Finding Optimism

[Praguehawk]

Hoping the first half vs OSU was the anomaly.

There is a lot to find optimism about right now. I'm going glass half-full and it will probably sound polly-anish. Don't care about that, would rather try and feel hopeful.

MO could be a beast. Seems fast, athletic, strong and like a dog on a bone. Loved seeing a Buchanan like blast double.

Peterson and DeLuca both looked good.

Angelo is a warrior. Loved how hard he competes. Flexibility off the charts. Matt IQ through the roof. He is a stud.

Ryder Block looked like a guy who will score points for us.

Caliendo can still get this done. He's a tough SOB.

Kennedy looked good. Another guy who can get on the podium.

So we've got multiple guys that can get to the finals and all but one of the weights looks like they would score right now.

65 - HWT really solid.

It's not a stretch that we can beat OSU in February.

The recruiting recently has really been excellent. Bright, bright spots for the future.

Our coaches will figure out how to get our guys to finish those singles. I gotta believe it will happen.

This message is off the top of my head and disjointed. Sorry for that.

Let's go HAWKS!

 

[bnicolls]

Hoping the first half vs OSU was the anomaly.

There is a lot to find optimism about right now. I'm going glass half-full and it will probably sound polly-anish. Don't care about that, would rather try and feel hopeful.

MO could be a beast. Seems fast, athletic, strong and like a dog on a bone. Loved seeing a Buchanan like blast double.

Peterson and DeLuca both looked good.

Angelo is a warrior. Loved how hard he competes. Flexibility off the charts. Matt IQ through the roof. He is a stud.

Ryder Block looked like a guy who will score points for us.

Caliendo can still get this done. He's a tough SOB.

Kennedy looked good. Another guy who can get on the podium.

So we've got multiple guys that can get to the finals and all but one of the weights looks like they would score right now.

65 - HWT really solid.

It's not a stretch that we can beat OSU in February.

The recruiting recently has really been excellent. Bright, bright spots for the future.

Our coaches will figure out how to get our guys to finish those singles. I gotta believe it will happen.

This message is off the top of my head and disjointed. Sorry for that.

Let's go HAWKS!

And, it's November. Nat Duals was merely a "Gauge" set of Duals to see where you're at. We have a talented team that will adjust as needed at all weights

 

[CradleKing26]

More good than bad coming out of the weekend for sure.

149, 184, and 197 were huge bright spots.

133 and 165 had some disappointing results but not in the slightest worried about either.

every other weight class was close to expectations.

hope Big Ben is ok. Really hope it is not lingering or re-injured hip.

 

[IndianaHawk98]

Super early in the year, it’s November. Still have 5 more months. I trust our coaches and their ability to improve and peak at the right time.

 

[Dont_Just_Dream]

Burn it all to the ground .... honestly, just awesome to see some early-season fire! Typically, just throwaways for the AA types early on, so getting some good early matches (win or lose) is great for the wrestlers and the fans. Kudos to all involved.

 

[Hawkfan1986]

Though the first 5 matches were very disappointing I’m not writing this team off yet. It’s far too early for the doomsday talk.

125- pins happen. Spencer got pinned and and still won a title that same year. Dean is not Spencer but even great wrestlers lose from time to time.

133- Drake looks a little off to start the year. It’s possible he’s just a slow starter or maybe he was sick. Davino is very good but I didn’t expect a 9-2 smacking.

141- im giving Bailey time to find his footing in IC. I still remember his run freshman year. I hope we can see that this March.

149- love seeing Block wrestle well. Hope he stays healthy, if so I think he AA’s. Mid range would be my guess.

157- might be an issue. Williams looks a little undersized and VV won’t score much in March.

165- Mikey looks a bit off as well. His track record is long enough to earn a long leash.

174- pk our beloved grinder. Looked great.

184- Angelo is a stud. Looks impossible to score on and has a great mindset. I look forward to watching him get better and become more dominant when he ages.

197- a unknown to start the season, certainly looks like an AA possibility now. Big win for the evaluation process at Iowa. His ability allows Ludington time to mature. Aside from all that big mo is fun to watch. Built like a brick *********, flexible, and athletic as hell.

285- god I hope bk isn’t badly injured. His health changes the entire outlook for this team in my opinion. Besides I was expecting a jump from bk this year, an injury certainly slows that expected progression.

 

[chipackhawk]

I thought Block and Mo looked good and showed some promise for the year. To me Ayala looked slow and sluggish. Caliendo maybe too tentative. Angelo will most always be in tight matches. Peterson got caught - it happens. Then several backups got mauled. I don't think there is anything to be overly alarmed about at this point.

 

[vhsalum1]

And, it's November. Nat Duals was merely a "Gauge" set of Duals to see where you're at. We have a talented team that will adjust as needed at all weights

Exactly.

And the event is the absolute best date it can be. It felt like NCAAs with all the ranked matchups, the freshmen with big wins, every match mattering. And tournament format gives everyone a chance to see who a guy really is. Single dual meets will always have outliers, weird wins, but a tournament (tough one) shows who you are match after match.

With it this early - in general, you're going to have less injuries, and you have plenty of time to get your seeding back. It's nice to see a bunch of coaches making these kids compete - which has been the antithesis of dual meet season of late.

Here's the truth:

125 - Peterson looks exactly like what he is. A R12er. Until he decides to open up his offense, this is who he is.

133 - Drake struggled early last year (L to Knox). It's frustrating to see him lose like that to a freshman, but he'll right the ship. 133 is as good as 2019. Just wow.

141 - Bailey is going to be fine. In-match attitude is a bit worse than I expected, but hoping its because he just felt out of shape. He's got an entire season to get his top game going again.

149 - I tried to told you guys that the weight cut was killing Block. Getting hurt didn't help, but the cut definitely made it worse.

157 - Same as Bailey. The level of competition has risen and he's going to have to rise with it. He will.

165 - Caliendo is fine.

174 - Like death and taxes

184 - Yeah. He definitely could do more and shoot more. He's so much more athletic than everyone he wrestles.

197 - Told ya. Athleticism wins out. He's ahead of where I thought he would be. Thought it would take 10-15 matches to really acclimate.

285 - get healthy soon Big Ben!

 

[GableBeer]

133 is adding in Jax forest according to Willie so it's not going to get easier for Drake.

 

[maxpain]

One thing on Bailey. I think he will bounce back. He’s got the skills.

With his top game, guys aren’t keen on going under against him. He has to be able to choose down and get that point. Speaking specifically about the Vega match.

 

[blcoach80]

I think the old guard will reel in some of these super freshman as the season goes on. Coachs have 4 or 5 years of scouting on these seniors and zero matches of scouting on these freshman. That will even out some as the season wears on. That isn't saying guys like Dee and Davino aren't really good, it is saying they will come back to earth some once guys get 20 matches of film on them.

 

[Evashevsky58]

I would add to all of this,

Kennedy overcame a sort of nemesis

I loved seeing AJ cheering on/coaching Angelo during the Mizzou match! Also he shook hands with Tom and Terry afterward.

 

[VakAttack]

I'm not freaking out. I would expect the younger wrestlers to be fired up for this kind of even early in the season as compared to the vets. We'll see how it plays out in February and March.

 

[CatCoach]

I thought we looked like a team that put a lot of energy/effort/emotion into the Okie State Dual and we were drained come 6pm.
There is a reason they don't wrestle the semi's and finals on the same day at NCAA's. We had so many close tough matches against Okie State and Ohio State had a much easier path.
I know we have to learn to navigate 3-4 tough matches in a row, but it was November, so I am holding out hope we were just mentally and physically tired.
It does concern me we still don't finish single leg shots good at all. We were much more aggresive against Okie St. but Ohio St. brought the fight to us.
We need to keep looking to score. Peterson beat Spratley - awesome. Block beat Swid. Endene had some good wins.
Hopefully Ben and Williams are just being cautious.

 

[UNIHawk]

I think the old guard will reel in some of these super freshman as the season goes on. Coachs have 4 or 5 years of scouting on these seniors and zero matches of scouting on these freshman. That will even out some as the season wears on. That isn't saying guys like Dee and Davino aren't really good, it is saying they will come back to earth some once guys get 20 matches of film on them.

That's a very good point. How many times have you seen a minor league phenom come up to the majors and absolutely go off for 6 weeks or so until the scouting reports determine where the holes are in their strike zones.

 

[Anon1750875978]

I thought Block and Mo looked good and showed some promise for the year. To me Ayala looked slow and sluggish. Caliendo maybe too tentative. Angelo will most always be in tight matches. Peterson got caught - it happens. Then several backups got mauled. I don't think there is anything to be overly alarmed about at this point.

Agree on all points.
My biggest concern with Endene is that the "long " guys are gonna ride him.

 

[Libertylover]

Though the first 5 matches were very disappointing I’m not writing this team off yet. It’s far too early for the doomsday talk.

125- pins happen. Spencer got pinned and and still won a title that same year. Dean is not Spencer but even great wrestlers lose from time to time.

133- Drake looks a little off to start the year. It’s possible he’s just a slow starter or maybe he was sick. Davino is very good but I didn’t expect a 9-2 smacking.

141- im giving Bailey time to find his footing in IC. I still remember his run freshman year. I hope we can see that this March.

149- love seeing Block wrestle well. Hope he stays healthy, if so I think he AA’s. Mid range would be my guess.

157- might be an issue. Williams looks a little undersized and VV won’t score much in March.

165- Mikey looks a bit off as well. His track record is long enough to earn a long leash.

174- pk our beloved grinder. Looked great.

184- Angelo is a stud. Looks impossible to score on and has a great mindset. I look forward to watching him get better and become more dominant when he ages.

197- a unknown to start the season, certainly looks like an AA possibility now. Big win for the evaluation process at Iowa. His ability allows Ludington time to mature. Aside from all that big mo is fun to watch. Built like a brick *********, flexible, and athletic as hell.

285- god I hope bk isn’t badly injured. His health changes the entire outlook for this team in my opinion. Besides I was expecting a jump from bk this year, an injury certainly slows that expected progression.

If he is re injured and is still hopeful of a future in football, he may have to make the tough decision to quit wrestling right now, work on rehabbing the hip again to maybe be ready for spring practice. Would hate to see it. Mocco would have to be ready to go next fall unless we find a one year guy to let him red shirt? Hopefully it’s just inflammation and need to rest it.

 

[Chuck Norris’s Mustache]

Hoping the first half vs OSU was the anomaly.

There is a lot to find optimism about right now. I'm going glass half-full and it will probably sound polly-anish. Don't care about that, would rather try and feel hopeful.

MO could be a beast. Seems fast, athletic, strong and like a dog on a bone. Loved seeing a Buchanan like blast double.

Peterson and DeLuca both looked good.

Angelo is a warrior. Loved how hard he competes. Flexibility off the charts. Matt IQ through the roof. He is a stud.

Ryder Block looked like a guy who will score points for us.

Caliendo can still get this done. He's a tough SOB.

Kennedy looked good. Another guy who can get on the podium.

So we've got multiple guys that can get to the finals and all but one of the weights looks like they would score right now.

65 - HWT really solid.

It's not a stretch that we can beat OSU in February.

The recruiting recently has really been excellent. Bright, bright spots for the future.

Our coaches will figure out how to get our guys to finish those singles. I gotta believe it will happen.

This message is off the top of my head and disjointed. Sorry for that.

Let's go HAWKS!

Mo is jacked.

 

[TheREALSpooner]

Usually at this time of the year we are fretting about the lack of competition at the Luther Open, followed by more fretting over a crappy showing against an inferior opponent.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think this team is bound for greatness by any means, but they will have much, much better days. And March will be all about health, as usual.

 

[Libertylover]

I thought we looked like a team that put a lot of energy/effort/emotion into the Okie State Dual and we were drained come 6pm.
There is a reason they don't wrestle the semi's and finals on the same day at NCAA's. We had so many close tough matches against Okie State and Ohio State had a much easier path.
I know we have to learn to navigate 3-4 tough matches in a row, but it was November, so I am holding out hope we were just mentally and physically tired.
It does concern me we still don't finish single leg shots good at all. We were much more aggresive against Okie St. but Ohio St. brought the fight to us.
We need to keep looking to score. Peterson beat Spratley - awesome. Block beat Swid. Endene had some good wins.
Hopefully Ben and Williams are just being cautious.

Hopefully Williams was ill, and wouldn’t have been broke in the first period like that against a very good, but not spectacular Illinois sophomore. I’m disappointed Peterson didn’t know more about his opponents M.O. of being very strong and aggressive in the 1st period, then hitting the wall in the second half of the match. I had just told my son he needs to be defensive and weather the storm in the first period and he will win, and shortly after that was pinned. I’ll never forget his match against Teske at the tournament a few years ago, when Teske came all the back to win late after almost getting teched early.

 

[Libertylover]

Mo is jacked.

My son went to Wartburg with Mo and used to sit in the sauna with him. I remember him telling me about this wrestler he see’s in the sauna who is a thick as hell generic freak who rag dolls every 197 in D3. Crossed my mind then he may want to give D1 a try, but never thought he would be a hawk. Didn’t start wrestling until his sophomore year in high school, before that I think soccer was his sport. Ended up getting to wrestle for one of the most legendary D3 and D1 programs. Not bad.

 

[sdvike]

If he is re injured and is still hopeful of a future in football, he may have to make the tough decision to quit wrestling right now, work on rehabbing the hip again to maybe be ready for spring practice. Would hate to see it. Mocco would have to be ready to go next fall unless we find a one year guy to let him red shirt? Hopefully it’s just inflammation and need to rest it.

Wonder if we could pick up AJ in January? He could slot right in this year and next at Heavyweight if Keuter is needing rehab and maybe considering transition to football.

 

[Hawx224]

My son went to Wartburg with Mo and used to sit in the sauna with him. I remember him telling me about this wrestler he see’s in the sauna who is a thick as hell generic freak who rag dolls every 197 in D3. Crossed my mind then he may want to give D1 a try, but never thought he would be a hawk. Didn’t start wrestling until his sophomore year in high school, before that I think soccer was his sport. Ended up getting to wrestle for one of the most legendary D3 and D1 programs. Not bad.

Wish the announcers would have mentioned Wartburg’s success in D3, not that they need to but it would’ve been a nice little shoutout. Endene obviously a genetic freak but his success is also a credit to the coaching he’s had at Wartburg. Really great to see

 

[pennstaterincarolina]

133 is adding in Jax forest according to Willie so it's not going to get easier for Drake.

133 telling 184 to hold its beer. Another weight class with fire at the top.

 

[VakAttack]

133 is adding in Jax forest according to Willie so it's not going to get easier for Drake.

Nope. Jax is going to win, lol.

 

[Corby2]

133 is adding in Jax forest according to Willie so it's not going to get easier for Drake.

I posted that over a month ago on Oklahoma st boards and it was immediately deleted. Then a week or so later others asked and the mod must not have had alerts set for those posters and the conversation started before they could get to it so it remained. He was gonna reclassify and enroll in August then they got Figs so that plan changed. Once Figs arrived they weren't liking what they saw so plan B was implemented which was having him graduate HS early and enroll for 2nd semester

 

[IndianaHawk98]

I posted that over a month ago on Oklahoma st boards and it was immediately deleted. Then a week or so later others asked and the mod must not have had alerts set for those posters and the conversation started before they could get to it so it remained. He was gonna reclassify and enroll in August then they got Figs so that plan changed. Once Figs arrived they weren't liking what they saw so plan B was implemented which was having him graduate HS early and enroll for 2nd semester

Man… terrible for Figs. Wish him the best; but aye, he knew what he was getting himself into. The spot was never guaranteed just because he transferred and got a bag for it.

Crazy to end your career on a note like that.

 

[Praguehawk]

I posted that over a month ago on Oklahoma st boards and it was immediately deleted. Then a week or so later others asked and the mod must not have had alerts set for those posters and the conversation started before they could get to it so it remained. He was gonna reclassify and enroll in August then they got Figs so that plan changed. Once Figs arrived they weren't liking what they saw so plan B was implemented which was having him graduate HS early and enroll for 2nd semester

Jax is the one guy I really wish we had landed. He is ferocious. There's lots of other great young studs out there, but I think he is going to be the one we want.

 

[ChicagoHawk2020]

Man… terrible for Figs. Wish him the best; but aye, he knew what he was getting himself into. The spot was never guaranteed just because he transferred and got a bag for it.

Crazy to end your career on a note like that.

If TNT did this, wrestling twitter would have their head on a stake.

 

[IndianaHawk98]

If TNT did this, wrestling twitter would have their head on a stake.

I definitely agree, I was thinking the same exact thing.

 

[vhsalum1]

Nope. Jax is going to win, lol.

Byrd is the best of the group. So dang strong.

Stylistically, only Jax can beat him. But I could see Jax losing to Blaze. Crazy good weight.

 

[TheREALSpooner]

I would add to all of this,

Kennedy overcame a sort of nemesis

I loved seeing AJ cheering on/coaching Angelo during the Mizzou match! Also he shook hands with Tom and Terry afterward.

I had the opposite reaction. He had no business sitting there. Get him TF out.

 

[azchief32]

Exactly.

And the event is the absolute best date it can be. It felt like NCAAs with all the ranked matchups, the freshmen with big wins, every match mattering. And tournament format gives everyone a chance to see who a guy really is. Single dual meets will always have outliers, weird wins, but a tournament (tough one) shows who you are match after match.

With it this early - in general, you're going to have less injuries, and you have plenty of time to get your seeding back. It's nice to see a bunch of coaches making these kids compete - which has been the antithesis of dual meet season of late.

Here's the truth:

125 - Peterson looks exactly like what he is. A R12er. Until he decides to open up his offense, this is who he is.

133 - Drake struggled early last year (L to Knox). It's frustrating to see him lose like that to a freshman, but he'll right the ship. 133 is as good as 2019. Just wow.

141 - Bailey is going to be fine. In-match attitude is a bit worse than I expected, but hoping its because he just felt out of shape. He's got an entire season to get his top game going again.

149 - I tried to told you guys that the weight cut was killing Block. Getting hurt didn't help, but the cut definitely made it worse.

157 - Same as Bailey. The level of competition has risen and he's going to have to rise with it. He will.

165 - Caliendo is fine.

174 - Like death and taxes

184 - Yeah. He definitely could do more and shoot more. He's so much more athletic than everyone he wrestles.

197 - Told ya. Athleticism wins out. He's ahead of where I thought he would be. Thought it would take 10-15 matches to really acclimate.

285 - get healthy soon Big Ben!

Fair run down. I would say that prior to this, especially early in the season, Kennedy would give up scores late in matches or get outscrambled to lose. He didn't. He has got a lot better at moving his feet. At 197, I still think there is room for in season improvement. What I liked is he didn't struggle on bottom, even against some of the taller guys which has historically been his cryptonite. We haven't seen him really get comfortable on top yet...once he does, he'll be able to score some points.

The same people who are wondering WTF! would be the same people accusing Brands of breaking guys for Nov-Jan duals and tourneys. Iowa has changed its training methods and this tourney wasn't going to change this cycle.

 

[azchief32]

If he is re injured and is still hopeful of a future in football, he may have to make the tough decision to quit wrestling right now, work on rehabbing the hip again to maybe be ready for spring practice. Would hate to see it. Mocco would have to be ready to go next fall unless we find a one year guy to let him red shirt? Hopefully it’s just inflammation and need to rest it.

He is going to be fine.

 

[WDMHawk72]

He is going to be fine.

They never really "needed" him last weekend - I guess we will know more next weekend

 

[Corby2]

They never really "needed" him last weekend - I guess we will know more next weekend

They shouldn't need him next weekend either

 

[IRON HAWK]

It is like that song, but it just keeps repeating!!!! Lets Do The TIME WARD AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN!!!!

Of course we get the same old..... WTF, FIRE them, this sucks..... point the finger here there EVERYWHERE!!!

SOOOOO lets get TWOOOO the BOTTOM LINE shall we!??!?! CHAMPIONSHIP(s) PERIOD!!!

Nothing and I mean NOTHING less is going to do!!!!

I Believe our showing this weekend certainly gave more HOPE then despair!!!

125 looked mostly good with PERTERSON I think doing slightly better than rankings! DeLUCA also beat a low ranked kid his 1st time out!! NOW lets STOP here for a moment. In the B1G picture, is DeLUCA our guy/want we need??? That is to say. IS HE a TITLE threat next year!?!?!? <<<< THIS IS THE QUESTION GENTS!!!!!

133 AYALA Was NOT up to par but his style leaves "opening" to let matches slip away!!! He HAS the TOOLS, MUCH more then just the FLY-BY!!!! I think he will be IN the hunt come March but the weight is DEEP and doing what my coach called, "trying to steal the match" is NOT going to cut it!!! He will need to SCORE MORE and he can, question is, will he???? NOW pause again for a moment and ask, WHAT/WHO steps in as a TITLE threat next year?????

141, we have a kid who COULD be dangerous, but I did NOT like what I saw at all this weekend!!! It IS early so.....Get you CONDITIONING in gear and start shooting in matches EARLY!!! Kids TOP game gives him a B1G advantage!!! How many years does he have? Can he hold 141? Would he be a TITLE threat IF he moved up????

149 I feel BLOCK was our BRIGHTEST light!!! Kid showed 100% that he CAN BE IN THE HUNT!!! CAN he WILL he start trusting his stuff even more and start firing his shots!?!?!?! Could he man 157 next year and BE a TITLE threat???? WHEN will we, WHERE will we see THIS<<<<< type of DEVELOPEMENT NEXT!?!?!? We-IOWA- needs it!!!

157 was a disaster but there is hope that it can turn out much better!!!

165-174 these guys are TROOPERS!!!! Give me a few dozen of them!!! I am not worried about them, they will fight like ALL hell to be in it at the end!!! Are the good enough to WIN ONE???? Make the finals and let it RIP!!!

184 is our BEST guy!!! He may be/is our ONLY number 1 recruit on team right now??? AND GOLLY GEE- he IS a TITLE THREAT!!! now aint that something!?!?!?? A DARN #1 guy who IS a HAMMER outa the box!!!! WOW!!!! Who was our last #1??? Was it SUPERMAN LEE maybe!!! How did he do???? NOW this is where losing F-in Bassett F-in SUCKS the great Krailures F-in BALLS!!!! and there is NO way to sugar coat it!!!! Kid is a #1 guy and the kind we need 3-4-5 of ON the team!!! PLUS his brothers ALL are REAL good TWOOOO!!!! DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT to pieces!!!

I'm loosing it, heading OFF the rails..... Need to watch LOONEY TUNES!!!!

197 GOTTA LUV IT!!!! We also have a HAMMER in the waiting is what I am hearing so GR8!!!

Heavy- who in hell knows??? But BIG Ben can certainly be THE MAN- IF he is OK and IF he does not F-it up playing football, and we have another HAMMER coming, can SOMEONE, ANYONE please explain to Poppa Mocco , The kid needs to HIT the IRON!!!! Send him to me and he will NEVER lose again!!!!

NOTE: We also have a great group coming in, someone can let me know IF they are indeed the HAMMERS that we HAVE to have!?!?!?

 

[lookleftgoright]

I know

Super early in the year, it’s November. Still have 5 more months. I trust our coaches and their ability to improve and peak at the right time.

I know math is hard, but I count Dec., Jan., Feb, March as 4 months. Sorry, I couldn't help being a bit of a smart A$$

 

[ThatsStalling]

My optimism is mostly around Angelo, I believe he said in his post match OK state interview with Flo that he wrestling around 75% (I know it’s not 83%), but to me that seemed optimistic since he was able to come away with 4 tough wins. Said he only wrestled about 12 matches last year and is getting more comfortable with each match and will open it up at some point. I think the same can be said about Endene getting more experience with each match as the season goes on.

 

[StuckAsAnon]

If he is re injured and is still hopeful of a future in football, he may have to make the tough decision to quit wrestling right now, work on rehabbing the hip again to maybe be ready for spring practice. Would hate to see it. Mocco would have to be ready to go next fall unless we find a one year guy to let him red shirt? Hopefully it’s just inflammation and need to rest it.

Someone with more knowledge than me help me out….why didn’t Marty take the mat against either of the OSUs? I know he’s unlikely to win either match, or more likely to take a whooping…but if we might need him throughout the year, why not get these matches in? He’s a junior…it’s not like we’re trying to save his redshirt or anything.