I spoke earlier about Drama and the importance of it in relation to sports. How it can create intriguing situations that draw fans in to see the action unfold. I personally feel that there is opportunity here at 174 lbs for drama to be at its height. Anxious to see how it all unfolds.
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| #1 Keegan O'Toole Missouri |
The Tiger hasn't faced anyone that he'll see in this bracket yet, but rest assure yourself he is ranked #1 for good reason. He has a record thus far of 96-4, and if you take out the name David Carr, he only has one other career loss & that was during his freshman season to Jake Wentzel of Pittsburgh. To see O'Toole get upset would be the biggest news of the weekend, but in the words of the late Gorilla Monsoon, it is "highly unlikely" to happen. If you're a betting man, put your money on O'Toole.
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| #8 Nelson Brands Iowa |
The Soldier Salute & how he performs at it is going to be essential to the rest of the season for Nelson Brands. There is some stiff competition within this bracket, including a member of his own team, and Brands needs to outdo them all to secure a spot in the finals against O'Toole. I would imagine that he'll most likely get the *2 seed.
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| #10 Cade DeVos South Dakota State |
We could be looking at the possible monkey wrench of the tournament. 4th here a year ago, it was a bittersweet moment about a month ago for Cade DeVos at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He reached a pinnacle few will ever reach of becoming a four time place-winner. However, after having won the tournament last year, he was 8th this year. Nearly every spirit that has ever stepped onto the mat and given themselves to this sport has experienced disappointment. We have all had bad days. DeVos could more than make up for it here at the Soldier Salute. Owns a 5-0 win over Danny Wask, a 2-0 win over Clayton Whiting & a 7-6 decision over Jared Simma.
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| #13 Jared Simma Northern Iowa |
It seems every competition, Jared Simma is strengthening his strengths, correcting his mistakes & simply put, improving. He looked most impressive at Cliff Keen about a month ago, taking 7th place honors, knocking off both Lenny Pinto (14-8) & Cade DeVos (11-9). Has himself some tough tests here at the Soldier Salute.
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| #14 Lenny Pinto Nebraska |
Things didn't work out for Lenny Pinto the way he was hoping that they would in Vegas. As said about Cade DeVos above, we all have bad days. With that said, we also all have good days. Pinto is a tough wrestler who has had some very impressive showings in the past. Perhaps he will again this weekend/Weekstart.
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| #16 Josh Ogunsanya North Carolina |
We are now 9 weeks into the collegiate wrestling season & Josh Ogunsanya has yet to compete. Nevertheless, he's kept a respectable ranking this whole time. At the moment, #16. Will we finally see the Tar Heel in action? I would imagine probably not. As long as Ogunsanya has been off the mat, I can't see Koll & Ramos wanting to throw him into the deep end right away. I would think they might ease him back into competition with some "easier" tasks. However, I've been wrong before, and have to consider the possibility of Ogunsanya competing this weekend. If so, he'll be among those looking for a spot in the finals against O'Toole.
UPDATE: I knew when I wrote this there would be a chance that Ogunsanya would compete this past week, and he did. Lost a tough one to Carson Kharchla of Ohio State, but otherwise looked pretty good.
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| #19 Danny Wask Navy |
Like I said about Jared Simma, Danny Wask is another guy that seems to keep on getting better and improving as his career progresses. Only a sophomore, I'm anxious to see how much better he has gotten by the time he's a senior. He was 6th at CKLV about a month ago & owns both a 10-5 victory over Lenny Pinto & an 11-7 decision over Cade DeVos.
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| #23 Clayton Whiting Minnesota |
Clayton Whiting has yet to face any of the competition he will face here, but he will be among the talent competing for a good finish at the Soldier Salute.
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| B.U. Pat Kennedy Iowa |
Here's the drama. I'm going to be candid here. Nelson Brands journey has been a rather unique one. Earned an All American finish in 2023 & then missed out on what was going to be his final season of collegiate eligibility due to violating some rules of the NCAA. Felt bad for him as I read a public statement that he had released about missing out on his final opportunity as a college wrestler. Was happily shocked, when a short time later, I read that he had appealed against the NCAA's decision, and he had won that appeal. Was happy to see him back on the mat, getting that final opportunity that we all thought had eluded him.
With all that said, the varsity spot that he currently holds is still in jeopardy. His father, Terry Brands the top assistant & his uncle Tom, the head Coach, it's hard for me to imagine either sitting abide, if Nelson were to not be the best man for the spot come BIG 10's. On the same hand though, the Brands strike me as fair and cordial. They preach the philosophy of everything having to be "earned" and I can't see them doing Patrick Kennedy wrong, if he outperforms Nelson. It's a sticky situation and we could see some tough decisions being made in the future.
Kennedy has looked very good so far this season, with two technical falls. Keep in mind he's also a two time Soldier Salute finalist, winning the tournament two years ago & taking runner-up honors last year.
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