ILLINIWrestlingBlog

17-16 ILLINI

ILLINOIS wins four of the first five and then Edmond Ruth at 174. The hero was Jake Harrier beating Peyton Omania. Also, Danny Pucino with the tech fall.

Other ILLINI winners were Maximo Renteria, and Lucas Byrd, who controlled Rayvon Foley from start to finish.

It was a true team win. Anthony Federico (in lieu of Mikey Carr) and redshirt Freshman Dylan Connell kept the big guns for MSU (Chase Saldate and Layne Mxyzptlk) to very close decisions.

I don't get the Warnerov hate. My dude is a total warrior and returning finalist at a weight in which any of the Intermat top thirty could be All Americans this year. The returning champ is down at #4, the 35-year-old Cuban freestyle world-beater is #5, a returning AA at #17, an age group world champ at #18. 

A top contender will have to beat #21 Cam Caffey in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Another high seed will have #20 man-mountain Luke Stout.

The weight class is bonkers.

I get that Warner walks out onto the mat looking like present-day Russell Crowe, and, sure, he probably smells of whiskey and sex, but that's actually pretty cool. This is his Final Battle, and he's dealing with injuries (pretty obviously) so give him some slack.

15 minutes ago, PencilNeck said:

[snip]

One thing is for sure. Illini needs to drill finishes off of an opponent's whizzer for the postseason. came up so many times tonight.

 

 

All of yours was good, but this is going to be the star in my post-match recap. There must have been 10 or more Cornhusker shin whizzers, and I don't think the ILLINI scored on any of them. On the other hand, I think Nebraska scored at least once, maybe twice, while defending with a shin whizzer. That was pretty exasperating. 

If BTN doesn't move their cameras, then the ILLINI fans need to sit on the other side of the mat next season. There were some Orange Krush there tonight, but the majority of the fans were never seen by the cameras. The place will be hopping in a year or two. 

Maximo was pinned. He switched positions from the one he was in against DeAugustino. Yet, here, the refs didn't call the pin, and they specifically said that "near fall criteria wasn't met." So, whatever happens, the refs will not let Maximo score points. That must be in the rulebook somewhere. The B1G refs need to have a class on this position. Sort it out. Then, be consistent. 

Burwick is a tough kid and will easily make the NCAA tournament. He must have been told to avoid Byrd at all costs tonight, though. 

Brock Hardy is a really tough kid. I do think it's weird that there's an actual, in the flesh, "Bubba" on the Nebraska roster, and he's not one of the two skinheads. And I don't mean that pejoratively, those guys just have skin on the top of their heads where most folks have hair. And that's not to say that other people don't have skin there, they just have hair covering up that skin. 

Federico's takedown of Peyton Robb was very nice! He got gassed and stuffed after that. In my optimistic mind, though, I'm thinking, "If Anthony Federico can take down Robb, what might Mikey Carr do?" 

During his match, Labriola looked fine. Before the dual, Manning had two Huskers shake hands at 174. Nebraska must have been a little worried about the outcome of the team score at the time 174 started. I think both Ruth and Labriola will have very nice NCAA tournaments. 

That Lenny Pinto fellow should be disqualified. His underhook to the crotch might not be illegal, but it is surely against the Man Code. You just don't treat another man's meat and potatoes, his block and tackle, his man berries like that. It's just not cricket. 

I thought Zac Braunagel was too nonchalant in his match. He will always beat that guy from today on forward. Awesome to see Wroblewski with the pin on Senior Night. Finally, it was nice to see Dylan Duncan in the crowd. Cheers! 

14 minutes ago, aknipp said:

So does anyone attend the Illinois matches? 

BTN points the camera away from the crowd. 

On 12/18/2022 at 6:43 PM, 98lberEating2Lunches said:

...  I believe the continued calls for Bono to sign is simply trolling.  I also believe this thread has served its purpose and should be allowed to die in peace.

....

(emphasis added).

Will there be any Willie's Awards for 2022? I nominate this post by 98lber for the "Gas Tank Gary" award. This was his 31st of 79 posts in the thread. 

That, my friends, deserves a "Willie."

On 2/1/2023 at 9:28 PM, jajensen09 said:

I don't think it affected the outcome,  being there live. Could really see Allred and pinto beat iowa guys come match.

ME: "I'm the biggest homer there ever was. I have an ILLINI WRESTLING lunchbox that I made myself using a 3-D printer."

JAJENSEN09: [***** slaps me in the face with this comment]

1 hour ago, Powershouse said:

Best top to bottom Gopher performance this season.

No BTN here in South Carolina. I tried to wait out the replay on BTN+ but only lasted three hours before curiosity overwhelmed me.

Good to know that that whupping was from the best the Gophers can hand out. This part of the Multiverse sucks.

How did Minnesota get those majors? Time for a regrouping!

6 hours ago, GreatWhiteNorth said:

I have always enjoyed using the 'I-Mart' nickname in posts, even posted the clip from Evil Dead that it originated from. But - it is copyright 'Gantry', he is the Edmund Hillary of the nickname. (Speaking of, where did Gantry go? Anyone?)

Saturday's lineup is full of questions at this point - the appropriate amount of gamesmanship and mystery for "The Big One", no doubt. Gotta tune-in to see! It's 1pm CST Sat (tomorrow) on the B1G Network... yep, that bat-time, that bat-channel.

 

Using my own memes against me? That's a copyright violation. You will hear from my lawyer! Also, @Southend using "The Big One" meme against both of us? Another copyright violation. More work for my attorney. 

This whole dual is gonna be edge-of-the-seat stuff for me. Looking forward to it! 

12 hours ago, GreatWhiteNorth said:

Gotta ask. Who's the IlliNoise character that looks a lot like Batman? I'm thinking maybe I-Mart? "Shop Smart, Shop I-Mart!"

This dual is going to be gritty across the board. Illinois has been wrestling tough. Gophers will have their hands full. It may well be "The Big One" on Saturday.

When IMAR was a Freshman somebody on this board posted, "Shop Smart, Shop I-Mart." Was that you? I thought it was real good and would stick, but IMAR is the one person in our galaxy who gets to pick his own nickname.

The Batmen are all of the ILLINI. Any resemblance to characters owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros is purely coincidental.

I saw on Minnesota's official site they have both Nagao and Gliva as probables, which is very Schrödinger's of the Gopher staff. Other "ors" include Marcos Polanco at 141, Cael Carlson at 165, Jared Krattiger at 174 and Keaton Kluever at heavyweight.

@ionel, the same source only lists Carr, which means that Brayton Lee better prepare for Anthony Federico! GO ILLINI!!!

36 minutes ago, GreatWhiteNorth said:

Not posted for me, but as long as I'm here I thought I'd chime in. 

• Mack Reiter's regular partner is Danny Williams (yes, the Danny-Mac show!) but last week he partnered up with Dustin Schlatter. Was also very, very solid.
• Fatty-free Hwt match is worth the entry fee alone. Should be a barn burner... and with outside temperatures in the single digits, that will be welcome.
• (4) more matchups you pointed out are all edge-of-your-seat. That makes (5) don't-miss matchups total so far. Basically, guaranteed fireworks.
• As others have said, it may come down to Hwt, but that depends on where we start. Nobody should be surprised to see a different starting weight.
• One last bullet point... McKee is big. Maybe it's your TV, or maybe your eyeglass prescription needs a refresh. Patrick is all of 125 and parts made of brass.

Really looking forward to our guests from Illi-Noise.  

Patrick McKee must have a thirty-pound head. He's a damn cartoon character, the Yosemite Sam of wrestling. My point, though, is that Minnesota is one of the teams that I think is built for tournaments this year. Except for Joles, Nagao and maybe Foy, they are gonna hurt in the morning at weigh-ins, but by mid-morning, they'll be huge and strong. Bergeland, Blockhus, Lee, Sparks, Salazar all seem to be large humans. 

On another note, we are lucky at ILLINOIS to have some great student and student-wrestler announcers. Minnesota is lucky to have Mack and Danny Williams. The rest of these Big Ten schools can go suck it when it comes to BTN+ broadcasts. How many times have you heard the words "play" or "players." That one really grinds my gears. The problem is that the student announcer is always the one cast in the role of play-by-play, or should it be tie-by-tie or move-by-move? Maybe offense/defense? 

Those inexperienced folk should handle it like they're hosting the Oscars. Introduce the teams, note changes in match and team scores, tell a few jokes, maybe a short musical number, then shut up. 

@ionel, I've always liked the Gopher posters. Additionally, if Johnson, Gibbons, Sparks or Flores can't get to Minneapolis for the dual, I wouldn't mind hearing Mack Reiter and his partner call it. They're neutral and low-key very funny. Does this mean I'm going soft on Minnesota? No way.

The Land of 10,000 Mosquito Bites. It's the movie Fargo but with trees. 

As you said, it could very well come down to heavyweight, and that's one of many close matches. Matt Wroblewski has a head-to-head win when they were both at 197, but Garrett Joles is a big musclehead and may now outweigh Wroblewski, who had a earlier start at putting on weight. These guys never get to shoot doubles or knee-down singles because there are so many fatties in conference. They are free here to actually shoot, and they both can do it. 

I'm especially looking forward to Danny Pucino versus Jake Bergeland, Carr versus Brayton Lee, Little Braunagel versus Sparks and Edmond Ruth versus O'Reilly. I want to see how Dylan Connell measures up against Isaiah Salazar. The Gopher's a big dude and tough wrestler, but Connell's added some muscle. There should be some very good matches! 

As a selfish ILLINI fan, I hope the dual starts at either 125, 157 or 184. I think those are the Minny guys who are pulling the most weight. Actually, the whole team looks pretty huge except for Joles and McKee, which makes me wonder, how did Pat McKee ever miss weight? Two rolls of half-dollars in his singlet? 

There are folks talking about some dual on Friday, but my friends, the Big One is Saturday between ILLINOIS and Minnesota. It will be the only wrestling match on BTN that day, while on Friday, you have Ohio State versus Michigan and Iowa versus Penn State. In other words, a bunch of fluff replete with bad haircuts and people who belong on the set of Deliverance. 

There's an award-winning preview of the Big One at the ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond. It starts out a little something like this:

WHO:  Minnesota Golden Gophers

WHAT:  Dual

WHERE:  1925 University Ave SE, Maturi Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minnesota

WHEN:  Saturday, January 28 at 1:00 pm (Central)

WHY:  Destroy the Gophers! 

TV/STREAMING:  BTN

TICKETS:  $10 Youth, $10 Senior, $15 Public

A DAY IN HISTORY

It is Friday, February 12, 2016. 

The Billboard charts are full of unpleasant music. For example, Justin Bieber holds the numbers one and two spots with his hits, Love Yourself and Sorry. At the movies, your day is much better because Deadpool opens in 3,558 theaters and makes an incredible $47,335,592 that night. Assassin's Creed: Chronicles was released three days ago, and your kid brother has been playing it for the last 72 hours straight. 

The people having the best time, though, are at Huff Hall for the ILLINI dual with Minnesota. It's Senior Night, and befittingly, Senior Jeff Koepke seals a dual win for the good guys. Other winners for ILLINOIS include Francis Edelen, Zane Richards (tech), IMAR (major), and Steven Rodrigues (major). This was how that dual looks on paper:

#12 Illinois 19, #16 Minnesota 16 (Full Play-By-Play: http://bit.ly/1KgaCFs)

197: #3 Brett Pfarr (MINN) dec. Emery Parker (ILL), 10-5 | 0-3

HWT: #10 Michael Kroells (MINN) major dec. #20 Brooks Black (ILL),8-0 | 0-7

125: Francis Edelen (ILL) dec. Skyler Petry (MINN), 3-2 | 3-7

133: #2 Zane Richards (ILL) tech fall Sam Brancale, 17-2 (MINN) | 8-7

141: #9 Tommy Thorn dec. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 6-2 | 8-10

149: #14 Jake Short dec. Kyle Langenderfer (ILL), 8-3 | 8-13

157: #2 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) major dec. Brandon Kingsley (MINN), 15-6 |12-13

165: #4 Steven Rodrigues (ILL) major dec. Brandon Krone (MINN),21-8 |16-13

174: Nick Wanzek (MINN) dec. #2 Zac Brunson (ILL), 13-10 | 16-16

184: #15 Jeff Koepke (ILL) dec. Chris Pfarr (MINN), 8-4 | 19-16

THE BIG TEN NETWORK

The dual is scheduled for 1pm (Central) on BTN. It is the only wrestling match scheduled for Saturday, so you can expect to see and hear from the network's dream team of Gibbons and Johnson, as Sparks may be in the studio whipping up some content. 

The important news is that there's a stupid and completely inconsequential basketball game between Northwestern and Minnesota scheduled at 11am (Central), right before the dual. Choose your TIVO options wisely. 

THE TEAMS 

The ILLINI are now 5-4 in duals. They got there by starting off the season with a win over Buffalo (28-9), then lost to NC State (12-27), whupped Chattanooga (32-9), then in the same afternoon, got whupped themselves by Pitt (6-30). After a nice showing at the Midlands, the ILLINI gave Iowa a scare (19-25), beat Wisconsin (18-17) and Purdue (31-9), lost a controversial match with Northwestern (17-17), and, most recently, beat Maryland (29-11). 

Minnesota has a very nice 10-2 record that includes a win over Oklahoma State. Here's what they've done this season: Beat Binghamton (19-15), South Dakota State (19-16), Augustana (37-4), Oklahoma State (18-12), North Dakota State (24-9), Lindenwood (48-6), Cal Poly (22-12), had consecutive losses on the road to Northwestern (11-18) and Nebraska (9-21), then beat Michigan State (21-11), Indiana (28-6) and Purdue (20-12).

...

THE WRESTLERS

125.  Maximo Renteria (#82, 3-8) versus Patrick McKee (#4, 9-2)

McKee has been nails at the NCAA tournament the last two years. He's the Gopher's Lucas Byrd. During the regular season, though, he has been less sharp, losing seven last year, six the year before and eight the year before that. In other words, he can take some unexpected losses during conference. 

Still, he will be the huge favorite in this match with wrestlestat.com calling for a major decision. Maximo is 1-8 against common opponents, while the Gopher is 13-7. Last year as a true Freshman, the ILLINI went to the UNI Open and McKee pinned him. I believe Renteria was still recovering his wind from Covid at the time. 

I expect Maximo to start getting McKee-like results but perhaps not yet. PREDICTION: Minnesota is the huge favorite; regular decision. 

133.  Lucas Byrd (#7, 19-3) versus Aaron Nagao (#15, 14-3)

The ILLINI will return the favor and send out a huge favorite against Nagao, who's having a nice season himself. You see, I would consider Byrd to be a massive favorite over Nagao, but in the last two duals this season, it has been Jake Gliva (#83, 10-5), who's suited up for the Gophers. 

Gliva has started for Minnesota in conference duals in two preceding years. He even lost to Byrd 3-8 last season. The Gopher would go on to earn an NCAA bid but lose two straight and finish up with a 13-15 record. 

I would not expect the Minnesota brain trust to send out an injured or recovering Nagao to face the ILLINI two-time All American. Lucas is 13-0 versus common opponents with Nagao, who is 4-3. Wrestlestat.com predicts only a two-point win for Byrd, but given what we know, and given scouting reports from his teammate from Cali, I expect it would be much worse. 

The wrestlestat.com algorithm favors the ILLINI by major if he faces the backup Gopher. Lucas is 21-7 against the same guys who have a 4-13 record versus Gliva. PREDICTION: ILLINOIS is the heavy favorite, regular decision against Nagao, possible major against Gliva.

Below, you'll find a super cool video showing Maximo Renteria beating Nagao for one of his Cali state championships. You get a takedown-fest and a tilt-fest, and then you get to see Maximo hug his coaches, ILLINI alums Troy Tirapelle and Gabe Flores. Love this! 

Okay, this will probably be my last post on the subject. I have produced a very nice "pin collage" from the high definition video posted by 1032004 above for your viewing pleasure. The ILLINI are owed 18 match points! 

What is interesting is that this same set of officials reffed the ILLINI/Maryland dual. They gave Braxton Brown near fall, but after a Poeta challenge, reversed the call. Then, they gave Maximo 2 points near fall, had their own bench conference, and wiped away Maximo's near fall. Before the match, they asked the announcers to "go easy on them." Well, no. 

I've got a complete, quick and exhaustive recap of the ILLINOIS/Maryland dual here at the ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond. A SAMPLE from the recap: 

Quote

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. 

Finally, in the spirit of ionel's original post, here is a picture of Maryland's mascot, which, LOL, is food:

1 hour ago, 1032004 said:

Here is the BTN video.  Sequence is at about 33:15.

It’s awfully close, and then there’s a second or 2 where the video isn’t at a good angle.  But I think 9/10 refs aren’t going to make that call unless it’s super obvious.  DeAugustino did seem to realize his position and was rolling around.

Side note, but Illinois really screwed up by choosing bottom in the 3rd there, unless they didn’t care about the dual result and just wanted Renteria to get exposure to trying to get out from DeAugustino.  It had been 5 minutes and DeAugustino couldn’t take him down, and you know he’s pretty tough on top (and probably the biggest 125 other than Glory).  Then the final mistake was Renteria trying to go upper body in the last 30 seconds (edit: although I guess that was because he was trying to win the individual match).

Side note #2 - that was probably the most action I’ve ever seen from DeAugustino in neutral, presumably because he knew he needed the major.  He’s usually incredibly boring in all the matches I’ve seen of his.

Thanks for this! BTN rendered this version in high definition. My dude was pinned for about three seconds. In defense of the ref, DeAugustino kicked away from the ref three times to obscure the fact that he was pinned. 

17 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

That was "Illini Wrestling Forum" junk tech

NW appeared flat, but for how long in real time?  Can't tell with that video, which clearly slows down.

You are wrong.

BTN uploads a two-hour match within a couple of hours of its completion. Do you suppose they produce it in high definition?

Of course not.

They are interested in a speedy upload, not Minolta-picture quality. I can assure you that I produced what they had in the highest possible definition with my software (PowerDirector) and then processed it in HD on YouTube. 

ORDER

After hearing argument on Twitter, Instagram and Intermatforums.com, and after hearing from expert witnesses who were former ILLINI wrestling greats, this court has reached a final decision. 

FINDINGS OF FACT: Michael DeAugustino, the party of the first part, would have gotten four back points if he hadn't already been pinned by Maximo Renteria, the party of the second part. 

THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Northwestern must forfeit the match, change their official school name to "Nerdwestern," and bring us a shrubbery. One that looks nice, and not too expensive. 

Thanks to the folks here and on Twitter for correctly pointing out to me that the danger rule only applies in neutral.

Just know that I will not waffle on the pin.

15 minutes ago, gimpeltf said:

But he was in a high bridge. Near fall criteria.

He wasn't bridging defensively, he was pinning offensively. Just need refs with the agility to get in position to call it and the courage to call it against the home team.

On another note, I mentioned above that Maximo visibly pushed off with both feet to get DeAugustino's shoulders to the mat. I know refs look at who initiates the action in freestyle. I also know it doesn't matter in folkstyle except for this: It should be a Bat Signal to refs that the bottom man is going for the defensive fall. Get in position!

Final question: Can you be awarded near fall points while you are pinned?

P.S. Maximo is on top of DeAugustino's chest. Do you think DeAugustino's chest is more or less than four inches deep?

Crazy call.

I blame the crappy BTN video. They buy their electrons for their electronics on the black market from Hong Kong. Nothing jumps around or gets fuzzier than a BTN+ replay.

The fact that neither of Maximo's shoulder blades are close to the mat goes to emphasize the fact that both DeAugustino's shoulder blades were glued to the mat. Cheers!

First, let me note for the record that I am the biggest homer around. The ILLINI are always right. You, who are not ILLINI, are always wrong. That's a true fact. 

Second, the broadcasters of the ILLINI/NW dual were fooled. One of the broadcasters is a Northwestern wrestler on their team. The ref actually awarded four back points to DeAugustino. This came at a crucial time in the dual--the last match-- with the ILLINI winning. DeAugustino would go on to get a major decision and tie up the final score at 17-17. 

Third, it appears that Maximo Renteria pushed off with his feet to put DeAugustino in danger.

Fourth, it appears that Maximo then reached back with one, then both, hands to elevate DeAugustino's head. This served to move the Wildcat's shoulder blades onto the mat.

Fifth, DeAugustino's shoulder blades were flat on the mat for more than the requisite time for a pinfall. Maybe two. 

Sixth, I don't believe that Maximo's shoulder was ever on the mat! 

Finally, I realize a defensive fall call in the other team's gym is a long shot. But, I also know the refs have really emphasized the danger rule. If not a fall, then didn't Maximo put DeAugustino in danger? I thought the ref was very fair the entire match, but he got this call wrong. What do you think? 

From my just-published preview of the Maryland dual:

"LOL. Their mascot is food."

Recap of the Wisconsin dual for ILLINI fans and Wisconsin masochists here. SAMPLE:

"So many great stories, so many heroes, so many reasons to believe. It was bigger than the program turning a corner, though it was that. It was more like a new star was born in the center of the galaxy.