LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock wrestling is back at the Jack this Saturday. The Trojans will compete in their first home dual of the season at 1:00 p.m. against the Drexel Dragons.
Fans can follow the Trojans
live online with Little Rock All-Access, through results on TrackWrestling, and by checking out posts on Twitter
@LittleRockWRES.
"We are excited about competing tomorrow," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "It's a great way to finish the Thanksgiving weekend. Drexel is a tough team that comes from the heart of wrestling country. I would expect some tough match ups and an exciting match overall."
Last Time Out
The Little Rock wrestling team has had a few weeks to train following their first-ever home tournament and first away dual versus #23 Wisconsin within seven days. Little Rock came away with 25 pins at the Trojan Open, while
Triston Wills and
Jaylen Carson stayed undefeated against the Badgers at 174 and 133, respectively.
Third Time's a Charm
This season marks year three for the young Trojan team, but while most of the wrestlers are still underclassmen, the team's depth is greater than ever thanks to a handful of starters with experience under their belt as well as a ranked freshman recruiting class. The team's probables are listed below.
Last season, Little Rock wrestled ranked teams five separate occasions in arguably one of the toughest schedules in the nation, with over half the lineup returning with that firsthand experience and grit. While National qualifier
Paul Bianchi has transitioned into a coaching role as a graduate student, that means new leaders are ready to step up in the next stage of Little Rock's development.
A Glance at Drexel
The unranked Dragons arrive at Little Rock with a 0-1 dual record after dropping their home opener to #21 Purdue, 18-29. Their four match wins were from 149 through 174. Since then, Drexel has competed at two tournaments in November, the East Stroudsburg Open and the Keystone Classic.
Two individual Dragons are ranked via Intermat: their starters at 157 and 174.
Little Rock Probables
125:
Jayden Carson, R-So. (3-1) or
Josh Sarpy, R-Fr. (3-1)
133:
Jaylen Carson, R-So. (5-0)
141:
Conner Ward, R-Jr. (0-1)
149:
Joseph Bianchi, R-So. (4-1)
157:
Chase Tebbets, Jr. (4-1)
165:
Tyler Brennan, R-So. (3-1)
174:
Triston Wills, R-So. (4-0)
184:
Tanner Mendoza, So. (4-1)
197:
Brooks Sacharczyk, R-Fr. (2-3)
285:
Josiah Hill, R-Fr. (3-1)
Drexel Probables
125: Antonio Mininno, Sr. (5-4) or Kyle Waterman, So. (2-2)
133: Jaxon Maroney, So. (3-2) or Deon Pleasant, Fr. (3-3)
141: Jared Donahue, R-Sr. (3-4) or Tyler Williams, Jr. (3-5)
149: Gabe Onorato, So. (3-1)
157: #32 Parker Kropman, Gr. (8-2) or Michael Martinak, R-Jr. (3-3)
165: Evan Barczak. Gr. (8-2)
174: #12 Mickey O'Malley, R-Jr. (8-0)
184: Bryan McLaughlin, R-Sr. (6-2) or Josh Stillings, R-Jr. (3-4)
197: Tino Morina, R-So. (0-0)
285: Eli Anthony, Fr. (0-1)
For the latest information on Little Rock Wrestling, make sure to check out
LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWRES on
Facebook,
Instagram, and
Twitter.
#LittleRocksTeam
