Monday we wrestle Buffalo at Lancaster High School at 3PM. They produced two wins in their last outing at the Buffalo Duals that saw them win those two dual meets by a combined score of 90-6. Here is a look at their line-up.
125 – Max Soria is the starter after redshirting last season. He has had a breakout year and is tied for second on the team with fifteen wins. He is 15-8 and an impressive 7-1 in dual meets. He placed 6th at the Buffalo Open and 4th at the Body Bar this year. He chain wrestles well and has a variety of offensive attacks.
133 – Justin Farmer is coming off a redshirt year that saw him win over twenty matches. Farmer is in his third year and has started in the past for Buffalo. He currently has eight wins and finished 3rd at the Buffalo Open this year. His best shot is a sweep single to his opponents left leg and also has a good high crotch. He will also try to create scrambles.
141 – Kevin Smith is a fifth-year senior and team leader. He has been a multiple year captain and has over 100 collegiate wins. He is a two-time National Qualifier and is nationally ranked. He currently has the best win percentage on the team and the second most wins with a 15-3 record. This season he finished 2nd at both the Buffalo Open and at the Penn State Open. He is very good in a tie-up with a lateral drop and looks to pancake his opponent on their shot. He also is very good on top with riding legs.
149 – Buffalo has two good options at 149 pounds. Chris Conti, a redshirt junior, has wrestled very well of late and has been starting. He placed 4th at the Penn State Open this year and has been in the UB starting line-up a lot in the last few years. He is a very intelligent wrestler that can control the tempo of a match. He shoots a low single and a high crotch on his feet. On the mat, he rides legs and high halves very well. The other wrestler that could start for Buffalo is Blake Roulo. Roulo started the first part of the season for the Bulls. Roulo was a highly touted recruit that was a top 40 recruit in the country and a four-time high school national champion. This season, he placed 6th at the Body Bar. Conti and Roulo have seven and eight wins respectively.
157 – Dominic Montesanti is the starter for the Bulls. He began the year at 165 pounds as the starter but moved down and is starting at 157 now. He has five wins on the season, including a win over returning National Qualifier, Medved of Gardner-Webb. He placed a strong 2nd at the Buffalo Open. He is funky and likes to scoot the corner on his opponent’s shots. He is also tough on top with legs.
165 – Mark Lewandowski is a redshirt junior that is coming off a top twelve finish at the National Tournament last season. He leads the team in wins with a 21-6 record. He finished 3rd at the Buffalo Open, 2nd at the Body Bar, and 3rd at the Penn State Open. He is nationally ranked and has several quality wins this season. He really likes to scramble and be underneath of his opponent in a front headlock. On top, he is dangerous with a two-on-one tilt.
174 – Jake Waste dropped down to 174 Buffalo’s last competition. Prior to that he was starting at 184 pounds. He was ranked as high as a top 30 recruit in the country last year and won five different national titles in high school. Waste placed 5th at the Buffalo Open earlier this season and picked up a win over a top twenty-ranked 184 pounder, Rebertus of Navy. He has nine wins so far this season. He stays in good position and likes to hand fight as he comes from a strong Greco background. Also, he rides legs on top.
184 – Zach Ward is starting for Buffalo after redshirting last year. He has seen limited action this season with only nine matches under his belt. He has wrestled almost all his matches at 184 pounds but has bumped all the way up to heavyweight this year. He wrestles hard and moves forward. He will try to take a lot of leg attacks.
197 – Justin Heiserman was a highly ranked recruit last year and was a three-time Michigan state finalist and two-time champion. He was also a High School All-American. He has seven wins on the season and placed 6th at the Buffalo Open. His best attack is a high single and he has a couple of pins this year as well.
HWT – Jedd Mason is back in the Buffalo line-up after an early season injury. Mason is a redshirt junior and has been in and out of the starting line-up a lot over his career. He finished 4th at the Buffalo Open and has four wins in limited action. He is a lanky heavyweight that likes to cradle on top.
We wish everyone a very safe and Happy New Year! 2012 looks to be a record-breaking year for the Bearcats and we're glad you're all along for the ride!