If you're the religious type, please say a little prayer & if you're not, send some positive vibes and/or thoughts. This dual between #8 Northern Iowa & #4 Nebraska is one that I am looking very forward to and as long as the weather doesn't do me wrong, yours's truly will be there live to watch the action. This one is loaded from top to bottom. All 10 matches should provide fun and excitement.
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| #31 Kyle Gollhofer Or U.R. Trevor Anderson Vs #5 Caleb Smith 125 lbs |
On paper this one seems like a shoe-in for the Huskers, but it may not be as clear, cut and dry as what it appears to be. Yes, we are dealing with an All American, who recently picked up a 4th place finish at Cliff Keen, but Kyle Gollhofer has shown a lot of potential at various points this season. He nearly upset All American Tanner Jordan, giving the Jackrabbit a great scare in the dual Vs South Dakota State, and he was one match away from placing at CKLV himself. In other words he may not be the 26 steps behind Caleb Smith that ranking suggests that he is. I'd like to see him get a shot in this dual, but we could very well see Trevor Anderson, who recently picked up a 3rd place showing at the Soldier Salute. Northern Iowa has a lot of talent in a lot of weights, and is still deciding on starters come BIG 12's. For either Gollhofer or Anderson, a good showing against a wrestler of Smiths' caliber would pull a lot of weight.
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| #21 Cory Land Or U.R. Julian Farber Vs #20 Jacob Van Dee 133 lbs |
Anxious to see who Coach Schwab starts in this dual. Cory Land & Jacob Van Dee have never met collegiately. At CKLV, Land suffered an injury against Tyler Knox in the quarters & had to medical forfeit in the R12. Van Dee pulled off some very nice wins, including a 10-4 decision over former CKLV champ Dylan Ragusin in route to a 6th place finish. If healthy, I think we're looking at a fantastic match between Land and Van Dee.
With that said.... Farber is very familiar with the Husker. They've met a total of three times, with Farber winning 8-1 & 9-5 decisions, and Van Dee winning a 5-1 decision. I will say that Farber looked to be knocking off some rust at the Soldier Salute, having debuted there after having not wrestled the first 9 weeks of the season. Much like at 125, we have two very talented wrestlers here and only one of them is going to start at the BIG 12's. Both of these guys are capable of earning a W on Sunday and for both of these guys a W against a wrestler like JVD would be crucial.
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| #8 Cael Happel Vs #5 Brock Hardy 141 lbs |
If you are an avid reader of JT#1, you know that I'm of the opinion that Cael Happel is one of the best wrestlers in NCAA DI wrestling yet to All American. I don't just pull these opinions out of thin air either, I back them up with stats and facts. And the fact of the matter is, Cael Happel has defeated Brock Hardy (whom I believe on the right day, could contend for the NCAA DI title) on two occasions. He owns an 11-8 s.v. over the Husker & he also owns a 15-13 decision. Hardy owns a 6-1 decision over him.
Now, it is not lost on me that Hardy looked smooth and solid at CKLV, capturing a 3rd place finish, while Happel had a roller coaster of ups and downs, eventually taking 8th. In a grueling sport that last nearly 6 months, few of us are lucky enough to not suffer a bad day or two. Vegas is said and done. We're now in Cedar Falls, wrestling on home mats, in front of home fans. Schwab will have Happel ready. I have no doubt about that. So too will Manning have Hardy ready. I also have no doubt about that.
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| #17 Colin Realbuto Vs #5 Ridge Lovett 149 lbs |
Colin Realbuto has thus far been having himself a very good season. 7th at CKLV, he was 3rd at the Soldier Salute. With that said, he has himself one of his toughest challenges this Sunday. Former NCAA DI finalist, who recently made the CKLV finals, Ridge Lovett. 125 favoring the Huskers, with 133 & 141 being tossups, we once again favor the Huskers here at 149 lbs. With that said, Coach Schwab has shown that his wrestlers go out onto the mat looking to win, regardless of whom they're stepping out there against. I also know that Coach Manning is well aware of that and he'll bring his Huskers in ready for war. That's what makes a dual like this so much fun to watch.
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| #5 Ryder Downey Vs #3 Antrell Taylor 157 lbs |
Here is our marquee event of the evening. Ryder Downey and Antrell Taylor met in the finals of Cliff Keen Las Vegas with Antrell Taylor winning a controversial 4-3 match. Many feel that there were points that should've been awarded to Downey that were not. Sunday, is a big opportunity for both of these men. An opportunity for Downey to avenge the loss in front of the loyal purple and gold. An opportunity for Taylor to capitalize upon his CKLV finals win & go home with win number two over a very good opponent.
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| #21 Jack Thomsen Vs #7 Bubba Wilson 165 lbs |
Both of these guys have looked good this season, pulling off various upsets in the first half of the season. While Jack Thomsen finished one match shy of a medal at Cliff Keen, he did pull off a very impressive 10-5 decision over eventual 3rd place finish Terrell Barraclough. He also took CKLV finalist Cam Amine into overtime before ultimately losing 4-1. Bubba Wilson finished in 4th place, and is honestly looking the best he has looked during his time as a Husker. He finished 4th at CKLV, with a huge 6-4 win over Sammy Sasso & a 7-4 win over Drake Rhodes. Thomsen will be out for blood, looking to knock off a much higher ranked opponent. Wilson will treat that higher ranking like it is his home, ready to defend it with everything he's got.
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| #16 Jared Simma Vs #17 Lenny Pinto 174 lbs |
Here is another match of vast interest. Jared Simma upset Lenny Pinto 14-8 and kept the Husker from earning his second CKLV medal, as he himself picked up a 7th place finish. Simma also looked good at the Soldier Salute, picking up a 3rd place finish with 4-1 win over Josh Ogunsanya. This match rides a fine line of importance for both of these gentlemen. Gives Simma an opportunity for another win over an opponent who finished R12 at last year's NCAA's. Gives Pinto an opportunity seek vengeance over the guy that kept him off of the award stand in Sin City.
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| #2 Parker Keckeisen Vs #5 Silas Allred 184 lbs |
Being honest and objective, 3rd-3rd-2nd-1st in the NCAA DI, Parker Keckeisen isn't going to have a lot of challenge this season. Having recently picked up his second CKLV title, the Panther has the train at full speed, ready to plow through anyone who dares to get on his track. With that said, Silas Allred is currently undefeated in his own right. Titles won at both the Kent State Open and the Navy Classic. Twice the NCAA R12, he's another top notch wrestler looking to prove himself as an All American this season. Let's see how he hangs with the Panther.
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| #15 Wyatt Voelker Vs #22 Camden McDanel 197 lbs |
I have been thoroughly impressed with Wyatt Voelker's vast improvement this season. He wrestled a very good CKLV, earning a 5-1 decision over BIG 10 finalist Zach Glazier & then defeating Christian Carroll 6-1 for 7th place, who had defeated him 10-9 in round two. With that said, he has a very tough opponent in Camden McDanel this weekend. McDanel missed out on a CKLV medal, with a 6-4 loss to Joey Novak, who then took out Voelker 5-2 in the consolation quarterfinals. We have ourselves another good match at 197.
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| #16 Lance Runyon Vs #23 Harley Andrews HWT |
Granted, long gone are the days of the behemoth giants, but I still like to think of Lance Runyon as the David among Goliaths in the between 198 & 285 lbs weight class. So far this season, he's brought his slingshot locked and loaded on several occasions. Looked very tough at CKLV, earning a 7th place finish with wins over Trevor Tinker and Cory Day. Harley Andrews looked tough at CKLV too. He was 8th at CKLV, also with wins over Trevor Tinker and Cory Day. Runyon and Andrews were set to meet in that 7th place match, but Andrews had to medical forfeit. Now we get to see what will happen when the two meet this Sunday.
