RECAP of ILLINI versus MIZZOU

Screengrab from short video provided by FSL ILLINI showing Kannon Webster applying pressure


HEADLINE: THE FRESHMEN

The only two winners for the ILLINI in the dual against Missouri in St. Louis were the two true Freshmen who wrestled. For Webster, it was a nice ranked win that will move him up in the polls. This was what FightingILLINI.com had about the true Freshmen:

"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. 



FRONT PAGE BELOW THE FOLD: THE PRODUCTION

Great production, Jim Gibbons and David Taylor did a fantastic job, no buffering, high resolution cameras, good replays at the end of matches, no commercials during the broadcast. Zero complaints from us about the show they put on. In fact, only kudos. This is how we grow the sport. High production values that are energetic and directed to the fanbase. 

At this point, we don't know how it can grow and be marketable to a large enough audience to make a difference. Perhaps a pay-per-view option? For die-hards like us, $9.99 for a month of UFC Fight Pass is a great deal. For the folkstyle wrestling masses? Probably not. At least not yet. We hate Missouri. 


PAGE THIRTEEN: SPORTS

On the sports page, you get a lot of box scores. This was your box score for the night:


WeightMatchupScore
125:#2 Noah Surtin (MIZ) dec. Justin Cardani (ILL), 6-1ILL 0 I MIZ 3
133:Kade Moore (MIZ) major dec. Kole Brower (ILL), 17-8ILL 0 I MIZ 7
141:#20 Josh Edmond (MIZ) dec. #19 Danny Pucino (ILL), 10-5ILL 0 I MIZ 10
149:Kannon Webster (ILL) Logan Gioffre (MIZ), 4-1ILL 3 I MIZ 10
157:#5 Brock Mauller (MIZ) major dec. Joe Roberts (ILL), 14-5ILL 3 I MIZ 14
165:Chris Moore (ILL) dec. James Conway (MIZ), 5-4ILL 6 I MIZ 14
174:#1 (at 165) Keegan O'Toole (MIZ) dec. #3 Edmond Ruth (ILL), 12-7ILL 6 I MIZ 17
184:#11 Clayton Whiting (MIZ) pinned Cooper Wettig (ILL), 4:11ILL 6 I MIZ 23
197:#3 Rocky Elam (MIZ) dec. Isiah Pettigrew (ILL), 5-2ILL 6 I MIZ 26
285:#6 Zach Elam (MIZ) dec. #14 Luke Luffman (ILL), 1-0ILL 6 I MIZ 29




LAST PAGE: WHAT'S NEXT

The ILLINI will be at the Midlands starting on Friday, December 29. The tournament will be streamed on BIG+, and we will have a preview. 

This will be an important tournament for the ILLINI, especially the ones who have .500 or below records to get some wins before B1G season begins. 

The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond will be there signing autographs and handing out t-shirts. 


Comments

  1. Huff HallDecember 22, 2023 at 5:38 AM

    How competitive was Ruth with O'toole?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greg GermanDecember 22, 2023 at 7:10 AM

      O'Toole came out both guns blazing. I know why. It's because he had a couple days to specifically prepare for Ruth.

      During 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!

      Delete
    2. Huff HallDecember 22, 2023 at 8:11 AM

      Understood and makes a ton of sense. Thanks for the info as always Greg

      Delete
    3. Greg GermanDecember 22, 2023 at 10:59 PM

      Cheers, 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.

      Delete
  2. Huff HallDecember 23, 2023 at 10:23 AM

    I'll give you a pass Greg, :-) anyways happy holidays to you and your family

    ReplyDelete

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