WRESTLING: NO. 6 OHIO STATE TAKES ON NO. 2 PENN STATE IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE
Since 2011, Ohio State and Penn State have captured every NCAA Division I Team Wrestling Championship.
The powerhouse programs clash again Saturday, as the No. 6 Buckeyes (10-3, 6-2 Big Ten) attempt to close out the regular season with a road win against conference rival No. 2 Penn State (10-2, 7-1) on the road.
“It’s a dual meet we look forward to every year. They’re considered our natural rival from the Big Ten scheduling standpoint and we just gotta be tough,” Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said.
Penn State is currently defending their ninth national championship, having won consecutive titles from 2011 to ‘14 and 2016 to ‘19. The Buckeyes won their first title in 2015 and have been runner-up to the Nittany Lions for the past three seasons.
“[Ohio] is a gritty, tough state with gritty, tough people that produce gritty, tough people, and the same with Pennsylvania,” Ryan said.
Ohio State redshirt freshman Rocky Jordan, No. 12 in the nation at 184 pounds, will be wrestling in Happy Valley for the first time but has been there before as a spectator to watch his older brothers while they were at Ohio State.
“Watching Bo and Mic wrestle there, them telling me about it, it’s a pretty crazy environment there,” Jordan said. “It gets a little loud, gets a little crazy there for sure. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
The meet’s marquee will take place in the 141-pound weight class.
Ohio State senior Luke Pletcher –– the No. 1 141 pounder –– will wrestle Penn State junior Nick Lee, who is No. 2. Both wrestlers are coming into the matchup undefeated, Pletcher at 23-0 and Lee at 16-0. Pletcher, though, is battle-tested with 12 wins against top 25 opponents.
“The match of the night is [141], Pletcher and Lee. Lee is a tremendous, tremendous wrestler. Pletcher, we’ve seen the dominance, he’s a tremendous wrestler,” Ryan said.
There will be a few familiar foes for the Buckeyes Saturday.
Ohio State redshirt senior Kollin Moore, the No. 1 wrestler at 197 pounds, will potentially go head-to-head with Penn State redshirt senior Shakur Rasheed, No. 18 in the class. It would be the third all-time meeting between Moore and Rasheed, and Moore has a chance to go 3-0.
Decatur will be looking to jump back into the rankings with a win over Penn State sophomore Roman Bravo-Young, ranked at No. 4 in the 133-pound weight class. Decatur and Bravo-Young competed against each other in the 2016 United World Wrestling Cadet World Championships.
“I’m feeling great. I’m ready to go. For the rest of the season, I’m stuck here at [133],” Decatur said.
The Buckeye lineup is still uncertain though, with potential changes coming at 125 and 157 pounds.
“Both teams have guys there but, they haven’t been wrestling the way that they can,” Ryan said. “At [125] and [157], those aren’t maybe for us. You’ve got to have those [wins].”
Entire article:
https://www.thelantern.com/2020/02/...-on-no-2-penn-state-in-regular-season-finale/