2/21/06

Wrestling Wins Final Pair of Home Duals

MSU rolls over SCSU and Truman State in final tune-ups before North Regionals

by Garret Felder
February 21, 2006

Depth is the difference between a good team and a great program. Having the ability to interchange athletes for injured starters and remain competitive is a true sign of a strong program and often makes opposing coaches seethe in envy.

As the seniors experienced their last home meets at the Taylor Center, the No. 2 Mavericks used the depth of their roster to defeat St. Cloud State 41-3 Friday and No. 14 Truman State 34-7 Saturday.

“It’s huge to be able to rest some guys up and not take talent away from the lineup,” said MSU head coach Jim Makovsky. “It really shows the quality wrestling partners that we have practicing with our starters. It’s like one plus one equaling three, the competition is making both wrestlers better.”

During the Mavericks’ route of SCSU, Makovsky decided to sit four usual starters and the squad still managed to win nine of 10 matches. While the four regulars enjoyed the break either to rest nagging injuries or simply have a day off, junior Jeremy Sogge, freshman Travis Puig and sophomore Jeremiah Nowak stepped into the lineup to gain invaluable experience and prove that no matter who starts, the Mavericks are a competitive program with pool of talent waiting in the wrestling room.

“It was nice to be able to rest some guys before our meet with a quality opponent Saturday, but we let the starters make the final decision whether they go or not,” Makovsky said. “I thought the starters were very unselfish to let the other guys get some experience.”

As senior Tim Kraemer sat out for the weekend to rest his injured ankle, junior Ben Janike and freshman Tom Block picked up the slack by each winning a match at 197 pounds and another match at heavyweight, including a 2:36 pin by Janike during the Truman State Dual. Not only did these duals give a chance for some inexperienced wrestlers to compete but also gave wrestlers, like Kraemer, a chance for a another week to rest and heal up before the North Central Regionals.

Sophomore Nick Smith, a regular in the lineup, set the tone of each meet with quick 6-0 leads from his matches. After facing some adversity in the last few weeks, Smith found his swagger and credited the focus of his practices as the main reason for pinning both of his opponents this weekend.

“I just needed to calm down,” Smith said. “The coach says I get too jazzed up before a match, so he has helped me calm down before my matches and reminds me to take deep breaths.”

While the Mavericks have their 125-pounder pinning opponents and five more days to prepare for regionals in Omaha, Neb., the squad hopes the extra time will leave it fresh and prepared for the postseason.

“We are going to watch some tape of our regional opponents to get some tendencies, but we are going to focus most on ourselves,” Makovsky said. “We need to wrestle our style and I want them feeling fresh. We want to get 10 guys to nationals and it’s in our reach, but once you get to the postseason everything is tough.”