough, he wants to do it, thrives on it.Nothing inspires him like stepping on the mat.He feels at his best, most complete and happiest inside that circle.He wants to destroy every opponent he faces.   Eric Grajales wants your mother to scream in terror and for your girlfriend to be embarrassed of you.He wants to feel the moment that your mind tells your body that it’s not worth it to fight back - give up. If at all possible, he would not feel in the least bit guilty if some poor soul quit the sport after a thrashing.It would be a compliment.Step on the mat with a bear, and prepare to be mauled. There is nothing cautious about Eric’s wrestling.There are those wrestlers who approach a match like playing chess with your great aunt and her arthritic wrists.Slow and methodical is not the preferred pace. Ike Anderson’s official title is Greco-Roman Developmental Coach.He’s the guy responsible for finding and honing the abilities of the next crop of American Greco-Roman wrestlers.A style where attacks below the waist are forbidden, Americans, have been, historically, deficient at the World and Olympic Level. Greco, does not in any way resemble, Folkstyle, the style employed by American High Schools and College.Folkstyle wrestling much more closely resembles Freestyle, a style associated with names like Dan Gable, John Smith and Cael Sanderson.It’s no wonder then that, as the nation’s #1 high school wrestler, Eric will stake his claim as a force to be reckoned with as a Freestyle competitor during the next Olympic Cycle. Nope. “Eric hates freestyle,” Anderson says with delight.“I’ve never met a kid like him.He’ll do Folkstyle, then in March, Greco.He’ll wrestle Freestyle for Team Florida at national tournaments, but that’s it.” Even at a young age, Eric has always been great at Greco. His American age-group opponents were mastering the gut wrench.This move starts as your opponent is lying prostrate on the mat and your hands are locked on or above the waist, heads facing in the same direction.Driving your feet like a sprinter off the blocks, and keeping your hands locked, in one continuous motion, you roll and arch your back, ultimately finishing in the same position you started. Meanwhile, Eric had mastered the crowd-pleasing, mother-hating Reverse Lift.The move that made 3-time Olympic Champion Alexander Karelin the most feared wrestler ever, is, and has always been Eric’s favorite move.Opponent prostrate on the mat, Eric positions himself atop and to the side of his opponent, forming a T.While facing his opponent’s feet he reaches over his opponent’s waist with one hand, the other scooping underneath. Eric locks his hands, stands straight up and arches his back, lifting his, now defenseless, opponent chest high, arms and legs flailing.As Eric’s back arches in a backwards crescent motion, his arms drive his opponent into the mat at a 90-degree angle. The top of the cranium is often the first body part to feel the mat. It is the most vicious move possible, in the world’s most vicious sport. Cozart remembers that during Eric’s first year of wrestling, the Brandon Wrestling Club made the reverse lift a part of its daily practice regimen. “I remember watching some little kids at a tournament doing it,” Cozart says.“I thought, hey, if they can do it, why can’t we?” Cozart warns that the move is not as simple as it looks, nor as spontaneous as it may seem.It takes hours upon hours of practice and years of experience to be able to hit it consistently on good wrestlers.You love Thanksgiving, Eric loves reverse lifting.He’s added his own personal touches, and over the years has learned to make adjustments, on the fly, depending on how his opponent reacts. Try to “dead-weight” yourself and he’ll load you up on his knee.Try to circle behind his legs, and he’ll pivot his heel and spin accordingly. Try to run him over and he’ll straighten his back, his hips exploding with such force that his back and knees force his body into a perfect ‘I.’ If Eric Grajales gets his hands locked in the reverse lift position – enjoy the ride. Anderson first saw Eric wrestle at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Chicago.  He watched him repeatedly reverse lift every opponent he wrestled.He was just 14. “You’re talking about a move that, at that age is not common,” Anderson says.“It is common for the Europeans, who don’t even know what Folkstyle or Freestyle is.At an early age he was hitting moves that guys on the University and Senior level do.He was like a European.” That Anderson compares Eric to a European may be the highest compliment possible.Our friends across the ocean focus on one style their entire lives, and at a young age, are taught with the same system that creates World and Olympic Champions.In Russia, you must have at least a master’s degree in physical education to become a coach.Imagine having a John Smith or Dan Gable at every high school in the nation, and the effect it would have on the development of our athletes.Eric was wrestling like them. There were no holes in his Greco, nothing he was not athletic enough to do, no move he didn’t pick up the first time.He’s so good he can see a move once, and five minutes later, try it in a match, and hit it perfectly.He would try to score at every opportunity, with no regard for the score, no regard for position.Anderson watched this phenom and knew that if he didn’t get Eric to understand that defense wins championships he wouldn’t reach his full potential. “I told Eric, if you score 12 points on a guy and he scores 13, you’ll lose,” Anderson recalls.“He didn’t think it was important and that was the thing I worked on the most with him.” Ike Anderson is responsible for the Eric Grajales that now inhabits the Greco Circuit.Whenever Eric would venture to the Olympic Training Center the two would work on Eric controlling himself, staying in positions that would keep his opponent from scoring on him.At the top of the to-do list was Eric’s gut-wrench defense, of which, Eric had none.The endless drilling, learning how to fight the gut wrench properly using your hips as a weapon, completed him. Ironically, it also gave him a gut wrench that he can hit on almost anybody.Slowly, Eric decided that defense was important. “I’m always worried about my attacks,” he says.“Ike didn’t necessarily want to slow me down, but he wanted me to be more meticulous.He wanted me to keep my elbows in and not take all the chances.” He finally put it all together last March at a tournament in Bulgaria. “I finally saw that he was getting it,” Anderson says with satisfaction.“He finally grasped the concept.” In addition to his vast array of offensive weapons, Eric had made himself near-impossible to score on.After placing third, Anderson knew his star pupil was ready to wrestle at the Senior Level. Eric called Anderson for advice some weeks after that tournament.He was thinking about wrestling at the US Senior Open.He wanted Anderson’s honest opinion on whether or not he should even try it.Anderson assured Eric he was ready. Anderson was so certain that he fought for Eric to get seeded.Eric wasn’t a trailblazer, as wrestlers in high school had wrestled in and done well prior on the Senior Level.That he was considered to be seeded in the top 8 was, however, noticeable.He had never competed at the Senior Level, although he had practiced with some of the guys who did.The first question at the coaches meeting that would determine the seedings, was, why?Why did Eric deserve it over guys who had, at the least, wrestled in the Senior Division? Anderson, armed with the knowledge that he personally knew Eric was ready not only to compete, but win, rattled off his list of accomplishments.Former Greco Athlete of the Year, 2-time Junior World Team member (losing only to the champion and third-placers) and 3-time Fargo Greco Winner.A few of the other coaches in the room, including Steve Fraser, The National Greco-Roman Head Coach, had seen Eric wrestle and they all agreed he deserved a seed. Seeded seventh, Eric, in short, wrestled the tournament of his life. “It was crazy, he hadn’t even trained that much [Greco] prior to it,” his father says.“It was great timing with the fact that he had peaked for the State Tournament.So he was in great shape and shortly after State there were a ton of guys in the room training with him. He wrestled the best I have ever seen.” When the tournament was over, Eric was not the National Champion, but he had wrestled above his seed.He finished fifth, again losing only to the eventual champion and third-placer.Along the way, he scored the most points in the tournament, scoring a technical fall in every one of his wins.To score a technical fall Eric had to outpoint his opponents by at least 6 points in two separate periods or score a 5-point throw (think, reverse lift). His talent, his drive, his work ethic, his ability, his potential, was on display at the best time possible.He had qualified for the Olympic Trials as just a high school junior.Although he wouldn’t make the Olympic Team, or place, Eric had cemented himself as the possible future of Greco Wrestling. At about 8:25 on February 21, 2009 Eric Grajales will complete his career as Florida’s second 4-time undefeated State Champ.He will etch his name into the conversation as possibly Florida’s greatest wrestler ever. He will be at his introspective best. Damn, what do I do now? Brandon Scott http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/695-the-last-chapter Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:19:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/667-brute-northeast-duals-match-ups We got a nice side with your left over turkey: The 2008 Brute Northeast Journeyman Duals brought to you by Frank Popolizio in albany NY. Flowrestling will be there all day Saturday and cover some key matchups. FOLLOW ALL COVERAGE HERE ON FLOWRESTLING This dual tournament is big for schools like Bucknell, Drexel, American, Harvard, Lehigh, NC Greensboro ect. These schools are fighting for qualifiers and with the new qualifing system if they can knock off a top ranked wrestler early and have a solid rest of the year they could be in store for a trip to NCAAs even without winning their respective conference championship. This is a huge opportunity for a lot of wrestlers around the country. This tournament can be considered a path to the NCAA tournament in March.  We got some interesting storylines: University of Iowa Hawkeyes will be facing their first test within the top 20 with Central Michigan. In past years there were upsets at the Northeast duals. Remember when Hofstra upset the untouchable Minnesota? This year the only team that could feasibly do that would be Central Michigan but the odds are stacked against them. Obviously all eyes will be glued on Brent Metcalf to put on a performance.  It will be interesting to see what Missouri does. They are ranked in the top 5 again this year after getting bumped down last year. They are favored in all their duals but it will be interesting how Nick Marable does. He was ranked #1 preseason but is battling in every match for the victory. In his first match of the year he lost to a Bucknell wrestler. His last couple of bouts have come down to the wire. Also interesting to see howBrian Smith deals with their heavyweight controversy is going. Mark Ellis, round of 12 in 2008, may have earned his spot back after winning the Missouri Open. Dominque Bradley took 3rd after being the starter for the last couple of dual meets. Dorian Henderson, Max Askren and Raymond Jordan are other wrestlers to watch. Oklahoma State will come to this tournament after beating ODU in 7 of 10 bouts. They will be facing Pat Santoro's Lehigh first round. We will keep an extra close eye on Clayton Foster 197lbs. A top recruit in 2007, he failed to qualifier for NCAAs. He followed that up with placing 3rd in the world this summer at Junior Worlds. How will he wrestle? He could be a huge "unforeseen" weapon for the Cowboys if he can wrestle up to his potential. Keep an eye on Rosholt to see how he performs...Should he be ranked #1 in another year of a wide open Heavy Weight division?  The many more teams and many more matchups and story lines to follow. Follow all week as we build up to the NorthEast Journeyman Duals. Iowa will be facing: Binghampton, Maryland, CMU and Bloomsburg Missouri will be facing: Old Dominion, Maryland, Harvard and Brown Oklahoma State will be facing: Lehigh, Virginia, App St, and American Central Michigan will be facing:Bucknell, Iowa, American, and Drexel Virginia will be facing: Oklahoma State, Harvard Bucknell Lehigh will be facing: Oklahoma State, NC Greensboro, Binghampton, App St Maryland will be facing: Drexel, Iowa, and Missouri  Harvard will be facing: Old Dominion, Virginia and Missouri American will be facing: NC greensboro, Brown, CMU and Oklahoma State       Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/667-brute-northeast-duals-match-ups Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:01:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/647-highest-ranked-coaches-and-coaches-in-must-win-situations Ian McCutcheon Contributed to this article. Flowrestling did the poll.   We took a poll of Division I coaches as well as members of the wrestling media to determine who the top ten coaches in the country are.  Though not necessarily an order of the most successful, these are the coaches that do the best jobs with their programs.  No surprise, most of the top programs in the country are represented here.  There also was a poll taken to determine what coaches will need to see improvement in the next few years, or they may be feeling the heat, because of tradition, funding, or recruiting base.  Below are the results of the poll, with small assessments of each selection.Top Ten Coaches in the Country   1. Tom Borrelli, Central Michigan (MAC Conference) Athletic Director  Dave Heeke:  Nobody in the country does more with less.  Borrelli tops this list because he has built a national powerhouse out the Central Michigan Chippewas in his 17 year reign.  A year ago, he led the Chippewas to a 7th place finish at the NCAA Tournament, which is astonishing considering that he operates with a fraction of the budget of the Big Ten and Big 12 schools he consistently beats.  He is 188-85-6 in his career at Central Michigan, and has won nine MAC Championships.  But his most impressive accomplishments are beyond the MAC.  Every year there are a host of Chippewas contending for medals and championships, which is really the hallmark of any top program.  No other school in such a small conference has mirrored Central Michigan's success.  He has been able to draw top talent to Central Michigan despite the MAC as a whole being hampered by the old qualifying system.  With qualifiers opening up, even more wrestlers may be drawn to Mount Pleasant.  This is a scary proposition, seeing last year CMU had the nation's top ranked recruiting class.  The one piece missing from Borrelli's impressive resume is a NCAA Team Title, but that could be a very real possibility in the near future.     Some things to look out for in 2009: His right hand man and first NCAA Champion Casey Cunningham was lured away by Iowa State. Mark Disalvo, a 2x All American (and a classic Central Michigan overachiever) has filled in nicely but who will train the Central Michigan upper weights? Wynn Mikahlik, NCAA Runner-up, and the Sinnott twins are going to have to try and fill the shoes of Casey Cunningham.  This year's version of the Chippewas will be a little wet behind the ears, but they sky is the limit for this young team in the coming years.2. Tom Brands, Iowa (Big Ten) Athletic Director Gary Barta: Its hard to argue with winning. Tom Brands restored the marquee program in college wrestling to prominence by winning the NCAA tournament with Iowa in just his second year as their head coach. It is hard to imagine how things could get any better, but he just might make it happen. Brands brought in a ridiculously talented staff this year with over half the Freestyle Olympians now residing in Iowa City. It is going to be hard to knock off Iowa this year no matter what the polls say. Wrestling is king in Iowa and Tom Brands is making the best of all the tools he has at his disposal. And at Iowa you certainly have tools.  Unlike any almost any other program in the county, Iowa is the golden child of the athletic department, as well as the marquee athletic team in the talent rich state.  But with that comes a serious pressure to win, as seen by Jim Zalesky being replaced after finishing 4th at NCAA's.  Some coaches would struggling to handle those sometimes unrealistic expectations.  But Brands is not most coaches.  Widely regarded as the most intense man in a sport full of intensity, Brands' greatest strength is the faith his wrestlers have in him.  The sign of a great leader is people's willingness to follow, and six kids were willing to give up a year of their college eligibility because they felt Tom Brands was the guy who was going to make them accomplish their goals.  Few higher compliments can be paid to a coach.   That certainly was a legal and public relations mess, but it solidified his place as a guy kids want to wrestle for.  But it's not just the "Iowa Style" kids that Brands has made successful.  One of this best moments as a coach had to be Mark Perry's first NCAA title. Perry was hardly a physical, in your face wrestler, and he and Brands butted heads on more than one occasion.   But Brands was able to get Perry over the hump, snap an eight match losing streak to Johny Hendricks (who is the type of guy I'm sure Brands dreams of coaching) and won his first NCAA title, as well as the first title for one of Brands' pupils.                     Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Loaded.  They could All American at eight weight classes, and they have six wrestlers legitimately competing for a national title. Iowa is the odds-on favorite. 3. Brian Smith, Missouri (Big 12) Athletic Director Mike Alden: Upon graduating from Michigan State, Brian Smith entered the coaching ranks by putting Western High School in Fort Lauderdale Florida on the state map. He slowly moved up the coaching ladder, stopping at Cornell and Syracuse before taking the Missouri job in 1998. Mizzou at the time was perennially in the cellar of the Big 12 and rarely considered for the top 25. Since that time Brian Smith has made the Tigers contenders for a national title. During the 2006-07 season they became the 11th program in the history of college wrestling to hold a #1 ranking, completing an astonishing rebuilding job.  They finished 3rd in 2007 and are currently ranked 4th for the 2008-9 season. Furthermore they are consistenly in the top ten in attendance, a sign of the change in culture in Columbia.  Missouri high school wrestling has also entered the national radar with such a strong college program in the state. The Columbia community is actively involved in the push to bring home a national title. So far, Brian Smith's coaching highlight was when his team stormed the stage in 2007 with two of the top individual awards at the tournament given to Ben Askren (Outstanding Wrestler award) and Matt Pell (most Pins in the least amount of time).  From Big 12 doormat, to National Championship threat, Smith's epic rebuilding job solidifies his spot.            Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Currently ranked fourth, Mizzou has outstanding upper weights. Can they punch through to the next level and produce multiple NCAA Champions.  They have plenty of oppurtunity with Raymond Jordan dropping to 174 and Nick Marable holding the preseason top ranking at 165. Also look out for Georgia native Dorian Henderson at 184 lbs. Showing outside promise is Max Askren who wrestled at the Olympic Trials and Mark Ellis at HWT.  They are one of the teams that has visions of knocking off Iowa.4. Tim Flynn, Edinboro (EIWA) Athletic Director Bruce Baumgartner: Tim Flynn is proof that it's not how much you have but what you do with what you have.  Flynn has produced 20 All Americans and National Champions Josh Koscheck and Gregor Gillespie in his decade long run at Edinboro.  What makes this impressive is that Edinboro is a 7,000 person school in the remote northwest corner of Pennsylvania where wrestling is the only sport that competes at the Division I level.  Part of the success is due to a strong tradition and support from his athletic director, former Olympian Bruce Baumgartner, but any coach that can keep Edinboro on the national radar year in and year out is worth his salt.  Flynn has less than every coach on this list in terms of budget and state of the art facilities, but keeps attracting and developing top talent.  His Fighting Scots have dominated the EWL, finished as high as 8th at the NCAA Tournament, and have done it all without the glitz and glamor of programs like Iowa and Oklahoma State.         Some things to Look Out For in 2009:  Edinboro made headlines this summer by accepting the transfers of mega-talent Garrett Scott and former NCAA Champion Paul Donahoe, who each were dismissed from their previous schools.  Donahoe will wrestle during the 2nd semester, and joins a lineup with former NCAA Champ and human highlight film Gregor Gillespie, as well as potential All Americans Jarrod King and Chris Honeycutt.  Look for another EWL championship and a high finish at NCAA's for the Fighting Scots.   5. J Robinson, Minnesota (Big 10)  Athletic Director Joel Maturi: J Robinson built Minnesota from the ground up. He left Iowa over an ugly dispute over camp funds and set out to make his mark at a new program. He left coaching altogether, before resurfacing in the Big Ten at Minnesota. He took the team that was an afterthought and made it a perennial powerhouse squad. In his 17 years at Minnesota he is 318-103-3, and has coached 11 wrestlers to National Titles.  His team has also won three national titles and holds more trophies at the University of Minnesota than any other program. In 2001 after several heartbreak finishes at the NCAA championship J Robinson won the Tournament without a single NCAA Champion but an unheard of 10 All Americans. In 2002 the Gophers successfully defended their title. He also added a National Title in 2007.  J Robinson is nothing less than an iconic figure in wrestling and to some extent, in the Twin Cities metro area. However, his real legacy and influence may be made with his intensive camp system he pioneered. His camp blueprint has created one of the major systems of funding for college wrestling, and its alumns include a host of All Americans and National Champions.  He also is one of the great ambassadors of the sport, and his contributions extend far beyond competition. Few market wrestling quite like J Robinson.  He started the Border Brawl event between Iowa and Minnesota that became the biggest dual in the sport. He has done everything under the sun to promote his program and wrestling at University of Minnesota, particularly with his outside the box and controversial thinking. Besides his team making headlines he will often make the news in the Minneapolis area with his outspoken opinions. J Robinson holds more titles than anyone else on this list except for John Smith. He is not invincible, as his Gophers underachieved last season, where they were predicted to run away with a National Championship, but Robinson's squad is looking to turn the page and return to glory this year.            Some things to Look Out For in 2009:   Marty Morgan, J Robinson's right hand man left the staff to coach one of Minnesota's all time best wrestlers Brock Lesnar in MMA. How will the Gophers staff and team respond? The Gophers shouldn't be in title competition right now but they have an extremely young and talented team. They had arguably one the best recruiting classes in the nation last year, even after losing Jake Deitchler to the Olympic Training Center.  And while a team title may be a stretch, they have plenty of wrestlers capable of winning it all.  Jayson Ness was the odds-on favorite at 125, leading the nation in falls and finishing as Big Ten and NCAA runner up.  He moves up to 133 looking to make one more step up the podium.  They also return former NCAA Champ Dustin Schlatter, who is also bumping up a weight class in search of another title.  Another guy to keep your eye on is red-shirt freshman Zach Sanders.  Sanders is the most decorated wrestler in Minnesota state history, and should make an immediate impact in the lineup. 6. John Smith, Oklahoma State (Big 12) Athletic Director Mike Holder: Not many people have five NCAA titles to their coaching names. Then again, not many people are John Smith.  Smith is possibly the most decorated wrestler in American history, and has only expanded his legend in the coaching realm.  Smith took over a program decimated by NCAA sanctions at the tender age of 28.   He won an NCAA title in just his second season, but then Cowboys endured a ten year drought, watching Iowa and Minnesota pass them on the national scene. However, Smith brought the Cowboys back to glory in 2003 with an NCAA title as a mature and seasoned head coach. This was the beginning of a Cowboy four-peat, highlighted by one of the greatest teams in history.  The 2005 installment of the Cowboys crowned five NCAA champions, the most in history.  They also set an NCAA record for points scored and margin of victory. All in all, Smith has crowned 23 National Champions, and no doubt has many more on the way.  Few coaches have the international experience or the ability to surround themselves with championship caliber assistants like Smith.  Any wrestler would be crazy not to want to pick his brain.                 Some things to Look Out For in 2009:  Obe Blanc, Jamal Parks, Clayton Foster, Brandon Mason and Jared Rosholt are wrestlers to watch for the Cowboys. Blanc is a former All American who transfers to Stillwater from Lock Haven after an Olympic red-shirt year.  Parks is a high school national champ that is fast, entertaining to watch, and in a wide open weight class. Clayton Foster just took 3rd in the Junior Worlds this summer, which some consider the second toughest tournament in the world. Brandon Mason moves down to 165, is vicious on top, and has already been on the podium.  And Jared Rosholt is ranked #1 in the preseason ranking at heavyweight.  7. Rob Koll, Cornell (Ivy League) Athletic Director Andrew Noel Jr:   Rob Koll has taken the Cornell program to a point where it is a top contender for an NCAA Championship. And unlike any other coach on this list, he has done it without the aid of scholarships or red-shirt years, both not allowed by the Ivy League.  He also has to deal with the rigid academic standards that come with the Ivy League.  But despite these challenges, Koll has built a national power, unseating Lehigh as the dominant force in the EIWA and has put together a team with a realistic shot at a National Title.  He has not only built up the team he has built up the facilities. Through his savy business skills Rob Koll has found a way to build a standalone wrestling facility for his team that ranks as one of the best in the nation.  This will only help him draw blue-chippers to Ithaca.  Facility improvements, a top notch education, and the ability to compete for a winner are the selling points Koll has used to attract some of the nation's best recruiting classes.  He has bucked the common knowledge that great schools can't also have great wrestling, especially if they don't even have scholarships to give.             Some things to Look Out For in 2009:  Cornell is in the hunt!!! The last NCAA Championship that Cornell won in any sport was in 1977 with a title in Mens Lacrosse, but the Big Red have as good a chance as anybody this season.  They have six former All Americans in their lineup, welcoming back National Champion Jordan Leen, Mack Lewnes, Steve Anceravage, and Mike Grey, and former All Americans returning from injury Troy Nickerson and Josh Arnone.8. Cael Sanderson, Iowa State (Big 12) Athletic Director Jamie Pollard:  When the Ohio State job opened up two years back, it set the wrestling coaching carousal in motion.  Cael Sanderson's name was rumored to be at the top of the Buckeyes short list.  Afraid to repeat their mistake from decades ago when Iowa State let legend Dan Gable flee to Iowa, the Cyclones acted quickly, announcing that Bobby Douglas had resigned at that they were hiring Sanderson effective immediately.  Everybody in wrestling knows of Sanderson's accomplishments.  Just like John Smith, he took over his alma mater at the age of 28.  In his first season, Sanderson was named National Coach of the Year, and the Cyclones were national runners up.  He also coached his first of what will be many national champions, with Trent Paulson claiming the title at 157 pounds.  Sanderson has the ability to put together stellar recruiting classes, as few high school wrestlers are able to say no to possibly the greatest collegiate wrestler in American history.  Iowa State has become a haven for upper weights, as the chance to roll around with Cael is one almost every wrestler dreams of.           Some things to Look Out for in 2009:  Some polls have the Cyclones ranked first, ahead of defending champ and archrival Iowa.  This is based on their incredible tournament strength, with potential National Champions Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Cyler Sanderson, Jon Reader, Jake Varner, and David Zabriskie in the lineup.  They also match up well with the Hawkeyes in a dual setting.  Hopes are justifiably high in Ames this season.9. Tom Ryan, Ohio State (Big 10) Athletic Director Gene Smith:  For years, Ohio State was seen as a sleeping giant in college wrestling.  With all of the high school talent dripping out of Ohio, it was just a matter of time before the Buckeyes were one of the best teams in the country.  In any college sport, they key to success first and foremost is winning your turf.  This was Ohio State's problem, as top programs across the country came and plucked top talent right out of Ohio.  Not so anymore.  Tom Ryan established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the country by turning Hofstra into one of the best teams in the country, building a program at a school with no tradition, little support, and a conference with few qualifiers.  His success at Hofstra drew the Buckeyes attention, and his hire has paid off nicely.  The Buckeyes finished second in the country last season and crowned two national champions, including Mike Pucillio, who followed Ryan from Hofstra.  Almost more importantly, Ryan has started his domiance in Ohio recruting, signing Tony Jameson and Sean Nemac, as well as securing commitments from prep studs Colin Palmer and Logan Steiber.  If Ryan consistently wins Ohio, there is no reason he won't also win a National Championship.     Some things to Look Out for in 2009:  With National Champions J Jaggers and Pucillio back, the Buckeyes feel like they can knock off Iowa for a National Title.  They'll need to replace National Runner up J.D. Bergman, but with Lance Palmer back at 149, Nikko Triggas and Reece Humphrey ready to make the leap from good to great, and high impact transfers Dave Rella and Cody Gardner making their debut, the Buckeyes will be right back in the thick of things. 10. Pat Santoro, Lehigh (EIWA) Athletic Director Joe Sterrett: Lehigh has entrusted former assistant Pat Santoro to return their program to glory after a rough 2007-08 season.  Santoro's rebuilding job seems to be ahead of schedule after the season's opening weekend where he defeated his former team, the 17th ranked Maryland Terripans.  Santoro had previously been the coach at Maryland for five seasons, overseeing one of the best turnarounds in any NCAA sport.  Maryland was a doormat in the ACC, operated with virtually no scholarships, and the program was at a crossroads.  Rather than drop the program, Maryland hired Santoro away from Lehigh and started the Fear the Turtle program, which led to the full funding of all their men's sports.  Blessed with the full compliment of scholarships, Santoro built a program on the verge of being a national power.  Last year, the Terps finished 17th at NCAA's, and Hudson Taylor was the first Terp All American in over a decade.  Both of these accomplishments seemed unheard of when Santoro took the job.  Lehigh hired him away from Maryland in part because he has led to Lehigh's decline.  Maryland's current roster looks like a Lehigh roster during their glory run in the early 2000s.  He has stolen kids away from Pennsylvania, specifically the Lehigh Valley, and Blair Academy, and those important pipelines have been a key to Maryland's resurgence.  If he can bring those ties with him to Lehigh, watch out.       Some things to Look Out for in 2009:  Lehigh's squad already looks improved after one dual.  Four wrestlers made their debut, with John McDonald and Zach Rey winning.  The key for Lehigh's tournament strength will be the performance of David Craig, the stud in their lineup.  Craig was the nation's top recruit and made the Round of 12 as a true freshman.  But his sophomore campaign was a bumpy one, and he spent the second semester on the bench due to academic issues.  If everything is back in order, Craig should contend to All American, and be the first step in Santoro's rebuilding project at Lehigh.     Ten Coaches Who Need to Win 1. Tom Minkel (Michigan State): Once upon a time, Michigan State was one of the flagship programs of the Big Ten.  They are one of only seven different schools to win a National Championship since 1960.  But last season, the Spartans qualified just one wrestler for the NCAA Tournament. Seeing that the Big Ten received over 70 qualifiers, this number is particularly damning.  Michigan and Central Michigan have consistently been beating them to top level in-state kids, and although Michigan State has had stars in the past few years, they have struggled to develop a deep lineup.  This has the natives restless.  Tom Minkel needs a breakout year in a big way. His contract is winding down and there certainly are candidates eyeing this potential opening. 2. Thom Ortiz (Arizona State): Like Michigan State, Arizona State is one of the seven schools to win a title since 1960. Also like Michigan State, they no longer are a perennial top five team. However, unlike the Spartans, the consequences have been dire in Tempe.  The Sun Devils, once the premier program in the Pac-10, barely survived their athletic department's chopping block after last season. A few powerful alumni donated a boatload of money, and will expect a return on their investment. Therefore, Arizona State's struggles at the NCAA Tournament need to end soon. Anthony Robles will certainly be an impact wrestler this season, but more are necessary to restore this team to prominance. 3. Carl Adams (Boston University): There are number of disadvantages that Carl Adams has at Boston University. The first is that Massachusetts hardly provides him with a fertile recruiting base. Second, he is the third fiddle of winter sports at BU, where hockey is the undisputed king, and basketball is among the top programs in the American East. But he does have an advantage that many coaches across the county, including some in much bigger conferences do not: a full compliment of scholarships. In a day in age where so few schools have the allotted 9.9, BU needs to be able to produce more than one All American every 20 years. Mike Roberts certainly had a good year last season, and Hunter Meys was a big recruit, but these need to be the exception, not the rule, if BU wants to be a more national player, and if the balance of power will start to swing from the midwest to the east. 4. C.D. Mock (North Carolina): C.D. Mock certainly has recruited well, but does not have the expected national accomplishments to show for it in his tenure at North Carolina. He has had success in the ACC, winning a pair of conference titles, but has not been able to translate it into significant national success, with only Evan Sola attaining All American status under Mock. He has recruited Pennsylvania especially well, but the slew of highly touted wrestlers from the Keystone State have underachieved. Some in the Tar Heel camp fear that Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina State have passed UNC in the race for the ACC. In an ever improving conference, it's important that Mock and the Tar Heels keep up. 5. Rocky Bonomo (Lock Haven): Years ago, it was Lock Haven that was the dominant small program in Pennsylvania. Like Edinboro, Lock Haven is a small Division II school competing at the Division I level in wrestling. They too have a strong tradition of nationally competitive teams, with studs like Cary Kolat and Jamarr Billman both wrestling here.  The expectation of many in Pennsylvania is that they should still be strong. However, Pennsylvania talent has increasingly gone to Penn State, Lehigh, and Edinboro when they stay in state. There also has been a huge flock of talent leaving the state, particularly to go to the ACC.  This is partly responsible for that conference's resurgence, but also for the regression of schools like Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg, and Clarion. If Bonomo is going to turn the program around, he is going to need to start keeping some of these kids in state. 6. Jack Spates (Oklahoma): You might wonder what a guy who has had more top five finishes than 90% of the coaches on this list is doing on the hot seat. But a 39th place finish at last years nationals will put the heat on for any Oklahoma sport. Part of Jack Spates ailments may be contributed to Oklahoma's high school wrestling settling into the second tier nationally.  Clearly, there is work to do here.  They've started by revamping the coaching staff, the backbone of any successful program, as well as their facilities.  Jack Spates has recently raised the money and built a state of the art facility that has upped the ante on the the spending war between programs. Furthermore Jack Spates brought in Michael Lightner, former 4x All American and NCAA Champ, plus they have renovated their wrestling room, which gives them an advantage both functionally as well as the "wow" factor for recruits.  But with these new tools in place, success will be the expectation.  In early season competition at the Brockport Open the Sooners look stronger, knocking off Edinboro, Central Michigan and Kent State, all ranked opponents. With Oklahoma's tradition and history, the facilities they have, and the support from the Administration they need to be knocking on the door to the top ten and be moving towards the top five for next year.   7. Jim Beichner (Buffalo): Coach Beichner has accomplished some pretty phenominal things at the University of Buffalo.  He took over a program in the late 1990s that had won six matches combined in the four years before he was hired.  In his first five years, Beichner's teams had won 50 matches.  He's coached an All American in Kyle Cerminara, and revived a lifeless program.  Now it is time for Buffalo to take the next step.  They are one of the MAC's fully funded programs, and as we've seen earlier in this list, it is possible to be a national caliber team in that conference, just ask Tom Borrelli.  Tom Ryan built Hofstra's program around New York kids, for whom Buffalo is the only other option in the state.  Buffalo is also painfully close to both western Pennsylvania and Cleveland, two wrestling hotbeds.  If Coach Beichner can tap into these advantages, his program could be a sleeping giant.   8. Randy Stottlemeyer (Pittsburgh): Coach Stottlemeyer is an institution at Pitt.  He is one of the longest tenured coaches in the country, approaching his 30th year as head coach.  But it is tough to look at Pitt's program and think of the potential.  Located in the heart of wrestling country, Pitt has never struggled to bring in top notch talent.  But Pitt has had a problem getting over the hump and becoming the national program that they should be.  Keith Gavin the last two seasons certainly was a great story, but National Champions are too few and far between at this school.  This is a top 10 team waiting to happen, but they've even slipped in dominance in their own conference, watching Edinboro pass them in the last few years.  There are plenty of good kids at Pitt, most notably red-shirt freshman Tyler Nauman, but it's time for Pitt to be among the best programs in the country.      9 Brad Penrith (University of Northern Iowa): Northern Iowa has always been the little brother of Iowa college wrestling.  It is tough operating in the shadow of Iowa and Iowa State, but the Northern Iowa advantage is in it is in Iowa.  I've alluded to Pennsylvania and Ohio as being the two strongest states in the country, but Iowa is the most wrestling crazy.  Traditionally, Northern Iowa has been very strong, but Coach Penrith's career record of 70-57 is underwhelming.  On one hand, I give him credit for going out and scheduling tough opponents, but they also compete in the Western Region, and their conference schedule is hardly like wrestling in the Big Ten.  Northern Iowa has posed as a major program for a while, but needs the consistency to actually be one.    10. Dave Amato (Brown University): There is a deep divide in the Ivy League.  Cornell, Penn, and Harvard have clearly pulled away as the class of the league, leaving Columbia, Princeton, and Brown a step behind.  But Columbia has had a two time All American, Matt Palmer, in the recent past, and Princeton has just hired Chris Ayers, a young member of the Pat Santoro coaching tree.  Amato has been at Brown for twenty five years, but has only produced two All Americans, none since 1998.  Brown also has only had two winning seasons in the last decade.  They are hampered by a lack of scholarships in a major conference, which makes this one of the more difficult jobs in the country.  But the results have not been there.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/647-highest-ranked-coaches-and-coaches-in-must-win-situations Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:27:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/638-unnecessarily-large-season-preview Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling  Season previews are kind of pointless.  October is a time for questions, most of which can’t possibly be answers until March.  Take the theme of last year’s previews for example.  Minnesota was going to score the most points in NCAA history, Iowa was inexperienced and had distractions to overcome, Dustin Schlatter was ready to prove his 3rd place finish was a fluke, and Jordan Leen’s parents were the only people thinking title.  As history tells us, this was all flawed logic.  Basically, what I’m trying to get at is predictions are useless.  Instead I want to focus on two major categories to flesh out my preseason thoughts, what we know will happen during the season, and what we’re sure we’re going to find out.  Here is my mega-NCAA season preview.  What We Know  Iowa will be tested:  Are the Hawkeyes the favorite?  No doubt about it.  No lineup can match the firepower they have with Charlie Falck, Joey Slaton/Daniel Dennis, Alex Tsirtsis/Dan LeClere, Brent Metcalf, Jay Borschel, and Phil Keddy all high AA or title threats.  But they certainly aren’t invincible.  The questions at 133 and 141 are problems any coach would love to have, but it also takes the right type of athlete to be able to deal with a competition like that.  It’ll also be seen how team morale is be affected with two potential All Americans on the bench, especially if they are seniors.  Beyond those issues, there also are plenty of teams with enough ability to dethrone Iowa.  Iowa State seems to match up well with the Hawkeyes and has plenty of potential champs.  Cornell could score a ton of points at the tournament and welcomes back Troy Nickerson to an already stacked lineup.  And Ohio State appears to have an even stronger and more mature line up, which is impressive considering their second place finish a year ago.  Iowa is the pick for now, but by no means is it in the bag.  There will be a freshman that everybody is talking about:  People like what’s new.  Combine that with how prevalent high school wrestling is on the national scene and people love to anoint true freshman as contenders.  This year could look a lot like 2006, which saw two freshman in finals.  The high school class of 2008 is one of the strongest in years.  Plenty of blue chippers with eschew red-shirts and compete as true freshman.  All reports seem to have Quentin Wright jumping right into the lineup at Penn State.  Wright has a resume that included a number of wins over college wrestlers, and has created buzz no Penn State freshman has received since Cary Kolat.  Andrew Howe at Wisconsin is another hot name and with 165 lacking a lot of stars, he could end up with the best postseason finish of anyone in his class.  But most of the attention is focused on the fictitious rivalry at 157 between Scott Winston of Rutgers and Jason Welch of Northwestern.  Welch has received Metcalf/Schlatter/Nickerson like hype, and has a skill set that is matched by few.  Winston is a bull of a wrestler, and helps legitimize the Rutgers program, a perennial sleeping giant.  There was plenty of debate as to who the best recruit in the country was, and now their supporters will get to see.  Someone will get hot early:  We saw it last season with Darrion Caldwell and Lou Ruggirello.  Somebody will come out of the gate and annihilate all comers.  This will announce them as a player on the national scene.  It’ll be somebody who is a pinner, since falls garner the most attention.  By January, whoever this is will have cooled down, whether it be unspectacular wins over lesser opponents, or a loss to another ranked wrestler that “exposes” the early season phenom.  By March they’ll be back off the radar, then surprise people when they make a run at NCAAs.  My pick: Corey Jantzen blows through the early part of his schedule and impressively wins Vegas.  Pat Santoro is a good coach:  One of the most anticipated matches of the season is the Pat Santoro Bowl, which will pit Maryland against Lehigh the second weekend of the season.  The program Santoro built will come to fruition this season, where the Terps are loaded, and could put ACC wrestling back on the map.  More on that later.  Meanwhile, Santoro is taking over a once proud Lehigh program seemingly falling on hard times.  They will be noticeably better, especially from their feet, where they struggled mightily the past few years.  Santoro will diversify the Hawks offensively, and look for at least one of their young wrestlers to blossom into an All American contender.  They won’t be dormant for long, especially once he gets his kids in there.  Somebody will come out of nowhere to win a title:  We think we know, but we really have no idea.  The beauty and the curse of college wrestling is that all it takes is one good weekend to cement your name among the immortals.  The trick is seeing it coming.  Weights like 141 and heavyweight are so wide open this season that somebody from outside the top ten or the traditional power conferences very well could sneak up on everybody.  Just don’t be surprised when it happens.  Not everybody will repeat:  History tells us that about one third of defending champs defend their title.  Angel Escobedo, J Jaggers, Brent Metcalf, Jordan Leen, and Mike Pucillio all return with a target on their backs.  Escobedo (Indiana) and Pucillio (Ohio State) both have to deal with bona fide studs returning to their weight classes, Jaggers (Ohio State) is getting little respect from pre-season prognostications, and Leen (Cornell) was the biggest surprise in recent memory.  Only Metcalf seems to be a heavy favorite to repeat.  He very well may be the only one.  The buzz weight is 157:  There are three wrestlers this season ranked at 157 that have won NCAA titles in their career.  And the best wrestler at 57 might not even be one of them.  Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro), Jordan Leen, and Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) all have titles to their name.  Gillespie is as exciting as anybody in the sport; Leen had the toughest road to finals of anybody and is the defending champ.  And Schlatter, the former second coming, will be the most scrutinized wrestler in America after a tough junior year.  But the favorite here might be Mike Poeta of Illinois, who is probably the best current wrestler without a title.  He lost a classic to Leen in finals last season, and should be loaded for bear this year. Beyond these four, there also is Dan Vallimont of Penn State, who was the most improved wrestler in America, J.P. O’Connor of Harvard, who could not be more underrated, returning All Americans Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State and Matt Moley of Bloomsburg, plus Adam Hall of Boise State, Johnny Bonilla-Bowman of Hofstra, Matt Coughlin of Indiana, and a slew of other guys that could end up on the podium.  In my opinion, this year’s 157 is even better than last season’s 149.  No weight class will be more exciting.  What We Will Find Out  Can Metcalf do it? Last season, Mr. Metcalf put together one of the most impressive performances in recent memory, rolling easily through a stacked weight class to win a national title and the Hodge Trophy in his first year of competition. The trick now is repeating the feat, which may not be as easy as advertised.  No wrestler has repeated at 142/149 since Pat Santoro in 1988.  That is twenty years worth of very good wrestlers that couldn’t defend their title.  149 is always loaded.  Even though Metcalf has navigated the mine field once, he’s the man to beat now instead of the newcomer looking to make his mark.  To quote the great Charles Barkely “There’s no such thing as a second year slump, they just didn’t know who your ass was.”  They know who Metcalf is now, and every 49 pounder in the country is training specifically to beat him.  He very well might repeat, but it won’t be as easy as advertised.  How has the year off treated Jake Herbert and Troy Nickerson?  Because of the Olympics and injuries, we were without two of the biggest stars in college wrestling last season.  Jake Herbert of Northwestern is back to defend his title at 184, with infinitely more questions than answers.  He was a wrecking ball two years ago, but has a number of head scratching losses in his year off, including a folkstyle defeat by Jake Varner of Iowa State, who he pummeled in finals the year before, and a freestyle loss to Tyrell Todd of Michigan.  Both of these competitors fell to Mike Pucillio last season, who now wears the belt at 184.  If the 2007 version of Herbert shows up, he should win.   But who knows what a year off will do.  Nickerson on the other hand was bit by the injury bug.  He challenges Poeta for the distinction of best current wrestler without a title.  He’s come dangerously close twice.  But there are questions both about his recovery and where he will wrestle this season.  Common logic seems to think he’ll make 125 again, in a weight class that is suddenly ruled by Angel Escobedo.  For both wrestlers, they are welcomed back to a completely different landscape and a new mountain to climb.  Will moving up help?  A number of high profile wrestlers are moving up a weight class this season.  The strategy certainly paid off for guys like Chad Mendes and Eric Tannenbaum, but the wrestling community always seems to think that the farther the cut, the better (just look at the David Craig speculation).  Some of these guys will definitely buck common logic.  For Dustin Schlatter, I think the move up to 157 could be a great one.  His offense has all but disappeared, and he hasn’t been healthy in three years.  He was gigantic for 149, and I can’t help but think the cut was killing him.  When healthy, he’s as good as they get.  Furthermore, I’m pulling for the kid.  He’s too talented to not have a great senior year.  Jake Varner moves up to 197, where he begins the year ranked 1st by most publications.  Varner is an immovable object, and I don’t think the 13 pound jump will hurt him defensively.  He, however, moves into a loaded field where the contenders match his strength.  It will be even more imperative for him to generate offense, which is certainly not his MO.  I also wonder if he’ll be as effective on top against the big boys.  Most of the contenders here are physical specimen, and Varner will be hard pressed to overpower them.  Jayson Ness was a monster for 125, and there is no surprise he moves up.  Until his finals match, he was all but crowned the champion, and has lost almost all of his buzz coming into this year. But make no mistake, he might be the favorite at 133.  I think his skills will translate smoother to the higher weight class than Varner, who he is similar to.  He lives on top, but his half series is made for the lower weights.  JP O’Connor, Matt Kyler, Mike Grey, Adam Hall, and Tyrell Todd are other potential All Americans who will try to get it done by moving up.  Which surprise champs are for real?  All offseason long Jordan Leen and J Jaggers have heard that they were fluke champions, and that they’d be hard pressed to duplicate the feat.  Each had tremendous weekends, and knocked off the best wrestlers in their weight classes.  Their titles were well earned.  But both will face the added challenge of being the defending champ.  For some, a title gives them a new fire, and they wrestle better than ever.  Others wilt under the pressure of being the champ.  Leen is faced with battling the toughest weight class in the country.  Repeating would be admirable.  However, Jaggers is just scratching the surface of how good he can be.  Especially if he’s healthy (which is always a problem), I see his run being like Joe Dubuque or Matt Valenti, defending champs who received little or no acclaim, then came back and ran through the tournament.   Who is this year’s Nebraska?  Off season jokes aside, Nebraska was beyond impressive last year.  Before the year started, they were just outside the national radar.  They had the pieces in place to compete, but had yet to prove they were a real player.  By the end of the year, they were a top 3 team, and announced the rejuvenation of the program.  This year, the Wisconsin Badgers are the team lurking to join the top 5.  The Badgers feature returning potential All Americans Kyle Ruschell, Dallas Herbst and Kyle Massey.  Massey and Herbst both could win titles, and they are experienced and steady at 141 and 184.  Barry Davis has an experienced and battle tested core which should mix nicely with the best recruiting class in the nation.  The aforementioned Andrew Howe will definitely start and depending on the situation in the room, we may see Ben Jordan.  These two certainly are talented, and balance the Badger lineup to the point where team hardware may be in their future.  What teams will crash the party? With the new qualifier system as well as a shifting balance of power among mid-majors, it is entirely possible that we will be seeing a handful of new teams creep into the upper echelon of college wrestling.  Obviously the Big Ten and Big 12 will always be the big boys, but the Pac-10 and ACC could start stealing spots from the EIWA, MAC, and EWL sooner rather than later.  Boise State is in the middle of this transformation, and has the firepower to finish in the top 10.  I really like Adam Hall and Kirk Smith this year to be in the title mix.  They are the great hope for the western part of the country.  Oregon State is a few years behind the Broncos, but also will be a perennial contender in the coming years.  Virginia and Maryland are also on the move.  The Cavaliers will field a solid team, filled with NCAA qualifiers.  Look for breakout years from Mike Chaires, Ross Gitomer, and Nick Nelson.  Meanwhile, Maryland is setting the blueprint for rebuilding a mid-major from scratch.  There are justifiably high expectations in College Park.  Hudson Taylor is a popular pick to win 197 and if he wrestles, Mike Letts is due to All American at 174.  But the Terps strength comes in their rising crop of stars.  Steve Bell, Eric Medina, and Brian Letters all have earned pre-season rankings, and each could make a leap from good to special.  The Terps also have sleepers in Brendan Byrne and Alex Krom who are both tough and vastly underrated.  That is seven wrestlers they could score points from, and their showing could be the start of the return of the ACC.  Who makes “the leap”?   Every year, there are guys that make the leap from good wrestler to All American caliber.  Sometimes it takes a coaching change, sometimes it’s a change in attitude, sometimes it’s just a year of maturity.  But there are stars out there waiting for it to happen.  Here is one at each weight class.  At 125, everybody forgets how good of a wrestler Brad Pataky is.  He took rare back-to-back redshirt years because of the Olympics, but he was one of the best high school wrestlers in America, and will contend in an open weight class.  At 133, Reece Humphrey puts it all together.  He’s had an amazing few runs in the summer, and his hard work in freestyle will translate to folk finally.  As I mentioned earlier, with a year under his belt Corey Jantzen will be a force at 141.  At 149, Cesar Grajales does not receive the hype of his little brother, but is ready to be an All American.  Although Penn has had a difficult offseason, the movement of guys up to 157 opens the door for his breakout year.  Last year, 157 saw the biggest leap when Dan Vallimont announced his presence as a star.  This year, Adam Hall will put it all together.  At 165, Donnie Jones has had a career full of injuries.  If he is finally healthy, he will be the next in a long line of Jones brothers to star for West Virginia.  At 174, as mentioned before, if Mike Letts does not red-shirt, he will be a huge point scorer for the Terps.  He’s had two disappointing NCAA tournaments, but won’t have a third.  At 184, Edinboro’s Chris Honeycutt lives up to his St. Ed’s pedigree.  Tim Flynn is among the best coaches in the country, and Honeycutt helps Edinboro live up to their “little powerhouse that could” billing.  At 197, the pride of Idaho Clayton Foster gives the Oklahoma State Cowboys another hammer at the top to go along with Jared Rosholt.  At heavyweight, Lehigh will receive a boost from red-shirt freshman Zack Rey, who in a shallow weight class could find himself in position to be a four-time All American, and the start of Pat Santoro’s rebuilding project.       Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/638-unnecessarily-large-season-preview Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0500