John Dergo

[roblon]

I have to echo the sentiments on the Kennedy thread. If Dergo is going to AA he will have to perform much better than he has so far. Possibly he is cutting too much weight? He sure did flame out in Las Vegas and at the Midlands after losing in the semis to Gavin. He ended up being pinned in Las Vegas and majored at Midlands in the respective wrestlebacks.

Whatever the reason, I hope he can adapt and get that AA.

[Conquistadors]

Originally Posted by roblon

I have to echo the sentiments on the Kennedy thread. If Dergo is going to AA he will have to perform much better than he has so far. Possibly he is cutting too much weight? He sure did flame out in Las Vegas and at the Midlands after losing in the semis to Gavin. He ended up being pinned in Las Vegas and majored at Midlands in the respective wrestlebacks.

Whatever the reason, I hope he can adapt and get that AA.

Yes, Kennedy and Dergo are so prone to flaming out that they should be kicked off the team, banned from the University grounds, and probably shipped off to Siberia.

You do realize that they are competing against Div I wrestlers? Or do you think they are still competing against h.s. guys? Even guys you've never heard of can be tough (ask Matt Lackey; ask Dustin Schlatter--though I was familiar with BU's Roberts, I'm sure that most folks were not).

Not sure if you bothered to check, but plenty of AAs have had reality checks this season, from Tanner Gardner to Mack Reiter to Matt Stopinski to Tyler McCormick to Andre Hernandez to Don Fisch to Matt Coughlin to Tyrel Todd to Mark Perry and others.

Why don't you thank Kennedy and Dergo for working ridiculously hard, making weight, going to school, and competing against top-tier competition, instead of calling them flops.

Here is the Jan 1 133 pound rankings from BigEleven.com. Kennedy is right in the thick of things, but there is lots of tough competition, certainly "down" to the #8 spot. Slaton is having a great season, but we'll see how his body and mind holds up with National Duals and the grind of the Big Ten season and tournament.

133:
1) Joe Slaton-Iowa-So
2) Franklin Gomez-Michigan State-So
3) Mack Reiter-Minnesota-Sr
4) Jimmy Kennedy-Illinois-So
5) Reece Humphrey-Ohio State-Sr
6) Andrae Hernandez-Indiana-Jr
7) Zach Tanelli-Wisconsin-Jr
8) Eric Metzler-Northwestern-So
UR) Chris Diehl-Michigan-So
UR) Sean Schmaltz-Purdue-Sr
UR) Mike Eagen-Penn State-Fr

And here is 174. Again, Dergo is in good shape. I consider him very competitive with Dretsch and Borschel. Though Luke is probably the most skilled wrestler of the group, he'll certainly be challenged.

174:
1) Steve Luke-Michigan-Jr
2) Jay Borschel-Iowa-So
3) Gabe Dretsch-Minnesota-Sr
4) John Dergo-Illinois-So
5) Nick Hayes-Northwestern-Sr
6) David Erwin-Penn State-So
7) Nick Corpe-Purdue-Jr
8) Alex Picazo-Ohio State-Sr
UR) Trevor Perry-Indiana-So
UR) Justin Peterson-Wisconsin-Jr
UR) John Murphy-Michigan State-Jr

Kennedy and Dergo have done well. Have they had stellar seasons? No. But they are a long way from flaming out.

[roblon]

Either you don't read very well or you don't understand the concept of constructive criticism. Dergo is doing well and has certainly not flamed out this season but I think his results in Vegas and at Midlands could have been better. At present he is a long shot at best to AA this year. I have followed his career since high school and look forward to his improvement in the future. I do wonder whether he is cutting too much weight and may be getting gassed at the end of the tournaments. But only insiders know the answer to that one. In any case I am rooting for the guy.

[grapplingfan]

I'm a UI alumni, and a big fan of Dergo and Kennedy. the previous commentator was obviously a U of I fan as you and I are, he was not calling JD and JK out, he was simply surprised that they were not doing as well as many Illini (including me) expected. Personally, I am a big fan of both Dergo and Kennedy, my only motivation to post here is to ask why these two are not what I (and many others) think they could be.


Personally, I'd be happy if JK and JD got their degrees and moved on, regardless of their wrestling careers. But they are on the Illini wrestling team so I am going to root for them. The comments made here were not to criticize JK and JD, we are obviously Illini fans, and just wondering how some of our favorite wrestlers are doing. JD and JK won two state titles apiece. This is one of (if not the) the most difficult state tourneys in the country and these guys excelled there. They had just a few losses in their combined hs careers. I think JK's was 187-3

[HandControl]

[quote=Conquistadors;120450]Yes, Kennedy and Dergo are so prone to flaming out that they should be kicked off the team, banned from the University grounds, and probably shipped off to Siberia.

You do realize that they are competing against Div I wrestlers? Or do you think they are still competing against h.s. guys?

Actually didn't Dergo get Majored by a Div III guy at Midlands?

I have to say watching Kennedy, Dergo, and even Poeta, in the finals, I was less than impressed. The Illinois guys appear to wrestle not to lose and initiate very little of the action. I hate the Hawkeyes and their fans (I was sitting next to their team) but they bring it from whistle to whistle.

[BARR]

=HandControl;120530Yes, Kennedy and Dergo are so prone to flaming out that they should be kicked off the team, banned from the University grounds, and probably shipped off to Siberia.

You do realize that they are competing against Div I wrestlers? Or do you think they are still competing against h.s. guys?

Actually didn't Dergo get Majored by a Div III guy at Midlands?

I have to say watching Kennedy, Dergo, and even Poeta, in the finals, I was less than impressed. The Illinois guys appear to wrestle not to lose and initiate very little of the action. I hate the Hawkeyes and their fans (I was sitting next to their team) but they bring it from whistle to whistle.

You obviously didn't see any of Poeta's other matches.

[HandControl]

[quote=BARR;120538]

Originally Posted by HandControl

You obviously didn't see any of Poeta's other matches.

No not at Midlands unfortunately. In the Finals match he just seemed to not want to initiate much offense in the first three minutes. When you are a clear superior on your feet don't you want to take advantage of that?

[Schultz133]

[quote=BARR;120538]

Originally Posted by HandControl

You obviously didn't see any of Poeta's other matches.

poeta looked really out of shape when he made that kid quit in the semis haha

[BARR]

Originally Posted by HandControl

No not at Midlands unfortunately. In the Finals match he just seemed to not want to initiate much offense in the first three minutes. When you are a clear superior on your feet don't you want to take advantage of that?

The guy (Kocher) he was wrestling in the finals wasn't a scrub. Kocher is a returing AA and beat Cyler Sanderson 10-3 in the semi's at Midlands. Sanderson is pretty slick on his feet and Kocher pounded him. Kocher is pretty dominate on his feet too, so I wouldn't say Poeta is "clearly superior". Do I think Poeta is better than Kocher on his feet? Yes, I do, but not enough to go out there and take the guy down at will.

[BARR]

Let me add that Poeta wrestled Kocher at the NCAA Championships last year and beat him 5-3. So, I don't know how anyone could have expected Poeta to blow him out.