The People Have Found Their Champion:  OSU Falls to Iowa, but Ohio Fans Unite Behind  the Inspirational Colt Sponseller.

There’s a new sheriff in town. 

 Last year, this site wrote that Colt Sponseller was the best 160 to ever grace the mat in Ohio- leading many skeptics to collectively roll their eyes.  “There he goes again” you could almost hear them thinking, (borrowing from Ronald Reagan).  Now, Sponseller has taken his dominance to the collegiate level seemlessly, racing out to an 11-0 record.  Some of the most ardent skeptics (Bitter Runner-up, this means you) are now the biggest fans.

But at the end of the day, it’s not the three state titles, the Senior National title, or the unbeaten start that have made Sponseller possibly the most captivating wrestler in this state since Alan Fried, it’s the way he competes.  He’s talented, sure- but what separates the true frosh from West Holmes is his heart- literally and figuratively.  In my years of watching wrestling, I cannot recall that I’ve ever seen a wrestler put forth so much effort into every match.  If other wrestlers put forth 100%, Sponseller puts forth 1000%.   We’ve seen it time and time again.  The first period passes with the action even or Sponseller a little behind.  In the second period, Colt finds his groove and his opponents wilts in the face of the constant Sponseller attacks.  The third period turns into a bloodbath, with Sponseller notching takedown after unanswered takedown.  He outworks and outhustles everybody by a country mile.

Friday’s match against Iowa was perhaps the best Sponseller performance I have ever seen.  Facing a FILA Junior World Team Trials Champion, who happened to be the backup to NCAA Champion Mark Perry, Sponseller yielded the first takedown, then rattled off nine unanswered takedowns over the rest of the match, plus a nearfall for a 22-11 final score.  Unsatisfied with a double digit win, Sponseller was in on one last takedown only to run out of time as the final buzzer sounded.  Mind you, Kerr soundly defeated Dave Rella (formerly of Walsh Jesuit) twice to make the junior world team last summer-he is by no means your typical backup.  However, by the start of the third period, the Hawkeye did not want to even lift his head off the mat.  As the match progressed, it became clear that Kerr’s most legitimate defense was the out-of-bounds line.  Each time “Spoon” cut him he almost immediately got back in on another textbook shot- it was truly “at will.” The OSU crowd, so hungry for a winner after years of mediocrity, exploded with appreciation on each Sponseller takedown.   On a night where tOSU took their lumps against the nation’s best team, this match alone made it worth the trip for the fans.

The only thing that could have made the match better would have been a  “Brands Cam”.  Tom Brands, the coach of legendary intensity (a 3x NCAA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist himself) was simply beside himself with the turn of events- and his antics were riveting and yes, entertaining.  Per a reliable source down on the floor….at one point a heckling Ohio State fan yelled out “hey Brands, your guy doesn’t want to wrestle anymore!”  Brands reportedly responded by turning to the heckler, throwing up his arms, and with exasperation, yelled back “what, you don’t think I can see that?”

After the match I had the same conversation with a number of fans.  One of us would say “how about Sponseller?” And the other would nod, attempt to respond but say nothing, not quite being able to find the right words for the performance by the true frosh.  One coach did suggest to me that “Sponseller has inspired not only his Ohio State teammates, but the entire state.”   While it’s tough to say at this point that Sponseller is further along that Dustin Schlatter was at this point in his career, from my read on the “pulse” of the fans of this state- “Darth Schlatter” never captured the collective imagination of fans of this state the way Sponseller has.  At the risk of sounding over-the-top- what Sponseller has provided for wrestlers and fans of this state is nothing less than a hero- an “everyman” who succeeds not with lavish talent, but with sheer guts and unmatched will to win.  With his incredible enthusiasm and dedication, he’s only going to keep getting better. Where Sponseller will finish, I don’t know, but following his progression over the next two months will be my primary interest as a wrestling fan- and I’m sure the same goes for many, many others.  My instincts (which have been wrong before) tell me that what is beginning is a collegiate career so spectacular, both in terms of results and stylistically, that when it is complete, will leave Sponseller as the sort of “transcendental” figure to Ohio wrestling that Alan Fried was a generation before him.  Time will tell.

Bergman and Pucillo Roll On

While Sponseller earned MVP Honors (and legions of new die-hard fans) Friday night, the Buckeyes two best NCAA Title hopes this year probably remain the outstanding tandem of JD Bergman and Mike Pucillo.  Bergman scored both takedowns in the bout against the once-feared Matt Fields and really controlled the action.  JD has only one loss, to Dustin Fox of Northwestern (formerly of Galion High School), and in my view, he’s only going to get stronger as the year goes on as he is still learning now to “outfox” heavyweights (pun intended).  Bergman looks more comfortable at heavyweight every time I see him wrestle.   Pucillo’s win was a closer-than-expected 3-2 triumph, but these are the type of tough bouts that one has to win to be a national champion- and I think his opponent, Phil Keddy, will prove to be underrated.  Pucillo is one of about five nearly equal contenders here in my view, nationally-speaking.  Interestingly, Pucillo posted a relatively easy win over the current favorite, Jake Varner of Iowa State, in the Senior National finals three years ago.  Pucillo has a motor that is second only to Sponseller’s and is a treat to watch compete, as is Bergman, for that matter.

Weakley, Palmer Fall

I was stunned to see some commentators criticize the performances of Lance Palmer and John Weakley.  Did Palmer get outwrestled, worse than the 5-3 final indicated?  For sure. However, he was wrestling an opponent, who has been perfect for his high school and collegiate career to date, save for one spladle at St. Edward High School in early December.  A strong argument can be made that Brent Metcalf has been the most dominant collegiate wrestler in the nation in any weight class, and the fact is that Palmer hung with him a lot tougher than almost any of the other top contenders (see junior world champ Bubba Jenkins).  While Metcalf was close to numerous takedowns on Palmer, and Lance really didn’t mount anything, I thought a tremendous amount of credit went to Palmer for maintaining his poise and fending off the takedowns.  Sure, he looked pretty tired toward the end, but Palmer is one of the few for whom the “wheels haven’t come off” versus Metcalf. 

As for Metcalf, he has greatly improved his style from high school in my view.  In high school he was known for physically pounding opponents to the point where they took bad shots, at which time he countered with deadly efficiency.  He still does all that, but now he has greatly expanded his weapons to include very solid leg attacks.  I think that Metcalf and Sponseller are virtual “mirror images” of each other in terms of their unreal enthusiasm, intensity, and “gas tanks”, albeit Metcalf is two years older.  One of Ohio’s best, Dustin Schlatter, faces him in Part III of their great rivalry on February 1st (great article about this match at http://revwrestling.com/articles/3338/Schlatter-vs-Metcalf-on-February-1-is-highly-anticipated).  Of course my loyalties lie with Schlatter, but right now, it’s tough to not favor Metcalf in this match, unfortunately.  Dustin Schlatter circa 2006 will have to return if he’s going to win this bout.

I came away more impressed with John Weakley than I ever have.  His start has been marked by flashes of brilliance that have often been undone by mental lapses.  The lapses, frankly, go beyond “freshman mistakes” and seem to represent a pattern of lack of focus.  However, against Iowa, Weakley worked through fatigue, and battled tough against his Hawkeye Opponent through two overtime sequences.  Although he lost on the bizarre criteria of :07 of riding time in his opponent’s favor, I came away impressed with how Big John battled out there and feel much more optimistic that Tom Ryan, Joe Heskett, and Co. will be able to steer him on the path to realizing his potential.

Their Own Biggest Enemies?

In my view, the biggest thing hindering Ohio State right now is “logjams” at certain weights.  Certainly, Alex Picazo was more well-suited for 184 than 174 and his performances have reflected that.  His opponent on Friday- former 4x state champ Jay  Borschel of Iowa- is a beast, make no mistake, tough on his feet and just plain nasty on top.  I’d look for Borschel to stand pretty high on the podium this year, but clearly, the weigh cut is taking a toll.   Moreover, Ohio State has three great true 149’s- J.Jaggers, Lance Palmer, and Jason Johnstone.  Palmer has a lock on 149 which forces Jaggers down and Johnstone up.  Jaggers moving to 141 forces Reece Humphrey to 133, rather than the more natural 141.  I think it is no accident that Humphrey scored the first takedown in both this dual and against Kent State, only to fade as the match continues.  Jaggers also looked “gassed” against Dan Leclere of Iowa in the third period.  While the style of their opponents had something to do with it, I believe the bigger issue may be the weight loss.  It seems Jaggers has left his offense from the neutral position back at Chanel H.S., but it occurs to me that this is a result of not wanting to push the pace of the match and wear down.

Hopefully, the Buckeyes will get a handle on this as year progresses.  It may help that at tournaments, matches will not always be right after weigh-ins as they are in duals.  However, if I am armchair-quarterbacking this team, I redshirt Palmer next year and move Humphrey and Jaggers up.  Humphrey could then stay at 141 for his senior year with Jaggers graduating.  Humphrey backup Will Livingston has looked solid at open tournaments and can hold down the 133 lb. spot serviceably in my view.   This move helps Palmer as well.    Of the top nine wrestlers in this unbelievable weight class, six are sophomores, like Palmer.  As long as (sophomore) Brent Metcalf is in the picture, it’s tough to see the former St. Edward star winning a national title- and then there are also sophomores Darrion Caldwell, J.P. O’Connor, Jordan Burroughs, and Bubba Jenkins to contend with- an incredible group of wrestlers to be in a single class.  A redshirt would allow this great group to graduate and seemingly greatly improve Palmer’s chances of winning a National title before he’s done.

Stay Tuned for Live Updates from Columbus this weekend in their dual meet against Penn State University.  Former two-time state champions Dave Rella and Dave Erwin will make their return to the Buckeye State for the Nittany Lions at 7:00 p.m.

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OhioWrestlingSite.com 2005