Just a few of my observations, for what its worth...
First off...yea Mike, two top ten guys were out of the line up but..to answer to your observation...it seems the answer is...not that far! LOL
Didn't get to see too much at 125 as it was a classic example of how highscholers struggle getting off the bottom when they hit college. The kid from UNI was a 2X Iowa state champion and NCAA qualifier last year. He was aggressive on top and never gave Fenton a chance to get out of trouble - keeping him streatched out, back flat with all the weight on his hands until he locked thing up. I think Fenton is going to be good but he has a lot to learn. Lets see if he bounces back or get frustrated.
Micki looked stronger and more agressive as he dominated the freshman at 133 - the way he should have.
Bentley did a nice job against the #9 ranked guy but lost 4-2. Josh Alber has some impressive performances on his resume like top three finishes in the southern scuffle, midlands, Cliff Keen, and Big12. Bentley was the more aggressive of the two early on and even controlled the match but kind of fell off the pace and started standing around on his feet in the third period, and that cost him. Its a long season so lets see if moving up in weight allows him to continue his focus on learning instead of the scale, and improve his strength and endurance instead of fighting injuries. He could be a nice story for 2019
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Wentzle still wrestles on his hip and puts himself in bad positions way too often. Im not sure if he is lazy, doesnt trusts his endurance, or has not realized the difference between highschool and college technicians.
Taleb is Taleb. He is a talented athlete and wrestler with no fear...and that's kind of his problem...lots of talent, and no fear. The match was classic Rahmani - almost got pinned by an unranked redshirt freshman and then makes short work of him, pinning him as soon as he escaped. He will never be out of a match, and that is impressive, but the questtion is, can he develop the focus and purpose that will allow him to benefit from his talent? He is another intriguinng story come tournament time.
Nino wrestled a guy that was an All-American (placed 7th) at 184 in 2017 and is ranked #10 right now. He wrestled in the NWCA All-Star dual, placed 2nd in the Southern Scuffle, and was the Big12 champion in 2018. I still dont like Nino leg attach (very little set ups and always trying to finish from his knees) but think if they wrestle again, I would bet on Nino. He didnt seem relaxed and made some minor mistakes that are going to cost you against a really good wrestler. Maybe it was being a freshman, maybe it was because he wanted to win the dual for his team? He just seemed to be pressing a little bit. The guy was an AA however, and Nino gave him everything he wanted.
Meech beat a readshirt sophmore that had a decent W/L record and placed 6th at the Big 12 championships last year so the guy was not a bumb. A heavy weight with a good double leg and a strategy to wears down oponents is sure fun to watch.
