Wrestling Wreport: The Bloomsburg Preview

Penn State opens up their 2011/2012 season Sunday afternoon when they take on the Huskies of Bloomsburg at 2 PM at Rec Hall.  For those of you heading to the match there's a couple changes you should note.  First off the 2011 Big Ten and NCAA title banners will be raised prior to the dual so get there early if you want to be part of the ceremony.  Also, due to the... unpleasantness.... there will be extra security measures in place.   

Bags of any sort, including purses, will not be permitted at the Bryce Jordan Center, Greenberg Ice Pavilion, Jeffrey Field and Rec Hall.

So there's my public service announcement for the day.  With that out of the way let's get to the dual at hand.  Bloom match-ups and commentary after the break.

Match-ups

Last Season's results

Last year the Huskies were Penn State's first opponent just like this season.  It didn't go very well for Bloom, the only match they won was at 197 when Perry beat Ortega for a 7-4 decision.  The Lions ended up winning the match 41-3 racking up 15 bonus points in the form of 3 falls, 2 technical falls and one major decision.

Tough Match-ups

Last season Boylan kept it close with Martellotti at 125 losing a tough 3-0 decision.  Boylan will be a good test for Megaludis and will give us an idea of where the talented freshman is in terms of his training.  Hickman is the Huskies highest ranked wrestler and will be a great test for Dylan Alton.  Last season Hickman lost by technical fall to David Taylor but like I said in my season preview, comparing David Taylor to anyone is simply unfair.  Perry scored Blooms only points last season and will be a good start for McIntosh.

Absolute Locks

David Taylor has been waiting a long time to step back on the mat after an embarrassing loss in the finals.  I almost feel bad for Hartnett at 165.  Almost.  Ed gets a ranked opponent and a chance to show off... Ed always wrestles well in those situations.  Look for him to toy with Dessino.  Q pinned Mirra last year, why would anyone believe  history would change?   Cameron Wade has one more chance to make a run at a championship, normally he wrestles like a lumbering bear, I think he turns it up a notch and starts the season off right after a knee injury cut his season short.

Predictions

Honestly, I don't see Penn State losing a match.  Maybe that's a little conceded on my part but sue me, this team should manhandle Bloomsburg.  Looking at the lineup I see a lot of bonus points and a lot of overwhelmed wrestlers on Bloom's side.  It should be a good kick-off for the 2011 season.

Penn State 35 - Bloomsburg 0

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