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NCAA finals the past two seasons, he would have a last shot at the Last Chance Qualifier at Millersville University on March 28. But that's not in the plan. "A couple of days ago, I was watching an interview with [Oklahoma quarter- back] Jalen Hurts, and he was just talking about how most of the time, if you end up losing or had a bad game or some- thing, you know you can go back and correct it," Hall said on Jan. 7. "Now the season's over, maybe it didn't end up how you wanted it to end up but you know you can go back, look over things and see how you could get better as a quarterback. Then, after he lost his last game, it was just like, you know, you can't go back. You'll never play college football again. "I don't want to have those type of thoughts," Hall added. "So, you know, every day, I just come in and look for something to get better at and look for ways that I can put myself in the best po- sition to win. And to keep winning. And just keep looking forward to my next competition, because they are num- bered." Hall's numbers as of this writing were 106 wins in 111 career matches. He struck NCAA gold as a freshman but settled for silver as a sophomore and junior, losing both times to Arizona State's Zahid Va- lencia, with whom he has split four career matches. Prior to that freshman season in which he went 31-3 (one loss was while wrestling unattached), Hall had won 277 of 281 high school matches and claimed six state titles in Minnesota. Six, be- cause junior high wrestlers were per- mitted to compete in the state tournament. At one point, he registered 177 consecutive victories and finished with 189 falls. Then it was off to Penn State in the fall of 2016 and a wrestling room that con- tained bona fide stars such as Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal. He fit in immediately. Hall said this in No- vember 2016: "With all the talent in there, it gets overshadowed by how hard these guys P enn State began the second half of its wrestling season in a fashion similar to the first – with a starting lineup in flux. And now, so is the Nittany Lions' roster. The Lions – ranked between No. 2 and No. 4 in three different online polls – lost two high-quality starters who will be replaced by a high-quality for- mer starter and a high-end high school recruit. The fact that NCAA heavyweight champion Anthony Cassar is gone for the season because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the U.S. Senior Nationals in late December in Houston is a blow to the team's national championship chances. His replacement, redshirt freshman Seth Nevills, will undoubt- edly win some matches, but advancing deep into the NCAA championships like Cassar would likely have done is a big ask for a rookie. And Kyle Conel, the transfer from Kent State who stepped in at 197, rein- jured a shoulder that had already been surgically repaired. His career is over, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. Conel, who helped Penn State win the 2018 NCAA title by twice defeating Ohio State's Kollin Moore while wrestling for Kent State, started just 3- 3 and was having difficulty regaining the edge he had displayed as a senior with the Golden Flashes. He'll be re- placed by two-time All-American Shakur Rasheed, who last year wrestled at 184. Aaron Brooks, a freshman with top- end potential, has taken over at 184. All of which means that with NCAA champions Vincenzo Joseph at 165 and Mark Hall at 174, the upper half of Penn State's lineup remains in pretty good hands despite the personnel losses. Down below remains anyone's guess. Brandon Meredith and Devin Schnupp are possibilities at 125, and so was Brody Teske until Sanderson con- firmed on Jan. 8 that Teske had en- tered the transfer portal. Sanderson also said that lightweight Adam Bus- iello, who once committed to the Nit- tany Lions before flipping to Arizona State, is now back at Penn State and is listed in the university's student di- rectory. Luke Gardner and Jarod Verkleeren are in and out at 149, and Brady Berge is still being held out of matches periodi- cally because of a head injury he suf- fered in October at the Under-23 World Championships. It's difficult to keep up. HAPPY HOLIDAYS? While Cassar's outing at the U.S. Senior Nationals didn't end well, junior Nick Lee (141) qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials at 65kg, or 143 pounds. Lee placed third; five wrestlers qualified at each weight. Lee defeated former NCAA stars Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), Jayden Eier- man (Missouri/Iowa) and Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa). He also shut out for- mer Penn State NCAA champion Frank Molinaro and won by medical default Injuries to Cassar, Conel force Penn State to improvise | N O T E B O O K

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