nhs67

I am not saying he couldn't tech him. I am saying that predicting it is dumb. The guy was a runner-up to Cox two years in a row - losing by one point a weight class up, right?

You do. Other crapstains just don't get the rivalry.

It wasn't support for Hepner, it was understanding that Amine was coming off injury in his first tournament while facing a guy from tOSU - who always wrestles tough with UofM.

Let's not act like Hepner is a world beater here, guys. He went 12-6 last year at 157 and failed to qualify for NCAAs. The same NCAAs that Kharchla placed at the weight class up at.

57 KG Richards? When we 'have' our guys in, he has never really been in our contenders discussion. Do we think he is there now, or just that he wrestled out of his mind? I am leaning towards the latter. I still think when it comes down to WTT guys like NATO or Gilman or Suriano are going to win fairly comfortably. Speaking of Suriano - His interview was an interesting watch. We didn't learn much from his match other than he can win Suriano-type matches in Freestyle (still). 61 KG Gross is one of those stories that you just... you can't help but hope he does well. Then when it comes to watching him wrestle you also can't help but worry that he is going to get outgunned. He just isn't that athletic and some of the guys he faces can expose that. It didn't happen here, fortunately. There was still a few seconds in the Iran match before he got on top that had me worried. 65 KG I think 65 KG is a gauntlet. I think it is a gauntlet and Johnny D is going to get exposed by long, athletic grapplers here and there - unless he pushes and gets on the board early and often. I still do think he can beat anybody in the world, but guys that are elite in the athleticism or raw power who hold themselves so positionally sound department will give him headaches. If he can find a way to score he can beat them. I just... this Irani kid... he has a wingspan like Kevin Durant man. I don't know how he wrestles a better match than he did against him - and he still lost. Also, if they change the grounded rule? He loses that match via technical superiority. 70 KG A bit surprised that Berger didn't get the nod against Iran here. The coaches know what they are doing, obviously, but Berger held the last win, was higher on the ladder, and has looked phenomenal as well. Berger looked flawless against Mongolia and looks to be right there to contend for a spot on the national team this season. Pantaleo now? Nice, right? Also, just looked... Berger placed higher, but Pantaleo beat him via 3-2 in the QF of the WTT, so I was wrong there. I think Berger beat him the previous time? Not sure now: https://insideourgame.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Men27sFreestyleWTT28629.pdf Anyways... where does Pantaleo get ranked now? He just beat two Top 10 guys. It wasn't convincing, but it was a result that not many of our other 70 KG guys have even had an opportunity to do. 74 KG I think Nolf looked great. The one match that frustrated me to watch was his match. The kid didn't even try to engage. He didn't have to, but Nolf kept trying to get in there. He'll make the adjustments and win that match, probably convincingly, next time. I thought this was the guy that Dake had to get a last second score to beat 2-2 at Worlds, but it wasn't. Cenzo didn't look good. I don't imagine it was the drop to 74 KG, because one of those joke-rumors that were always floating about were that him and Nolf would swap. It was known that he went 165 because he couldn't beat Retherford or Nolf, so there was that too. That said, he isn't particularly lean for the weight, even if he has the hips of a 184lber to bring to the match. Wrestling is more than hips and trips, though, and he needs to show that if he is going to be a factor. 79 KG JB huh? The guy he lost to just beat Sidakov a few weeks ago too. This isn't a bad loss. He needs to adjust - and he will. If he intends to stay on the small side of 79 KG, though - which he has indicated, then he might now win this match the next time either. Luckily styles do make matches, and he might not even see this Irani at worlds. 86 KG The Hair. O.M.F.G. 92 KG Nate Jackson showed up, man. I am not really a fan of his because of his lack of defense, but when you're rocking an 11/10 on the offense for half the match, that can get it done for you. I am looking forward to seeing what he can do at the Worlds stage, if he is our rep. I am still not convinced he will be, though. I think Hidlay is a nightmare matchup for him and guys like Moore and Macchiavello are going to give him everything he can handle. 97 KG Captain America sealed it for us. I was concerned it would be a 1 TD match and it might end up like the Cox-Ghas matches. I was wrong and Snyder's size was the deciding factor. He had a larger frame than Snyder, but he was considerably less thick and it wore on him. I still wonder if he will drop to 86 KG and challenge Yazdani. I know Karimi already made the drop and lost to Yazdani 7-4. 125 KG Iran has some weapons at 125 for the next decade+ and it is scary. Kerkvliet got absolutely slaughtered by Zare the last time the wrestled, and Zare has progressionally leaped a few times since then. Parris did pin Zare, but I don't think he does that again. Cassioppi? The guy that hammered him got hammered by Masoumi. We have talked about how this could be the golden age for us for heavyweights, and unless Steveson comes back Iran will have at least two heavies that should be favored above our youth guys. I am curious how Zillmer stacks up against Kerk and Cassioppi. He lost to Parris in one of his first HWT outings, and I don't see that match going much differently the next time they wrestle. We have a honeypot of guys at 125 that could all win or lose depending on the matchup and it might cost us when it comes to Worlds, because right now I think only Parris and Kerk have a chance to medal at Worlds. Kerk could lose to Bradley, though and Parris to Gwiazdowski. Brackets/seeds will matter. This said... Zillmer? Man the testicular fortitude and tank on this guy, right? For being so undersized on these international heavies, he NEVER BACKS DOWN. If I am going in to a hostile environment and I am thinking someone might want to sneak one on me, I am taking this guy 10/10 times. Fckn hell. 86 KG HAHA... had you there, right? Valencia looked phenominal for 2.25 matches. After the first 90 seconds against Karimi it seemed like he just... lost his gas tank a bit. Karimi is elite. Anyone saying DT techs that guy? GTFOH. You. Know. Nothing. This said, he is a big 86 KG guy and that wore on Zahid a bit. I still want Zahid to go to Mexico. He could be a medal threat for the next decade there. He might not even make a team here for a couple-few more years.

Alec Pantaleo went 112 (RQ), 135 (1st), 145 (DNC - Injury), 145 (2nd). Funny enough - after winning Districts as a Frosh, with two Detroit Catholic guys finishing beneath him, he got pinned by one in the regional semi-finals and then lost to the other in the bloodround to not qualify for states. He finished the season 53-3. Any guess as to who he lost to in the bloodround? Future UofM teammate Malik Amine via 3-2 Decision. His Soph year guess who he beat in the states championship? Future UofM teammate Malik Amine via 9-6 Decision. Guess who won the following hear the next weight class up at 140lbs (Pantaleo had put most of his time at 145lbs to be fair)? Future UofM teammate Malik Amine. His senior year after having wrestled 152 most of the year he dropped to 145 and was one of the heavier favorites and got decked in the finals. Guess who? Future UofM teammate Malik Amine in 0:34.

Final X is 6 weeks after the WTT weights.

We are spoiled. Even when we win it all at the absolute highest level we whing about what could have been had our better crop showed up. I even said as much woth Suriano VS Richards. Richards won, so I am grateful.

Why wouldn't something like this work?

I mean... I am good if you are good. You want to hate on a guy who has made this his life, that is fine. I am simply telling you to relax, and you should. I don't know why you should be on some sort of enemies list? That is preposterous. You're top notch - just off here. We are all allowed to be off once in a while, we are human. So long as we don't turn ourselves into DanTheMans or SparklingDragons or WestCoastDans. I enjoyed all the wrestling and understood the emotions of all the wrestlers involved, not just the US ones. Lil Yaz, for example? His sportsmanship was commendable... I don't know if anybody aside for maybe JB on the US side could hold themselves as well as he did. He did sort of put a show of disbelief, but he held a lot of what could have been bad in - even embracing Pantaleo afterwards. It's disappointing that so much political negativity can be said about the US-Iran football world cup match leading up. We didn't have any of that here. It was great.

I wouldn't talk too much. You're making way too much sense. Way too much. I would say give them at least two weeks after OTT, if we can. Give them three-four weeks after NCAAs, with Last Chance the week before, then two weeks for Non-Oly WTT.

It weren't directed at you. It was generalized, but the only negative energy on it is from @Dark Energy- so there's that. Also, I am 55 myself. Still quite young, though. We should be celebrating not just the World Cup victory, but that we made it through with no injuries to our wrestlers, and that we had so many good wrestlers in one building - sharing stories and experiences and gifts. It was a great weekend. Even if we had lost it would have been a great weekend.

From all the great wrestling we had over the weekend and the World Cup title and the story behind Ukraine, it is embarrassing that someone is trying to get hung up on the negative energy that only he is projecting insofar as a guy sticking his tongue out in celebration on the highest team level of competition in the world. Every win mattered and the wrestlers treated it as such. Did Snyder getting that first stepout to go up 2-0 also warrant harsh criticism, since the Irani World Champion took injury time? How about when JB lost? The Irani there has beaten two multi-time world champs in the last couple of weeks, but him raising his hands in celebration is a no-no right?

Do you also disapprove of yelling out when you win a states championship in high school or NCAA championship in college?

So Bo Bassett: Future 86 KG Gold Medalist.

Zillmer posed zero threat to Masoumi to tire him out. Bounced off him like rubber to concrete.

I imagine this next WTT we see our NCAA heavies in there. They did not compete at 2022 WTT.

He is a 195lber.

Currently 19-12 on criteria points. If Gasempour beats Snyder and Masoumi wins via Fall or DQ Iran wins. If Captain America wins here - we win.

Oh, we can't say the eff word.

***duck duck goose** hell, Nate Jackson. The guy is clutch.

Jackson needs to stay away from the underhook here. Iran is the best in the world at it - especially with the 86-92 KG guys.

It needs to finish a 5-5 tie with a Snyder a victor over the #1 Gasempour(at 92 KG) at 97 KG.

Not if one of these two things happen: Masoumi wins via DQ or Pin at 125 KG Jackson loses here via Tech Both are actually rather realistic

Unfortunately DT didn't shown up to prove you correct.