Photo courtesy of Iowa State athletic communications.
AMES— “If you don’t want to rock and roll then stay home with grandma.”
ISU wrestling coach Coach Kevin Dresser used the above words Saturday to help express his feelings after his team’s Big 12 season-opening 24-14 loss to Wyoming at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones struggled once again against the Cowboys, delivering a performance filled with flaws that have fed their inconsistencies this season.
Here are some of my key takeaways from another tough loss.
The man of the night was Jakob Allison
If you don’t know who sophomore Jakob Allison is, you’re definitely going to remember who he is after his performance this weekend.
The Waukee native is a walk-on from club wrestling who scored nearly half of the team points in the dual.
Still, Allison — a 125 pounder — had a rough start in his match against Trent Olson. He got taken down and got put on his back after trailing 6-0. It looked as if Allison was seconds away from being pinned and I had already typed the tweet calling his loss.
Allison fought hard and wrestled his way off his back. After an escape and a takedown, he pinned Olson in the second period in 1:12.
“I could feel him getting tired and as soon as I put my hands on him I knew right then and there that I wasn’t out of this match, I got this and I can comeback and I did,” said Allison.
Dresser said that although Allison might not be the top wrestler, he has fight the rest of the team doesn’t seem to be finding and that’s all that matters.
Allison’s instincts to keep fighting and turn it around for himself is something that seems to be lacking from a lot of the other wrestlers. Allison showed persistence in getting himself out of that tough position. He refused to accept he had lost, even though it appeared all but certain earlier in the bout.
Allison, appropriartely, had all 2,908 fans in attendance on their feet.
“He’s a dang on club kid, he’s the Iowa state state intramural champion and he scored more points than anyone on the team,” said Dresser. “He could’ve packed it in, a lot of our guys probably would’ve.”
#CFTV Jakob Allison (125), on how it felt to have the best performance of the night. pic.twitter.com/UkUNEzUFxs
— CycloneFanatic.com (@cyclonefanatic) December 10, 2017
Cyclones only got nine takedowns the entire dual
This is a stat that should truly concern everyone and shocked Dresser when he heard it himself. The Cyclones may not only struggle to out-strengthen some of their opponents but their inability to score bonus points is coming back to haunt them.
In its previous dual, ISU lost to Rider because of those missing points. Both teams had won five matches but Rider won the overall bout, 22-15.
As a whole the team continues to look too comfortable with small leads and missing big windows to make big moves. Take redshirt junior Marcus Harrington‘s (285) match for example, although he may have given the Cyclones a win to end the night by this point the damage had been and Harrington’s win wasn’t saying much. No shots were taken and he seemed to stay comfortable only gaining the least amount of points necessary to walk away with a 5-3 win.
Our biggest match up of the night was No. 14 redshirt freshmen Kanen Storr (141) who went against No. 4 Bryce Meredith. Meredith pinned Storr the past weekend in Las Vegas and he pinned him again at Hilton in 1:12.
The Cyclones lacked the magic they needed when giving up major bonus points when redshirt senior Colin Strickland (174) lost by technical fall, 19-4, and ISU lost a team point in that match, as well. Redshirt sophomore Colston DiBlasi (157) gave Branson Ashworth over three minutes of riding time in the third period and picked up a 9-1 major decision win.
Two of the most heated matches of the night resulted in losses due to late mistakes from redshirt senior Dane Pestano (184), who allowed a late takedown to Chaz Polson to lose, 6-5, and redshirt freshmen Sam Colbray (197), who allowed a a reversal in overtime that sealed an 8-5 setback.
Dresser mentioned that assistant coach Mike Zadick had been giving the guys a “talk” in the locker room and I can imagine the conversation was colorful.
The team gets a small break from now until Dec. 26, which Dresser said will allow the guys to rest a bit while getting through finals and enjoying the holidays. When they return, Dresser said they’ll know by the 27th who’s here to get the job done.
“The great ones come back better because they’re refreshed,” Dresser said. “The ones who want to be great and are all lip service, their cards will be shown.”
Dresser is passionate about rebuilding this program
From the moment Dresser announced his plans for open practices before football games I knew there was a passion in him to truly reach out.
If there’s been any consistency in this program, it’s Dresser’s devotion to this team and the community.
Unlike football and basketball, whose fan bases continue to stay huge no matter the rankings or performances, Dresser walked into a program that had ceased to be relevant.
Dresser stays actively engaged and continues to keep the fans as a top priority.
Coach Dresser on wanting to be great for the fans. #CFTV pic.twitter.com/1l6LWJMr5k
— CycloneFanatic.com (@cyclonefanatic) December 10, 2017
