BIG 10 dual action is here! The #7 Ohio State Buckeyes take on the #12 Illinois Fighting Illini in a dual that very well could be solid up and down the lineup in all 10 weight classes. Let's take a look match by match.
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| #6 Brendan McCrone Vs U.R. Ramazan Attasauov 125 |
Ramazan Attasauov has been out of commission for quite sometime, so it's unlikely we'll see him compete in this dual. However, we often see wrestlers make their return without much, if any notice at all, so maybe we might. Attasauov is a tough wrestler, a NCAA qualifier in 2022. With that said, the match still favors McCrone. Even more so with as long as Attasaouv has been out.
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| #9 Nick Bouzakis Vs #2 Lucas Byrd 133 |
Missing the '23-'24 year due to injury, Lucas Byrd has returned with an absolute vengeance. 9-0 on the season, he has quickly shown the wrestling world that he not only hungers for a third All American honor, but looks to have an NCAA DI title as his main course. Can't look to far ahead though, have to concentrate on the here and now, and the here and now is a very tough opponent in Nick Bouzakis. Bouzakis is coming off of a strong showing at CKLV, having earned his second bronze medal at the prestigious championships in a row. This will be a good match between two wrestlers most likely to both be on the award stand come March.
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| #1 Jesse Mendez Vs #15 Danny Pucino 141 |
An NCAA DI champion last season, Jesse Mendez is currently 16-0, on a mission to win another title this season. The last time he met up with Danny Pucino, it was a 12-2 major decision for the Buckeye. The Ohio State University is once again looking for bonus points, and Illinois will be looking to avoid them.
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| #12 Dylan D'Emilio Vs #11 Kannon Webster 149 |
Tossup matches like these, are what makes a dual meet fun and exciting. We have two wrestlers, only one spot away in the rankings, who last met in a tight close match, with Webster winning a 4-1 decision. I predict another close match between these two talented athletes.
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| #9 Paddy Gallagher Vs #27 Jason Kraisser 157 |
Circumstances be what they are, Paddy Gallagher has done a great job of stepping in and stepping it up a notch this season. 10-3 so far, he recently took a 4th place finish at CKLV & is looking pretty tough. He'll be the favorite in this match against Jason Kraisser, but he should not over look him. Kraisser an NCAA qualifier in his own right, can be very tough at times.
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| #11 Sammy Sasso Vs #10 Braeden Scoles 165 |
It's one thing if you see someone struggling due to their own choices and decisions. It's another when you realize their hardships are of no fault of their own. The elephant in the room here, that is obvious to everyone is that Sammy Sasso isn't having the year that he should be having. If it wasn't for an extremely unfortunate and most importantly noted unfair incident, he'd most likely be undefeated at the moment and we'd all be talking about the two time NCAA DI finalist finally ending his career atop the podium. Instead, here we are, Sasso 6-3 on the season, ranked outside the top 8, having failed to place at CKLV, a tournament he has won in the past.
It's often said, and more times demonstrated that the true measure of a man is not within times of glory, but rather in times of despair. Sasso hasn't given up yet. He hasn't given in. He's still in the fight and he's still plugging along. Despite his disappointing showing in Vegas, he recently came back strong in a dual against Oregon State to collect his 100th career victory. That shows courage and that shows guts.
Friday he'll have a great test in Braeden Scoles, a redshirt freshman who currently enjoys a 9-0 record. If Sasso can upend the Illini, it'll move him up one spot closer to a goal of being top 8. If Scoles wins, it gives the rookie a huge knot in his belt, as his career is still just getting started.
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| #11 Carson Kharchla Vs #21 Danny Braunagel 174 |
Rankings, results, this one definitely favors Carson Kharchla and the Buckeyes, but if you're familiar with the Braunagel brothers, you know better than to ever count them out. Zac is a bit more consistent, but Danny is a vehicle with a broken gas gage. When you get in, you never know whether you've got a full tank of gas or if you're riding alongside Jackson Brown on empty. I can see Kharchla having his way with Braunagel. I can see Braunagel giving Kharchla absolute Hell on the mat. I can see Braunagel pulling off a huge upset against Kharchla. The possibilities here are endless.
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| #14 Ryder Rogotzke Vs #11 Ed Ruth 184 |
Like at 149, I think we have a tossup between two very talented wrestlers here in Ryder Rogotzke & Ed Ruth. Illinois really surprised me by not taking part in any of the in-season major tournaments & Ryder Rogotzke hasn't participated as much in competitions as have many of his teammates. Anxious to see how this one goes down.
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| #17 Luke Geog Or U.R. Seth Shumate Vs #11 Zac Braunagel 197 |
Zac Braunagel has wrestled his fair share of Ohio State Buckeyes over the years, but ironically enough the 197 lbs'er who may very well be the best wrestler in his weight class yet to All American, has yet to face either Luke Geog or Seth Shumate in collegiate action. I believe either way, the Illini has a tough match on his hands, but it still favors the orange and blue.
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| #7 Nick Feldman Vs #11 Luke Luffman HWT |
"Bigger, Faster, Stronger" it was a motto my Football worshipping high school preached throughout the building and put on posters throughout the school. From the looks of it, both Nick Feldman and Luke Luffman have been living by the motto themselves. Both look bigger and both look stronger. Feldman recently off a 6th place finish at CKLV, Luffman has had some impressive showings himself this season. This will be a good match between two of our larger HWTs.
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