After a tremendous 2018-19 season, many Mustangs have shown a desire to turn the so-close-you-can-taste-it finishes into actually savoring the sweet taste of championships. I'll post some of the summer activities of ASIJ wrestlers in an attempt to give a peek into their commitment to individual improvement and, therefore, even better team results.
Take - coming in to high school with high expectations based on his previous performance and his last name (see Zoot, Rin), he didn't disappoint. Taking over the 115 slot, he had an incredibly successful freshman season, especially in dual meets where he scored the most team points (45) and was one of only two Mustangs to go undefeated during the team portion of the Far East (Rin was the other). Throughout the entire season, he only gave up wins to the eventual Far East champion and a college wrestler from a special Japanese team at Beast of the East. He also beat his nemesis from St. Mary's, indicating an even brighter future ahead. conference record in 2018-19: 3-1 (.750) dual meet record in 2018-19: 10-1 (.909) overall varsity record in 2018-19: 16-5 (.762) pins recorded in 2018-19: 9 (#2 on the team) takedowns recorded in 2018-19: 39 2018-19 tournament placewinner: CAJ - 3rd, Beast of the East - 3rd, Kanto Plain - 2nd, Far East - 2nd Outlook: During the summer, he attended a J-Rob intensive camp and came back a different person, according to those with intimate knowledge of the young man. He also attended a Japanese club during the off season and is tearing it up in cross country during the fall sports season. Though he grew much more over the summer than I had expected, putting him in a higher, possibly more competitive weight class this season, I still project top finishes for the prodigy and a firm spot on the roster as an anchor in the lower weights.
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After a tremendous 2018-19 season, many Mustangs have shown a desire to turn the so-close-you-can-taste-it finishes into actually savoring the sweet taste of championships. I'll post some of the summer activities of ASIJ wrestlers in an attempt to give a peek into their commitment to individual improvement and, therefore, even better team results.
This post will cover juniors who put up wrestling stats within the last two years. See below for separate posts on Liam, Dani, and Ricky. The statistics listed are as follows: Year - Conference Record (win %), Dual Meet Record (win %), Overall Varsity Record (win %), Pins, Takedowns, JV Record (win %) Juniors: Reuben: 2018-19 - 1-0 (1.000), 2-0 (1.000), 2-0 (1.000), 0, 0, JV 2-4 (.333) Winning wrestle offs gets you on varsity, and he did, giving him opportunities to fill a hole at 148 and get max team points in two dual meets. This multi-talented singer/dancer/first-year-wrestler (earned a role in the school musical) allowed 0 points against one JV opponent and nearly tech-falled another in his wins, indicating some good potential for the next couple of years. Tei: 2018-19 - 0-0 (.000), 0-0 (.000), 1-2 (.333), 0, 5, JV 1-4 (.200) He also filled a hole at 158 on varsity as a new wrestler, securing a tech fall victory and scoring 12 points in his final match at the Beast of the East (talk about being thrown straight into the fire!). On JV, he tied with Leila for the returning wrestler with the most points scored per match (4.2). With his frame, he should be throwing opponents around this year like sacks of potatoes. Isak: 2018-19 - 0-0 (.000), 0-0 (.000), 0-2 (.000), 0, 1, JV 2-4 (.333) He, too, took the opportunity to go against varsity wrestlers at the CAJ tournament and, though the W-L record alone doesn't show it, he showed competitiveness and toughness that elicited favorable comments from spectators. His JV wins included a pin, and he joined the never-been-pinned club in his first year wrestling. Look for more from the last two years of this wrestler. Kai H: 2018-19 - 0-1 (.000), 0-1 (.000), 0-1 (.000), 0, 0, JV 2-6 (.250) In a trend for first year wrestlers, he stepped up to fill a hole in the varsity lineup, this time in the last dual meet of the season against conference heavyweight Kinnick. On JV, he tied with Liam for most tech falls (2) and was # 3/13 in JV takedowns (10). If he can keep the offense and shore up his defense, I think he'll be a valuable contributor in either full-time or plug-the-hole varsity duty for the Mustangs this year. After a tremendous 2018-19 season, many Mustangs have shown a desire to turn the so-close-you-can-taste-it finishes into actually savoring the sweet taste of championships. I'll post some of the summer activities of ASIJ wrestlers in an attempt to give a peek into their commitment to individual improvement and, therefore, even better team results.
This post will cover seniors who put up wrestling stats within the last two years. See below for separate posts on Rin and Ira. The statistics listed are as follows: Year - Conference Record (win %), Dual Meet Record (win %), Overall Varsity Record (win %), Pins, Takedowns, JV Record (win %) Seniors: Kole: 2018-19 - 2-0 (1.000), 2-0 (1.000), 2-0 (1.000), 1, 2, JV 1-2 (.333) He looked promising in very limited action last year, maintaining a shutout (0 points allowed) while sweeping his conference matches. He will be a huge addition to the team in the 168-180 (215?) range with, I project, a realistic chance to medal in tournaments. Keibun: 2017-18 - 0-0 (.000), 0-0 (.000), 0-2 (.000), 0, 0, JV 1-5 (.167) A multi-sport athlete, his natural abilities were evident in his first year wrestling two years ago before sitting out last season. Building on the skill base he has already acquired, he'd be a nice addition to the team in his last year as a Mustang. Sol: 2017-18 - 1-0 (1.000), 1-0 (1.000), 2-2 (.500), 1, 0, JV 3-4 (.429) Prior to a year off last season, he posted a win by pin in his lone conference match. He held his own in part-time varsity duty, maintained a respectable overall record, and led the JV team in pins (3), takedowns (10), exposures (6), and points scored per match (5.1). As a senior I have no doubt he'd be a valuable contributor. Yo: 2018-19 - 0-0 (.000), 0-0 (.000), 0-0 (.000), 0, 0, JV 1-3 (.250) In his first year wrestling at 168 as a junior last year, Yo showed he has the ingredients to be a great wrestler and had started on his way to a delicious recipe. His 38-second pin against CAJ was memorable, and a smidgeon more of technical knowledge would make him a wrestler that no opponent could take lightly in his last chance to wrestle for ASIJ as a senior. After a tremendous 2018-19 season, many Mustangs have shown a desire to turn the so-close-you-can-taste-it finishes into actually savoring the sweet taste of championships. I'll post some of the summer activities of ASIJ wrestlers in an attempt to give a peek into their commitment to individual improvement and, therefore, even better team results.
Ricky - a junior who saw full-time action on varsity in his first year as a wrestler in 2018-19, he laid down a foundation for future success while putting up some promising results. He made the top 5 on the team in a somewhat obscure category: varsity wrestlers' record in non-varsity matches. Ricky came in 4th after Zenon, Rin, and Dani in that category, and led all varsity wrestlers in points scored per match in JV matches with an incredible 10.0 (a technical fall is called when ahead by 10 points). Wrestling up a weight class to fill a hole in the varsity lineup at 135, along with a few matches at his actual 129 weight, Ricky gave up only 4 pins in 19 matches. A forfeit at his weight would have cost ASIJ 45 team points in dual meets, but his efforts reduced that to 31, retaining a path to victory for the Mustangs up after him. He also just missed the podium at the end-of-season conference tournament. In the off season he increased his strength (despite already being the pound-for-pound strongest on the team) and got involved in Japanese club wrestling. conference record in 2017-18 was (n/a) to 0-2 (.000) last year dual meet record in 2017-18 was (n/a) to 2-7 (.222) last year overall varsity record was (n/a) to 5-14 (.263) last year pins recorded was (n/a) in 2017-18, was 3 last year takedowns recorded was (n/a) in 2017-18, was 18 last year 2018-19 tournament placewinner: Kanto Plain - 4th Outlook: Ricky showed tremendous improvement throughout the season last year as he gained technical skills that focused his pre-existing strength into useful moves. If he continues to improve at the same rate, the rest of the conference had better look out. I project a winning varsity record and some good placements at tournaments (despite likely being in one of the most competitive weight classes), as well as an increasing leadership role on the team as an upperclassman who helps out new and young wrestlers on the team. After a tremendous 2018-19 season, many Mustangs have shown a desire to turn the so-close-you-can-taste-it finishes into actually savoring the sweet taste of championships. I'll post some of the summer activities of ASIJ wrestlers in an attempt to give a peek into their commitment to individual improvement and, therefore, even better team results.
Dani - pressed into varsity action at 180 as a freshman, he had the results you would expect from a new wrestler. One of the highlights of his wrestling that year was a close loss that limited Kadena's teams points, allowing ASIJ to squeeze out a win and move into the 3rd place match in the team tournament at Far East. Last year Dani tore up the JV ranks and then recorded a winning varsity record on his way to an undefeated conference record and podium placement at multiple tournaments. conference record in 2017-18 was 1-1 (.500), to 2-0 (1.000) last year dual meet record in 2017-18 was 1-6 (.143) to 6-3 (.667) last year overall varsity record was 3-14 (.176) to 10-8 (.556) last year pins recorded was 2 in 2017-18, was tied for 5th at 6 last year (+3 pins in his 3 JV matches) takedowns recorded was 4 in 2017-18, to 9 last year (best td:pin ratio on the team) 2018-19 tournament placewinner: CAJ - 3rd, Kanto Plain - 2nd, Far East - 4th Outlook: Having gone from newby freshman on varsity trying to not give up pins and maybe steal a couple wins here and there to a winning varsity record and some nice finishes at tournaments last year, Dani is now an upperclassman with higher expectations. I project him in the 180-215 range this year. He's been practicing at a Japanese club on some Saturdays in the off season after spending most of his summer outside of Japan. A consistent tournament placer and solid contributor in dual meets is where he should be performing this year as he continues to add to his technique repertoire and increases his mastery of current skills. |
PhilSend me a note at [email protected] if you have ideas for a story or corrections/additions to these write-ups. Archives
March 2020
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