NEWARK, NJ • Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades came into the 68kg finals of the World Team Trials best-of-three series having never conceded a point to her opponent, Brooklyn Hays. Hays, who is newer to freestyle, had wrestled herself in the finals with Blades on sheer will and an upper body presence that placed her opponents in unfamiliar and uncomfortable positions. For Blades, the series would be about what she does best: getting to her shots and using her strength and explosiveness to open up the match.
So, as Blades came to the match in her black and gold Hawkeye Wrestling Club singlet with the red trim, she stepped onto the platform in her pink Rudis shoes bottomed in a lime green ready to wrestle, she knew that her ability to endure and be in this moment was meant to be. Over the past few years, Blades has had her ups and downs. But, over that same period of time, she feels that everything that she has gone through, and everything that she has gained, has prepared her for this moment.
Match Number One
With the first whistle sounding, Blades would work forward and wrestle to change her levels and get to her infamous double leg attack. Hays, however, would maintain tight elbows, tie up Blades’ wrists, and fend off her initial attack. As Baldes worked to come back into her offense, with Hays holding center, it would be another double leg attempt. Off her defensive position, as Blades came up, Hays appeared to look for a headlock attempt, to no avail, but it would be Blades hit for passivity.
After the restart, Blades remained disciplined to work into her attacks, but Hays would be disciplined in her centered position and continued to tie up wrists and slow down the match and scoring opportunities offered by Blades. And even though it was Blades attempting to wrestle into her positions, Hays continued to hold center, and this was enough to force Blades onto the activity clock.
At this, Blades seemed to be becoming a bit anxious in the match and her feet and hands did not seem as fluent as they normally are. As the activity clock ticked down, Hays would continue to frustrate Blades by tying her up and using upper body ties to slow her down. However, as Hays would tie Blades up and force her to the zone, Blades would lock down on her over hook, hip into Hays, and force Hays out of bounds for a one-point step out just two seconds before the activity clock expired.
Blades was now up, 1-0, but off the next restart, Hays would work Blades to the edge of the mat and hit a knee pick and earn a one-point pushout of her own. Not to be outdone, Blades came right back to the center and looked to work into her tie, but it would again be Hays with a second pushout point and a 2-1 lead as the match went into the break.
Walking to her corner, Blades appeared to be frustrated by the pace of the first period and her inability to find her rhythm in her scoring. And, as she stepped to her corner, her coach, Izzy Martinez, looked like he was refocusing Blades as she still had three minutes to close out match one.
As for where Blades seemingly needed to improve in the second period was simply wrestling through her positions better and maintaining her cool until she works to open up her positions and offense.
Once the second period began, it was Blades getting back to her double leg. Once there, Hays defended, but this time, instead of becoming frustrated and forcing herself out of the position, Blades stayed committed to her offense, wrestled, and changed over to a single leg. Blades’ length, as well as her strength, allowed her to lock her hands and drive Hays off the mat for a one-point push out. The score was now 2-2, and Blades, more than being up on criteria, was staying in her offense and wrestling through any defense Hays was going to offer.
Another restart, another Blades attack. This time, as Blades came through the position, Hays would stumble in her defense and Blades would capitalize by driving through and earning the takedown and a 4-2 lead.
With another neutral start, Hays went back to tying up Blades, and this time she forced a front head position. In that front head, Blades would shoot through it and Hays would try to throw Blades over her back for some exposure points—Hays would fail, and Blades would earn four points and increase her lead, 8-2.
Blades would continue with her pressure and Hays would continue to try and tie Blades up, but Blades would score another pushout, and off another restart, Blades would fire in on a shot and, once extended, Hays would try to take the ankle and run the corner. Blades, however, would display her power. While being caught underneath Hays, Blades scooted in, maintained the leg, came to her feet, lifted the defending Hays, and ran through powering Hays into the mat with authority—an authority that may have been enough to set Blades back on track mentally as she would win match one, 10-4, and need one more match to make the World Team.
Match Number Two
In match one, Hays seemed to find a way to slow down and frustrate Blades early on; however, as the match wore on, Blades opened her scoring more and more and ran away with the bout. For match two, the question would be if Hays could recreate the same type of match, or if Blades’ final takedown was the move she needed to reinvigorate her offense and reestablish her confidence coming into bout number two and allow her to dominate?
Now in her black HWC singlet with blue trim and her pick and lime green bottomed shoes, Blades was one match away from making her first World Team.
Once the match began, Blades moved into her level changes and motion and looked to get right into her double leg and open up her scoring right away; however, Hays would continue to tie up Blades’ hands and keep her elbows in, with her head lowered, and block Blades from scoring.
With the restart, Blades continued changing levels and Hays continued forward taking ground, but Blades used that forward motion to again attempt her double leg. Hays defended and was doing a nice job early on with her head and hands defense and tying Blades up as she looked for her knee pick. As the two wrestled out of that position, Blades was in again on a shot, this time a hi-crotch, that Hays defended with a whizzer on the edge of the mat. In response, Blades fought the position and limp-armed out of the defense and covered for a two-point takedown as the two went out of bounds.
But, as Blades came to her feet, she grabbed her head and the match was stopped so she could be attended to medically. Not much long after, Blades would be cleared and able to wrestle.
With a 2-0 lead for Blades, and a restart, she would go back to her double leg, but Hays would pull her up and work into a body lock as she was seemingly looking to throw. Blades would secure her footing and hips and push Hays out of bounds for another point and 3-0 lead.
Again, off a restart, it was Blades taking an offensive shot. Blades would come out of the shot, but both she and Hays still fought, hand fought, on the mat. From here, Blades would see an opening and attack. Hays would defend the attack and hit a reattack that would extend Blades and provide her with her first two points in the match. The score was now 3-2 Blades, but the gap had narrowed considerably in that sequence.
With 1:00 remaining, Hays continually tried to tie up and slow Baldes down—she had done a fine job in both the first and now the second match—and was working into her underhook and upper body ties. And as Hays pressed forward, Blades would use her momentum and transition into a slide by that awarded her with a pushout. Blades now led, 4-2, and after another Hays shot and Blades defense, each woman would head to her corner for the break.
Once Blades reached her corner, her coach, Izzy Martinez, looked like he was giving her words of encouragement through positive talk. Blades appeared frustrated and a little offput with the first period, but like match one, she still had three minutes remaining to make some positive changes.
The second period would open with Blades coming in for her double and Hays defending. It also showed Hays upper body presence and her working to an underhook that Blades would circle out of and try to score out of. The opening was a control fight to secure position, and with 1:30 remaining, Blades would hit a carry on the edge of the mat to combat the hand fight and forward pressure of Hays. The two points would give Blades a 5-2 lead as she slowly worked back to the center of the mat.
The remainder of the match would see Hays wanting to tie up bully Blades into a throw or a step out, but Blades conceded nothing.
When the whistle blew for the final time, Baldes would have her hand raised and put up the number on finger as she had now made her first senior World Team.
As for why the matchup with Hays was so difficult, Blades was very candid in her response.
“Brooke is the same height, maybe taller than me,” Blades explained, “so it was a different feeling for sure. She is really strong and tall, and those two together is huge because that is normally my advantage. The matches went really well, Obviously, I’m always trying to go for the techs and pins, but sometimes you just have to figure out how to win. Tomorrow I will analyze what I can fix.”
Regarding what Blades is expecting of herself heading to Worlds: “I’m planning on winning Worlds, not just going there to be there. I plan on bringing home gold, not silver like last year. The matches were good, the second match was a little different. When we hit our heads, that hurt a lot. I toughed it out and won the match and I was really happy. I’ve grown a lot as a person, especially in my faith, and the Lord really showed me his grace today and I’m just really happy right now.”
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• TC LIFONTI / LEAD WRITER FOR ILLINOIS MATMEN / tclifonti.com
