Ohio State freshman Nick or Treat Feldman (original photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Welcome to the very spooky and positively ghoulish Halloween edition of the Friday Mailbag! What a curse it is that all the best eating holidays hover around wrestling season. You can't eat candy. You can't eat turkey and stuffing. You can't eat sugar cookies. Not my problem anymore. But you guys asked some questions and that is my problem. It seems All Hallow's Eve has brought out the most creepy and murderous Jagoffs, living or dead! Let's see what they want to know about the upcoming season.
NJ blue chip rivals question: Sammy Alvarez/Robbie Howard-do they make the podium in 2023, and if so, who places higher? Don Bashed Eyeball
The quickest way to the top of the mailbag is to butter me up with questions about former North Jersey stars. The two former NJ state champions head into the season with tons of question marks between them. Let's start with Sammy the Bull. Now entering his fourth year at Rutgers, Sammy has yet to complete a full season of college wrestling due to a series of events that were mostly weight related. Finally healthy and comfortable at 141, it may take him a bit to get used to the weight, but I expect the Sammy we all know and love to adjust easily. Much like his predecessor Sebastian Rivera, he's continuously moved up classes since early in high school and found success. 141 this year is a mystery, not even the Scooby-Doo gang can solve, right now, so who places where is anyone's guess. Lest we forget though, it wasn't terribly long ago that Sammy was taking RBY to sudden victory #2. The kid can go.
Robbie Howard might be the guy I'm most interested in seeing this year. The four-time NJ finalist and two-time champion had a bit of a soft opening as a true freshman in 2021. Now I'm no ageist, but in an era where true freshmen now hover around 20 years old, Robbie is actually a bit young for his graduating class. Heck, the kid made his third Cadet team two years before his college debut. If healthy, I expect adult Robbie Howard to earn the first of four AA"s with maybe some finals appearances in the future. I think he's that good and the year off will have done him well after a high school career of competing virtually everywhere. The Suriano Curse ends here. Crusader to Crusader.
If you were a dog what breed would you be? Severed Pelikan Head
Snoop Dogg. What I would do for his lungs.
Can Flynn turn West Virginia into a contender? Number 13 Baby For Gravy
I don't see why not. They're by no means a small school. They wrestle in a large conference. They're located not very far away from some major wrestling hotbeds. They sing a John Denver song that most people say is actually about regular Virginia.
How many group chats do you preside in and does that number directly correlate with how over you are with those around you? UWW Cremated
More than enough if you ask me. And you did ask me. That's the point of this entire exchange. But isn't Twitter just one giant group chat anyway? For the uninformed, "over' is a pro wrestling term for becoming popular, or hated if you're working heel. So am I over? You bet your roody-poo candy ass, I am! The group chats have become so out of control that I had to start a new one that's just me and Ron Swanson. We've never typed a word to each other. It's perfect.
Do you suspect that Nick Feldman will start for Ohio State this season? Rhino666
I don't think he does. And I don't think he should. Is he ready? Sure he is. He proved that last year by tearing up open tournaments. I don't see the Buckeyes contending for a team title this year, but with their crop of young talent they're shaping up to be the biggest threat to Happy Valley Dynasty 3.0 and they're going to want Nick around for all those years. With the new redshirt rules that nobody understands, I assume they may toss him out there for a few duals to see where he's at, but I don't think it's necessary yet to roll him out in March. Tate "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff is a solid wrestler who can crack the top eight in Tulsa. Besides, Feldman may have hurt his shoulder and made their decision for them. Whether it's a serious injury or not, you don't want to roll your prized possession out there at less than 100%. Once he's in the lineup he's not sitting a future year so keep the shirt on for now. And while we're on it, the Mendez, Bouzakis, Gallagher, Kharchla, and Feldman core is Freddy Krueger-level scary. A potential challenger to the throne, that's what's going on in Columbus. And I just jinxed Kharchla.
Enjoy the last weekend before the storm! Unless you're Seton Hall Pirate and you need to correct the multiple duals already happening. Never change, Britt. I hope to see where your legendary D1 Week in Preview lands when the forums go capoot. Boo! (as in scary boo and not boo the forums, but I guess it works both ways)
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