On a weekend highlighted by a huge college football game (come up with a Gameday sign, why don't you?), the No.8 ranked Buckeyes will host the Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday night. Arizona State has been busy this season, coming in with a 4-2 dual record to face a 1-0 Buckeye team, who should be heavily favored.
The match will take place on Friday at 7 PM at St. John Arena. Ohio State is offering some excellent promotions for the match, so take in the No. 8 Buckeyes and get some tangible rewards as well. For those unable to attend the match, it will air live on BTN Plus.
ASU Head Coach: Zeke Jones
Jones is one of the more decorated wrestling coaches in US Wrestling history. He is the current head coach of the US Freestyle wrestling team, and held the post during the 2004 and 2012 Olympics. Jones has coached three Olympic gold medalists and six NCAA individual champions. He was previously the head coach at Penn before returning to his alma mater. A three-time All-American for the Sun Devils, Jones was also an Olympic silver medalist as a competitor himself. He is assisted by two-time NCAA Champion Chris Pendelton, Lee Pritts, and Olympic hopeful (and two-time NCAA Champion) Jordan Oliver.
Notable ASU Wrestlers
Blake Stauffer: 184
Stauffer placed 4th at the 2015 NCAA tournament, defeating Kenny Courts in the consolation semifinals in the process. Interestingly enough, Stauffer was the only Sun Devil to win a match at the NCAA tournament last season; not a great showing for Arizona State, but certainly something to build upon for Stauffer. The redshirt senior has been a finalist each season at the PAC 12 Championships, winning the title in 2015.
Anthony Valencia: 165; Zahid Valencia: 184
The Valencia brothers (not twins, though they are in the same grade) have been on the national radar for years and immediately improved a struggling Arizona State program with their commitment. Each brother won three state championships in California, which is impressive even before noting that California has just a single state wrestling tournament with no divisions. Anthony will be taking a rare Olympic redshirt as true freshman, having met the criteria by placing at the 2015 Senior World Team Trials. Zahid has yet to compete this season and will likely redshirt as well. Aside from both being top-ranked recruits in their respective weight classes,
Zahid is noteworthy in that he won the state title in 2014 at 132 pounds and then gained an amazing 50 pounds between seasons and won the 2015 title in the 182-pound weight class. Gaining 50 pounds in a calendar year is not unheard of, but it’s rarely done as an elite athlete (the feat is more often achieved by women pregnant with octuplets). Both brothers are outstanding in folkstyle (the style wrestled at the NCAA level and unique to the United States) and freestyle, which likely explains their desire to wrestle for Olympic freestyle coach Zeke Jones.
Tanner Hall: HEAVYWEIGHT
Hall was part of the No. 1 recruiting class last year with the Valencias and has proven himself worthy of all of the hype as he immediately stepped in to the starting lineup as a true freshman. Though his level of competition has not been the highest, Hall is already turning heads with his aggressive top control.
Matt Kraus-:149
Kraus creeps into the InterMat rankings at No. 17this week, coming into the Ohio State match with a 5-1 record. His only win of note early in the season is a sudden victory decision against Illinois’ Kyle Langenderfer. Kraus qualified for the 2015 NCAA tournament, but bowed out early after going 0-2 against some middle of the road competition.
***In addition to the current roster, Arizona State has proven to be a breeding ground for successful mixed martial artists. Cain Velasquez, Dan Severn, Don Frye and Dan Henderson were all UFC champions at one point in their respective careers. Ryan Bader, Aaron Simpson, Bubba Jenkins (currently competes for Bellator), Kyle Kingsbury and others have utilized their time wrestling for ASU as a springboard to success within the UFC Octagon. There's something about the desert heat that makes people want to punch each other.
| No. 8 Ohio State | Arizona State | |
| 125 | No. 1 Nathan Tomasello | Ares Carpio |
| 133 | No. 5 Johnni DiJulius | Cord Coronado |
| 141 | No. 19 Micah Jordan | Robbie Mathers |
| 149 | Cody Burcher | No. 17 Matt Kraus |
| 157 | No. 20 Jake Ryan | Oliver Pierce |
| 165 | Justin Kresevic | Jacen Petersen |
| 174 | No. 1 Bo Jordan | Zach Smith |
| 184 | No. 4 Kenny Courts | No. 3 Blake Stauffer |
| 197 | No. 17 Mark Martin or Matthew O'Hara | Josh DaSilveira |
| HWT | No. 18 Nick Tavanello | Tanner Hall |
Key Matches
184: Kenny Courts vs. Blake Stauffer
The latest InterMat rankings have this as a meeting between No. 4 and No. 3 in the 184 lb division. Stauffer won a 6-2 decision in the wrestleback semifinals at last year’s NCAA tournament when Courts was wrestling his best. Stauffer should have the advantage, but Courts has always been an utter enigma. Stauffer’s run to the All-American podium featured decisive wins over Iowa’s Sammy Brooks and Missouri’s talented underclassman Willie Miklus. Courts has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career, but is infinitely difficult to predict and could win this match by major decision or lose 3-1. A win over Stauffer would give Kenny a shot in the arm and a serious boost in momentum early in his senior season.
149: Cody Burcher vs No. 17 Matt Kraus
Burcher had a pin against a game TJ Miller in the UVa dual, but Kraus is going to be a step up in competition. Cody is a crafty wrestler and will need to utilize lots of different techniques if he is going to keep his head above water when the Big Ten season starts next month, though a timely cradle can take you a long way.
141: No. 19 Micah Jordan vs Robbie Mathers
Micah Jordan is ranked No. 19. Nineteen! The sky is the limit for the redshirt freshman, but he doesn’t have any quality wins to this point despite having only a single loss in his redshirt season and the current season combined. Mathers isn’t a ranked opponent, but Micah should buzzsaw him and score big bonus points for the team. Regarding his ranking, Micah needs to beat (and convincingly so) the opponents on his schedule and he’ll pick up higher rankings as the season progresses.
174: No. 1 Bo Jordan vs Zach Smith
Lamb, meet slaughter. Anything other than a pin or tech fall for Bo will be a surprise.
Match Outlook
The Buckeyes should roll in this match. Courts and Stauffer will be the only match between ranked wrestlers, but the Sun Devils will be a suitable tune up match for younger guys looking to gain some experience and confidence. Cody Burcher, Jake Ryan, and Justin Kresevic will all face beatable opponents.
Expect bonus points from Tomasello, Micah and Bo Jordan, and possibly Mark Martin at 197 (should he take the mat on Friday night). Tom Ryan has been known for getting guys into the lineup and resting the starters in winnable matches, and the Buckeyes have another such match coming up against Cleveland State next Tuesday.
If all starters wrestle, the Buckeyes should be favored in seven out of ten weights, but we may see a closer score than what may be possible. Arizona State is down this year, but will be a force at the upper weights starting in 2016. The Buckeyes should blow them out and move on to the next challenge in short order.
