#24: Myles Martin & Ohio State Remain Undefeated

Ohio State vs North Carolina StateOhio State begins 2019 with a 26-10 win over NC State. Ben Askren starts the podcast with a mention of the business as usual Joeseph McKenna 10-2 major decision over Jamal Morris. This win moved McKenna to 11-0 on the season. Moving on to more memorable match from this dual Micah Jordan versed off against No. 4 ranked Justin Oliver. Jordan was able to put pressure on Oliver and hit the go-ahead takedown with only six seconds remaining. Matt Dernlan notes on McKenna's ability to make split-second adjustments and not get caught fully committed to a move.Hayden Hilday vs Ke-Shawn HayesMoving onto 157 lbs and Hayden Hilday's 7-2 win over Ke-Shawn Hayes, Askren was surprised Hayes got called for stalling. He was surprised because it was blatant and Ohio State was at home but he believes it was the right call. Hayes was able to shut down Hilday's under hook for the first 2.5 periods. Dernlan doesn't think Hayes was intentionally backing out of bounds rather he was in a position that didn't allow him to be grounded and dig in. Hayes is also small for his weight class. Simply relying on a few stalling call points is not a reliable mechanism for offense. Askren and Dernlan suspect Hilday will have a harder time implementing this technique on bigger opponents.Bullard Twins SplitAt 165 lbs NC State's Thomas Bullard won out in a scramble for the 4-2 win over Ohio State's Kaleb Romero. Then at 174 lbs, Te’Shan Campbell was able to get his fifth win in a row as he came through a 4-1 winner over Daniel Bullard. Both brothers have found it tough to compete against the top 10 ranked wrestlers.Myles Martin vs Nick ReenanThe 185 lbs matchup was a battle of two undefeated wrestlers. No. 1 Myles Martin facing off against No. 3 Nick Reenan. Martin secured the win 12-5 over Reenan. Askren is suspicious of the health of Reenan. Reenan was grimacing after the first takedown and Martin may have sensed that. Askren thinks Martin was aggressive and was wrestling to finish the whole match but Dernlan believes he had another gear to give. Martin very rarely hits the same attack twice. This makes it extremely difficult to defend against his unpredictable attacks.Malik HeinselmanThe discussion briefly shifts to Freshman Malik Heinselman and Ohio State's 125 lbs weight class. Dernlan believes pulling Heinselman's redshirt is a good idea. At very least it will give a morale boost to the team that they have a chance of starting off duals with a win. Askren thinks back on his own college wrestling career. He notes about how important his redshirt year was and how much it helped him improve. Since it is unlikely Heinselman wins a national title this year at 125 lbs Askren says he should sit back, learn and grow this year. Dernlan's rebuttal to this is if Heinselman can potentially get a win or two at the NCAA tournament can be the difference between Ohio State placing 2nd or 5th.