By Allen Smith, PSWC Membership Co-Chair
Today was a bit of a roller coaster ride for the USA wrestlers, as eight wrestlers in total saw action. Four saw their first action of the tournament; Jax Forrest (61kg), Marcus Blaze (65kg), Rocco Welsh (86kg) and Garavous Kouekebakitaho (97kg). In addition, yesterday’s wrestlers are all in the medal mix, including; Luke Lilledahl (57kg) and Levi Haines (79kg) going for Gold, while PJ Duke (70kg) and Daniel Herrera (125kg) were going for Bronze.
The best news of the day was the wins by all three of the Nittany Lion wrestlers in their medal matches, as follows;
— LUKE LILLEDAHL IS YOUR U23 57kg WORLD CHAMPION.
— LEVI HAINES IS YOUR U23 79kg WORLD CHAMPION.
— PJ DUKE IS YOUR U23 70kg BRONZE MEDALIST.
More detail below! But first I’ll give recaps for the four weight classes that started early this morning…
Jax Forrest (61kg): Three technical superiority wins have earned Forrest a spot in tomorrow’s finals where he will wrestle for Gold. This kid is good, really good, something Penn State fans know a good bit about with our stable of wrestlers. Forrest is heading to Oklahoma State to wrestle for David Taylor. I thought for about four minutes of Forrest’s third match today that he had met his equal, but that thought quickly left me. The bout was tied 5-5, with the wrestler from Japan holding criteria. Then, starting at 1:46 remaining, and for the next 50 seconds, Forrest earned 10 consecutive points to earn the win. His opponent didn’t know what hit him.
Marcus Blaze (65kg): In Blaze’s first bout, the incoming Penn State freshman found it hard to score, as did his opponent. In the end, there were 0 “offensive” points (takedowns, back exposures, etc.) scored, and Blaze found himself on the losing end of a 2-4 score. When the wrestler that beat him lost before making the finals, Blaze’s tournament, sadly, was over. While I feel badly for the young man about the loss, the experience of wrestling in these tournaments will pay dividends in the future. He is an amazing talent, for sure.
Rocco Welsh (86kg): After two solid 10-0 technical superiority wins, Welsh faced a wrestler from Iran in the quarterfinals. While the bout was close, the Iranian won 4-7. When the Iranian lost 2-1 in the semifinals, Welsh’s tournament was done. Ditto my remarks above about Marcus Blaze. Welsh’s best days wrestling-wise are ahead of him.
Garavous Kouekebakitaho (97kg): Kouekebakitaho was the third of the four wrestlers that started earlier today to have his tournament end. While he won his first bout, he was on the losing end of a 0-11 score, and when the wrestler that won was defeated in his next bout, the American’s tournament was over.
With the loss of three of the four wrestlers that started the day, the medal round for 57kg, 70kg, 79kg and 125kg lie ahead. For Penn State fans the news was all good, great in fact, as all three of the Nittany Lions wrestling for Gold or Bronze would win their bouts, as follows;
Luke Lilledahl (57kg): In what would become a tightly-contested bout, Lilledahl would get the first point on a passivity call, ending the first period with a 1-0 lead. A second passivity call against the wrestler from Japan would result in another point, and a 2-0 lead for Lilledahl. Then with one minute remaining, Lilledahl would get a takedown and led 4-0, which was the final score. Lilledahl is a U23 World Champion!!! I will add here that I have never seen Lilledahl quicker. Called “Lightning Luke” for a reason, he is up there with RBY as among the quickest Lions ever. Just ask Cody!
PJ Duke (70kg): Midway through the first period, Duke was taken down, and found himself on the losing end of a 0-2 score. Thirty seconds later, the Penn State freshman would level the score 2-2, and he held criteria. To this point, the bout was very even. Then with less than 15 seconds remaining in the period, Duke would take his opponent to his back, and get the Fall with about 2 seconds on the clock. Kind of reminded me of the pin against Yianni Diakomihalis at Final X. PJ Duke is a U23 Bronze Medalist!! Duke shows up on the biggest stages for sure. Being able to wrestle loose when the lights are the brightest, without an ounce of nerves, is a phenomenon of the majority of the wrestlers in the Penn State room.
Levi Haines (79kg): In the finals, Haines would face a wrestler that was able, by my eyes, to match Haines’ strength. Haines would get pushed out early in the first period for his opponent’s first (and only it would turn out) point. From there while the wrestlers appeared equal in strength, they were not equal in technique and savvy, smart wrestling. About to be pushed out again, Haines used his opponent’s pushing against him as he slipped the hold and got a four-point (feet-to-back) throw. Not long after, and still only midway through the first period, Haines landed another four-point throw to open up an 8-1 lead. A takedown at the 4 minute mark and a pushout less than 40 seconds later would give Haines the 11-1 technical superiority win IN THE FIRST PERIOD. Haines is a U23 World Champion!!
Daniel Herrera (125kg): Herrera would lose the Bronze Medal bout.
Going back to my email below of October 23, I mentioned the prognosticators “guesses” of 7-8 overall medals, with 3-4 of them Gold. Well, the team ended with 5 total, consisting of three Gold, one Bronze and one color yet to be determined (Gold or Silver for Jax Forrest in tomorrow’s medal round). That is actually quite good against the best in the world. Of the seven Penn Stater’s, four earned medals (3 Gold, 1 Bronze).
Currently, the USA is leading the team race, 122 points to Iran’s 112. As I understand it, a win by Jax Forrest in the finals will shut the door on any Iran hope for the title. I’ll be watching!!
