Bravo!!!  The Incomparable Dustin Schlatter stuns NCAA Champ Zack Esposito 8-7!!!!

        Dustin Schlatter is a wrestler that needs no introduction for Ohio wrestling fans.  Many consider this 4x State Champion to be the finest high school wrestler this state has ever seen.
        However, on January 15th, Schlatter found himself in an unfamiliar role:  underdog.  The true freshman was pitted against the defending NCAA Champion and two-time NCAA Finalist Zack Esposito, a senior from Oklahoma State University, in the finals of the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Surely, not even the great Schlatter could make the transition from wrestling high school kids to NCAA Champions in less than a year? 
        In the early-going, my thoughts were that Schlatter looked a little nervous against the mighty Esposito.  “Espo” (as he is known to wrestling fans) quickly converted on a leg-attack to go up 2-0.  Schlatter escaped to make it 2-1. 
        And then, like lightning, Schlatter hit the most beautiful duck-under this writer has ever seen and hurtled Esposito to the mat to take a 3-2 lead.  In a bold move for the true frosh against the NCAA Champ, the freshman Schlatter shoved the senior Esposito off the mat, as if to “throw down the gauntlet” to the National Champion.  The crowd went crazy. 
        At that moment, you knew Schlatter’s game plan was not to keep it close. He had come to win.  The battle was on.
        Esposito answered the challenge of young Schlatter with a slick reversal.  Schlatter quickly got away as the first period ended tied 4-4.
        Schlatter again escaped to take a 5-4 lead.  Immediately, he shot in on a beautiful single leg against Espo.  It looked like he would finish and take a commanding 7-4 lead, but the crafty Esposito held him off as the wrestlers finished in a stalemate.  Esposito quickly got in on a nice single leg of his own, but was unable to finish.  In a nerve-wracking sequence, Schlatter locked upper-body with the extremely dangerous Esposito without reservation.  The two grapplers flew off the mat, but had they not, Schlatter would have had the takedown and possibly backpoints.  The 2nd period ended 5-4, Schlatter.
        In the 3rd period Esposito chose down.  Schlatter again attempted to ride him but Esposito broke free to tie it at 5-5.  Schlatter immediately hit another beautiful duckunder and tossed the NCAA Champion to the mat to go ahead 7-5.  Schlatter attempted to ride it out for the win, but Esposito scored another slick reversal when Schlatter momentarily seemed to lose concentration, tying the score at 7-7.  Schlatter escaped with about 45 seconds left to take an 8-7 lead.  At this point, Zack Esposito was attacking him with everything he had.  The ever-poised Schlatter wisely shot in on Esposito’s leg as he became less concerned with his positioning, burning precious time off the clock. Schlatter held off the NCAA Champ to score the improbable upset with an 8-7 victory.
        Schlatter was understandably ecstatic after his win.  “I just came into this thing as a heavy underdog," Schlatter told Andrew Hipps of www.revwrestling.com "I seem to perform well when I'm put in that situation.” To put it mildly!

Historical Perspective

        One year ago, fans were debating whether Schlatter or Brent Metcalf was the best high school 145 in the nation.  Now, Schlatter has beaten the defending college national champion.  It can be said without hesitation that this is the biggest win by an Ohio wrestler as a college freshman since Alan Fried defeated Tom Brands in the Northern Iowa Open in 1989.  This win may be even more impressive, as Brands was only a sophomore who had not yet won NCAA’s.  To put it in perspective how good Zack Esposito is, in the first round of the national duals he beat Jason Bake of Kent State by a 22-6 technical fall.  Bake is a former Ohio Division I State Champion and 3x State Finalist who is now a 5th year senior- and a solid performer in collegiate wrestling. 

Schlatter’s Improbable Run
       
        The win over Esposito was not Schlatter’s only impressive win of the tournament.  Schlatter also defeated 3x NCAA All-American Jon Masa of Hofstra University by a commanding 6-0 score.  In that match, Schlatter took Masa down and tilted him for backpoints.  Masa is a 6th year Senior who placed 3rd at NCAA’s last year. 
        After defeating Jason Knipp of Iowa State 11-0, Schlatter next handled NCAA All-American Mark DiSalvo of Dayton Carroll, Ohio 4-1.  DiSalvo is also a 6th year senior, meaning that Schlatter was in 7th grade when both Masa and DiSalvo graduated high school.  
        In one weekend, the true freshman knocked off the #1,#3, and #5 ranked wrestlers (according to the rankings at www.revwrestling.com).

Upcoming Challenges
       
      One might think that Dustin Schlatter would get a much-deserved break after such a weekend- however, many challenges loom for the freshman:
On January 22nd, he faces #2 ranked Ty Eustice of the University of Iowa.  Eustice is a 2x NCAA All-American who is currently undefeated.  Then, on January 27th, he will face Jeff Jaggers of the Ohio State University at St. John’s Arena.  Jaggers, of course, is a 4x state champion and a legend of Ohio Wrestling.  Schlatter previously defeated Jaggers 1-0 at the Southern Scuffle.  Look for both wrestlers to take more risks in their second meeting.  On Feb. 12th he will have a rematch with Zack Esposito as Minnesota faces Oklahoma State in a dual. On February 17th he faced NCAA 4th place finisher Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in a dual (Tannenbaum, ironically, is an old rival of Dustin’s older brother C.P. Schlatter).  And that is just before Big Ten’s and NCAA’s!  In fact, in Minnesota’s nine remaining duals, Dustin is scheduled to wrestle eight opponents ranked #13 or better in the nation. 
       Dustin’s older brother C.P. Schlatter is currently 23-4 on the year for the University of Minnesota.  C.P. is currently ranked #7 at 157, probably the toughest weight class in the nation (eight All-Americans return).  Look for CP to move up as the season progresses.

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