Penn State vs Ohio StateFeb 10, 2013 by Willie Saylor
CP's Superdual Breakdown: PSU at tOSU
CP's Superdual Breakdown: PSU at tOSU
CP's Superdual Breakdown: PSU at tOSU
Christian Pyles, College Analyst
Christian Pyles, College Analyst
PA v. Ohio: The eternal (and annoying) debate. Fans of both states claim their state to be the supreme distributor of the nations elite high school wrestlers. Both have their claims (yes we see you Jersey and Cali) and have put out their share of studs into the higher ranks. This weekend that rivalry extends to the collegiate ranks. While both teams have poached from the other state, there is no question this will carry at least a bit of states bragging rights along with the dual victory. It features two exciting teams with high NCAA aspirations. 4 of the top 10 p4p (not including Q!) will be set to go in this match!
*PSU listed first
125: #2 Nico Megaludis v. #12 Nikko Triggas
125: #2 Nico Megaludis v. #12 Nikko Triggas
The battle for first name supremacy! Two All Americans will slug it out to begin this dual. Triggas has had some nice results but has been much of the same guy he’s always been even when he earned All American honors a few years ago. Nikko took the last two seasons off from folkstyle competition so he returns to us much the same guy we saw a few seasons back. He’s tough on top where he likes to run his arm bars. He struggles on his feet and can be ridden. Nico matches up well against Triggas as he has not shown deficiencies from bottom at any point in his career. I see Nico winning a calculated match where he earns his takedowns and gets out on bottom. I don’t see this entering the major decision area, but I don’t see it being terribly close either. Give me Nico Megaludis by a few.
Nico Megaludis WBD Nikko Triggas
3-0 PSU
133: #16 Jordan Conaway v. #1 Logan Stieber
While Logan unfortunately missed some time this year, we have seen him elevate his game to the next level possibly. He has bonused each competitor he’s faced this season. Conaway has really been a pleasant surprise for the Nittany Lion fans, but he’s still not in the same league as Stieber. Logan is literally a world class wrestler who brings phenomenal skills in all positions. He’s aggressive on his feet with leg attacks and slides, brutal and punishing on top with bars, tilts and legs. Logan should overwhelm the undersized and outmatched Conaway and get the fall. I said this for the Ramos match regarding Conaway. Jordan’s best skill is his motor and hustle, and Logan simply won’t be worn out by Jordan’s pace. Frankly, the match may not last long enough for it to come down to that. While it may not have the same flair and excitement of Ramos’ pin over Jordan, it will ultimately be the same result.
Logan Stieber WBF Jordan Conaway
6-3 Ohio State
141: #19 Bryan Pearsall v. #2 Hunter Stieber
It’s always interesting to compare relatives to one another and compare styles. Much like the Alton twins, the Stieber brothers each bring their unique skill set into the fold that varies pretty drastically from their brother. Both sets of brothers are each studs but in very different ways. Hunter has been excellent all season. Sitting at 24-0 Hunter has been relatively unchallenged save the Ballweg match and his wrestle off with Ian Paddock. Has a beautiful single where he has great ability to finish(ask Kellen Russell). Also has worked some slide bys into his game. Much of Logan’s offense is power based(though he is technical) whereas Hunter is a bit more methodical and slick. Hunter also doesn’t bring near the top game his brother does, though he can be a pesky rider in spots. Bryan Pearsall is who he is at this point. He works hard, but doesn’t have the neutral ability to hang with the elite. He can bring some tough top work that serves him well against less skilled guys, but is relatively worthless against the nations elite. My decision here is whether Hunter will be able to get bonus points. Ballweg(whom Stieber beat) was able to get the major late, but Ballweg has more of a tendency to score in bunches than Hunter. Regardless, I see Hunter through takedowns and riding time able to get the major narrowly.
Hunter Stieber WMD Bryan Pearsall
10-3 Ohio State
149: #7 Andrew Alton v. #13 Cam Tessari
If the Buckeyes have any hope of keeping this dual in contention, they will need this one right here. Alton comes in as a decent favorite, but if Cam can rekindle the fire that lead him to a 4th place finish last year, there is no telling how this match can go. Both of these guys have had their missteps this season, but Cam has been far more inconsistent. Losses to Nick Carr and Daniel Young were particularly confusing results for Cam. For all the drama associated with Andrew Alton this year, he has been pretty good this whole year. His only loss was a fall at the hands of the very tough Jake Sueflohn. A match where Andrew raced out to an early lead but could not hang on. Both guys have a highlight reel arsenal. Tessari and Alton both have great upper body attacks. From neutral Tessari was basically all counter as far as leg attacks go. He has improved in this area, but in this spot against Alton, I don’t see him firing off or finishing the leg attacks against Andrew. Alton, however, is very aggressive on his feet and has prolific leg attacks. Alton’s ability to finish on Tessari, I believe, will tell the tale for this match. Cam loves to funk and counter guys leg attacks, so this could be the main source of offense for Cam this match. If Alton is finishing, he will win. I think he will win without too much issue here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this match had some extremely exciting moments provided by both wrestlers.
Andrew Alton WBD Cam Tessari
10-6 Ohio State
#3 Dylan Alton v. #16 Josh Demas
Don’t let the ranking disparity fool you. This should be a close match. Last year we saw Alton take both matches(4-0 and 3-2 respectively). Demas has shown he can hang with the nations best when he nearly pulled off the upset of DSJ in Carver-Hawkeye. Alton does not have the skill set to expoit Demas’ weaknesses enough to make this a bonus point consideration. Demas can struggle on the mat, where Alton is more-less disinterested. Both are tough guys on their feet. Demas uses his speed to work ducks, doubles and his patented ankle pick. Alton is more traditional and methodical and prefers to hand fight and work angles. Alton has been solid this year so I like him to win this match by 1 takedown. Do not be surprised if Demas gets a quick takedown and makes Alton sweat. Regardless, I see Alton bringing the hustle and fire to take this one narrowly for the Nittany Lions.
Dylan Alton WBD Josh Demas
10-9 Ohio State
165: #2 David Taylor v. Mark Martin
Now you’re all in big, big trouble. I’m not going to waste much time here. This is a horrific mismatch. Martin’s future is bright and I think he will develop into an All American caliber wrestler ultimately. The fact is that current all Americans struggle to not be teched by Taylor. So we know where this is going. I got Taylor by tech with swipes.
14-10 Penn State
174: #7 Matt Brown v. #6 Nick Heflin
This is probably the most exciting matchup of the dual. Pretty much every 174 match I’ve previewed has been between two excellent guys. Brown got his first signature win this season when he bested Jordan Blanton. Heflin has been much of the same guy this year that he was last year. Methodical and calculated, Heflin refuses to beat himself. Brown is a goer and a brawler who tends to throw caution to the wind at times. I thought he wrestled pretty well in defeat against Evans. He did not make the big mistake, but was simply out-hustled by Evans in one of the most improbable counters I’ve ever seen. Both lost their matches to Evans and Storley. Storley whooped both of them pretty soundly. I tend to err on the side of offense so I’ll go with Brown in this instance. I like the heat he brings, and Heflin has commented that the cut has been pretty tough for him so far this year. This one will be close and is probably a coin flip in reality. The only result that would surprise me would be a lopsided victory for either guy.
Matt Brown WBD Nick Heflin
17-10 Penn State
184: #1 Ed Ruth v. Cody Magrum
Magrum is a tough dude who has had to battle lots of injuries and difficulties during his time at Ohio State. When clicking on all cylinders he is an All American caliber guy. Sometimes the body simply doesn’t hold up and endure the grind of college wrestling. He will be thrust into a tough spot against arguably the nation’s best wrestler. Ruth has been steamrolling guys all year and that will continue against Magrum. If Ed wants the tech, he will get it with swipes. I’m not sure if Magrum will give up that cross face cradle. I see him being capable of at the very least fending that off. Ed rolls here.
Ed Ruth WTF Cody Magrum
22-10 Penn State
197: #3 Quentin Wright v. #13 Andrew Campolattano
Some health questions for Camp here. He missed the Illinois dual where we saw Kenny Courts bump up and beat defending Big 10 champ Mario Gonzalez. Tough to know where Tom Ryan goes in this situation, but I’ll operate under the assumption that Camp will be the guy. Coming into this year, I would have told you this would be a tight match where Andrew gives Quentin all he can handle. Campolattano simply hasn’t made the strides I expected him to this season. While, I feel for the kid given the absurd amount of times he has had to face Dustin Kilgore(4 and counting), I still am not sure how he loses to Nathan Burak the way he did. In that match he looked disinterested and generally ambivalent about whether or not he wanted to win. I like Quentin to win by decision here. Camp has the talent to make this close, but it doesn’t appear the talent has been completely actualized at this point in the season. I like Q to get a few takedowns here. I don’t think we will see Camp go airborne as his strength and size will make it tough for Q to get to the ties he likes. That and Capolattano prefers to operate from space. I don’t see the mat being much of a factor here honestly and I like Quentin by a few points.
Quentin Wright WBD Andrew Campolattano
25-10 Penn State
285: #16 Jon Gingrich v. #11 Peter Capone
I see this being a stylistic mismatch personally. Gingrich likes to stand and brawl and hit his double with guys while Capone is scrambly and a bit more dynamic. That is not to suggest that I feel Capone blows him out. I don’t believe that at all. I just believe there is a certain kind of heavyweight that Gingrich matches up well against and it’s not Peter Capone. Capone announced himself with his win over Bobby Telford at Carver Hawkeye. We saw Jimmy Lawson last week against Illinois, but that seemed to be more about Gingrich’s health than a message being sent and I think we will see Gingrich again here. I like Capone to get to Gingrich’s legs and earn a takedown and ultimately win the match.
Peter Capone WBD Jon Gingrich
25-13 Penn State
PSU dominates another quality opponent here. For it being two really good teams they really only have one match(174) where their “big dogs” match up. I could realistically see Ohio State getting 49,57,74 and heavy, but I think they are underdogs in all of those spots. I don’t think the Ohio crowd will be a factor for the Nittany Lions and I see them cruising to a very nice victory.