At times, Michigan wrestling legend Jeff Catrabone likely sees his old self when watching son Cam's matches. 

The elder Catrabone, a three-time All-American during his time in Ann Arbor (1994-98), is best remembered for his ability to stick opponents on their backs. He still ranks second in program history in pins (55) and fourth in wins (160).

In his second season with the Wolverines, Cam, the oldest of Jeff's five children, has carved out a reputation of his own as a dangerous pinner who can abruptly alter the course of a match.

That trait was on full display Saturday when he faced Purdue's Stoney Buell, then ranked #13, in the 157-pound consolation semifinals at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. 

Catrabone, a redshirt freshman who entered the match ranked #22, trailed 3-0 in the opening period with Buell having already racked up nearly two minutes of riding time. 

Beginning a restart in the down position, Catrabone focused on working toward a reversal. He soon did before ending the match with pin at the 2:30 mark, which left Catrabone thumping his chest and clenching his fists and Buell, a 2024 NCAA qualifier, sitting dejectedly on the mat. 

It was Catrabone's second fall of the tournament and third of the season, one back of team leader Beau Mantanona. He later fell to 2024 All-American Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) by technical fall in the third-place match, leaving his record at 8-4 this season, including six bonus point wins. Only heavyweight Taye Ghadiali has more.

He also boasts an 80-second pin of Virginia's Colton Washleski, a 2024 NCAA qualifier who came into the match ranked #28, and is tied for second on the team with 20 dual-match points. 

The promising start is good, but hardly good enough for Catrabone. He intends to wrestle better in the coming weeks.

"I do feel pretty good about some of things I'm doing and that I'm competing well, but I know I have not wrestled to my full potential yet," he said. "For me, it's all about development and constant improvement. You never want to take losses, but that's all part of continually trying to get better every time I step on the mat."

Catrabone certainly competed well against Cardenas, a two-time NCAA qualifier, in their first meeting during the Cliff Keen tournament in the second round, erasing a 9-2 deficit before dropping a 15-12 decision. 

Catrabone, one of six freshmen to finish in the top four, enjoyed a much better Cliff Keen showing than a year ago when he went 2-2 on day one and was eliminated. 

Unranked when the season began, he shot from #22 to #16 thanks to his finish in Las Vegas. 

True to his nature, however, Catrabone was left wanting more.

"I feel like I competed well, other than that last match, but Cardenas clearly came in with a better gameplan than our first match," Catrabone said. "It's back to the drawing board to hopefully get him in March. I came away from Cliff Keen knowing there are some technical things I have to fix." 

Overall, five Wolverines reached the podium and four placed in top four as they finished second behind Iowa State. It was their best Cliff Keen showing since they took second in 2017. 

Most of the team will be off until Jan. 9 when Michigan hosts Michigan State in its Big Ten opener, although a contingent of Wolverines will wrestle at the Kent State Open and Midlands Championships later this month. 

"Overall, we like how we competed at Cliff Keen, but a lot of the guys feel they have not yet competed to their full potential," Catrabone said. "I know some guys who are certainly better than their record says because I've seen what they can do in the practice room. I know we will do well come January and can make huge gains before March." 

Catrabone spent last season at 149, going 11-4 while retaining his redshirt and starting three duals. Despite wrestling fewer matches than 13 of his teammates, Catrabone still tied for the team lead with five pins. 

His best win came against NCAA qualifier Sam Cartella (Northwestern).

"I thought last season went perfect as far as redshirt years go," Catrabone said. "I got used to wrestling tough, seven-minute matches while putting together a decent record. It certainly left me even more motivated for this season."

Catrabone, who replaced five-time NCAA qualifier Chase Saldate at 157, says he also benefited by undergoing Michigan's entire grueling offseason training regimen for the first time and was encouraged by how it strengthened the team's unity.

"That was the first time I had consistently trained at a such a high level during the offseason," he said. "Everyone bought in and we had a great offseason working hard together which was really great for team bonding. I'd say our team chemistry has improved this year which is going to help us as well." 

Jeff Catrabone began coaching soon after graduating from Michigan, first at Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep High School and the University of Buffalo before coaching his sons at Williamsville (New York) High School, where Cam was a two-time state champion.

The younger Catrabone posted a 227-14 high school record with 146 pins. 

Cam honed his wrestling skills not only by working directly with his father, but by watching his matches as well.

"Honestly, when I watch some of dad's best matches, it gives me a weird sense of confidence because I see him having success with some of the same techniques I use," he said. "We are both really good on top and similar in the way we get takedowns. Coaching-wise, dad has a way of simplifying wrestling with a down-to-earth approach which helped me a lot. He never put any pressure on me, win or lose."

A homemade 14-by-14 mat painted maize and blue in the family's basement not withstanding, Catrabone also never pressured his son to attend Michigan.

He didn't have to. 

Donning a singlet with the iconic block M logo is something Cam desired to do from a young age. He committed to Michigan just over a month into his sophomore year of high school. 

"By wrestling for Michigan, I'm living a dream I've had since I was about five years old," Catrabone said. "That's what keeps me motivated when I'm not feeling good enough to train or feeling down about something. I know I need to push through all of that to represent my family and my school well."

One of three freshman ranked in the top 16 at 157, Catrabone will likely face a buzzsaw of stiff competition during Big Ten duals, including matches against #5 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State), #7 Kannon Webster (Illinois), #8 Jordan Williams (Iowa) and #12 P.J. Duke (Penn State).

Defending NCAA champion Antrell Taylor (#6, Nebraska), who beat Catrabone earlier season, will be waiting at the Big Ten Tournament. 

"I'm just going to concentrate on getting better with each match," Catrabone said. "I believe I can end the season as a national champion."