No thanks to Bernard Muir, the Cardinal of Stanford have a very solid team this year. I think we're looking at, at least six NCAA DI qualifiers, some of which will be All American contenders. Could see as many as eight qualifiers as far as I'm concerned. This upcoming weekend will be one of their greatest test, as they take on two of collegiate wrestling's best teams in both Iowa State & Iowa. The Cardinal face the Cyclones on Friday & then turn around to do battle with the Hawkeyes on Saturday.
Nico Provo Vs Kale Petersen 125 |
Honestly this will be a great test for both of these gentlemen. Doesn't matter what school you are from or who you are wrestling, it is a big deal to get a W inside of Carver Hawkeye Arena. When you're the opposition, you have between 10K to 15K screaming against you in a very hostile environment. Iowa's sold out their tickets this season, so it'll be closer to the 15K. It'd be big for Provo to get a win here. As to Kale Petersen, he has yet to prove himself as a Hawkeye. The expectations as they always are with anyone who suits up in the black & gold, are high. A win over the likes of Provo would be a step in the right direction.
Tyler Knox Vs Drake Ayala Tyler Knox Vs Evan Frost 133 |
We have yet to truly determine what NCAA DI 125 lbs runner-up Drake Ayala looks like up at 133 lbs. In the lower weights that 8 lbs jump can make a world of difference. This weekend will be a great test to see exactly where he's at as he takes on Tyler Knox, a redshirt freshman who collected medals at both Cliff Keen & the Southern Scuffle straight out of high school last year. Ayala won't be Knox's only opportunity to knock off a top opponent. The night before he wrestles Evan Frost, who placed 6th in the DI nation last season. What a way to start off your first varsity season.
Jason Miranda Vs Cullan Schriever Jason Miranda Vs Jacob Frost 141 |
As far as I'm concerned, the past few seasons Jason Miranda has finished somewhere between 34th & 38th in the country. Just a hair short of NCAA DI qualification. This is his last shot. His last opportunity to make the dance. I think he's good enough to be top 33 this year, but he's going to have to earn it. This weekend presents him an excellent opportunity. A win over either Cullan Schriever or Jacob Frost would be huge Miranda. If he we to somehow be able to defeat both of them, even better. Much easier said than done though. We're talking about two very talented wrestlers, and Miranda will be facing both on their mats, in front of their people.
Jaden Abas Vs Kyle Parco Jaden Abas Vs Anthony Echemendia 149 |
Jaden Abas was an All American all the way back in 2021. If he wants to earn All American again in 2025, he's going to have to go through some extremely tough competition in order to do so. This weekend presents itself a golden opportunity for the Cardinal. He has All American Anthony Echemendia on Friday & then he has looking to become a 5 time All American/NCAA DI title contender Kyle Parco on Saturday. Nothing would say, "I'm back!!" louder than going back to California with two extremely high profile W's.
Hunter Garvin Vs Mikey Caliendo Hunter Garvin Vs Connor Euton 165 |
We have last year's 7th place All American taking on last year's 4th place All American. Hunter Garvin & Mikey Caliendo have met exactly once so far on the mat, and it was a 7-4 victory for the Hawkeye. So in other words, the advantage goes to the black and gold, but it doesn't count out the Cardinal. It'll be a good match. A huge W to take back to the better weather in California if it can be pulled off. As to Garvin Vs Connor Euton, this should result in a W for the Cardinal. As in the Cardinal of Stanford, not the cardinal and gold of Iowa State. With that said however, Euton is the replacement for the much beloved and much missed David Carr. He's looking for an opportunity to prove himself to the faithful Cyclone community. He upsets Garvin, he'll be doing just that.
Norman Lorenzo Vs Nelson Brands Norman Lorenzo Vs M.J. Gaitan 174 |
A young & hungry member of the Cardinal, Norman Lorenzo could very well be Stanford's most realistic hope to leave the state of Iowa with a 2-0 record this weekend. He's already proven he can defeat M.J. Gaitan, as he handed the Cyclone an 11-8 loss last season. I don't think Brands is out of his league either. Brands struggled with Oregon State's Sean Harman last weekend. A wrestler who in four seasons with the Missouri Tigers, never cracked the varsity lineup. Again we're talking trying to defeat both a Cyclone & a Hawkeye back to back on their home mats, but if anyone is going to do it this weekend, Lorenzo has the best shot.
Nick Stemmet Vs Stephen Buchanan 197 |
Courage is an admirable thing. Gotta hand it to Nick Stemmet. The three time NCAA qualifier wants to end his career as an All American this season & for the second weekend in a row, he's going toe to toe with one of the NCAA DI title contenders. He wasn't able to score this last weekend against A.J. Ferrari, but he did prove that his wrestling has gotten better. The last he and Ferrari met, Ferrari whipped him 16-3. This past weekend, Ferrari had to earn each of his points & the score was only 5-0. That's a major sign of improvement. To upset Buchanan is a tall order. Probably too tall of an order. To score on him though? Earn a takedown? Get a reversal. In the least create some great scrambles? I think that's possible.