No. 1 Penn State Wrestling grades, MVP from throttling of No. 3 Iowa

Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, left, high-fives wrestler Drew Hildebrandt after his major decision win at 125 pounds during a NCAA Big Ten Conference wrestling dual against Iowa, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.220127 Penn St Iowa Wr 033 Jpg /

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Penn State’s Nick Lee, right, reacts after beating Iowa’s Jaydin Eierman in sudden victory at 141 pounds during a NCAA Big Ten Conference wrestling dual, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.220127 Penn St Iowa Wr 012 Jpg /

Grades continued:

No. 2 Max Dean 8-3 decision over No. 4 Jacob Warner

Grade: A+

Late in the first period, Warner was able to get on the board first by countering a Dean shot and turning it into a takedown of his own. Then with Max in the top position to start the second period, Warner slithered out after a mere 15 seconds to earn the escape and push his lead to 3-0.

Watching from my couch while double fisting Tostitos and cheese curls, it didn’t look great. I remember saying to myself “This is all going to come down to Kerk.”.

Oh boy, was I EVER wrong.

Dean picked up his intensity for the remainder of the second period and started the third down in the down position. Just like Assad, he fought out early and immediately when on the attack.

Dean eventually turned a single leg into a takedown to tie the match at 3-3. Then late in the third, he twisted Warner into a bow and arrow, rolled him to the mat, earned four additional near-fall points, won the match 8-3, and sealed the victory for Penn State Wrestling!

Holy. Cow.

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