ILLINI versus OSU recap
FORESHADOWING
True Freshman KANNON WEBSTER was on the Match Day Poster for the ILLINI versus Ohio State dual. He would go on to have a B1G day with a win over #5/#5 Dylan D'Emilio, the redshirt Senior. That should boost Kannon's own ranking, which was at #11/#10 before the dual.
You could say it was a one-takedown match, but not really. It was a one-takedown-and-then-hold-him-down-for-the-last-25-seconds-of-the-second-period match. Webster got the takedown, then he rode the Senior for the last :25 of the period. He finished the period on top.
Then, the match.
In another bit of foreshadowing, there was a social media post the day before yesterday showing LUKE LUFFMAN's arm in a sling. This, of course, is when doves cry. No word on how long he'll be out, but slings mean bad things.
RUTHLESS
The other ILLINI with a win in the dual was EDMOND RUTH. He threw the whole Pennsylvania playbook (mat wrestling) at fellow 2x Pennsylvania State Champion Rocco Welsh. The kid was the #8 pound-for-pound recruit and a Pan Am champ.
Edmond Ruth's conditioning, which was lauded by Coach Poeta via the broadcast announcers, was a reason he was able to escape so easily in the third period when that became crucial. Here are highlights of Edmond's and Kannon's victories along with a special bonus:
THE BOX SCORE
| Weight | Matchup | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 197: | #23 Luke Geog (OSU) tech. fall Peter Marinopoulos (ILL), 19-2 (3:08) | ILL 0 I OSU 5 |
| 285: | #17 Nick Feldman (OSU) tech. fall Sungyup Ryu (ILL), 18-2 (4:21) | ILL 0 I OSU 10 |
| 125: | #23 Brendan McCrone (OSU) pinned Justin Cardani (ILL), (1:23) | ILL 0 I OSU 16 |
| 133: | #13 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) dec. #28 Tony Madrigal (ILL), 9-4 | ILL 0 I OSU 19 |
| 141: | #3 Jesse Mendez (OSU) major dec. #25 Danny Pucino (ILL), 12-2 | ILL 0 I OSU 23 |
| 149: | #10 Kannon Webster (ILL) dec. #5 Dylan D'Emilio (OSU), 4-1 | ILL 3 I OSU 23 |
| 157: | Isaac Wilcox (OSU) dec. Joe Roberts (ILL), 4-3 | ILL 3 I OSU 26 |
| 165: | Bryce Hepner (OSU) pinned #25 Chris Moore (ILL), (4:00) | ILL 3 I OSU 32 |
| 174: | #3 Edmond Ruth (ILL) dec. Rocco Welsh (OSU), 2-1 | ILL 6 I OSU 32 |
| 184: | Seth Shumate (OSU) major dec. Caden Ernd (ILL), 14-2 | ILL 6 I OSU 36 |
MORE WORDS
With injuries to LUKE LUFFMAN, ISIAH PETTIGREW and DYLAN CONNELL forcing them out of the dual, and with JOE ROBERTS wrestling with an entire hand wrapped up like one of your little brother's snow mittens, the ILLINI weren't going to win this dual. SUNGYUP RYU stepped in at heavyweight, true Freshman PETER MARINOPOLOUS at 197 and redshirt Sophomore CADEN ERND up a couple of weights at 184.
UP NEXT
The ILLINI have faced a number of ranked teams already this season, but that's not the case in the next one. The O&B welcome Northwestern to Huff Hall on Saturday, January 20 at 2:00 pm (Central) for their second B1G dual.
That was rough we got bullied in a lot of the matches but we were obviously shorthanded with the injuries at 84/97 and HWT. Webster continues to impress he's very poised and composed for a true Freshmen. Would like to see Ruth a little more aggressive in the offense department. Roberts wrestled tough after giving up the early TD. Could be a long dual season ahead for the Orange and Blue
ReplyDeleteGood post, Huff. I had been a redshirt-the-freshman guy forever. Not any longer. Too many injuries if you are in the sport long enough. Look at Luuuke Luffman, Justin Cardani, and others. If they're good enough to take the lineup spot, then they take the lineup spot.
ReplyDeleteAs long as Edmond Ruth wears out his opponent in the first period, I'm not concerned with scoring. He has a serious conditioning advantage on folks, and he wrestles smart. Plus, he's got a wicked sprawl. He's very tough to score on. Would love to see more of that sprawl from other wrestlers. Even if that means sometimes falling for fakes.
The rest of the dual season will be tough, but for every Ohio State there's a Northwestern, and for every Iowa, there's a Michigan State, and for every Nebraska there's a Wisconsin and a Purdue. Even with all the injuries, the ILLINI can finish above .500.
Build for next year with the Brawlnagels and Byrd coming back.
Finally, I had thought (once I saw that social media post of Luffman in a sling) that the logical choice was between Renshaw and Sungyup Ryu. At Midlands, Ryu was one of the most aggressive and violent wrestlers in the tournament. I was impressed with his attitude. He'll need to learn how to deal with the extra weight and strength from the fatties, but he will at least be interesting.
Yeah I had never seen Ryu wrestle before and was thoroughly impressed with his performance at Midlands, impossible spot for him last night. Couldn't agree more, with Byrd and the Braunagels coming back next year we have plenty to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteRight now there is only 1 other 49 lber in the big10 that would have a distinct advantage over Webster and that's the Nebraska kid. He's very impressive so I'll be interested to see how Webster matches up with him
Oh and I forgot A Gomez was back with michigan this year, that's another stud at 149lb's
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked at that yet. Thanks for doing that! Also, last year, while he was still in high school, Webster beat Graham Rooks' smaller brother at the Greyhound Open. I think he captures both Rooks and CHECKMATE!
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