TIGER STYLE INVITE RECAP
TIGER STYLE OPEN RECAP
Another great day to be an ILLINI Wrestling fan! It was non-stop
ILLINI action all day, and we weren’t offended by the Maryland wrestling wear,
as the Terps looked mostly normal. Even without points at two weights because
of injuries to Maximo Renteria, Justin Cardani, Sammie Hayes and Danny Pucino,
the ILLINI managed two champions (Lucas Byrd and Edmond Ruth), as well as
runnerup Danny Braunagel and other placers, including Zac Braunagel (3rd),
Matt Wroblewski (3rd), Isiah Pettigrew (4th), Dylan
Connell (4th), Kevon Davenport (4th), Luke Odom (4th),
Anthony Federico (5th up a weight at 157), Trey Sizemore (5th),
JoJo “Bulldog” Braunagel (5th), Kole Brower (5th), and Caden
Ernd (6th).
TWO WEIGHTS REALLY SHOWED UP
The ILLINI in the 174 and 197 brackets put on a show. In both
instances, ILLINOIS wrestlers took three of the top five/six placements at those
weights. On top of that, there was a lot of friendly fire exchanged, as teammates
battled. Trey Sizemore wrestled Edmond Ruth and Caden Ernd. It even devolved
into a family civil war with Brawlnagel brother fighting Brawlnagel brother at
197.
A FEW OBSERVATIONS
Every 133er in America has decided not to shoot on Lucas Byrd. In
his first two matches, I think the shots taken was about twenty for Byrd and
zero for his opponents. You could hear Coach Poeta let the ref know about the
disparity with a, “You might start considering a stall warning.” Lucas will
have to develop a plan for wrestlers who are afraid to engage with him.
I am 100% certain Kevon Davenport should have two more wins and
two less losses on his record. He has been better than his third-place-match opponents
in both the Tiger Style Invite and MSU Open. I hope he fixes that because it
has probably already cost him a seed or two at the Big Dance.
Edmond Ruth has a brutal inside trip.
It was great to see WroboCop get out from under all the
heavyweights but one. He also hit a low single on maybe the biggest heavyweight
in the bracket. Lifted and dumped, too!
That 125 bracket was there for the taking for Renteria or Cardani.
Antonio Lorenzo of Cal Poly won the bracket. In 2019, during his Senior year in
high school, Lorenzo finished fourth at 120. Maximo finished first in the same
bracket as a Sophomore. Tornado Sammy Hayes would’ve placed. Pucino would’ve
done damage at 141. They need to get healed up for the season, especially the
conference season, so whatevs.
The ILLINI are much more offensive this year than the past couple
of years. Some of that is due to the competition, but some of that is also due
to the team being much more offensive. I also noticed that the coaches almost
unanimously instructed wrestlers to choose “down” in the second period if they
got the choice. Is that because somebody has done a statistical analysis? Is it
because, during an early-season tournament, it makes sense to make sure your
wrestlers have lots of energy to escape? The coaches wanted them to work on
bottom? I don’t know, but it was noticeable.
The IWB&F&B was severely reprimanded for mistakenly
tweeting that @BruanagelZac wrestled his brother @TeamBraunagel at the
tournament. In fact, @TeamBraunagel is his Father. We deeply regret the error.
However, we do suggest a Wrestlemania-style match involving only Brawlnagels.
Start with the smallest on the mat, and then send in the next biggest after a
minute, and then the next biggest in a minute, and so on. Once pinned, you have
to leave the mat. I WOULD PAY TO SEE.
OTHER NEWS
The ILLINI have added a monster recruiting class who have signed
their NLIs. There will be a number of 100-match winners in that group. Additionally,
the IRTC has added a Russian national champion in Ermak Kardonov. The whole
enterprise is getting bigger and stronger. Now, you can train with a Russian
champion in Champaign.
THE SCHEDULE
The ILLINI hit the road again for a triangular with Buffalo and NC
State on Friday, November 18. The match will take place in Albany, New York.
The festivities start at 5:30 pm (Central) against the Bulls of Buffalo. It
will be streamed on FloWrestling.
Im excited to see Ruth wrestle in person this year
ReplyDeleteHe is very fun to watch. So far, only one loss on the season to AA Ethan Smith by 2 points. He is very offensive-minded.
DeleteI'm looking forward to a fun and exciting year, Huff. We can cheer on these talented young guys like Kevon, Maximo, Pucino and Connell for years to come.
That's when the ILLINI become a powerhouse.
(Edited earlier comment because spell check turned "Kevon" into "Kevin.")