What's up, gang. Long time no talk. That's my fault. With wrestling firing back up, I'm going to be around more often.
We have what I'm calling the biggest dual of the new season to end this calendar year, tonight, in GIA. I've had this one circled for a while.
I love what Coach Mark Manning has done with Nebraska during his illustrious career, including these last few seasons. Manning has Nebraska ranked above Iowa, and the Cornhuskers are firmly in the race as a No. 2 or No. 3 team in the nation... which will be decided tonight.
125: No. 6 Troy Spratley (OR Rocklin Zinkin) vs. No. 4 Vincent Robinson
We have what I'm calling the biggest dual of the new season to end this calendar year, tonight, in GIA. I've had this one circled for a while.
I love what Coach Mark Manning has done with Nebraska during his illustrious career, including these last few seasons. Manning has Nebraska ranked above Iowa, and the Cornhuskers are firmly in the race as a No. 2 or No. 3 team in the nation... which will be decided tonight.
125: No. 6 Troy Spratley (OR Rocklin Zinkin) vs. No. 4 Vincent Robinson
- I believe any one of the three wrestlers listed can win this match... including Zinkin. Dare I say Zinkin has all the tools that could lead him to a national championship... Eventually. I think it's Sparky's weight to lose, and knowing Troy... he's not sitting out of this match unless he absolutely has to. He wants this one. Hard to predict Robinson/Spratley since they've both traded victories in their matches from the past.
- I really like Van Dee. That said... Forrest. Tech. The gap from No. 1 to No. 10 at 133 might be the biggest of all weight classes. Really, the drop-off after the top four (Forrest, Ben Davino, Aaron Seidel, and Marcus Blaze) is a big gap.
- Raney has had a heck of a debut as a Cowboy. From knocking off seasoned teammate Tagen Jamison in the Cowboy Invitational to picking up his first bonus-point victory in a dual over Drexel... Raney is slowly appearing to be the mainstay at 141. I think he wins by bonus tonight.
- Man. Reallllllllly fun match here. We're going to see Ech and Vega both up a weight, and I personally feel like Echemendia has the advantage at 149. Echemendia had a tough cut to 141 last year. He has more strength than Vega, but I believe Sergio is more technically sound, which is what led him to his previous two wins over Echemendia. Vega is going to be my pick here, by decision.
- Probably the matchup of the day. An NCAA Finals rematch this early in the season? Gimme that. Super excited for their showdown. Robideau and Taylor traded victories, but Robideau's was the one that mattered most. Hard to pick this one. I truly believe it can go either way by decision. Don't think this gets into bonus territory.
- I'm sure i'll say it plenty of times, and have said it plenty of times in the past if you've followed my work at FloWrestling... I love the flair and swagger Casey Swiderski wrestles with... Even when he was at Iowa State. I think Swiderski wins this with a handful of takedowns, but not sure the score gets into bonus territory.
- So far, unless something develops in the practice room, the weight is Facundo's. Facundo and Minto met twice last year, splitting the matches 1-1. This one is also a toss-up, but if I had to choose, I'd lean Minto by decision.
- With the momentum he's created for himself, it'll be hard for White to lose his spot at 184 pounds. However, this could be the match that puts Lucas Cochran on the map. Cochran was a Penn State backup at heavyweight and 197 pounds, where he posted a 36-8 record. Cochran finally has a starting spot and will be looking to kick off his final season with a big win in GIA. I'd keep my eye on this sleeper matchup.
- Merrill is 2-0 over McDanel in closeeee matches. I expect this third installment to be much of the same. Merrill, in my mind, is one of the best closers in wrestling. I do not want to find myself in a 1-1 match with Cody Merrill well into the third period. If it's close in the end, I think Merrill emerges as the victor.
- Man... I would love to see KD come back out and kick off his senior campaign. However, I'm not sure if we see him tonight. There's a lot of intrigue in the future of the heavyweight division with Cade Ziola and Dreshaun Ross projecting to be two of the top heavyweights over the next four to five years. We are likely going to see that matchup tonight. With all of Ross' achievements on the age-level world stage, I'm gonna roll with Ross in this one.
