figure4 40 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Is just plain nasty on top. 1 xander reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buck 65 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Yes and no. He won't win Nationals. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headshuck 2,586 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Nor will he ever be in my kitchen. 3 jstock, brianj and scribe reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ludwigdmd 29 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Who's going to beat him? Not Dardanes, Brewer, Clark, Gulibon or Beckman. After Logan Steiber and Alex Dieringer, I'd say Schopp is the next best bet for a National Title this year. 1 jstock reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lunatcifringe 2 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Dardanes better hope he doesn't pick top on him. Let's say Dardanes is up 2-1 going into the second, his only prayer is to go neutral and go scoreless and have Schopp go down. If he goes under him he is done, average on bottom, mediocre on top but just a beast on his feet and big for the weight. I like Dardanes style a lot but his lack of mat wrestling will be the difference in him winning a title or not even making the awards stand like last year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadMardigain 1,594 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Dardanes better hope he doesn't pick top on him. Let's say Dardanes is up 2-1 going into the second, his only prayer is to go neutral and go scoreless and have Schopp go down. If he goes under him he is done, average on bottom, mediocre on top but just a beast on his feet and big for the weight. I like Dardanes style a lot but his lack of mat wrestling will be the difference in him winning a title or not even making the awards stand like last year. Que up the Dake/Molinaro "I choose down" cartoon. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Husker_Du 836 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Yes and no. He won't win Nationals. great logic. as if the two are mutually exclusive Edited December 30, 2014 by Husker_Du Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hammerlockthree 2,581 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) why exactly won't he win nationals is my question.... and to agree with Husker_du claiming he won't win nationals is an extremely cowardly way to deny he is good on top. Edited December 30, 2014 by hammerlockthree 1 Husker_Du reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LoStNuMbEr 320 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 I'm going to out on a limb and say that schopp is good on top, AND he'll win nationals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bucksfan 67 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Nobody is beating Schopp at NCAAs. No way, this is HIS year and he will cruise. One of the GOATs on top IMO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buck 65 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Can't believe nobody is recognizing Schopp's glaring weakness. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headshuck 2,586 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Can't believe nobody is recognizing Schopp's glaring weakness. Nobody knows what A.J. stands for? 1 rd149 reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buck 65 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Aziz Jesus, while not common, is still what his family calls him. But that's hardly a weakness. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BRGuy 37 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 aaron schopp Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MSU158 1,978 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 This is a topic I have a lot of interest in. I often pick against a wrestler that is one dimensional, especially when that dimension is the top position. Simmons, Colon, Nevinger and, one of my favorites, Brandon Mason(with a slew of many others) all had great careers but inevitably lost out at Nationals when opponents managed to exploit them on their feet and avoid their strength on top. With that said, they all had big name opponents with significant talent in neutral. I am not sure Schopp has anyone in his weight class good enough to exploit his weakness. Simmons had Dubuque, Nickerson, Scott and Hazewinkle. Colon had Graff(who learned what to do at the most critical time). Nevinger and Mason weren't quite as good as the 2 just mentioned and each were game planned accordingly. Who is there at 133 this season who can get a lead on Schopp and be able to snail-up if forced to on bottom? Dardanes? Maybe a reinvigorated Gulibon? No one really comes to mind as a Dynamo on their feet. I normally wouldn't pick Schopp to win it, but I just don't see anyone good enough to make me feel comfortable picking against him. If Schopp and Dardanes end up in the finals I will be cheering for Dardanes, but his weakness cries out to all when he is on bottom and other than Stieber, Schopp is the last DI guy you want to have working on such a weakness! 1 madcat11 reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrestlingnerd 2,996 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Schopp is also good from his feet. His go-to TDs are a great low single to either side (usually finishes through the back door) and a slide-by/arm drag series. He also has very solid TD defense. He is hardly one-dimensional a Nevinger or even arguably Simmons. I also wouldn't call Colon one-dimensional. He was brutal on the mat as well as from the feet. His problem was being somewhat predictable from neutral, but he wasn't just good on top. 1 madcat11 reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MSU158 1,978 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 I guess it's a matter of opinion. Schopp's strength(riding), as well as the others I listed, is CONSIDERABLY above their neutral or even bottom wrestling. Over the years I watched several wrestlers play the takedown game with Schopp. If you doubt me go back and watch some of his losses. I don't mean to say he is a pud in neutral. I was simply pointing out that position is not what makes him or the wrestlers I listed elite. Elite wrestlers in the neutral position seem to exploit this style come the Big Dance. My point in this topic, is that I don't see an elite neutral wrestler currently at 133 to challenge Schopp. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrestlingnerd 2,996 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Schopp is best on top, but it is wrong to say he is not "elite" from the feet. How many times has he been taken down this season? He has wrestled in three All-Stars against two guys who specialize on TDs (Chris Dardanes and Mason Beckman) and beat them both without getting taken down (he split with Beckman, losing one, winning one). Ramos, an NCAA champ, squeaked by him at NCAAs in a very close match after losing to him in the regular season, when he took Ramos down without giving up a TD himself. Schopp has improved a lot from the feet in the last two years. He is just so good on top that people don't notice as much. 1 madcat11 reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MSU158 1,978 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Ryan Taylor took him down quite easily yesterday and then got pounded on bottom. Again, I am not trying to say Schopp is a bum on his feet. However, he is not Graff, Oliver or Stieber(just naming a few recent 133's) on his feet. To me they were "elite" in neutral. He has improved in neutral and has become quite serviceable. However, if the match were strictly takedowns do you honestly think he keeps the match close with the guys I just listed? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrestlingnerd 2,996 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Ryan Taylor took him down quite easily yesterday and then got pounded on bottom. Again, I am not trying to say Schopp is a bum on his feet. However, he is not Graff, Oliver or Stieber(just naming a few recent 133's) on his feet. To me they were "elite" in neutral. He has improved in neutral and has become quite serviceable. However, if the match were strictly takedowns do you honestly think he keeps the match close with the guys I just listed? If you define "elite" by those standards, then very few college wrestlers are elite, and no, Schopp is not one of them. But I think most people would define high AA level talent as elite, if not AA talent altogether. Frankly, I don't think Schopp's top game is as "elite" as Stieber or Oliver are with TDs either. That's a ridiculously high bar, with Graff, who seems out of place on that very select list, probably excepted. If I remember correctly, Ryan Taylor took Schopp down off a very slick slideby that very well could've worked on "elite" kids too. He hit it very hard seconds after the match started, allowing for no reaction time. It happens. Jackson Morse and Conrad Polz (both from Illinois and neither even remotely elite) have taken David Taylor down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MSU158 1,978 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Graff was ABSOLUTELY elite on his feet. He just didn't have the mat wrestling necessary to win it all. He did take 5th, 5th, 3rd and 2nd. In fact, I would say he was "one dimensional" as well. I don't want to stray off topic. In the end, my whole point is that I think Schopp wins it all. I don't think there is a wrestler at 133 good enough on their feet to negate the advantage Schopp has on the mat. There DEFINITELY isn't a wrestler at 133 good enough on the mat to do so. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gantry 1,872 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Graff was pretty good on top, though he went away from it a bit later in his career. Bottom not so much... Schopp is going to be tough to beat, especially since he'll always take top against elite competition. You will always have to go under him. He's way better in neutral than he was two years ago as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hammerlockthree 2,581 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) The loses to Mason Beckman give me some pause for thought, cause beckman is about as one dimensional as it gets. But I think Schopp has improved since then. by the way schoop is not in GOAT on top territory by any stretch. Edited December 30, 2014 by hammerlockthree Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buck 65 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Calling Beckman one dimensional is actually a compliment this year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madcat11 434 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Graff was pretty good on top, though he went away from it a bit later in his career... I always wondered why this type of thing happened. How do some guys, known for top work, occasionally get away from it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites