Howe and Welch Impress at Midlands

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BY SETH SCHWARTZ
Special to Illinois Matmen

True freshman usually get a baptism at the Midlands. But Wisconsin’s Andrew Howe isn’t your average kid.

Howe (165) dominated Northern Iowa’s top-seeded Moza Fay en route to a 14-8 decision in the quarterfinals Monday night at Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena.

It wasn’t a surprise to assistant coach Donny Pritzlaff.

“Andrew’s just that good,” said Pritzlaff. “This is what we expected from him. He’s a tough kid who has put in a lot of time and effort. He trains harder than anyone and believes in his training. He’s got a great attitude; we knew that when we recruited him. He loves wrestling and he loves to train.”

No. 8 seed Howe took down Fay three times in the second period and appeared to be in position for a potential pin after he locked up a cradle, but the referee called a stalemate.

Fay got a takedown at the end of the second to close to 9-7. But Howe turned up the tempo and pulled away with two more takedowns.

“I just kept attacking,” said Howe. “I got the best workout partner with coach Pritzlaff; his style is similar to mine so that’s a big help. I don’t get caught up in what someone is ranked; you always want to wrestle the best.”

Northwestern freshman Jason Welch (157) advanced to the semifinals with a highlight film win over Missouri’s Emmanuel Brooks. Down 4-3 in the second period, Welch caught Brooks with a Metzger and pinned him.

“We recruited Howe,” said Northwestern assistant coach Drew Pariano. “He’s like Jason, a great kid as well as a wrestler. Jason is solid in all three areas as a wrestler and you don’t always get that as a freshman. His closing ability is incredible. He has Brooks feet-to-back and then sticks him. That’s a testament to him wearing Brooks down.”

Welch will face 34-year old Chris Bono in the semifinal.