Recap of ILLINI versus Maryland
BIG WIN!
The ILLINI came away with a 29-11 home dual win over Maryland, winning seven of ten matches. All of the ILLINI fought hard, so it was another true team win. It was Military Appreciation day, and the team sported t-shirts signifying that during the warmups. ILLINI ROTC member Joey Braunagel got some special recognition.
BLOOD TIME
Maryland has worked hard in practice on blood time, and they've gotten really good at it. If there is any college wrestling team better at bleeding, I'd like to see them. It's a skill that you have to work on every day like any other.
CAMERA ANGLES / ANNOUNCER TEAM
Again, these are almost the worst camera angles possible. Just a quick shot of the crowd (again) to start the dual, then the mat cam points to the Maryland bench or the empty seats on the other side of the arena. This can be improved so much, BTN!
ILLINI wrestlers JAKE RECIN and COOPER WETTIG filled us in on the action. They try to be neutral, and make a good job of it, but when they see an ILLINI pin or near fall, they will speak their minds. LOL!
Maximo Renteria. Braxton Brown gets quick double off the whistle. Brown riding legs. Peterson to a reversal for Maximo. Maryland challenges the near fall awarded. No near fall, just a reversal. Call confirmed. SAME REF team from the Northwestern dual. They tried to politick with Reicin before the match: "Be nice to us." The head ref from Northwestern is the second ref here. Maximo with the nice ride.
Maximo with 1:10 riding time into second. Refs gave Brown 2 on the near fall. Coach Poeta challenges and near fall overturned. Another reversal for Maximo. 4-2 ILLLINI. Maryland escapes 4-3. Terp blood time. Nice challenge coach! ILLINI don't let them ride you. Renteria gave up his leg, but another Maximo reversal, and two-point near fall for Maximo.
Mike Poeta is wearing the world's best shoes.
"Lots of drama," from our ILLINI announcer team. 6-5 Maximo, no near-fall. This ref crew is bound and determined not to give Maximo any pins or near fall points. Reversal Brown. The Terp leads 7-6 terp, but after a brain-fart third caution on the Maryland wrestler, it is tied up 7-7. Brown with another takedown, 9-7 in favor of him.
Maximo not getting off his own offense. The score goes to 9-8, as Brown releases him. The Maryland bleeder gets two more takedowns and wins 13-9. This match lasted about twenty minutes including blood time and three reviews. The ILLINI was in there the whole time against his top twenty foe, but he let Braxton Brown completely control the neutral space.
Lucas Byrd. Jake Reicin points out that Byrd originally committed to Maryland. After a short feeling out process, Byrd rampages: Ankle pick 2-1, head-in-the-hole 4-1, let's him up, but a Byrd spin-behind takedown, 6-2, followed by a bow and arrow for four points, makes it 10-2 with a minute left after the first two minutes.
With :21 seconds left in the first period, Lucas cuts the guy, looking for another takedown. Gets it by grabbing an ankle for the 12-3 lead going into the second period. Dominance!
In the second, Lucas gets a quick near fall for the 16-3 lead. The ILLINI starts a catch-and-release routine, building up the lead that includes a stalling point against the Terp until the match is called as a 22-7 tech. Byrd is the Wyrd, you got that?
Danny Pucino is smiling coming out of tunnel. Kal Miller for the Terps. He's a good wrestler and very tall. He's a Boo Dryden but on a 4,000-calorie per day diet. With a beautiful last-second ankle grab from distance, Pucino takes the lead 2-0 into the second period.
Danny gets to his feet from bottom three or four times, but the refs keep letting Miller push him out of bounds. After a second hands-to-the-face call, Pucino is awarded another point. After an escape from Miller, the match ends with the ILLINI winning 3-2. Announcers note that Danny Pucino is on a roll. I agree.
Jake Harrier is up against a very good wrestler with a nice record in Ethen Miller for Maryland. Miller beat Harrier by major decision at the Tiger Style Invite. Jake from State Farm gives up lots of takedowns and various other points, including a third stalling call eventually. The match ends as a major decision win for Miller, but the refs huddle and voila it is a tech fall for some unknown ******* reason.
Michael Carr. While the refs are huddling (scheming) to give Maryland a tech fall at 149, Mikey Carr is waiting in the tunnel for his entrance with a very distracting strobe light going off and on. He finally says, **** it!, and just comes out. Thanks, refs, for ruining his entrance. I don't like this crew at all.
At all!
Carr gets an early single takedown. Then, he hits a snap down, spin behind for a 4-1 lead. With a cross wrist ride going, Mikey gets a tilt for four near fall. After another blood time, Carr goes with the optional start and starts his own catch-and-release program. After more takedowns, mostly singles, but a double thrown in there, and another two-point tilt and, of course, Maryland blood time, we get to a second period 22-7 tech fall.
Mikey Carr is in unbelievable shape. He's not breathing hard as he gets his hand raised and leaves the mat.
INTERMISSION: ILLINOIS 13, MARYLAND 8
Little Brawlnagel. Danny looks like he's cutting hard. Maybe he just needs one of those Ohio State tanning beds? He hits a beautiful sweep single to a takedown, then lets him up for the 2-1 lead.
John Martin Best shoots a single, but Brawny moves so quickly that Best hits air as the ILLINI jumps over and around him in the same movement. After letting him up, Danny leads 4-2.
Brawny starts the second period on bottom and gets the escape after a stalling call on Maryland. The score is 5-2. After a go-behind it is 7-2. Riding time is over a minute for the brawler. Maryland chooses down in the third, and the ILLINI goes optional start, making the score 7-4. After another stalling call on the Terp, it is 8-4. The Brawlnagel goes catch and release until time runs out on a 13-6 ILLINI win.
Edmond Ruth faces Dominic Solis for Maryland. There's an early stall call on the Terp for running away from Ruth's tie. It happens again as Solis runs out of bounds to avoid the upper body tie. That makes it 1-0 ILLINI. Edmond takes down in second and gets an escape to lead 2-0. The Terp does get over a minute of riding time in the second. In the third, Edmond rides him out for the 2-0 win.
It is obvious that opponents are scouting the Ruth upper body ties. If they are going to give up stalling calls, the ILLINI should just take them. The team score here is ILLINI 19, Maryland 8.
Dylan Connell versus Chase Miehlnick. Connell with a quick single, tree top chop takes him down. Rides him for 2:38 and rides out the first period. ILLINI down. Connell with stand up, standing switch to pancake for a four-point near fall. Ref does not call the pin that was there. ****! Jake Reicin or Cooper Wettig, I'm not sure which, says the pin was there.
Indeed it was.
Four minutes of riding time for the redshirt Freshman into the third period. Optional start allows Maryland one 8-1. Beautiful high crotch for two and release 10-2. With the riding point after the third period, the match ends as an 11-2 major decision. ILLINI 23-8.
Braunagels -- Both Braunagels introduced at the beginning, Joey and Zac. It is Zac who takes the forfeit win. ILLINI 29-8.
Wroblewski versus Jaron Smith. Nothing in the first period. Quick escape from Smith in the second. No other action. WroboCop on bottom in third with stall call on Smith. Smith got two minutes of riding time, getting that point by riding legs and parallel. 2-0 win for Smith. Final 29-11.
CONCLUSION
Nice win over a game and ranked Terp team. They are certainly getting better, but the Big Ten is just so tough. Braxton Brown, Ethen Miller and the Smith brothers will be a very good nucleus for the future. The ILLINI go to 8-0 all time versus the team with the turtle mascot.
Lucas Byrd was his dominant self. That was a pretty effortless tech fall. Pucino has now shown that he can beat the burly muscleheads and the tall wrestlers. It was awesome to see Mikey Carr in the lineup. That's me talking as a fan and a journalist. He's in great shape. His takedowns are superb and clean. Look for fireworks from him!
Little Brawny still looks sick (or having a tough cut), but he wrestled really well here. Edmond Ruth had to take what he was given from a guy who ran away from him the whole match. That was a dominant 2-0 win in which the Terp never seemed close to scoring.
Dylan Connell will be climbing up the rankings with another win. This wasn't a top level opponent, but every B1G win is big. As long as he keeps stacking them up, he will be ready for the post season. Zac Braunagel did absolutely nothing but stall in his match and still came away with six team points.
BTN really needs to re-think their camera angles. They suck!
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