Miss hard-hitting action? Try wrestling.

Bummed football season is over? Enjoy watching organized violence? Looking for hard-hitting action? \nNo, this isn’t another “Priceless Pep Talk” with Peyton Manning. IU has all of the above covered for your winter viewing pleasure. And no, I’m not talking about Kilroy’s at 2:30 a.m. on a Saturday night.\nI’m talking about the IU wrestling team. After seeing them in person for the first time last Saturday at the Hoosier Quad, I realized college wrestling arouses everything I love about sports. I watched for only three hours and witnessed up close a fantastic blend of America’s modern pastimes – football and Mixed Martial Arts.\nThe sport is like football in a sense that it is a more traditional means of violence. For example, 197-pound freshman Joe Fagiano was able to engage his opponent in a headlock and proceeded to pummel him to the ground. Fagiano then executed a quick and painful pin, as if committing a holding penalty worthy of a 10-yard flag, all while giving the Hoosiers \nsix points. \nThe Mixed Martial Arts portion of the sport was exposed best in the 174-pound match featuring IU sophomore Trevor Perry. Attempting to stand, Perry was kicked and kneed in the face by his opponent. In response, Perry clapped his hands in the wrestler’s face and proceeded to unintentionally gauge the poor kid in the eye. Later, Perry brought the gym to silence with a maneuver that caused his opponent to scream in agony as he grabbed his shoulder in pain. Perry is not a dirty wrestler by any means. It is just the violent nature of the sport.\nFor the Hoosiers, Saturday was more of a coronation than a competition. The wrestlers squared off against three inferior schools at the University Gymnasium. Three hundred fans occupied the stands, cheering for the IU wrestlers to dominate on the mat.\nThe men responded in ass-kicking fashion. \nMy only beef on Saturday was with the lackluster attendance. These wrestlers are out there representing the Hoosiers, and they are doing a damn good job at it, too, ranking No. 17 in the country. \nLuckily for the remaining 38,000 or so students who missed it, the most critical match of the young season is 7 p.m. Friday night against Wisconsin. IU coach Duane Goldman will be shooting for the 200th win of his illustrious career. And in the 149-pound weight class, freshman and Bloomington native Kurt Kinser will attempt to inch closer to an all-time school record of 20 pins in a season.\nIf that wasn’t enough, IU is home to Angel Escobedo, the No. 2 125-pound wrestler in the country. Escobedo handles his business like a pro both on and off the mat. Saturday, he had three pins in the first round of all of his matches. Afterwards, \nEscobedo remained calm \nand collected.\nIf you’re looking to sample an IU sport you haven’t witnessed, Hoosier wrestling should be first on your list. It is a very entertaining and action-packed product where athletes show off their competitive spirit with reckless abandon. The casual IU sports fan should add wrestling to his regimen, right next to basketball and the occasional football game. \nI just did.