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WNO (Who's Number One), the Latest

I'm so $&%*ing excited for this. I love that other places are making a similar push for things like Night of Conflict in Iowa.

MN has the JJ Classic, which is a tournament, but it brings over a lot of top-flight guys and a mix of other levels.

I believe in the multi-sport athlete, but it's awesome to have these opportunities. As a wrestling fan, this is too awesome.
 
Willies pant are dope....

Mr Decatur was pretty fun during the match. Fun match to watch...crowd was in to it.
 
Nick has been establishing national credentials lately. It's almost like Cael knows what he's doing. Almost.
He really did put some separation between himself and other top tier guys in his last two outings, showed everyone that his Fargo win, where he wasn't the favorite, was no fluke. Constant movement, switching positions, took Sasso's leg a dozen times it felt like and Sasso couldn't stop him. His conditioning looked to be midseason form too.
 
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Nice match by Berge and some great defense. Seemed to have problems with Griffith's length.
 
Missed all of it. Here are the results for the high school matches, as posted on FloArena:

120: Jordan Decatur dec. Gavin Teasdale, 8-7
126: Roman Bravo-Young dec. Nick Raimo, 3-2
132: Daton Fix dec. Austin Gomes, 8-2
138: Nick Lee dec. Sammy Sasso, 8-3
145: Jarod Verkleeren dec. Kaden Gfeller, 10-3
152: David Carr dec. Cameron Coy, 4-2
160: Brady Berge dec. Shane Griffith, 7-5 SV
170: Mikey Labriola dec. Travis Wittlake, 3-1
182: Michael Beard dec. Jelani Embree, 12-6
 
Wittlake loses in the final seconds of the third. Sloppy match, Wittlake's gas tank looked low.

NLWC legend Cody Brewer tech'd Tony Ramos.

Was Cody's victory considered a big upset? Also, does having Cody in NLWC help with recruiting at the lower weights?
 
Good time last night. Great to see Willie again. Coaches I saw: Cael, Chris Ayers, Gooddale, Manning/Snyder, Zeke, Terry B/MStar, Kevin Jackson, OkSt Assistants, Or State, Jaggers. And that was only on my side...I'm sure there were more. Awesome showpiece for wrestling for the LHV.
 
Nick's match against Sasso was a match where one exceptional high school wrestler has been training with an elite post scholastic wrestling club like the NLWC and the other is an exceptional high school wrestler. If Nick had not dominated Sasso I would have been concerned.
 
For those that may not know, Nick is living in State College while brother Joe is still in Indiana. While Nick is elite among HS wrestlers, he's still considered somewhat raw by the coaches, with significant upside. I'm never concerned about one match, though Nick represented himself well at WNO. I admire the young man...takes commitment to leave home a year early, and deal with all aspects of being away from family. That alone has earned my respect.


Nick's match against Sasso was a match where one exceptional high school wrestler has been training with an elite post scholastic wrestling club like the NLWC and the other is an exceptional high school wrestler. If Nick had not dominated Sasso I would have been concerned.
 
For those that may not know, Nick is living in State College while brother Joe is still in Indiana. While Nick is elite among HS wrestlers, he's still considered somewhat raw by the coaches, with significant upside. I'm never concerned about one match, though Nick represented himself well at WNO. I admire the young man...takes commitment to leave home a year early, and deal with all aspects of being away from family. That alone has earned my respect.

So Nick is going to State College High School now?
 
For those that may not know, Nick is living in State College while brother Joe is still in Indiana. While Nick is elite among HS wrestlers, he's still considered somewhat raw by the coaches, with significant upside. I'm never concerned about one match, though Nick represented himself well at WNO. I admire the young man...takes commitment to leave home a year early, and deal with all aspects of being away from family. That alone has earned my respect.
thanks, Roar.

Did we realize just how good this kid was/could be at the time he committed? Looks to me like (another) genius recruiting job by Cael and Co.
 
thanks, Roar.

Did we realize just how good this kid was/could be at the time he committed? Looks to me like (another) genius recruiting job by Cael and Co.
The coaches look at results (like us fans), but so much more. Character, family, etc. to determine their "fit" within the program. Then there's the whole talent thing, but the coaches go beyond wins and losses. Some high schooler's are obvious, some are not, and the coaches see things most fans don't. There's always some risk, and coach will never say he's a genius...he will say there's an element of luck, in addition to all the obvious stuff.
 
The coaches look at results (like us fans), but so much more. Character, family, etc. to determine their "fit" within the program. Then there's the whole talent thing, but the coaches go beyond wins and losses. Some high schooler's are obvious, some are not, and the coaches see things most fans don't.

....and PSU coaches see things more clearly than most. :)
 
Cool! Do we know whether he will be on a high-school team this year? (A la homeschooling Tim Tebow)
Seriously doubt it.

First, he'd have to want to. What would he gain, that he didn't intentionally leave behind in Indiana? Nothing in the regular season. Nobody in sectionals, districts, or regionals would challenge him.

Seeing how he just dominated Sasso -- who's very good in his own right -- nobody at states would challenge him unless he moved up to face Coy or Verkleeren.

Second, what is Cael's plan for him? Training at NLWC might mean freestyle this year.

Third, State High would have to allow him to participate. That seems very unlikely, especially since the rest of his family still lives in Indiana.
 
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Seriously doubt it.

First, he'd have to want to. What would he gain, that he didn't intentionally leave behind in Indiana? Nothing in the regular season. Nobody in sectionals, districts, or regionals would challenge him.

Seeing how he just dominated Sasso -- who's very good in his own right -- nobody at states would challenge him unless he moved up to face Coy or Verkleeren.

Second, what is Cael's plan for him? Training at NLWC might mean freestyle this year.

Third, State High would have to allow him to participate. That seems very unlikely, especially since the rest of his family still lives in Indiana.
I doubt by March that Coy or Verkleeren would provide much of a threat either, even if giving weight.
Would the PIAA allow him to train with the NLWC and compete in PIAA events?
 
I doubt by March that Coy or Verkleeren would provide much of a threat either, even if giving weight.
Would the PIAA allow him to train with the NLWC and compete in PIAA events?
NLWC itself isn't the issue -- lots of wrestlers train there or at various other clubs, including college clubs at Lehigh, Pitt, Bucknell, Penn/Drexel, etc.

Don't know for certain but doubt the PIAA would stop him from competing as a Little Lion. PIAA transfer rules wouldn't apply to him -- only the "outgoing" school can appeal his eligibility, and non-PIAA schools have no standing.

PIAA could conceivably deny him because he's not enrolled in a PIAA school AND not home schooled per se (online classes without parental supervision). Or maybe because his family didn't move with him. That's a guess on my part -- no sane person cares to know PIAA intricacies that deeply.

I think it's far more likely that he says no himself, or State High says no.
 
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We can only hope (about Nick Lee):


Annieat285 and I were saying just this last night at the match. Nick really does remind you of Nolf with his technique and relentlessness. Sasso was defending the entire match.

While Nick is elite among HS wrestlers, he's still considered somewhat raw by the coaches, with significant upside.

This. Cael is very tuned into a kid's capacity and will for improvement, I believe.
 
Seriously doubt it.

First, he'd have to want to. What would he gain, that he didn't intentionally leave behind in Indiana? Nothing in the regular season. Nobody in sectionals, districts, or regionals would challenge him.

Seeing how he just dominated Sasso -- who's very good in his own right -- nobody at states would challenge him unless he moved up to face Coy or Verkleeren.

Second, what is Cael's plan for him? Training at NLWC might mean freestyle this year.

Third, State High would have to allow him to participate. That seems very unlikely, especially since the rest of his family still lives in Indiana.
Agree with all of this. Sounds to me the plan is for Nick to go immediately. That being the case, his training at the NLWC will have him college ready from the start. I'd really see no real advantage of him wrestling out his last hs season, here or anywhere else. As good as he is now and the strides he's made over the summer imo are minuscule right now. I think next year at this time you're going to see a much different wrestler.
 
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Rowlands and Askren recaped WNO. Both agreed Nick Lee looked "most college ready" and "most impressive". Askren also compared him to Nolf....

Podcast Link Here
 
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