Well, it seems like anymore I could make pretty much the same post after every IA/ISU dual and it would fit. ISU does some things that keep you thinking there's a chance, but in the end, Iowa gets that upset or wins that swing match that salts away the dual. Say what you will, but Iowa pulls the matches out that they need.
My worthless take, match by match....
197- Ward will forever frustrate me. He can reach down and get to anybody's legs, without even setting up a shot. That said, he's content to try to make a 1st period takedown last rather than keeping the pressure on with superior athleticism. You can make an argument on the stall warning in the 2nd period, but there's nwih that he should have gotten dinged twice in 30 seconds in the 3rd to force OT when Lofthouse didn't initiate anything. Ward was far from and offensive force in this match, but the stall calls were a joke. Nice win for him in the end, but it never should have been that close. I lay that at Ward's feet, not the refs.
285- Simonson did what he could against a guy that probably outweighed him by 40#. If he could figure out a way to get out to the side with those shots instead of getting stuck underneath, he could beat Rasing. How the ref could watch Rasing ride paralel the entire 2nd period and back up the entire 3rd period and not ding him once is beyond me, especially considering the way he called 197. It was one that everybody knew we needed and despite a game effort, Simonson didn't have enough against a quality hwt.
125- Hunter was outmanned. McD got off to a good start and never slowed down. I'll be honest, I was happy getting out of this one with only a major. I really thought McD would stick him.
133- See 125. Ramos looked good, but Jones is not on that level right now. I like the way he competes, but he is a sacrificial lamb at this point.
141- Obviously the biggest swing of the night. Hawk fans were touting Ballweg and he didn't disappoint. The odd thing is, I'm not really that disappointed with how Drouin wrestled. He was the aggressor and was in deep on some really nice shots. Based on KJ's comments, it sounded like they were a little suprised by Ballweg's funk. He was very comfortable in the scrambles. I was shocked that a 5th (+?) yr senior wasn't able to finish that last shot, let alone Ballweg scoring the match winning td off of it. Drouin has to win that match, plain and simple.
149- When Carr gave up the first td, I really thought the rout was on. I was pleasantly suprised by his effort and the outcome. Nobody is going to mistake Chiri for Metcalf, but Carr really put the wood to him. I've watched my share of wrestling and I've never seen that move that Carr used to put Chiri to his back from the tree-top position before. He looked quick, physical, and well conditioned. One of the highlights of the dual for me. Hopefully he is adjusting to the cut and will be a factor for us at 149
157- If Weatherman figures out a way to finish that first shot, who knows, the match might be completely different. I've seen them both wrestle before, but I couldn't believe how much more length St. John had than Weatherman. He knew exactly how to use it and was putting on a clinic at the end. Disappointing loss for me as a guy that thought Weatherman would be an impact wrestler in yr. 1. As much as I hate to say it, he's got a long way to go to be a natl qualifier, let alone an AA.
165- Sorenson was another bright spot for me. Kerr's funk is tough to figure out, but Andrew was patient, kept good position, and was the aggressor throughout. If the ref rewards aggressiveness, Andrew probably gets his td earlier in the 2nd and has some back points to go along with it. He said his approach was different this year and that he wasn't going to get so "up" for the match. If I'm not mistaken, Andrew had a wider margin against Kerr than Reader did last year. Kerr ain't gonna win the national title, but nobody blows his doors off. This was a solid win.
174- Hawk fans are high on Lofthouse and Reader pretty much toyed with him. The score wasn't indicative of how much Reader controlled this match. Varsity vs. JV
184- We knew this one was a long shot and Gambrall never left the outcome in doubt. I was a little disappointed that Shafer wasn't throwing haymakers out there. Give me an attempted bear hug....left handed headlock....something. I know this isn't pee-wee wrestling and the odds of that stuff working are somewhere around the same as me sleeping with Marissa Miller tonight, but at that point, I really don't care if we lose by 6 or 9. Give it the ol' steer try and see what happens.
I take some solace in the fact that nobody is more disappointed than KJ, but in the end, I'm just sick of coming up short. I'll hope for better days ahead, but this is just another in a long line of "what should have beens."
My worthless take, match by match....
197- Ward will forever frustrate me. He can reach down and get to anybody's legs, without even setting up a shot. That said, he's content to try to make a 1st period takedown last rather than keeping the pressure on with superior athleticism. You can make an argument on the stall warning in the 2nd period, but there's nwih that he should have gotten dinged twice in 30 seconds in the 3rd to force OT when Lofthouse didn't initiate anything. Ward was far from and offensive force in this match, but the stall calls were a joke. Nice win for him in the end, but it never should have been that close. I lay that at Ward's feet, not the refs.
285- Simonson did what he could against a guy that probably outweighed him by 40#. If he could figure out a way to get out to the side with those shots instead of getting stuck underneath, he could beat Rasing. How the ref could watch Rasing ride paralel the entire 2nd period and back up the entire 3rd period and not ding him once is beyond me, especially considering the way he called 197. It was one that everybody knew we needed and despite a game effort, Simonson didn't have enough against a quality hwt.
125- Hunter was outmanned. McD got off to a good start and never slowed down. I'll be honest, I was happy getting out of this one with only a major. I really thought McD would stick him.
133- See 125. Ramos looked good, but Jones is not on that level right now. I like the way he competes, but he is a sacrificial lamb at this point.
141- Obviously the biggest swing of the night. Hawk fans were touting Ballweg and he didn't disappoint. The odd thing is, I'm not really that disappointed with how Drouin wrestled. He was the aggressor and was in deep on some really nice shots. Based on KJ's comments, it sounded like they were a little suprised by Ballweg's funk. He was very comfortable in the scrambles. I was shocked that a 5th (+?) yr senior wasn't able to finish that last shot, let alone Ballweg scoring the match winning td off of it. Drouin has to win that match, plain and simple.
149- When Carr gave up the first td, I really thought the rout was on. I was pleasantly suprised by his effort and the outcome. Nobody is going to mistake Chiri for Metcalf, but Carr really put the wood to him. I've watched my share of wrestling and I've never seen that move that Carr used to put Chiri to his back from the tree-top position before. He looked quick, physical, and well conditioned. One of the highlights of the dual for me. Hopefully he is adjusting to the cut and will be a factor for us at 149
157- If Weatherman figures out a way to finish that first shot, who knows, the match might be completely different. I've seen them both wrestle before, but I couldn't believe how much more length St. John had than Weatherman. He knew exactly how to use it and was putting on a clinic at the end. Disappointing loss for me as a guy that thought Weatherman would be an impact wrestler in yr. 1. As much as I hate to say it, he's got a long way to go to be a natl qualifier, let alone an AA.
165- Sorenson was another bright spot for me. Kerr's funk is tough to figure out, but Andrew was patient, kept good position, and was the aggressor throughout. If the ref rewards aggressiveness, Andrew probably gets his td earlier in the 2nd and has some back points to go along with it. He said his approach was different this year and that he wasn't going to get so "up" for the match. If I'm not mistaken, Andrew had a wider margin against Kerr than Reader did last year. Kerr ain't gonna win the national title, but nobody blows his doors off. This was a solid win.
174- Hawk fans are high on Lofthouse and Reader pretty much toyed with him. The score wasn't indicative of how much Reader controlled this match. Varsity vs. JV
184- We knew this one was a long shot and Gambrall never left the outcome in doubt. I was a little disappointed that Shafer wasn't throwing haymakers out there. Give me an attempted bear hug....left handed headlock....something. I know this isn't pee-wee wrestling and the odds of that stuff working are somewhere around the same as me sleeping with Marissa Miller tonight, but at that point, I really don't care if we lose by 6 or 9. Give it the ol' steer try and see what happens.
I take some solace in the fact that nobody is more disappointed than KJ, but in the end, I'm just sick of coming up short. I'll hope for better days ahead, but this is just another in a long line of "what should have beens."
