How Jarod Verkleeren’s upset helped Penn State wrestling in statement win over Wisconsin
Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson knew there was something different about his 149-pounder Jarod Verkleeren.
“Just the demeanor, his energy and the look in his eye have been night and day this week,” he told the Pennsylvania Sports Network prior to the No. 2 Nittany Lions’ road dual with No. 8 Wisconsin Friday night.
If there’s one person whose wrestling judgment shouldn’t be questioned, it’s Sanderson’s. And Verkleeren proved his coach right Friday night when he used a late third-period takedown to upset No. 15 Cole Martin 3-2 to help the Nittany Lions en route to a 29-10 road victory.
The win was Verkleeren’s first over a ranked opponent this season, and was important not only for keeping his team in the dual — giving the Nittany Lions their first lead of the night, 7-6 — but also for his confidence heading toward the postseason.
Penn State (9-2) won seven of the 10 bouts, including the last five, in a dual that had the potential to be close. But much-needed confidence-boosting wins from Verkleeren and sixth-year senior Shakur Rasheed, and dominating victories from Nick Lee, Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall sent a message that the Nittany Lions are gearing up into prime form as the postseason nears.
Even in the 6-5 loss, Penn State sophomore No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young showed he can hang with No. 1 Seth Gross and should be right in the mix for the 133-pound title.
The true sophomore came right out of the gate, showing he wasn’t afraid to shoot on the 2018 national champ. But Gross broke free and got in on a shot of his own. Bravo-Young countered, but again wasn’t able to score as the two were sent into a scramble. Finally, the fifth-year senior was able to get the first takedown, countering another shot from Bravo-Young.
Gross kept working on top of Bravo-Young, taking him to his back for two nearfall points. But Bravo-Young fought his way off his back and into a reversal, putting himself back in the match. RBY then cut Gross loose to end the period down 5-2.
Despite being down, Bravo-Young dominated the second period, earning a takedown and racking up 1:16 in riding time. But giving up the second escape to start the period ultimately doomed him, despite ending the match with the riding time advantage, and a body lock with seconds left that almost gave the true sophomore the upset.
“He knows he’s right there,” assistant head coach Cody Sanderson told the Pennsylvania Sports Network after the dual. “I think he knew that coming in, but I think this gives him a little bit more evidence that he can score on one of the top guys in the country.”
Lee and Joseph both went out against top-10 opponents and punished them from the top position, furthering their cases as two of the top wrestlers in the country.
It’s been only a little over a year since Lee lost to Wisconsin’s Tristan Moran in sudden victory at Rec Hall. There was no chance of that happening again Friday night, as No. 2-ranked 141-pounder Lee quickly took No. 7 Moran down in the first period, where he kept him for most of the match, earning two takedowns, a reversal, two nearfall combinations for 6 points and 4:29 in riding time en route to a 14-2 major decision.
Joseph showed why he’s the top-ranked 165-pounder, dominating No. 3 Evan Wick for an 8-0 major decision plus 4:08 in riding time in a match that left even his coaches in awe.
“That was impressive,” Cody Sanderson said. “That was one of the most impressive matches I’ve seen him wrestle. So smart, finished so clean, the way he wrestled on top, coming off the bottom after that kid chose the top position in the second period, it was perfect, I don’t think we could’ve scripted a better match.”
Hall followed Joseph’s performance with a pin off a tilt in 4:16 over Jared Krattiger. That’s the senior’s second consecutive pin after suffering his first loss of the season last weekend to Iowa’s Michael Kemerer, and his team-leading eighth of the season.
Freshman Aaron Brooks grinded out a 3-2 victory at 184 pounds over sixth-year senior Johnny Sebastian, earning the third-period takedown then having to defend after giving up the escape in a bout Cody Sanderson said provided a valuable learning experience.
Rasheed then put the dual away with a a 6-0 win over Taylor Watkins at 197 pounds. The sixth-year senior who’s been struggling to return to form after offseason ACL surgery showed a spark on offense, getting a quick takedown and riding out the first period. He turned the Badger to his back several times, but was unable to get any nearfall points, earning another takedown, an escape and 3:05 in riding time.
“What I saw from him was more attempts at penetration shots,” Cody Sanderson said. “It’s not where we want it, it’s not where he wants it — he wants to put more points on the board — but seeing him take a couple of those shots and then winning the scramble at the end to get those extra points, that’s big. That’s what we’re looking for from him.”
Wisconsin forfeited at heavyweight, giving freshman Seth Nevills the win and Penn State the 29-10 victory. The win marked Cael Sanderson’s 80th Big Ten victory since taking over the Nittany Lions.
Penn State is back in action at 2 p.m. Sunday at Minnesota.
No. 2 Penn State 29, Wisconsin 10
Friday at UW Field House
125: Eric Barnett, U, dec. Brandon Meredith, 4-0
133: No. 1 Seth Gross, U, dec. No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young, 0-6
141: No. 2 Nick Lee, PSU, maj. decision No. 7 Tristan Moran, 14-1
149: Jarod Verkleeren, PSU, dec. No. 15 Cole Martin, 3-2
157: Garrett Model, W, maj. dec. Bo Pipher, 13-4
165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, maj. dec., No. 3 Evan Wick, 8-0
174: No. 2 Mark Hall, PSU, fall, Jared Krattiger (4:16)
184: No. 7 Aaron Brooks, PSU, dec. Johnny Sebastian, 3-2
197: No. 18 Shakur Rasheed, PSU, dec. Taylor Watkins, 6-0
285: No. 15 Seth Nevills, PSU, win by forfeit
Takedowns: PSU 11, Wisconsin 7
Records: Penn State (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten), Wisconsin (10-4, 3-4 Big Ten)
Next match: Penn State at Wisconsin, Friday, 9 p.m.
Note: The Centre Daily Times uses NWCA team and ImterMat individual rankings.
This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 12:52 AM.
