Match 1 (Satch wrestles an independent in from Wyoming; the kid wound up taking 3rd place, ultimately):
Match 2:
Championship match (this kid was the heaviest in the bracket, outweighing Satchel at the time of satellite weigh-ins by 8 lbs. He also wrestles for Brighton, one of the best clubs in our state):
Satch has got a match saving bridge.
Was there something peculiar about the officiating, or am I simply confused as to what good officiating looks like? These seemed somehow peculiar, like indistinct and uncertain, lacking clarity at times. Not to say bad, so much, as indecisive in certain respects.
The officiating was done by the high school wrestlers in this one. They weren’t terribly good. In fact, for the second tournament in a row, Satch gave up an escape point because the ref blew his whistle inadvertently and Satch let the kid go thinking the period was over.
Yeah I heard mom exclaiming plaintively “don’t let him go”.
Gary Roenike’s kid did a nice job yesterday, playing in front of his home crowd. The prick.
Word. That thing is wicked.
He also has an impressive killer instinct, I love watching him turn it on when he senses an advantage.
Satchel is looking fast and decisive, Jeff. But I have a question: in the second match, and to a lesser degree in the championship match, the kid is posting like crazy. Why not take away his post? I don’t know that much about wrestling, but if I was working someone who was posting like that, I’d want to sweep the post and roll him.
How can this be wrestling? No one is wearing masks, and I didn’t see any finishing moves or leggy blonde “managers”.
Nice quickness and…sportsmanship. Great season, congrats to the lad.
Satch had two-on-one wrist control pulled tight across the body. What he needed to do was release one of his hands while the kid was bellying down and throw in the half to turn him. Or maybe switch it to a ball and chain ride. These are moves he just learned this week, and Satch was concerned I think because the kids were heavier than him, so he was hesitant to let go with one hand when he had the two on one and the opponent controlled. He was content just to ride them to keep them from scoring. A good rider like Satch wears kids down, takes time off the clock, and then spots a small opening for the turn.
He got burned a couple times in the championship match trying to turn the kid without having him fully broken flat. And it was a product of the weight disparity, as Satch rarely gets thrown by a wing move. So I think after that he was just playing the clock and wearing him down.
What we’re going to do next is a tilt series off that two on one wrist control, because I was impressed with his having been able to get the wrist so consistently. From my vantage point this week I couldn’t see that and I’d thought he was moving a lot slower than normal. But it turns out he was really trying new things, which is good. After another 75 reps or so he’ll have all the turns down.