LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock wrestling has a busy weekend ahead, with the Trojans off to Oklahoma for a dual with the Sooners on Friday while another group is headed to St. Charles, Missouri for some more tournament action, this time at the Lindenwood Open.
The dual against Oklahoma takes place tomorrow night at 7 p.m. and will be
streamed on ESPN+. Little Rock fans can also follow live tweets via the team page
@LittleRockWRES. Meanwhile, the Lindenwood Open will be an all-day event on Saturday for the Trojans.
"We have worked hard to build depth on our team and built our schedule to help the growth of our team," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "This weekend is a great example as we wrestle a tough team in Oklahoma in a dual while the rest of the team is at a really great tournament at Lindenwood. Every single guy on our team is in position to get some good ranked wins this weekend."
"As a staff, we are looking for those who go out and wrestle a relentless, hard pace," added Coach Erisman on what he's expecting of his wrestlers this weekend. "Most importantly, we want to see some guys find a way to win. The growth in our room has been awesome to see and has propelled our program forward quickly."
Top Tournaments and Top Teams
The dual against the Sooners on Friday marks the fifth dual of the season for the Trojans and the third against a team listed in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches poll. Oklahoma is receiving votes, and lists five ranked wrestlers in their probables along with two honorable mentions via FloWrestling, comparing to Little Rock's one honorable mention in
Triston Wills as the Trojans continue to shoulder the underdog role. While the Trojans have not taken out a ranked team yet, they certainly came close to edging Campbell two weeks ago, falling short 15-18.
Last weekend at the Tiger Style Invitational, the Trojans took fourth place without wrestling any of their starters. The group defeated a Big 10 team in Maryland in the process, while the teams that placed ahead of Little Rock were all top-25 programs. A similar group will hit the mats at the Lindenwood Open on Saturday, looking to make another big impact on the tournament scene.
Strong Starters This Season
The lineup for this Friday's dual against Oklahoma features a lineup that has had early success this year, with over half posting winning records despite several challenging duals. However, every member of the lineup will need to pull their own weight to make an impact as a whole tomorrow. Keep an eye on undefeated 125-pound
Jeremiah Reno for Little Rock as he faces his first ranked opponent this weekend, as well as freshman
Brendon Abdon in his first career start.
This weekend will also be the last weekend of competition of November for the Trojans, as Little Rock will have some time off to train until the first weekend of December. That also means that results from this weekend, both from starters and non-starters, will have an effect on who's making the next trip as well as the next dual lineup.
View the full schedule here.
Little Rock Probables
125:
Jeremiah Reno, So. (3-0)
133:
Josh Sarpy, R-So. (1-3)
141:
Jayden Gomez, R-Fr. (2-2)
149:
Joseph Bianchi, R-Jr. (3-1)
157:
Matty Bianchi, R-Fr. (3-1)
165:
Brendon Abdon, Fr. (3-2)
174: #HM
Triston Wills, R-Jr. (3-1)
184:
Mason Diel, R-Fr. (2-2)
197:
Stephen Little, Fr. (2-1) or
Ty Lukens, R-Fr. (2-2)
285:
Josiah Hill, R-So. (2-2)
Oklahoma Probables
125: #16 Joey Prata
133: Wyatt Henson or Gabe Vidlak
141: #HM Mosha Schwartz
149: #19 Mitch Moore
157: #HM Jacob Butler
165: #14 Gerrit Nijenhuis
174: #13 Darrien Roberts
184: Greyden Penner
197: Keegan Moore or Seth Seago
HWT: #20 Josh Heindselman or Ryder Wiese
Little Rock Wrestlers at Lindenwood
125:
Jayden Carson (4-2) and
Reid Nelson (2-2)
133:
Cael Keck (2-3)
141:
Aidan Campbell (0-0),
Jaylen Carson (0-3) and
Brennan Van Hoecke (2-1)
149:
Jake Adams (0-2) and
Chase Tebbets (2-2)
157:
Bilal Bailey (0-2) and
Austin Keal (1-2)
165:
Chance Davis (2-3) and
Kodiak Cannedy (0-2)
174:
Warren Hoyt (0-0)
184:
Tanner Mendoza (0-0)
197:
Matthew Weinert (0-4)
285:
Apollo Gothard (2-2) and
KJ Miley (0-3)
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
