There are always varying feelings regarding move ins. Sometimes, there’s a lot of skepticism and other times there are immense levels of hype and intrigue. This week at the Millard Ironman, hometown hero John Whittaker meets Pleasant Grove Viking and former Pennsylvanian Jake Richardson. This matchup is unique. Last year, Whitaker pinned his way through the 2A state tournament and picked up a win over fellow state champion and one of the breakout stars of the 2018-2019 season, Tyler Scheurn. However, we didn’t get to see him against a lot of big name opponents due to an unfortunate medical withdrawal from the Rumble. Jake Richardson is one of the highest profile move ins we’ve seen in recent years. He is a product of talent rich Pennsylvania, where he finished sixth at the state tournament last year. Since migrating to Utah, he has put the state on notice at Fall League and an appearance in the finals of the Freakshow last month in Las Vegas. This week, he will have his first matches in a PG singlet and John Whittaker will look to welcome him to Fillmore. 

The Millard Eagle 

Much like several of Utah’s traditional powerhouse teams, wrestling is generational and fans get used to seeing certain last names attached to these programs. One of the names we have seen a lot of on Millard’s roster is Whittaker. Last season, Whittaker pinned his way through the state tournament to improve upon his second place showing in 2018. Millard has a system and it works. The Eagles always come to wrestle hard for six minutes, they adhere to solid fundamentals and look to execute those fundamentals with high levels of intensity. John Whittaker brings exactly that to the table.

Neutral 

The overarching theme of John Whittaker is relentless. His work from the neutral position is no exception. Right from the whistle, Whitatker initiates hard hand fighting. He is constantly clubbing, digging for an inside tie and pressuring his opponent with his legs. He likes to wrestle in a phone both and maintains that range by using two on one/Russian ties. His best attacks are his straight on doubles and singles. With his single leg, he prefers to drive up to his feet instead of staying on his knees and circling behind. By doing this, he forces his opponents to work hard from a defensive standpoint because it’s a difficult task to force a stale-mate when you’re leg is in the air. 

Whittaker’s aggression also makes his defense a great offense. He is always applying pressure and keeping good head position (forehead to forehead or forehead to temple) which often forces his opponents to shoot without a setup. From there, Whittaker is more than happy to pick up quick go behinds and get to the top position. He adheres to the basics, maintains a high pace and is effective with these tactics.

Top 

Once Whittaker gets on top, he applies the same principles he uses on his feet to score back points and falls. He scores a lot of pins and it all starts with his tight waist and head lever combination. Whether he scores a takedown or starts a period on top he immediately goes to work with his tight waist. After securing the tight waist, he gets up on his toes, latches on to his opponent’s wrist with his free hand, puts the top of his head right into the back of the shoulder and generates a lot of pressure on the arm with the fulcrum his head creates and driving with his legs. He uses this to set up a bar and half combo which he has scored many falls with. Outside of his head lever and bar system, he does solid work with his cross face cradle and he does a great job of catching a cross-wrist and picking up the near leg into a turk. 

Bottom

Very few wrestlers love being on bottom. John Whittaker doesn’t like to stay down there for long. Thanks to his large gas tank, he is able to make attempt after attempt to to get to his feet or score reversals. He does a good job of using a quad-pod to stand up and has a clever standing switch he likes to use if he has trouble breaking the grip of his opponent. He is always moving which is a great quality to have when wrestling on bottom. 

The Viking 

Pennsylvania transplant, Jake Richardson has been the talk of 6A and quite honestly, the talk of Utah wrestling. A lot of this chatter is because of where he moved here from, but make no mistake, Richardson can wrestle and by being at Pleasant Grove he will continue to have quality coaches and partners who can push him to improve throughout the season. On top of that, he will likely be instrumental for the 6A team race when we get to February. Let’s get to know the skills of Mr. Richardson. 

Neutral

From his feet, Richardson does a great job of holding position and getting to his offense on his terms. He has a low stance and will do quick level changes and stutter steps. He does this to draw out the collar tie of his opponent and with great anticipation and timing, he uses an over-tie to throw his opponent by to pick up low risk takedowns. In the ties he does well using both hands. He’s always digging inside, chopping elbows and thumb blocking with one arm while his free arm is held low ready to downblock. If he ever feels like he’s losing the position, he just disengages, gets a reset and is back into the ties. He will often choose to dig underhooks and looks comfortable in that position. At the Freakshow, he used underhooks along with elbow control to hit some nice duck unders.

We mentioned that he always keeps one hand low in the ties ready to downblock. This is essential for his defense. When opponents get to his legs he does a fantastic job of dropping his hips and taking his opponent’s head off line. For example, if they shoot a high-C with their head to the outside, Richardson gets his hips back and moves their head to the inside to knock them to a hip and from there it’s far easier to score go behinds. If his opponent runs up to their feet, he pulls them up with over hooks and transitions into a great inside trip. 

Top

Richardson is a wet blanket on top. He gets a lot of good work done because he’s always attacking his opponent’s upper and lower body. He is constantly catching near and cross wrists to tilt while also hooking ankles to create an anchor point. His best weapon on top is his leg riding. He doesn’t do a traditional cross-body ride like we see a lot of of the time. He rides high on the leg and makes a figure-four with his legs to completely isolate the leg and hip. Once he locks down their lower body he takes his far hip over to the other side of their body and pulls their head over to start scoring back points. The turk is effective at all levels and Richardson can do it on both sides of his opponent to increase the threat level. 

Bottom

Based on the film I’ve watched, Richardson is hard to hold down. He keeps his hands free, his elbows in and looks to get a leg up. Once he has a leg up he creates space to stand up with knee slides or he rotates into a quad-pod and scores escapes. He doesn’t create unnecessary scrambles or risks. He just sticks to his principles and gets to his feet. You can see him working through the process methodically and it’s pretty fun to watch. 

What to Watch For

Based on accolades and big match experience, Whittaker is a sizable underdog on paper entering this contest. However, he will pose some unique challenges to Richardson in the form of conditioning, aggression and physical strength. Because of these attributes possessed by Whittaker, we could see a bull versus matador type match up. Can Whittaker wear down Richardson and get to his pinning combinations? Can Richardson anticipate Whittaker’s onslaught and win the day with his counter-offense? The crucial sequences in this match will come in the battle from the neutral position. Both wrestlers love to battle on the inside and whoever can win moments has the opportunity to strike first and steal the momentum. However, both wrestlers will need to be ready for an intense 6 or more minutes because the pendulum can swing the other way at any moment. Whittaker won’t go down easy and Richardson is no stranger to tough, gritty matches. This Saturday, Whittaker will look to pick up a huge victory in his home gym and Richardson looks to pick up his first notable win in Utah at the Ironman.