The NFL: Not For Long Mavs fall in a heated match

By CHARLIE GROEBNER Staff Writer

Every team has a rival that gets under their skin and they can never coexist. Thus, it causes tensions to rise and tempers to flare no matter the sport. This is the case for Minnesota State’s wrestling team after falling to No. 9 Upper Iowa last Friday. The regular season ends for the Mavs with a record of 5-7 and a four-game losing skid.

Entering the match-up would be a surreal feeling for the Mavs, with it being senior night. MSU seniors Dylan Butts, Gavin Christoffersen, Brock Luthens, Darrell Mason, Brody Nielsen, and Max Villnow all suited up one final time at home. While they will be in action at next week’s Super Region Tournament, the fans at the Taylor Center honored them one last time for all they have gone through.

By HAYDEN LEE

Staff Writer

So, we have just passed the first Sunday since August where there was no NFL football on TV. It might not feel that bad, but this is only the beginning. Soon enough, we will miss seeing the thrills of the NFL season take over our boring Sundays and social media every week.

As of Feb. 20, there are exactly six months and 17 days until opening night in the NFL. Tuesday begins the process of free agency, where teams can negotiate with their own impending free agents before they consider other options. March 13 is the day when the legal tampering period begins, or in other words, free agency starts, but even still, it’s not the same as watching your favorite player take the field.

So what do you do?

Well, believe it or not, there are many other leagues still in season, and they all have something exciting to offer. So, if you are like me, the next six months may be a lot of experimenting and waiting for the Vikings to begin again in August. Here are some other leagues to pay attention to in the meantime.

NBA: Coming off of All-Star weekend, the NBA will not be starting back up again until Feb. 23, but the second half of the season will be one to watch. Most teams have around 24 games remaining in the season, each with their own goal. For championship contending teams like the Bucks, Suns, Celtics, Mavericks or whoever you would like to put in that category, they have very little time to gel for the playoffs.

For teams like the Hornets, Rockets, Pistons, etc. it is an all out suck-fest to see who can land the number one pick and the honors of drafting superstar prospect Victor Wembanyama. If you are a team in the middle, like the Hawks, Timberwolves, Heat, or others, it’s time to experiment, play some young guys, and look to get hot and push to win a playoff series or two, and develop some sort of new culture for the organization.

NHL: I’m gonna keep it real, I don’t know much about the NHL. What I do know is that my roommates love watching hockey, it gets a lot of people pretty excited, and there are a lot of fights. Sounds pretty fun right?

Apparently, the NHL season goes until April 14, so there is still a lot of time left for teams to establish themselves as contenders or pretenders. I even found out that the trade deadline is coming up, so now would be a great time to start following the NHL as players settle into their new homes and collectively try to push for the Stanley Cup.

XFL: Whatttttttt, the XFL? Yes, the XFL has returned for another season, and just in time. Week one just passed, and many former NFL players and coaches were out on the field again. The XFL is like the NFL, but has a couple of different rules to make it different from the NFL. The most interesting new rule will make a lot more sense if you have ever played Madden’s ‘The Yard.’ That game mode sucks, but you are allowed to throw two forward passes in one play. One behind the line of scrimmage, and then one downfield, if you so choose.

There are a variety of other rule changes, such as new overtime rules, removing the kick extra point, and adding tiered point after tries. That’s not all though, be sure to watch at least one XFL game before the season ends, even if it is like substituting margarine for butter.

MLB: Ah, the most boring and long sports season of all. In my opinion of course. However, with spring training right around the corner, the MLB is going to be ruling the summer once again. Opening Day is March 30, and for the first time since 1968, all 30 teams are scheduled to play their first game on the same day.

There are obviously many more sports leagues that you can follow, but these are some of them that will be ruling the media. Personally, I will be paying a lot of attention to the NBA and XFL, but until further notice, Sundays won’t be the same. Skol.

The opening match was MSU freshman Kole Marko taking on the No. 2 165 Ibs wrestler, Chase Lueherman. While Marko gave Lueherman a tough fight, he lost the decision to give the Peacocks a 3-0 lead. However, the Mavs turned it around after MSU junior Mike Smith defeated UIU junior Scott Kellenberger to tie the match at three apiece.

The third match of the evening was the climax of the matchup, between MSU senior Brody Nielsen and UIU junior Colter Bye. Halfway through, a controversial hold and an eye poke to Bye from Nielsen delayed the match. After a whistle, Bye threw a leg kick at Nielsen but missed. It was then followed by an irate Coach Grimm throwing the challenge after it looked like Nielsen was being pinned, but not counted. While Nielsen went on to win the match, he was very frustrated afterward.

“I originally weighed in a bit lighter at 174 instead of my usual 184, so I made the choice to move up a class. The kid came ready to brawl and I didn’t understand what was happening with the stops. The only thing I did know was the leg kick got me heated and was bush league,” said Nielsen.

Following their intense matchup, things started to simmer down for both teams. It got worse for the matches as MSU sophomore Tommy Johnson, senior Max Villanow, freshman Isaiah Mlsna, and senior Brock Luthens lost their matches. This put the Mavs in another massive hole as the

Peacocks led 21-6.

Entering the final two matches, freshman Caleb Meunier and sophomore Drake Hayward made sure that they ended on a positive note. Both men were able to pick up wins in their matches to end with a final score of 21-14. After the match, Nielsen gave one final remark as he and the other stepped off the mats one last time.

“I am really soaking it all in, enjoying it with my family, coaches, and teammates. Knowing that this is the end is tough, but I am just thankful for the journey. All the hard work and memories will be what I hold onto long after I am gone,” said Nielsen.