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Keegan O’Toole is still Keegan O’Toole, and other observations
Mizzou Wrestling fans got a chance to see the Tigers in action for the first time this season at the Hearnes Center at the Black and Gold Scrimmage.
That opportunity came and went quickly, with matches going on one after another side-by-side on two mats.
But we were still able to glean some interesting information from the less than 90 minutes of action. Here are my observations from the scrimmage:
We got to see three highly touted young freshmen in Jake Crapps (listed at 133lbs), Mack Mauger and Gage Walker compete at 125lbs. Walker stood out from the group, winning his first match against former junior college All-American Luqman Masud 6-1 and then comfortably defeating Mauger in a 13-4 major decision. He had an impressive first period in the Mauger match, scoring a takedown and quickly adding a four-point nearfall then riding out the rest of the period. The future of this weight is in good hands, and top-25 recruit Seth Mendoza will be coming in at 125lbs next year as well.
Head coach Brian Smith on Walker: “[He] is going to be a good one. I mean, he’s scoring a lot of points, gets that single [leg attack]… I was telling one of my trainers, ‘He’s like a dog on a bone getting to that single.’”
Noah Surtin, Kade Moore, Colton Hawks or Rocky Elam compete due to injuries and simply being held out before the season opening dual on November 2.
Head coach Brian Smith said Moore was dealing with an injury and they held him out to try and make sure he is healthy for next week.
Smith also said he didn’t anticipate having all of his starters healthy for the dual against Northern Colorado, but did not say which wrestlers might miss the meet. He’s hoping to get some starters back in the next week who are not 100% right now.
Josh Edmond went 2-0 at the scrimmage, getting a pin against promising freshman Jace Roller in the third period. Roller looked good throughout most of the match, but Edmond made him pay dearly for one overaggressive move. Edmond’s match with Easton Hilton was much closer, as he got a takedown early in the first period but won 4-3 after failing to convert a few takedowns.
Smith said he’d have liked to see Edmond be a bit more aggressive, something which was an issue at times last season. But I don’t see much reason for concern as we head into the season – the junior looks like a potential All-American entering this season.
Carter McCallister had one heck of a night at 149lbs, defeating former top recruit Zeke Seltzer 12-11 with a last-second takedown and then taking Logan Gioffre into overtime with another late takedown before losing to the starter. The McCallister and Seltzer match could be a preview of the starting battle next year once Gioffre graduates.
Jay Conway seemed to remove any doubt left about his claim to the starting spot at 157lbs with a pin of Joel Mylin. He got two takedowns in the first period before securing the victory by fall in the final seconds of the opening frame, a reassuring win for someone who seems to be the biggest question mark in this lineup entering the season.
Smith on Conway: “I’m really pleased. Jay’s a young kid that we’ve been excited about. I’m looking forward to next week and see[ing] how he competes under the lights.”
I think this team is going to be just fine at 165lbs after Keegan O’Toole moved up. Cam Steed looked the part of a young wrestler with plenty of upside ready to break through, quickly getting a 21-6 tech fall over freshman Kolten Oborny with seven takedowns. He was able to score at will and stayed aggressive through the entire match (ending early in the second period), letting Oborny up after takedowns to immediately go after more points. The biggest question mark with Steed, already ranked 15th in the weight class by FloWrestling, will be if he can stay healthy – something which he’s struggled with in the past.
To the shock of absolutely no one, Keegan O’Toole is still Keegan O’Toole. He scored three takedown, a two-point nearfall, four-point nearfall and had 2:09 in riding time with a 15-2 lead over freshman Logan Cole at the end of the first period. He ended the match with an 18-2 tech fall after another quick takedown in period two and looks ready to take on a heavier weight class.
There were no matches at 184lbs or 197lbs, but the two matches we got at heavyweight more than made up for it. Cole Gripka prevailed 5-2 over Jarrett Stoner in overtime during a match where both wrestlers displayed some nice moves and got in a few good scrambles, including the match-winning takedown for Gripka. Stoner had the initial upper hand, getting around Gripka and driving him to the mat, but Gripka rolled out to avoid surrendering the takedown and won the scramble.
His match against projected starter was much less competitive. Nitzel led 6-1 with two takedowns after the first period and 14-1 after some more takedowns and a four-point nearfall in period two along with 2:39 of riding time. Nitzel scored his final takedown early in the third frame to clinch a 17-2 tech fall.
This was exactly the kind of match you’d hoped to see from Nitzel, who’s dominated at smaller tournaments in the past few years but never competed in a dual for the Tigers. He showed an ability to score which may bring a new style to heavyweight after Zach Elam’s (highly effective) defense-first and riding time strategy of the past few seasons.
The Tigers suffered a few injuries during the scrimmage, as Jeremy Jakowitsch and Trey Crawford lost by injury default after being unable to continue with their matches. Neither wrestler is projected to start for Mizzou, but it’s not the way you were hoping to start this year after a deluge of illnesses and injuries crashed last season.
While you can only learn so much in scrimmages, the results tonight provide a nice boost of confidence about the readiness of Conway and Nitzel (two wrestlers not currently ranked in their weight class by FloWrestling) as they prepare to become regulars in the starting lineup.
We’re just over a week away from the season opener on November 2 at Northern Colorado. College wrestling is almost back. And the Tigers will enter the season ranked in the top 10. Enjoy it, Mizzou fans – this year should be an interesting one.
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