1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Big Ten Wrestling Championships recap: March 10th, 2026, 11:00am

Episode Date: March 10, 2026

What it was like at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in Pennsylvania. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

on one with d p coming at you live from the heart of lincoln america a 93 7 the ticket and the ticket fm.com sponsored by the downtown lincoln foundation here is your host derrick pierce said look into my eyes what do you see this is the cult personality what a bob absolute jammed jammage jammage i tell you color. Great lyrics too, by the way. 12.06. Back in Lincoln, Bach. We can have this discussion in full, but

text line 402, 4664, 56685. You can follow on a live video streams and get used to doing that. Download the ticket app and add us. Go ahead and follow on Amazon music. Yeah, it's another way to do it. You could actually

have us in your Amazon music. Play us on the on the laptop. Simple bits. You can always go to the website. Remember the days back? We would send people to the website all the time. That's right. Right.

Like it was like, yeah, go to the website. You can listen on the website. You go, okay, you still can. There's a lot of different ways. There's a lot of ways for you to consume ticket, take action. And just to set the table for the week. And again, shout out to Nick Sainert,

J. Foreman, Austin Orman, Tristan Gomez. And then the production crew back here for simply, Bach, Harrison, Nick Wyman, Rudy, for doing the work to get through week one, the girls state tournament, excelling. And listeners, listen, if you're out there listening to, to their calls during your workday,

send them a text. Send them a text to just say, you know, hey, we're out here, well done. We're out here, well done. Because the producers use that. that's juice for them. That's power for them. Added value along the way.

And then it's a long week. You know, there's lots going on. We had the opportunity to carry the Big Ten tournament this year. And I stayed loyal to Nebraska's state tournament. And I think that's the right thing to do. We had some people that ask the question, well, why wouldn't you carry the Big Ten tournament? because I think the relationship and the partnership with the community matters more.

And y'all can tell me that there are more people that'd be interested in listening to the Big Ten tournament rather than the state tournament. But I need to hear that. And until I've heard the overabundance on the side that leans big 10 tournament, because it runs every year, it runs the same time. So the women's Big Ten tournament runs the same time as Nebraska Girls State Tournament. the men's big 10 tournament runs the same time as Nebraska's voice state term. So I have to make a decision. Now I can, in fact, carry the championship game Sunday,

which I think we should do no matter what. And then I don't know what the blackout rules would be. I need to check that, see what the blackout rules if it would win and if it's Nebraska what that means. But that, that's the week is that the tournament starts today, two games tonight, and then the full slays of games of the rest of the week through Saturday, Sunday, semifinal Saturday, finals on Sunday and then selection Sunday.

And then Bach, we need to set up a selection Sunday show. So we'll sit down with that schedule and try to coordinate with the time of the release the schedule and then the follow-up call-in show, texting show. So we may have to slide a show or two along the way or we could, in fact, do a full bracket show at 9 o'clock Sunday. So keep that in mind, that to cover the things that need to be done and then get phone calls and text, Jake Sorensen and I will be in Chicago. So for whatever schedule that applies, then we can check in with y'all as well and call on the shows and be a part of what we're doing.

So lots in play there. Shout out to a full day. And Bach, thank you, kind of, for Sunday. For what everybody did Sunday and have the women take over the station and carry us through a day of conversations. Some great connections were made. Some great crossovers were done. Fully flattered and appreciative that our little,

listeners bought in to what we were doing and supported it. And it was good. And they were kind to the host and they were in good space. So thank you. I think that'll be in every year sort of thing on International Women's Day, a full day of women's programming. And I'm proud of the fact that we were able to do it and here to do it. As a matter of fact, the idea that we could probably do a couple of days, Bach, with all the lineups of people who were trying to get in, and then the folks of Wesley and Adon as well. So lots there forward.

Back from state college, Pennsylvania, the Big Ten wrestling tournament. And Bach, I don't know how much you followed it. I don't know how connected you were to it. But a couple of things in play. So this was the replacement tournament because COVID was the year that the tournament should have been at Penn State, the COVID year. And then they move some things around to get Penn State back on the schedule. Now, you know, every program deserves its Big Ten championship host if that's what they so choose.

to do. Not all things created equal. It's a great building. The Bryce Jordan Center in State College is a great building to host said tournament. Easy to get into, easy to get out of. But it was a home meat for Penn State, and Penn State doesn't need an advantage but deserve, right? So, okay, fine. But State College, so there is an airport. For those of you who ever want to go to Penn State, there is an airport near campus. State College Airport is there. You will have to connect in either Chicago or Dallas to get there on United and you can go to Omaha and go through American.

But going through Lincoln and shout out to Rachel Barth and the folks from LNK from Lincoln Airport for supporting us and helping us coordinate and get this thing done. as we did. So I'm flying into the state college. It's not easy to get into. But there's just not that many flights and there's just not that many seeds. Big planes don't tend to make that run. So you have to get on a flight that fits the schedule. You're going to pay more because, again, it's limited, especially when there's a tournament or a football game or a baseball game or whatever it is you're going for. But the convenience, it's like the difference of flying into Lincoln

rather than Omaha, right? Because if you don't fly to stay college, you're going to fly somewhere else and then you're going to drive quite a bit to get to stay college. Once you get to, and mind you, it took me, you ready for this, Bach? It took me 24 hours to get a flight

from Lincoln to Chicago and Chicago to stay college. I was supposed to leave at 3 o'clock, 2 o'clock on that day. and that's my mistake. So let me fully put this on my back. Because normally if I'm traveling for work, I say this.

I get on the first thing smoking so that with the current state of affairs with travel, that if there are always delays. And that's a conversation for another time off air of why there's so many delays and why there's so many things. But this was weather. And so that complicates it. Bach, it took me, I got out of here, nine, maybe, nine, got into Chicago, and let me tell you, the lightning show from the window seat in the plane,

while very cool to see, not exactly cool to feel. It's the first time I felt thunder and light in a plane. you know, even at 35,000 feet, it didn't matter. And we can go into the science of where storms, where the storms are and how they affect 35,000 feet, right? Got in, had to spend the night in Chicago. So they got us a hotel.

You stay at the hotel. Get up 7.30, that flight, get up for the 7.30 flight. That flight is canceled. then you finally get out, Bach, I got into state college at 3 o'clock the next day. So I missed the morning session of wrestling. I missed the morning session.

I was beat up, bro. Plus I didn't have clothes. Like I didn't have a bag. So for those people, so again, the reason why people check their bags is so they never have that day, right, where everything is not in your possession, and the fact that I went later in the day

knowing that that is not conducive to good, like that good travel. So going to Chicago, playing it, guess what, Bach, 6 a.m. First thing smoking, I'm getting on it. I'm getting on it. First thing leaving here, I'm getting on it. Look, Jake Sorson, you go when you go. I'm, look, I would rather be there and be tired than not be there.

Right? And be tired. I'll nap later. Like, I'll get into that. We get there and the Huskers, first of all, great Husker contingency once again. Husker wrestling fans travel well to State College. And they're all the Go Big Red Chances.

And the Penn State folks did not boo the Go Red Chanks. They did not boo them. They booed the OS, the OHIO folks. Oh, they booed that. Oh, they booed them out of building. They were not having it. I now understand how people feel, though, when they come to Lincoln and they hear the Go Big Red chance. Because the We Are chance, especially when they're winning, Bach, I'm punching ghost, bro.

I'm punching ghosts. So you know the process, right? So they yell, we are, and Penn State, they go back and forth. And then at the end of it, the person who started it goes, thank you. and everybody goes, you're welcome. And it's like a whole big thing. And there's a box. So I understand it, right?

Cheer for your people. Do you. Oh, okay, cool. But they booed A.J. Ferrari. And they booed A.J. Ferrari like he was Gunther. Hey, bro. Now, he had a hoot and new hair doing everything for this, though, didn't be? Right, right, right.

But they booed him like he was Gunther. Yeah. Like, surprised. Look, look, man. Look, man. Sir. Now, I know that fans are fans, and you're going to do, go and cheer for your people. But the booing of, even at the pro level, I'm not a fan of booing. But that's just me. And I know that there are people who like the boo and yell.

Okay. It's just not me. Like, I always feel like that that's what we're doing. Like we're going to the lowest common denominator. Is that what we're doing? They booed him. They booed him hard. Shout out to Mark Manning, Tevel, Doc Snyder, James Green, Bradley, all the guys who run the programs over there and make sure that the young men are taken care of. Because in their journey this season, how it looked at national duels versus how it looked Saturday

at Big Ten early sessions, first round and quarterfinals. They had everybody live, everybody was active. You had the folks, the one and two seats all advanced. The Huskers put five, five Huskers into the finals.

Into the finals. Brock Hardy, Antrell Taylor, Christopher Mento, Cam McDonnell, and AJ Ferrari all made the Big Ten finals. Now, none of them came away with title, but that wasn't the story for me. The story was the all five of them.

If we had said back at national duels when they went down there and took it on the chin, that this team would finish third in the Big Ten and put five Huskers in the finals and currently with nine wrestlers going to nationals, qualifying for nationals, waiting on word for the 10th as a net large, that Mark Manning could be proud. He has to be proud. of this wrestling team, this wrestling program. To finish third, they're on a heater, it's on a streak.

And the thing about nationals is now you're adding in the Big 12 folks, but I said this there, Bach. I thought that the Big Ten tournament last year was tougher than nationals for Husker wrestlers. I thought it was tougher, quite frankly, because every match in the Big Ten is a meat grant. Like, that's the program. That's the...

So if you had this kind of success at Big Ten, at Nationals, you should. Now, again, Penn State, Penn State hit eight wrestlers make the finals. Eight. Ohio State showed up. They showed up. There's no wavering to it. I'm interested to see on what the seatings will be.

whether the 10th wrestler gets qualified, and then how they approach going to Cleveland in two weeks. Just exceptional, just exceptional. It was the beginning of the chance of, instead of calling him Mark Manning, they were calling him March Manning. He's got the boys, he's got the boys March ready. We're calling him March Manning from here forward.

Like it's the iso of college wrestling. You know, March Izzo, March is different. March Maining's different. March Maining is different. And it's good to watch. But Bach, let me tell you, I did not know that you had all the politics behind the scenes, that the officials have their, they have their favorite coaches, right? The guys that they're buddies with.

And then they have the coaches that they don't like. like so much, right, for a variety of reasons. They have wrestlers that they like working their matches and then they're wrestlers and they do not like working. And let me tell you, they were talking about it out loud and I, listen, I almost bought. You know me well enough. No, when I see it, when I see something shady going on, every nerve of my body wants me to jump into the frame. And I simply walked up to the guy and I said, you know what? You don't know. You don't know. me, but you probably shouldn't say the things you're saying out loud. You probably shouldn't think of, but you said them out loud where public people can hear you.

And bro, if these are my kids that you were saying that about, if you were saying that about me, one, it tells me that I'd be one of those coaches that you don't like work in my games, but two, that you're not going to be fair with my athletes. shame on them. Shame on them. And Bach, imagining me, doing the finger wag, shaming Big Ten officials

at an airport in State College. Because it just shame on that. What they were saying, your job is to be unbiased. Just follow the rules, bro. You don't have to like, you don't have to like wrestlers to, really?

This is what we're doing. And it validates every hustles. fan who talks about Nebraska doesn't get the calls in the Big Ten. When you say that in football and you say that in basketball and everybody goes, stop lining, you know, you've got eyes for it. Hey, guess what? They validated all of it. Because if it happens in wrestling, it happens in basketball, it happens in football.

I promise you. I promise you that no wrestler and no program was going to get a fair shake at State College against Penn State. And Penn State doesn't need to help. But they don't need the help. They got lions and tigers and bears all up and down that lineup. They don't need help. You certainly shouldn't give it to them.

They should not give it to them. And I was, as my, as my dear, one of my dear friends, one of my mentors, she, I was livid with rage. So, and I'm texting, Mark Naney. Like, bro, you are right. This is shady. This is diabolism. This is this is travesty.

I felt like the attorney on Seinfeld. This is abomination. But I'm walking around in circles at the airport, just trying to calm down. How old are these referees? They're going to think of your finger waving at, obviously grown men. Yeah, these are grown men.

And here's my thing. But, okay, again, you know me. So maybe some of the listeners don't know me. I have no man fear. So these are, and these are wrestlers. These are former wrestlers and wrestling officials. I don't care. I don't care.

Bro, do better. Do better. It's not your job to like the coaches. It's not your job to like the athletes. It is your job to call the match fairly, evenly. Unbiased. The moment you say you have bias, you should eliminate yourself from being a Big Ten official.

Go call the Big 12, go call the ACC, go call something else. But when you start talking about you have favorites within the Big Ten conference, whether it be player athlete or otherwise? Hey, man. Call your boss. Tell them I'm not fit for this. But that's just me.