I missed the Fanthorpe match, but the scenario you are describing for Varner seemed to be the style for the other 3 finalists. Is this Sanderson's game plan for his wrestlers? They wrestle cautiously on their feet, after escaping, and hope for a take-down at the end of third period to win the match. Obviously, it didn't happen in any of the championship matches. I agee with previous posters that while I am not a fan of Brand he does instill that extra edge of agressiveness in his wrestlers. That is the key difference between the Clones and the Squawks.
OFFICIAL Midland Results thread
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I missed the Fanthorpe match, but the scenario you are describing for Varner seemed to be the style for the other 3 finalists. Is this Sanderson's game plan for his wrestlers? They wrestle cautiously on their feet, after escaping, and hope for a take-down at the end of third period to win the match. Obviously, it didn't happen in any of the championship matches. I agee with previous posters that while I am not a fan of Brand he does instill that extra edge of agressiveness in his wrestlers. That is the key difference between the Clones and the Squawks.
I agree we want to be number 1. We are loaded with Juniors but so is Iowa. We need to step it up one more level. Number 2 will leave you in 2nd place always, Cyclone Craig
fwiw, even though the midlands are set up like the ncaas, remember that the hawks didn't have to wrestle their two weak weights - scoring two wrestlers in both 133 and 141. That makes a difference. They still may be favored in head to head duals (ie nationals in cf), but it may be rough when you're only strong at 8 weights. Midlands showed us we're pretty strong at all 10 (thanks to ward and burke)
Good post Midwest - I didn't realize you could score multiple wrestlers at a given weight class. Is it a maximum of two per weight class?
Also, I agree that Ward and Burke make the team stronger, but did Burke get injured during the tourney? I thought I saw that he lost by default and then didn't see his name in any of the consolation matches.
I believe Duke separated his shoulder and will be out 4-6 weeks.
From my understanding, you can put 10 wrestlers in one class if you so choose.
It doesn't matter, if we never go for a take down in the final matches. How many takedowns did we have in the final matches?
Iowa was also without Charlie Falck for the most part due to being injured in his first match of the first day. He is normally a very strong part of Iowa's team. So, while they did score two wrestlers at two weights they were without Falck who is a difference maker.
ISU still should have won and I am very surprised at Varner's match. Apparently he didn't learn much from last year. He seems like he could just dominate but never does.
He needs to take a dose of whatever it is Metcalf takes because it seems like he has the potential to be that dominate. Metcalf is an animal!
ISU still should have won and I am very surprised at Varner's match. Apparently he didn't learn much from last year. He seems like he could just dominate but never does.
He needs to take a dose of whatever it is Metcalf takes because it seems like he has the potential to be that dominate. Metcalf is an animal!
I don't know if it is coaching but Iowa's wrestlers seem much more aggressive and amped up during their matches. I think Cael is intense, but his team does not seem to reflect that same attitude. Brands is maybe the most intense person I have ever been around and his team does reflect that attitude.
Maybe it is their approach at practice or something. I know Iowa's practices are very intense and they are very competitive. I don't know that ISU has that same atmosphere during practice.
Maybe it is their approach at practice or something. I know Iowa's practices are very intense and they are very competitive. I don't know that ISU has that same atmosphere during practice.
this sucks
this is true - a quirky rule the only midlands has
this is true, but remember ISU lost Burke well before Iowa lost Falck. You are right though, falck would have been a big pt scorer, probably moreso than burke.
different types of wrestling- yes he could be more dominant, be he is altogether different from metcalf
I don't know that ISU could be as strong and competitive as we are without also being intense in practice.
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I agree and I didn't mean to say that ISU's practices aren't intense, however I have seen in person and heard stories going back decades about the riggers that Iowa wrestlers go thru in practice.
The one thing that ISU is lacking I believe in comparison to Iowa is the talent level of someof their backups. Iowa is very strong two or three deep at a few weight classes and this naturally creates serious competition day in and day out. See Daniel Dennis.
I know ISU is strong as well in their backups, I just don't think as strong.
The one thing that ISU is lacking I believe in comparison to Iowa is the talent level of someof their backups. Iowa is very strong two or three deep at a few weight classes and this naturally creates serious competition day in and day out. See Daniel Dennis.
I know ISU is strong as well in their backups, I just don't think as strong.
I don't know what the cause or the answer is, but Iowa wrestlers improving at a faster rate than ISU wrestlers is a huge problem. Dennis vs Fanthorpe is a great case-in-point. Fanthorpe was clearly better than Dennis in high school and, in spite of having fewer competition opportunities, Dennis has closed the gap and is now at least as good as Fanthorpe. We need our wrestlers to be improving faster than their competition, not the opposite.
I agree we do not seem to take it to the top level as fast. The team is improving as they get older but not as fast as the evil empire. I do not know if we have actual competition in the wrestling room except may be at 125. And Tyler Clark is rapidly improving. The rest of the team seems to be set with no thought about changes. I love the class act we put on the mat and from talking to the wrestlers at meets and other places they are very nice young men.We need to keep the class act, but Cael was a class act and won. . At the end of the year at NCAAS it will be the final report card for the year. Cyclone Craig
I agree, the NCAAs will be the final report card. I keep thinking that ISU will come out on top in the end. Being a dominant #2 is awesome, and we would take it in any other sport. It just stinks that Iowa is #2.
However, would anyone suggest that Brands is benefiting from having recruits of two schools right now?
I just can't see how anyone would want to wrestle for a coaching staff that comes across so unprofessional.
whatever Brands is doing...its working.
He just seems to have a coaching edge over Cael
Brands has been a coach a lot longer than Sanderson and the experience shows!! Sanderson was not ready to take over as a head coach but we were not about to loose him like we did Gable so he was hired. He is getting on the job training and currently has his team #2 in the nation. ISU wrestling will be just fine and is not that far behind Iowa with a less experienced coach. I look for good things in the future.
With that said I do agree our wrestling need to be more aggressive. Cyler is wrestling great and is probably the most aggressive on the team. I hope we can get people to match his intensity and we will be looking pretty good.
As far as the midlands go it did not help that Cyler had to wrestle a former NCAA champion and competes Nationally!! But i have no excuses, we choked, and its going to feel great to get this knot out of my gut come march when we dominate.
With that said I do agree our wrestling need to be more aggressive. Cyler is wrestling great and is probably the most aggressive on the team. I hope we can get people to match his intensity and we will be looking pretty good.
As far as the midlands go it did not help that Cyler had to wrestle a former NCAA champion and competes Nationally!! But i have no excuses, we choked, and its going to feel great to get this knot out of my gut come march when we dominate.
Cyler sure did a good job against Bono. I did not know what to expect, but I know I wasn't expecting a Cyler win. So with him pushing the match that far in to overtime, I know coaches always say there is no such thing as a moral victory, but that is exactly what the match was for Cyler. With his progression this season I am expecting big things out of him come Nationals!!
Twistedredbird:
"I just can't see how anyone would want to wrestle for a coaching staff that comes across so unprofessional. "
Have you listened to the guys that wrestle for Brands talk about him before. Most, if not all of them, have the highest praise for the Iowa staff. I don't think he is unprofessional at all; he is very intense and competitive and sometimes that may come off as being unprofessional on the mat, but it is only because he wants the best for his guys and he is pushing them to be their best.
In this day and age where so many athletes are babied and spoiled, I think it is great to see a coach who will really tell it how it is. He doesn't care if he hurts someone's feelings so long as he is being honest. His attitude reminds me of Lou Piniella for the Cubs or maybe Bill Cowher or Ditka from the NFL.
"I just can't see how anyone would want to wrestle for a coaching staff that comes across so unprofessional. "
Have you listened to the guys that wrestle for Brands talk about him before. Most, if not all of them, have the highest praise for the Iowa staff. I don't think he is unprofessional at all; he is very intense and competitive and sometimes that may come off as being unprofessional on the mat, but it is only because he wants the best for his guys and he is pushing them to be their best.
In this day and age where so many athletes are babied and spoiled, I think it is great to see a coach who will really tell it how it is. He doesn't care if he hurts someone's feelings so long as he is being honest. His attitude reminds me of Lou Piniella for the Cubs or maybe Bill Cowher or Ditka from the NFL.
You can't force a Takedown that isn't there. You'll get it reversed on you fast in the finals if you do that. That happened in one of our finals matches at Midlands but I can't remember which one it was.
If Brands was coaching at Iowa when these kids were seniors in HS they would have been at Iowa. When I first heard all those guys were going to VT I couldn't believe it (as they were not good) until I remembered that Brands was there and Zalesky was at Iowa, and Douglas was at ISU. Brands is one of the Iowa great wrestlers.
What he teaches is to have his guys fly out of the gate intelligently and overpower your opponent. Cael seems to teach more fundamentally sound (set up well before an attack). Cael's is more about entire match control and wrestling at your own pace while Brands' is more about being able to attack and demoralize your opponent. (IMO)
Great post. I think Brands' intensity fuels his wrestlers for the attack in their matches.
