Penn State Wrestling: Keys to taking down Michigan

Key Matches

149 – No. 19 Jarod Verkleeren vs No. 6 Kanen Storr

You’re probably asking why in the hell I have this match in here. Great question. The answer is simple. If Penn State is going to win this dual meet then winning this match will go a long way towards accomplishing that.

As most Penn State Wrestling fans know, Verkleeren is a tough, hard-nosed wrestler. While he isn’t the most offensive-mined guy on the roster (I can still hear the echoes of “Come on Verkleeren, shoot!!” reverberating in my head), he has wrestled close matches against top tier opponents.

His opponent, Storr, was easily handled last night by OSU’s No. 2 wrestler Sammy Sasso. Will Storr bounce back and get a win against Verkleeren? Maybe. But I’m hoping for a grind it out 3-2 decision by Verkleeren.

157 – No. 9 Brady Berge vs No. 8 Will Lewan

I recently picked Berge as one of my breakout candidates for the 2021 season. This match at 157 features two undefeated and top 10 ranked wrestlers. If Berge has truly found his prior wrestling form, and the stats from this season so far indicate “yes”, then this is a match he can and should win. As with Berge, Lewan has not faced any top 25 ranked opponents this season. I’m hoping for an exciting match here.

174 – No. 8 Carter Starocci vs No. 2 Logan Massa

And now we’re onto the “Tough Sledding” portion of the matches. Speaking of that, does anyone think sledding is tough? Walking back up a giant hill is tough, sure. But sitting on a plastic object and then launching yourself down a steep hill while trying not to take out any of the neighborhood kids is pretty simple.

Where was I? Oh yeah, wrestling.

Massa has faced two top 20 wrestlers this season and one was a major decision and the other he pinned. Starocci and Massa also have a common opponent in Indiana’s No. 16 Donnell Washington. This was Massa’s pin and this was Starocci’s only loss.

I’m not expecting a win in this match but I will never bet against a Cael Sanderson coached wrestler not named “Forfeit”.

Hwt – No. 7 Seth Nevills vs No. 2 Mason Parris

And…here…we…go.

I’m sure I will be wrong with this, but I think this will be the match of the day. Mostly in terms of excitement as you have two immense and crazy athletic human beings squaring off in a battle of strength, speed, flexibility, and mental toughness.

Parris is good. Scary good. But I’m not so certain Big Snacks doesn’t deserve to be in the Big Ten heavyweight discussion alongside the likes of Steveson, Parris, and Cassioppi. Is this the case? Well, you’re about to find out on Sunday.

On a side note, I would have loved to see Kerkvliet wrestle this season at heavyweight. The Big Ten is loaded at this division having 8 of the top 13 wrestlers according to InterMat. As with all things fan related, there’s always next year, right?

Tune in this Sunday at 11am for live coverage on the Big Ten Network or you can listen to Jeff Byers scream his head off when Berge pins Lewan. Either way, we’re in for a good showdown between two really good teams.