Key Highlights
- And now I’m pretty conscious with everything.”So as not to start off on too much of a down note, the next question for the 18th-year head coach is whether there have been any silver linings to his scaling back.“It’s been good because you look at coaching a little differently, I think,” Branch said.
- “It’s not that important that I’m out there wrestling with those guys every day.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt also helps as a valid excuse for an aging hammer to hold over a younger generation that’s always eager to take shots at the old guard.“Oh, I can still talk big, that’s for sure,” Branch said. And the best part is, these days he doesn’t have to give those youngsters a chance to prove him wrong. Novak Nears ReturnSpeaking of those Wyoming pupils — and dealing with injury — one of the Cowboys’ brightest stars is expected back on the mat after a month-long absence. That Cowboy, returning All-American Joey Novak, has been out of competition since the Jan.
- 4 Soldier Salute. There, the nation’s sixth-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds suffered a nerve injury during a finals match in which he pinned Missouri’s #9 Evan Bates. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It’s not like a lot of injuries that I’m familiar with,” Branch said.
- “It’s one of those things that you just have to get it to kind of calm down, to relax and get the inflammation out of the area.“You’ve just got to listen to your body and go at the pace that everything starts feeling better — and that’s what we’ve had over the last couple weeks (when) he’s made some big jumps.”Novak was sidelined briefly by a high ankle sprain last season, but this particular injury marks his most substantial period of missed time as a collegian.“I feel pretty good about this weekend,” said Branch, regarding his 197-pounder’s return. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We want to do what’s best for him and our team, so we’ll look at those two duals that we have Friday and Sunday and maybe only use him in one…but we’d like to get him back on the mat, get him out there competing.”In Novak’s absence, #18 Wyoming has gone 1-2 in duals — all against opponents ranked 21stt or higher in Flo’s latest NCAA rankings. But a 7-1 Big 12 dual record is still within reach if the Cowboys can win a pair of Friday/Sunday doubleheaders these next two weeks — the first of which will stream live on FloWrestling against Air Force (Friday at 8:00 p. m.
- ET) and North Dakota State (Sunday at 3:00 p. m.
