Michigan State Preview

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This is the Hoosier version of Sparta!

 

133 Pounds

The Spartans are being left with a big hole at 133 pounds with the graduation of Franklin Gomez. One of the top wrestlers in program history, Gomez was a three-time All- American and won the NCAA Championship in 2009.

 

The Spartans have two wrestlers projected to help fill the void left by Gomez: red-shirt freshman Josh Harper and fifth-year senior Joel Trombly.

 

A three-time high school state champion, Harper collected a 4-4 record in open tournaments as a true freshman last season, wrestling at both 133 and 141 pounds.

 

"I think that Josh (Harper) is starting to mature, both as an individual and as a wrestler," Minkel said. "I expect him to grow into a player for us before long."

 

Trombly is coming off of a shoulder injury that he had repaired last year. Although Trombly has wrestled at 141 in the past, Minkel said Trombly "should do pretty well at 133."

 

Minkel noted that the battle would most likely come down to which wrestler is able to manage their weight the best and still be effective.

 

Three true freshmen round out the 133 class: Andrew Ermatinger, Raymond Kort, and Jacob Mocny.

 

 

 

149/157 Pounds

The starter for the 149-pound class depends solely on whether junior David Cheza is able to manage his weight for 149, or decides to wrestle at 157.

 

Last season at 149 pounds, Cheza compiled a 25-15 record, started every dual (13-4 mark), placed sixth at the Big Ten Championships and went 2-2 at the NCAA Championships. But this season, Cheza could move up a weight class to 157 due to the absence to NCAA qualifier Anthony Jones Jr., who will miss the entire 2010-11 season with a shoulder injury.

 

"David has gotten quite a bit bigger, so we are going to see how his weight feels early in the season before we make a decision," said Minkel. "My inclination is that he will probably go 157, but he may go 149. There are some advantages to going 149, but at the same time I know that he got tired of managing his weight last year, week in and week out. He is a pretty big kid.

 

"David is one powerful young man and has good fundamental skills. He is going to anchor the center of our team this year, no doubt, at 149 or 157, wherever he is at."

 

If Cheza goes up to 157, Minkel said that either true freshman Ryan Watts out of Ferndale High School or junior Collin Dozier would be potential starters at 149.

 

Watts was a two-time all-state selection and the runner-up at 145 pounds his senior year at the 2010 MHSAA Championships. Minkel said Watts has worked with former Spartan and three-time All-American David Morgan, who is the son of Ferndale High School Coach Charlie Morgan.

 

"Ryan is highly motivated - if you went down to the wrestling room right now, he is probably down there," said Minkel. "The guy lives in the wrestling room. He reminds me a lot of David Morgan: talented, athletic, great work ethic. He is going to be a player for us no doubt."

 

Dozier himself would be moving up a weight class, as he recorded a 3-9 record at 141 pounds last year. Dozier has starting experience, as he's been in the lineup 16 times for duals in his career.

 

"He is in his fourth year and has a lot of experience now," Minkel said of Dozier. "He is certainly our veteran there. Between Dozier and Watts, if Cheza goes to 157, we should be in good shape at 149."

 

If Cheza remains at 149, Minkel will likely have to rely on a pair of true freshmen at 157: Troy Lamson and Sean McMurray.

 

 

David Cheza recorded a 25-15 record last season and qualified for the NCAA Championships.

 

Lamson won the 152-pound Michigan state championship as a senior at Swan Valley High School.

 

"Troy had a breakout year last year, placing third in the high school national championships," said Minkel. "He reminds me a little of David Cheza. He is powerful, has good fundamentals, and is a tough kid."

 

McMurray, who is a three-time state Indiana state champion out of Portage, Ind., went a perfect 42-0 his senior season.

 

"Sean is one of our most credentialed freshmen," claimed Minkel. "He's a very sound wrestler and is an all around tough kid that is used to winning."

 

Regarding Jones' shoulder injury, Minkel said that Jones was hurt most of last season, even though he still managed to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second straight year.

 

"Anthony wrestled his true freshman year and he really wants to graduate with his class," said Minkel. "We wanted to let him redshirt and he is just now starting to come back where he is able to (participate in) drills. We will miss him. He has been to the NCAA's twice and he is a player for us, and really came on last year, but he will be back next year. I know that Cheza talked about going 157 this year and then going back down to 149 last year, so that Jones can come back in at 157. We will see how all of that washes out."

 

Junior Philip Khozien and true freshmen Nick Humes and Kevin Nash will add depth to the 157-pound weight class.

 

184 Pounds

The 184-pound class will be led by junior Ian Hinton, who finished 21-21 last season and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. After starting every dual at 174 pounds his first two seasons, Hinton will move up to 184 pounds for the 2010-11 campaign.

 

"Ian has no intimidation in him at all," said Minkel. "He is in it to win it and he had some great matches last year. He has been in the lineup for two years now, and once you get in that third and fourth year, you really start to figure it out. He is way more mature now, and physically a lot stronger. I expect him to have a very strong year at 184."

 

Rounding out the 184 class are red-shirt freshmen Luke Domanski and Neil Hyska, along with true freshmen Patrick McGauley and John Rizqallah.

 

and the rest....

 

http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/110310aaa.html