Wednesday night at 7 pm in Assembly Hall, we'll get our first look at the 2010-2011 IU Wrestling team with the annual intrasquad scrimmage. Last season's stars, Angel Escobedo and Nate Everhart are gone, but the Hoosiers are likely to field a well-balanced senior-heavy squad this season that could surprise if a few youngsters make an instant impact. Parts of the lineup are still up in the air, which you can read about in my piece in Wednesday's IDS. Here are the probable matchups for the scrimmage, and what to watch for with the wrestlers involved:
125 lbs: Justin Brooks, redshirt freshman vs. Zach Zimmer, true freshman
This is the battle to replace Escobedo, and whoever ends up starting at this weight will certianly have big shoes to fill. This should be a pretty close match, but I'd give the edge to Brooks since he has a year in the system already.
133 lbs: Matt Ortega, junior vs. Brian St. James, true freshman
Ortega was the regular starter here last year, and this match should demonstrate that. Now a junior, he needs to show that he can be one of the consistent leaders on the mat for the team this year. This will be the first indication of whether he is up to the task. St. James won a pair of state titles in Georgia, so he's no slouch himself, but I see experience winning out here.
141 lbs: Geno Capezio, sophomore vs. Mitchell Richey, true freshman
Capezio debuted at this weight late last season, moving up from 133 lbs when Matt Coughlin went down with an injury and competing in the Big Ten tournament. He's the probable starter at this weight this coming season, and should win here. However, this is among the most wide open weights on the team, and Richey stands as good a chance as any true freshman to crack the lineup this season. Still, give me Capezio here.
149 lbs: Kurt Kinser, senior vs. Sawyer Morris, true freshman
This might be the match I'm personally looking forward to the most, and here's why: Kinser, a local product from Bloomington South, has been a headliner for a few seasons thanks to his signature headlock thrown from the left side that has helped him become one of the school's all-time pins leaders.. A headlock (also known as a "head-and-arm") is in many ways the wrestling equivalent of the Hail Mary pass: no one is entirely immune to it, and it can be absolutely lethal when it works. Perhaps the most notable storyline of the preseason thus far has been the move down in weight classes by Kinser and Paul Young. Kinser wrestled at 149 as a freshman, but has spent the last two seasons at 157 lbs. Assuming making weight is not an issue this year, and none of his power was sacrificed in the drop, Kinser is likely amng the Hoosiers' top two contenders for a Big Ten title and All-american status. Morris was not among the team's higher-ranked recruits coming into this year. However, I happen to be from his hometown of Austin, Texas, and have personally seen him wrestle annihilate some wrestlers at the high school level with a huge array of moves. He also happens to hold the distinction of being the country's youngest ever black belt in Japanese Jui-Jitsu, having attained the rank at age 10. Consider him a sleeper amiong this year's freshman, and someone who could make a big impact in the future. Kinser should win this, but expect it to be entertaining nonetheless.
157 lbs: Paul Young, senior vs. Ryan Konz, sophomore
This should be another good one. Young, another Bloomington South alum, is moving down from 165 lbs for his final run at All-American status, and along with Kinser, is IU's best hope of attaining it. Konz would start on many teams, and will likely fill in at the middle weights when needed this season. He cracked the lineup a few times as a freshman last year, and should be a big name in the future. Young should win in one of the closest matches of the night.
165 lbs: Ryan LeBlanc, redshirt freshman vs. Preston Keiffer, true freshman
LeBlanc is the reason Young and Kinser are moving down. After a redshirt season that saw him go 20-2 and start the year with 19 straight wins, coach Duane Goldman had to put him in the lineup somehow. This is obviously his first year as a probable starter and how he handles the role is yet to be determined. Fans shoul be very encouraged by his performance last year, though, and there's a good chance this is the next superstar for the team. The sky's the limit with him, and it would not be shocking to see him make noise at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Keiffer is among the team's more highly-touted recruits, so it should be fun to see if he lives up to the billing. LeBlanc will likely prevail, but it might be close.
174 lbs: Nick Avery, senior vs. Cheney Dale, true freshman
Avery spot-sterted when needed last year, and enters the season as the likely starter at this weight. He's a senior, though, so the weight will be open again in the future, and Dale may be the one to fill then. Expect an Avery victory.
184 lbs: Eric Cameron, senior vs. Anthony Fretwell, redshirt freshman
Cameron is a two-time NCAA qualifier, and might be in for a big final season. Fretwell was listed at 157 during his redshirt season last year, so he has presumably added a considerable amount of weight this year. I'll try to find out more about this at the scrimmage and have the scoop on this soon. In the meantime, look for Cameron to win this one.
197 lbs: Matt Powless, junior vs. Tanner Kriss, redshirt freshman
Poweless made the national tournament last season and ranked as high as 13th in Intermat's rankings. He also pulled a few big upsets during conference matchups, and shows a lot of potential for a big year. However, Kriss ranked among the team's top recruits a year ago, and might be able to give Powless a run for his money. I'd take Powless in a close match.
285 lbs: Ricky Alcala, senior vs. Joe Fagiano, junior
Nate Everhart was a revelation at heavyweight last year, and his graduation leaves big shoes to fill. However, IU finds itself in the rare position of having two former NCAA qualifiers competing to replace him. Alcala is in his first year at IU after transferring from California-Davis, which canceled their wrestling program. Fagiano is back with the Hoosiers after a year at Hofstra, and has qualified for the national tournament at 197 pounds in the past. Alcala is more experienced at heavyweight than Fagiano, so give him the edge here.
