RECAP of ILLINI versus MIZZOU
"True freshman Kannon Webster improved to a perfect 4-0 in his first campaign at 149 pounds. He gave the Illini their first win on the night when he defeated Logan Gioffre (MIZ). The match was tied 1-1 for nearly five minutes and required overtime to decide it. After roughly a minute in overtime Webster's pressure finally granted him access to a single leg and he secured the takedown to win 4-1.
Two matches later another true freshman, Chris Moore, improved to 2-1 in his first season at 165 pounds. Moore went back and forth with James Conway (MIZ) trading escapes and takedowns. Ultimately in the end it was Moore who emerged victorious with the 5-4 decision win, which ended up being the final one of the night for the Orange and Blue."
We would've liked to have seen the ILLINI more aggressive. That would not only have played well with the ILLINOIS audience, but it was a strategic mistake not to do so, especially with the Elam brothers. Zach had hurt his knee last Sunday, while Rocky had been out of the lineup for undisclosed reasons.
But, also, especially because giving up a takedown to a wrestler who is going to figure-four your upper thigh means you not only lost, forever, the opportunity to get the takedown in that moment, but also for the next moment--sometimes two! If you're going to be a takedown wrestler and not a rider/mat wrestler, well, you better get the takedown.
During intermission, Coach Poeta noted that he thought the team had shown "too much respect" to the Tigers.
| Weight | Matchup | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 125: | #2 Noah Surtin (MIZ) dec. Justin Cardani (ILL), 6-1 | ILL 0 I MIZ 3 |
| 133: | Kade Moore (MIZ) major dec. Kole Brower (ILL), 17-8 | ILL 0 I MIZ 7 |
| 141: | #20 Josh Edmond (MIZ) dec. #19 Danny Pucino (ILL), 10-5 | ILL 0 I MIZ 10 |
| 149: | Kannon Webster (ILL) Logan Gioffre (MIZ), 4-1 | ILL 3 I MIZ 10 |
| 157: | #5 Brock Mauller (MIZ) major dec. Joe Roberts (ILL), 14-5 | ILL 3 I MIZ 14 |
| 165: | Chris Moore (ILL) dec. James Conway (MIZ), 5-4 | ILL 6 I MIZ 14 |
| 174: | #1 (at 165) Keegan O'Toole (MIZ) dec. #3 Edmond Ruth (ILL), 12-7 | ILL 6 I MIZ 17 |
| 184: | #11 Clayton Whiting (MIZ) pinned Cooper Wettig (ILL), 4:11 | ILL 6 I MIZ 23 |
| 197: | #3 Rocky Elam (MIZ) dec. Isiah Pettigrew (ILL), 5-2 | ILL 6 I MIZ 26 |
| 285: | #6 Zach Elam (MIZ) dec. #14 Luke Luffman (ILL), 1-0 | ILL 6 I MIZ 29 |
How competitive was Ruth with O'toole?
ReplyDeleteO'Toole came out both guns blazing. I know why. It's because he had a couple days to specifically prepare for Ruth.
DeleteDuring the broadcast, they interviewed Keegan, and he said Coach Smith called him the night after Peyton Mocco got injured and asked if he wanted to bump up.
So, O'Toole drilled on how to avoid Ruth's under hooks (I believe) and watched tape on his other ties and setups.
Eventually in the match, Ruth got going and hit a double, but O'Toole squirmed out of every underhook attempt.
In other words, if Edmond had trained for O'Toole instead of Mocco, it would of been a closer, much different match.
And that's not even going into the psychological aspects of having a surprise multi-national-championship-winning opponent. Cheers!
Understood and makes a ton of sense. Thanks for the info as always Greg
DeleteCheers, Huff! I also blame myself for not even CONSIDERING that O'Toole would move up. I watched Peyton Mocco roll his ankle in the match against Air Force, but I thought, "You never know if they can go the next day or not." I should've put two and two together and didn't.
DeleteI'll give you a pass Greg, :-) anyways happy holidays to you and your family
ReplyDelete