Blaze going to PSU is brutal. But we very well may have a two for the price of one deal there. If that happens, I can cope with the outcome.
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MPhillips
Senior
From FLO
A few days removed from his team’s first loss of the season, Ohio State coach Tom Ryan reflected on where the Buckeyes are and where they need to be.
Iowa’s sweep of the final three bouts Saturday — Gabe Arnold’s overtime win against Ryder Rogotzke at 184, top-ranked Steven Buchanan’s technical fall against #17 Seth Shumate and freshman Ben Kueter’s 5-4 upset win over #6 Nick Feldman at heavyweight — created a sting Ryan hopes serves his team in the long run.
“Pain causes, or at least it can cause, a higher sense of focus,” he said. “Joy can, but pain and disappointment are what cause you to dig deeper.”
Ryan was straightforward with why Saturday’s loss was particularly bothersome.
“I think our team is better than they are,” he said. “We weren’t on Saturday. We did things that were our own doing — our own fault.”
Ryan referenced losses by the Buckeyes in which they initiated scoring attempts that were countered and turned into points by Hawkeye wrestlers.
“You’ve gotta know — or have the wrestling IQ — where if you’ve attempted things that haven’t worked earlier in the match, you either try again with a different setup or approach or you stop going back to it.”
He acknowledged the home-mat advantage and mystique of Carver-Hawekeye Arena may have contributed to what he believed to be nerves and subpar performances by some of his troops.
“It was a tough dual. It’s a tough place to wrestle,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of men ranked higher than a Hawkeye (opponent) in the past, and in that place, they fall short. That’s what we did; we had guys who fell short. And certain in-match decisions cost them.”
Ryan cited the 125, 149, 184 and heavyweight matches as particularly irksome.
“We outwrestled their guys in certain matches, but still lost,” he said. “We put ourselves in certain positions we shouldn’t have.”
Specifically, Ryan spoke of the 184-pound match between #5 Arnold and #19 Rogotzke.
“That was one example,” Ryan said of Rogotzke’s hurried attempt for a trip off a standing front headlock near the end of the first sudden-victory period. Arnold dropped his hips and covered Rogotzke for the winning takedown.
“It was a terrible choice,” Ryan said. “The backstory with that is, he pinned (Arnold) with that (move) before (at the 2021 U17 World Team trials). It just wasn’t there in that situation.
“It’s about poise versus panic.”
Ryan detailed why, with time dwindling in the period and Rogotzke’s stellar mat wrestling skills, his decision to go for broke was wrongheaded.
“(Ryder) is a better mat wrestler,” he said. “He’s un-rideable and he’s good on top. Why force a position that settles it on the feet? Stay in the front headlock, let the clock run out, and go to what your strength is.
“Again, it’s about poise. In that situation, it’s about not panicking. I understand the whole, ‘I wanna win the match right now,’ thing, but it’s a probability thing. Know your strengths and go with them.”
“Coleman Scott is friends with their coach,” Ryan said. “He was able to organize bringing them here. When you get Olympic champions and World medalists added to your room, and the international perspective of what they think and do in certain positions, it’s incredible for our guys.”
Ryan said he looks for opportunities to learn and to put his team under different forms of wrestling stress.
“We look for different ways of putting the guys through duress,” he said. “This experience does that. It’s like, ‘You think your single-leg attacks or your defense are good? Well, go with this guy. It’s not as good as you thought, is it?’”
The Japanese coaches and wrestlers will be training with the Buckeyes and their Regional Training Center athletes for two weeks.
“You’re always trying to find ways to learn, to expose and poke holes in the wrestling packages of your student-athletes,” Ryan said. “You have to if you want to constantly improve. Because of how incredibly skilled they are, these guys do that.
“It’s been an incredible experience. They’re great guys. They’re humble. They work incredibly hard, and we’re so fortunate to get to have them here.”
The well-chronicled story of Sasson’s comeback — following multiple surgeries and orthopedic and neurological therapies after being a gunshot victim in 2023 — has been an ever-present aspect of Ohio State’s 2024-25 season.
“This guy won 34 Big Ten duals,” Ryan said. “He was 34-0 going into the Purdue match. I mean, he was the man. Two-time Big Ten champ, two-time national finalist, all that. And Sammy will never say this, but he’s not who he was. When it comes to wrestling, he’s not who he was.”
Nonetheless, Sasso has inspired.
“What he has shown all of us, what he’s willing to do, he’s basically saying, ‘My reputation is based on what I’m willing to do, not on what I’ve done in the past,’” Ryan said.
“It’s been priceless to be able to walk beside him through all of this. At Iowa, in front of 13,000 or 14,000 fans and knowing he has Jacori Teemer and knowing he can’t move like he used to, and he’s trying, trying so hard to get the synapses to fire the way they used to and he can’t. He just can’t. It’s beyond his control.
“But he teaches the rest of us so much. His will hasn’t changed. It’s been an honor to be with him through all of this. He’s an inspiration.”
Sasso’s teammates echoed their coach’s sentiments.
“I wasn’t here yet, when everything happened,” Rogotzke said. “But just watching him, seeing how he works, I don’t know — I’m trying to think of the right word. He’s a deep well of inspiration. That’s about the best way I can put it.”
“He’s one of the main reasons I came to Ohio State,” Jesse Mendez said. “I’d never met anyone that wanted to win as bad as I did. Sammy was the first. When I got to campus, he immediately took me under his wing.”
Sasso provided Mendez a rude wake-up call to how much the four-time Indiana state champion needed to learn to succeed at the college level.
“The first time we wrestled in the room, he teched me in the first period,” he said. “I was like, ‘What just happened?’”
The two have forged a friendship for which Mendez is grateful.
“He was constantly in my ear about not being complacent. He’d always tell me, “You’re going to be a national champ. You’re going to be a national champ.’”
During hospital visits to see and encourage his friend, Mendez recalls conversations centering around whether Sasso would be able to walk again.
“It’s kind of unfathomable to be wondering if he’d be able to walk again, and now where he is today, competing at the highest level,” he said. “People are wrong if they’re writing him off.
“I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the national finals in March.”
A few days removed from his team’s first loss of the season, Ohio State coach Tom Ryan reflected on where the Buckeyes are and where they need to be.
Iowa’s sweep of the final three bouts Saturday — Gabe Arnold’s overtime win against Ryder Rogotzke at 184, top-ranked Steven Buchanan’s technical fall against #17 Seth Shumate and freshman Ben Kueter’s 5-4 upset win over #6 Nick Feldman at heavyweight — created a sting Ryan hopes serves his team in the long run.
“Pain causes, or at least it can cause, a higher sense of focus,” he said. “Joy can, but pain and disappointment are what cause you to dig deeper.”
Ryan was straightforward with why Saturday’s loss was particularly bothersome.
“I think our team is better than they are,” he said. “We weren’t on Saturday. We did things that were our own doing — our own fault.”
Ryan referenced losses by the Buckeyes in which they initiated scoring attempts that were countered and turned into points by Hawkeye wrestlers.
“You’ve gotta know — or have the wrestling IQ — where if you’ve attempted things that haven’t worked earlier in the match, you either try again with a different setup or approach or you stop going back to it.”
He acknowledged the home-mat advantage and mystique of Carver-Hawekeye Arena may have contributed to what he believed to be nerves and subpar performances by some of his troops.
“It was a tough dual. It’s a tough place to wrestle,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of men ranked higher than a Hawkeye (opponent) in the past, and in that place, they fall short. That’s what we did; we had guys who fell short. And certain in-match decisions cost them.”
Ryan cited the 125, 149, 184 and heavyweight matches as particularly irksome.
“We outwrestled their guys in certain matches, but still lost,” he said. “We put ourselves in certain positions we shouldn’t have.”
Specifically, Ryan spoke of the 184-pound match between #5 Arnold and #19 Rogotzke.
“That was one example,” Ryan said of Rogotzke’s hurried attempt for a trip off a standing front headlock near the end of the first sudden-victory period. Arnold dropped his hips and covered Rogotzke for the winning takedown.
“It was a terrible choice,” Ryan said. “The backstory with that is, he pinned (Arnold) with that (move) before (at the 2021 U17 World Team trials). It just wasn’t there in that situation.
“It’s about poise versus panic.”
Ryan detailed why, with time dwindling in the period and Rogotzke’s stellar mat wrestling skills, his decision to go for broke was wrongheaded.
“(Ryder) is a better mat wrestler,” he said. “He’s un-rideable and he’s good on top. Why force a position that settles it on the feet? Stay in the front headlock, let the clock run out, and go to what your strength is.
“Again, it’s about poise. In that situation, it’s about not panicking. I understand the whole, ‘I wanna win the match right now,’ thing, but it’s a probability thing. Know your strengths and go with them.”
Buckeyes Host Japanese Stars
The Buckeyes are tapping into the wisdom of Japanese World and Olympic coaches and wrestlers while hosting members of their national team. Ryan said having high-octane partners such as 2021 Olympic gold medalist, Takuto Otoguro, World silver medalist Yoshinosuke Aoyagi, 2024 Olympic silver medalist Daichi Takatani, 2024 Olympic team member Hayato Ishiguro, along with their coach, Shogo Maeda, has proven invaluable for his staff and wrestlers.“Coleman Scott is friends with their coach,” Ryan said. “He was able to organize bringing them here. When you get Olympic champions and World medalists added to your room, and the international perspective of what they think and do in certain positions, it’s incredible for our guys.”
Ryan said he looks for opportunities to learn and to put his team under different forms of wrestling stress.
“We look for different ways of putting the guys through duress,” he said. “This experience does that. It’s like, ‘You think your single-leg attacks or your defense are good? Well, go with this guy. It’s not as good as you thought, is it?’”
The Japanese coaches and wrestlers will be training with the Buckeyes and their Regional Training Center athletes for two weeks.
“You’re always trying to find ways to learn, to expose and poke holes in the wrestling packages of your student-athletes,” Ryan said. “You have to if you want to constantly improve. Because of how incredibly skilled they are, these guys do that.
“It’s been an incredible experience. They’re great guys. They’re humble. They work incredibly hard, and we’re so fortunate to get to have them here.”
'A Well Of Inspiration'
Two-time NCAA finalist Sammy Sasso continues to inspire in his return to the mat.The well-chronicled story of Sasson’s comeback — following multiple surgeries and orthopedic and neurological therapies after being a gunshot victim in 2023 — has been an ever-present aspect of Ohio State’s 2024-25 season.
“This guy won 34 Big Ten duals,” Ryan said. “He was 34-0 going into the Purdue match. I mean, he was the man. Two-time Big Ten champ, two-time national finalist, all that. And Sammy will never say this, but he’s not who he was. When it comes to wrestling, he’s not who he was.”
Nonetheless, Sasso has inspired.
“What he has shown all of us, what he’s willing to do, he’s basically saying, ‘My reputation is based on what I’m willing to do, not on what I’ve done in the past,’” Ryan said.
“It’s been priceless to be able to walk beside him through all of this. At Iowa, in front of 13,000 or 14,000 fans and knowing he has Jacori Teemer and knowing he can’t move like he used to, and he’s trying, trying so hard to get the synapses to fire the way they used to and he can’t. He just can’t. It’s beyond his control.
“But he teaches the rest of us so much. His will hasn’t changed. It’s been an honor to be with him through all of this. He’s an inspiration.”
Sasso’s teammates echoed their coach’s sentiments.
“I wasn’t here yet, when everything happened,” Rogotzke said. “But just watching him, seeing how he works, I don’t know — I’m trying to think of the right word. He’s a deep well of inspiration. That’s about the best way I can put it.”
“He’s one of the main reasons I came to Ohio State,” Jesse Mendez said. “I’d never met anyone that wanted to win as bad as I did. Sammy was the first. When I got to campus, he immediately took me under his wing.”
Sasso provided Mendez a rude wake-up call to how much the four-time Indiana state champion needed to learn to succeed at the college level.
“The first time we wrestled in the room, he teched me in the first period,” he said. “I was like, ‘What just happened?’”
The two have forged a friendship for which Mendez is grateful.
“He was constantly in my ear about not being complacent. He’d always tell me, “You’re going to be a national champ. You’re going to be a national champ.’”
During hospital visits to see and encourage his friend, Mendez recalls conversations centering around whether Sasso would be able to walk again.
“It’s kind of unfathomable to be wondering if he’d be able to walk again, and now where he is today, competing at the highest level,” he said. “People are wrong if they’re writing him off.
“I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the national finals in March.”
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Wrestling ttun today to salvage some form of vengeance. We SHOULD beat them handily with a healthy lineup. Anticipated matchups are below. 125-141 should be bonus points in droves. 149 should be a win, potentially a major. 157 is a tough one for Sammy, hopefully he can pull off a quality win here. 165 I would expect a decision for ttun, Paddy isn't wrestling well. Kharchla should at least get a major decision at 174. Ryder stuck Bullock last year but that will likely be a close match unless Ryder hits a big move. We'll get smoked at 197. Feldman will have a really tough one at HWT to round out the dual. Go Wrestling Bucks!
125-No. 18 Brendan McCrone (R-So.) vs. Wilfried Tanefeu (R-Jr.)/Christian Tanefeu (R-Jr.)
133-No. 10 Nic Bouzakis (R-So.) vs. Nolan Wertanen (R-So./Teddy Flores (Fr.)
141-No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Jr.) vs. No. 11 Sergio Lemley (So.)
149-No. 9 Dylan D'Emilio (Gr.) vs. No. 23 Dylan Gilcher (Fr.)/Cameron Catrabone (Fr.)
157-No. 17 Sammy Sasso (Gr.) vs. No. 15 Chase Saldate (Sr.)
165-No. 9 Paddy Gallagher (R-Jr.) or e'Than Birden (Fr.) vs. No. 10 Beau Mantanona (Fr.)
174-No. 5 Carson Kharchla (Gr.) vs. Joseph Walker (R-Sr.)
184-No. 19 Ryder Rogotzke (So.) vs. No. 23 Jaden Bullock (Sr.)
197-No. 18 Seth Shumate (R-So.) vs. No. 2 Jacob Cardenas (Sr.)
HWT-No. 7 Nick Feldman (R-So.) vs. No. 9 Josh Heindselman (Sr.)
125-No. 18 Brendan McCrone (R-So.) vs. Wilfried Tanefeu (R-Jr.)/Christian Tanefeu (R-Jr.)
133-No. 10 Nic Bouzakis (R-So.) vs. Nolan Wertanen (R-So./Teddy Flores (Fr.)
141-No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Jr.) vs. No. 11 Sergio Lemley (So.)
149-No. 9 Dylan D'Emilio (Gr.) vs. No. 23 Dylan Gilcher (Fr.)/Cameron Catrabone (Fr.)
157-No. 17 Sammy Sasso (Gr.) vs. No. 15 Chase Saldate (Sr.)
165-No. 9 Paddy Gallagher (R-Jr.) or e'Than Birden (Fr.) vs. No. 10 Beau Mantanona (Fr.)
174-No. 5 Carson Kharchla (Gr.) vs. Joseph Walker (R-Sr.)
184-No. 19 Ryder Rogotzke (So.) vs. No. 23 Jaden Bullock (Sr.)
197-No. 18 Seth Shumate (R-So.) vs. No. 2 Jacob Cardenas (Sr.)
HWT-No. 7 Nick Feldman (R-So.) vs. No. 9 Josh Heindselman (Sr.)
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Romanowski
Hall of Fame
Penn State’s team is no doubt a machine. There were some matchup styles that favored Penn State’s wrestlers over Iowa’s. In my imo Shane Van Ness will never lose to Kyle Parco. Caliendo is going to get smoked by Mesenbrink every time. Teemer losing wasn’t that much of a surprise either. The ASU guys, while talented, aren’t true Iowa guys. They aren’t the gritty, rip your head off, tough as nails guys we usually see from them.
I will say this, and I’m probably in the minority here, Penn State only has one guy I would write in as a champ and that’s Mesenbrink. He’s incredible and fun to watch. Kasak is wrestling at a high level and Starocci is what he is.
125 Lilledahl vs field: field
133 Davis vs field: field
141 Bartlett vs field (Mendez): field (Mendez) Mendez, much like Parco and Van Ness, will win going forward every time. I think Mendez is better and getting better at a faster pace.
149 Van Ness vs field: field
157 Kasak vs field (Shapiro): ??? Could be a great match if it happens
165 Mesenbrink vs field: Mesenbrink
174 Haines vs field (O’Toole): field (O’Toole)
184 Starocci vs field (Keckeisen): I think Starocci goes down this year. He’s not a shoe in and the added weight has a notable effect on him.
197 Barr vs field: field
HWT Kerkvliet vs field (Steveson): field (Steveson)
It may be a fool’s game to bet against Penn State’s wrestlers, and they always seem to rise to the occasion come NCAAs, but I think the field has a better chance this year than in years past. Again, just my humble imo.
I’m also not a fan of Starocci. Hot take: he’s a pussy. He quickly realized he couldn’t cut it at the senior level and decided to come back for a 5th year. He MF’d out of the Olympic trials after losing his 2nd match and didn’t enter the field for the world trials in the fall. Soft.
I will say this, and I’m probably in the minority here, Penn State only has one guy I would write in as a champ and that’s Mesenbrink. He’s incredible and fun to watch. Kasak is wrestling at a high level and Starocci is what he is.
125 Lilledahl vs field: field
133 Davis vs field: field
141 Bartlett vs field (Mendez): field (Mendez) Mendez, much like Parco and Van Ness, will win going forward every time. I think Mendez is better and getting better at a faster pace.
149 Van Ness vs field: field
157 Kasak vs field (Shapiro): ??? Could be a great match if it happens
165 Mesenbrink vs field: Mesenbrink
174 Haines vs field (O’Toole): field (O’Toole)
184 Starocci vs field (Keckeisen): I think Starocci goes down this year. He’s not a shoe in and the added weight has a notable effect on him.
197 Barr vs field: field
HWT Kerkvliet vs field (Steveson): field (Steveson)
It may be a fool’s game to bet against Penn State’s wrestlers, and they always seem to rise to the occasion come NCAAs, but I think the field has a better chance this year than in years past. Again, just my humble imo.
I’m also not a fan of Starocci. Hot take: he’s a pussy. He quickly realized he couldn’t cut it at the senior level and decided to come back for a 5th year. He MF’d out of the Olympic trials after losing his 2nd match and didn’t enter the field for the world trials in the fall. Soft.
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Really solid win and always nice to stick it to ttun at their place. Ryder got back to his form with a lot of upper body funk moves, pinning Bullock was definitely the highlight of the match. Wish Feldman could have capped it off with a win, but he is just so undersized at the weight...I know I keep saying it, but I wish there was a weight between 197 and HWT because he would dominate there.
But great day to be a Buckeyes wrestling fan.
But great day to be a Buckeyes wrestling fan.
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How in the hell is Gable Steveson wrestling for Minny now?
He won a B1G title in 2019, the Olympic gold medal in 2021, NCAA titles in ‘21 and ‘22 and then turned pro.
I get there was a Covid year that wiped out the chance for titles in 2020, but this guy is in what would be his 7th season if he’d stayed in college. And I don’t think he was on a Mormon mission or had two years of a medical redshirt.
The old ‘5 years to compete in 4’ thing is now a complete joke.
He won a B1G title in 2019, the Olympic gold medal in 2021, NCAA titles in ‘21 and ‘22 and then turned pro.
I get there was a Covid year that wiped out the chance for titles in 2020, but this guy is in what would be his 7th season if he’d stayed in college. And I don’t think he was on a Mormon mission or had two years of a medical redshirt.
The old ‘5 years to compete in 4’ thing is now a complete joke.
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Romanowski
Hall of Fame
Austin Gomez graduated high school in ‘17 and was competing for Michigan last year. Kerkvliet at Penn State is another. He graduated in ‘19. Covid year, redshirt, Olympic redshirt, they all add up.
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