The Tigers kicked off the inaugural Missouri Duals to start the season and went 3-0 in dominant fashion. They went 29-1 as a team with 23 bonus point wins altogether. Of the 30 matches expected starters were undefeated with 19 bonus point wins. This was a great event to watch a number of local wrestlers from other schools get to compete in the Hearnes and some non-starters get to make their dual debuts. While it was mostly dominant there were still a number of takeaways from the start of the year before the Tiger Style Invite next season.
- It was fun to see wrestlers from Missouri compete on so many teams.
Every team had a number of wrestlers who I recognized from high schools in Missouri who had success. The other duals that went on between the schools had plenty of competitive and entertaining matches. One of the cooler moments was watching the Missouri bench cheering on Drew Stanfield, who transferred to UCM this offseason. Last year’s heavyweight starter Seth Nitzel was also helping coach in another cool connection.
- Wrestlers looked aggressive and focused on scoring points.
Takedown, cut, takedown, cut, takedown, turn. That seemed to be the general gameplan for most of the wrestlers, especially the starters. They would rack up some early takedowns and either look straight for turns or cut after a short ride. There were a handful of quick pins but even then there was usually more than just a couple points on the board. While that may be difficult to do as the level of competition rises it was a good mindset to see throughout the lineup.
- Freshman performed well overall.
Of the 30 matches redshirt/true freshman were in seven of them and went undefeated. Mack Mauger went 2-0, and had a first match that was tighter than the score appeared. However the next match he came out attacking early and often that led to a first period pin after multiple takedowns. Aeoden Sinclair had two first period pins with multiple scores, but still in post match interviews mentioned he wanted to score early more often. Kolten Oborny made his dual debut with a solid 3-0 win, Logan Cole showed his threats from top with a first period pin, and Boogie Harris won a wild match where he came back from a 7-0 deficit after a big throw in the first period.
- Transfers stuck out with impressive performances.
Max Mayfield and Evan Bates competed in all three duals and went 3-0 each with five bonus point wins. Bates especially looked impressive outscoring his opponents 53-7. I knew he had good turns from his matches at Northwestern but it looked like his footwork, setups, and general speed of attacks had taken a step forward. Mayfield had a pin, tech, and decision. He also showed some varied attacks with a mix of slickness and strength. He showed off a great misdirection single a few times between a bullying underhook. His last match against CMU was surprisingly tight, but he bumped up to 174 and was aggressive but Garcia had solid defense.
- Upperweight depth is a bit thin again this season.
Cam Steed didn’t wrestle today, which makes sense with his injury history and not needed here. Kolten Oborny was the only wrestler listed at 174 and he looked to hurt his ankle late in his first match. That ended up leading to Joel Mylin and Max Mayfield taking turns bumping up. Jake Stoffel and Peyton Westpfahl are also listed at 174 but didn’t compete today for unknown reasons. 184 has just Logan Cole as a backup while 197 has none currently. Hopefully it’s never an issue but I think Mizzou fans likely have some trepidation with injuries after the past few years.
- The pin chain was a fun addition that the guys bought into.
You started to see a rise in turnover chains or other props in football over the past few years, and wrestling is looking to start some of their own. Clarion had a gong they would hit after a pin, and the Tigers added a new pin chain this season. It was used often in these duals and made for some good photos.
- Tiger Style Invite kicks off next week in a big step up.
The season really kicks off next week as the Tigers host #15 Little Rock, #20 Oklahoma, #24 Purdue, and #26 South Dakota State. We’ll see how many full lineups end up there but each weight should have a handful of ranked wrestlers. This will also be an opportunity to see depth guys get opportunities against ranked wrestlers, redshirting freshman compete, and see any potential lineup battles. The Tigers looked great to start the season and will have a chance to keep the momentum going before the National Duals.
Results:
Mizzou over Drury (51-0)
125: Luqman Masud Maj. Bryson Humphries (15-2)
133: Kade Moore Fall Deagan Fugitt (0:40)
141: Zeke Seltzer Dec. Nate Wishne (8-1)
149: Nate Pulliam Fall Mason Knight (3:36)
157: J Conway Fall Draven Wright (0:53)
165: Max Mayfield Fall Tai Koyama (4:19)
174: Kolten Oborny Dec. Jeremiah Halter (3-0)
184: Aeoden Sinclair Fall Nate Bower (1:55)
197: Evan Bates Tech Cole Robertson (18-3 (3:19))
285: Jarrett Stoner Fall Brady Griffin (1:34)
Mizzou over Maryville (41-3)
125: Mack Mauger Maj. Elijah Almarinez (10-2)
133: Kade Moore Tech Yashua Amen (17-1 (4:29))
141: Zeke Seltzer Dec. Kody Ketchum (6-2)
149: Josh Edmond Tech Collin Reif (23-4 (3:58))
157: J Conway Maj. Nic Zamora (20-11)
165: Max Mayfield Tech. Logan Ferrero (17-2 (4:04))
174: Cole Ritter Dec. Joel Mylin (5-2)
184: Aeoden Sinclair Fall John Gholson (2:38)
197: Evan Bates Tech. Jeremiah Larson (16-1 1:20))
285: Jarrett Stoner Maj. Orest Nazarchuk (20-8)
Mizzou over Central Methodist 46-0
125: Mack Mauger Fall Warren Taylor (2:05)
133: Boogie Harris Dec. Drew Cooper (11-9)
141: Zeke Seltzer Maj. Arojae Hart (11-1)
149: Josh Edmond Fall Alex Walker (2:35)
157: J Conway Maj. Brayden Forman (15-4)
165: Joel Mylin Fall Cody Hughes (4:24)
174: Max Mayfield Dec. Roman Garcia (4-3)
184: Logan Cole Fall Jacob Ruff (1:59)
197: Evan Bates Tech. Cameron Cornman (19-3 (3:34))
285: Jarrett Stoner Dec. Austin Foye (3-1)
