(Photo: Travis David V Whittaker/WCSN)
During the first two weekends of competition, the Arizona State wrestling team has proven that it is among the NCAA elite in the 2019-20 season. While there may have been some concern of developing bad habits against lesser opponents to start the campaign, any lack of motivation is one thing head coach Zeke Jones will not have to worry about on Friday night, as the Sun Devils host the #1 Penn State Nittany Lions at Desert Financial Arena. It will be the first time ASU wrestling has ever hosted a #1.
“This is a day that we’ve had circled on our calendars for a long time,” Jones said in Monday’s press conference. “It’s an important day not just for wrestling at Arizona State, but for wrestling in the west as a whole.”
Historically, NCAA wrestling has been dominated by the Big 10. With the recent rise of ASU, the national conversation has made it’s way west to Tempe, thanks largely to Coach Jones and his senior class he affectionately calls “the first believers.”
He credits this group, his first recruiting class with building the identity of the program up, and engineering the rise of ASU wrestling to a national prominence.
The Sun Devils will have an opportunity to not only avenge their 41-3 defeat from last season, but to also cement their status as the team to beat with a win Friday.
Jones was joined at the podium by two of ASU’s stars, brothers Zahid and Anthony Valencia. This duo will have to play a huge role if the Sun Devils are going to knock off the cream of the NCAA wrestling crop of the last half-decade.
One of the biggest individual challenges for the Sun Devils falls on Anthony’s shoulders, as he will face off against Penn State’s three-time national champion Mark Hall in the 174-lb. weight class. Hall has faced both Valencias before, but until Friday, it has been Zahid taking on Penn State’s stud on the college mat.
“I’ve wrestled him in high school and won, I’m just going to play my game and whatever happens happens, but I really believe I’m gonna be victorious in this one,” said Anthony.
“I’ve told Anthony that he doesn’t have to wrestle any differently [against Mark Hall],” Zahid said. “I believe that he can be one of the best in the world, and I think he believes that too. Keep the pressure on, and don’t let Mark dictate the pace.”
This brotherly advice will be needed, as Hall enters Tempe as the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 174-lb. in the country.
Zahid, who moved up to the 184-lb. class this season, will have no small task on Friday. Fellow senior Shakur Rasheed will take the mat for the Nittany Lions, and look to dethrone the Sun Devils’ two-time national champ.
As a whole, ASU will look to continue its display of dominance showcased during the season’s opening weekends. Josh Shields 165-lb. and Cade Belshay 197-lb., the latter of the two accounting for the team’s only loss to McKendree, will look to bounce back from performances they felt were below their standard. Both will be wrestling as underdogs, Shields will face off against top ranked Vincenzo Joseph, at 165-lb. while Belshay will face Kyle Conel. These two heavyweight bouts will be vital in tipping the scales for each side.
In the lighter weight classes, Jones expressed satisfaction with the performances he’s seen, and said the lineup will “mostly stay the same.” 125-lb. Brandon Courtney has given the Sun Devils a boost out of the gate for the last two matchups, and Cory Crooks 141-lb. had a standout performance Sunday vs McKendree. Jacori Teemer remains a question mark in the 157-lb. class, as he has been out of the lineup with injury since the Journeymen Duals tournament. Coach Jones remains optimistic about his status for Friday, but will have Dillon Ulrey ready to go if necessary.
While ASU wrestlers have taken the mat in plenty of big moments in recent years, never has the team prepared for a home matchup of this magnitude. With the stakes as high as they will be Friday, the senior heavy squad will look to utilize its experience to stay focused when the lights go down.
We’ve got to be able to use the energy to our advantage, to really love and embrace going into that arena with 8 to 10,000 people watching you,” Jones said.
His most decorated senior, Zahid Valencia, echoed that sentiment.
“Having that kind of energy and atmosphere, that’s what I live for. Matchups like Penn State, this is why we do it.”
