Freshmen Bravo-Young and Verkleeren have impressive debuts as No. 1 Penn State crushes Kent State, 52-3
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by Andy Elder, Special to TheMat.com
Image of Penn State freshman Roman Bravo-Young courtesy of GoPSU.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — With as many dynamic personalities as the Penn State wrestling team features, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that newcomers to the lineup might take a while to find their voice.
For now, it looks like freshmen Roman Bravo-Young and Jarod Verkleeren will have to let their wrestling speak for them. On Sunday in Penn State’s season-opening 52-3 rout of Kent State, those two first-year starters spoke volumes on the mat.
The Nittany Lions delighted a Rec Hall sell-out crowd of 6,496 with their 46th consecutive dual meet win. Before the match, the team raised its 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championship banner, signifying the third in a row and seventh in the past eight years. Then, it went out and amassed a 32-4 edge in takedowns while winning nine of 10 bouts with seven pins and two technical falls.
“I think, overall, the team just looked very good. The two freshmen looked great. (Anthony) Cassar looked big and strong. Bo (Nickal) looked big and strong. Shak (Rasheed) looked good down a weight. We’ve got a lot to look forward to,” head coach Cael Sanderson said.
“We’re appreciative of Kent State coming in here. It’s not an easy thing to do, with the crowd and being early in the season like this and we have a pretty veteran team with our freshmen being two guys who have a lot of experience who are very good. We’re excited about the year.”
Some of that excitement stems from the fact that the lineup Penn State sent out on Sunday featured 12 All-America honors and seven NCAA championships spread among just six of the 10 starters. Some excitement originated from the performances of Bravo-Young and Verkleeren. Each of the freshmen earned a fall in his Rec Hall debut.
“They’re both very good wrestlers, obviously, and they both have a lot of experience. I kind of thought they were going to have great performances. I’m happy for them. We’re just moving forward,” Sanderson said.
Bravo-Young faced an unusual situation as he stepped on the mat — he needed to jump start the crowd and help his team come from behind after the Golden Flashes scored a 12-8 decision by Jake Ferri at 125 for a 3-0 lead.
The freshman 133-pounder from Tucson, Arizona, who compiled a 182-0 record in high school, electrified the crowd. He displayed his cat-like quickness in scoring a takedown and then used an arm bar and half-Nelson to earn a four-point nearfall as he opened a 6-0 lead after a period.
In the second, Bravo-Young scored another quick takedown, coaxed a penalty point for stalling and then went back to the arm bar and half to score a fall in the third at the 5:31 mark.
“I just kept sitting on it. He’s giving up his arm so I was working on riding him. I could have cut him and gone on my feet but against the better guys I’ll need to get some riding time,” he said.
“It was really fun. I was a little nervous at first, jitters. Once I got going, it was fun.”
Fourth-ranked Nick Lee followed with a 17-2 technical fall in 3:44. The sophomore All-American used four takedowns and two sets of four-point nearfalls to secure the win.
Then it was Verkleeren’s turn.
He was locked in an over-under situation with Golden Flash Kody Komara and Verkleeren came out on top, securing the first-period fall.
“He body locked me and then I sent it, full send, to his back,” Verkleeren said of the six-point move that led to the quick fall.
The soft-spoken redshirt freshman said it was a position he was comfortable in, even if initially he was a bit nervous.
“Maybe a little, but I’m pretty comfortable up there so I took the risk,” he said.
Verkleern’s fall started a streak of six straight pins for Penn State.
Two-time defending NCAA 157-pound champion Jason Nolf didn’t disappoint either. He racked up six takedowns with a variety of takedowns before locking up a crossface cradle and securing the pin in 2:29, giving Penn State a 23-3 lead at the break.
Coming out of the break, Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall kept the pin parade going with a pair of second-period falls. Joseph, who is gunning for his third title in as many seasons, scored six takedowns before ending the match at the 3:40 mark. Hall, a two-time finalist and an NCAA champion as a freshman, showed some new moves on top to open a 10-0 lead after a period and then hit a cement mixer to end the match at 3:34.
“I think he put a lot of time and focus into his top game. You saw that today,” Sanderson said of Hall. “He was trying to work there. He’s gotten a lot stronger. He’s spent a lot of time with coach Cunningham in those positions. It showed today.”
Rasheed made it five pins in a row. The returning All-American showed no ill effects from his move to 184 from 197. He locked up his patented crossface cradle and scored the fall in 1:13.
At 197, a heavily anticipated match between two-time champion and three-time finalist Nickal, at his new weight, and Kyle Conel, who placed third at the NCAA tournament a year ago and is ranked No. 2 behind No. 1 Nickal, never materialized. Conel is out of the lineup with an injury. Nickal made quick work of Conel’s fill-in, decking him in 2:05.
Cassar, who was noticeably bigger and more muscular after moving to 285 from 197, was dominant in a 17-2 technical fall in 5:14.
Cassar got the call over incumbent starter Nick Nevills, a two-time All-American who had surgery on his right shoulder right after nationals.
“I think Cassar looked really good. His finishes were very clean and quick, very explosive and powerful. He looked great,” Sanderson said.
“We have two really good guys at that weight. That’s going to be between those two. They’re going to face off down the road, then we’ll see how that turns out.”
Sanderson was understandably pleased with his team’s performance as it prepares for its next action, next Sunday in Philadelphia at the Keystone Classic.
“Bonus points obviously make a big difference in the big matches and the national tournament and Big Ten tournament. It’s a lot more exciting for everybody to do the best that you can in a match. If that means bonus points, that’s what we should be shooting for,” he said. “I’m happy with the guys. I thought they wrestled very well today.”
No. 1 Penn State 52, No. 24 Kent State 3
(Sunday at University Park)
125: Jake Ferri, KS, dec. Devin Schnupp, 12-8.
133: Roman Bravo-Young, PSU, pinned Tim Rooney, 5:31.
141: No. 4 Nick Lees, PSU, won by tech. fall over Cory Simpson, 17-2 (3:44).
149: Jarod Verkleeren, PSU, pinned Kody Komara, 1:20.
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, pinned Joe Andrassy, 2:29.
165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, pinned Isaac Bast, 3:40.
174: No. 2 Mark Hall, PSU, pinned Dylan Barreiro, 3:34.
184: No. 4 Shakur Rasheed, PSU, pinned Andrew McNally, 1:13.
197: No. 1 Bo Nickal, PSU, pinned Shane Mast, 2:05.
285: Anthony Cassar, PSU, won by tech. fall over Billy Bolia, 17-2 (5:14).
Referee: Angel Rivera.
Attendance: 6,496.
Ridge Riley Award winner: Jarod Verkleeren, 149 pounds.
Takedowns: Kent State 4; Penn State 32.
Records: Kent State 3-5; Penn State 1-0.
Next match: Penn State at Keystone Classic, 10 a.m. Sunday in Philadelphia.
UNIVERSITY PARK — With as many dynamic personalities as the Penn State wrestling team features, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that newcomers to the lineup might take a while to find their voice.
For now, it looks like freshmen Roman Bravo-Young and Jarod Verkleeren will have to let their wrestling speak for them. On Sunday in Penn State’s season-opening 52-3 rout of Kent State, those two first-year starters spoke volumes on the mat.
The Nittany Lions delighted a Rec Hall sell-out crowd of 6,496 with their 46th consecutive dual meet win. Before the match, the team raised its 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championship banner, signifying the third in a row and seventh in the past eight years. Then, it went out and amassed a 32-4 edge in takedowns while winning nine of 10 bouts with seven pins and two technical falls.
“I think, overall, the team just looked very good. The two freshmen looked great. (Anthony) Cassar looked big and strong. Bo (Nickal) looked big and strong. Shak (Rasheed) looked good down a weight. We’ve got a lot to look forward to,” head coach Cael Sanderson said.
“We’re appreciative of Kent State coming in here. It’s not an easy thing to do, with the crowd and being early in the season like this and we have a pretty veteran team with our freshmen being two guys who have a lot of experience who are very good. We’re excited about the year.”
Some of that excitement stems from the fact that the lineup Penn State sent out on Sunday featured 12 All-America honors and seven NCAA championships spread among just six of the 10 starters. Some excitement originated from the performances of Bravo-Young and Verkleeren. Each of the freshmen earned a fall in his Rec Hall debut.
“They’re both very good wrestlers, obviously, and they both have a lot of experience. I kind of thought they were going to have great performances. I’m happy for them. We’re just moving forward,” Sanderson said.
Bravo-Young faced an unusual situation as he stepped on the mat — he needed to jump start the crowd and help his team come from behind after the Golden Flashes scored a 12-8 decision by Jake Ferri at 125 for a 3-0 lead.
The freshman 133-pounder from Tucson, Arizona, who compiled a 182-0 record in high school, electrified the crowd. He displayed his cat-like quickness in scoring a takedown and then used an arm bar and half-Nelson to earn a four-point nearfall as he opened a 6-0 lead after a period.
In the second, Bravo-Young scored another quick takedown, coaxed a penalty point for stalling and then went back to the arm bar and half to score a fall in the third at the 5:31 mark.
“I just kept sitting on it. He’s giving up his arm so I was working on riding him. I could have cut him and gone on my feet but against the better guys I’ll need to get some riding time,” he said.
“It was really fun. I was a little nervous at first, jitters. Once I got going, it was fun.”
Fourth-ranked Nick Lee followed with a 17-2 technical fall in 3:44. The sophomore All-American used four takedowns and two sets of four-point nearfalls to secure the win.
Then it was Verkleeren’s turn.
He was locked in an over-under situation with Golden Flash Kody Komara and Verkleeren came out on top, securing the first-period fall.
“He body locked me and then I sent it, full send, to his back,” Verkleeren said of the six-point move that led to the quick fall.
The soft-spoken redshirt freshman said it was a position he was comfortable in, even if initially he was a bit nervous.
“Maybe a little, but I’m pretty comfortable up there so I took the risk,” he said.
Verkleern’s fall started a streak of six straight pins for Penn State.
Two-time defending NCAA 157-pound champion Jason Nolf didn’t disappoint either. He racked up six takedowns with a variety of takedowns before locking up a crossface cradle and securing the pin in 2:29, giving Penn State a 23-3 lead at the break.
Coming out of the break, Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall kept the pin parade going with a pair of second-period falls. Joseph, who is gunning for his third title in as many seasons, scored six takedowns before ending the match at the 3:40 mark. Hall, a two-time finalist and an NCAA champion as a freshman, showed some new moves on top to open a 10-0 lead after a period and then hit a cement mixer to end the match at 3:34.
“I think he put a lot of time and focus into his top game. You saw that today,” Sanderson said of Hall. “He was trying to work there. He’s gotten a lot stronger. He’s spent a lot of time with coach Cunningham in those positions. It showed today.”
Rasheed made it five pins in a row. The returning All-American showed no ill effects from his move to 184 from 197. He locked up his patented crossface cradle and scored the fall in 1:13.
At 197, a heavily anticipated match between two-time champion and three-time finalist Nickal, at his new weight, and Kyle Conel, who placed third at the NCAA tournament a year ago and is ranked No. 2 behind No. 1 Nickal, never materialized. Conel is out of the lineup with an injury. Nickal made quick work of Conel’s fill-in, decking him in 2:05.
Cassar, who was noticeably bigger and more muscular after moving to 285 from 197, was dominant in a 17-2 technical fall in 5:14.
Cassar got the call over incumbent starter Nick Nevills, a two-time All-American who had surgery on his right shoulder right after nationals.
“I think Cassar looked really good. His finishes were very clean and quick, very explosive and powerful. He looked great,” Sanderson said.
“We have two really good guys at that weight. That’s going to be between those two. They’re going to face off down the road, then we’ll see how that turns out.”
Sanderson was understandably pleased with his team’s performance as it prepares for its next action, next Sunday in Philadelphia at the Keystone Classic.
“Bonus points obviously make a big difference in the big matches and the national tournament and Big Ten tournament. It’s a lot more exciting for everybody to do the best that you can in a match. If that means bonus points, that’s what we should be shooting for,” he said. “I’m happy with the guys. I thought they wrestled very well today.”
No. 1 Penn State 52, No. 24 Kent State 3
(Sunday at University Park)
125: Jake Ferri, KS, dec. Devin Schnupp, 12-8.
133: Roman Bravo-Young, PSU, pinned Tim Rooney, 5:31.
141: No. 4 Nick Lees, PSU, won by tech. fall over Cory Simpson, 17-2 (3:44).
149: Jarod Verkleeren, PSU, pinned Kody Komara, 1:20.
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, pinned Joe Andrassy, 2:29.
165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, pinned Isaac Bast, 3:40.
174: No. 2 Mark Hall, PSU, pinned Dylan Barreiro, 3:34.
184: No. 4 Shakur Rasheed, PSU, pinned Andrew McNally, 1:13.
197: No. 1 Bo Nickal, PSU, pinned Shane Mast, 2:05.
285: Anthony Cassar, PSU, won by tech. fall over Billy Bolia, 17-2 (5:14).
Referee: Angel Rivera.
Attendance: 6,496.
Ridge Riley Award winner: Jarod Verkleeren, 149 pounds.
Takedowns: Kent State 4; Penn State 32.
Records: Kent State 3-5; Penn State 1-0.
Next match: Penn State at Keystone Classic, 10 a.m. Sunday in Philadelphia.
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