Reinhardt Vs Southeastern Preview (Friday Nov 15)

 

We have a lot of good matches to look forward to in this battle of southern NAIA powerhouses on Friday.  The #3 Southeastern Fire takes on the #12 Reinhardt Eagles in a Southeastern war between Florida and Georgia.  

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          #8  Lee Camp Vs #22 Chaz McDonald

Lee Camp wasted no time at all introducing himself to the world of NAIA wrestling when he wrestled an outstanding Patriot Open making the finals ahead of both Adonis Boyd & Anthony Hughes.  The talented freshman has a bright future ahead of him and he'll be tested this Friday night against Chaz McDonald. McDonald is a transfer from UT-Chattanooga who is looking to climb the rankings ladder as the season progresses. A W here is noteworthy on either's resume. 

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 #20 Angel Banda Vs #4 Andrew Voiles

Should be a good match here between 7th place NAIA All American Andrew Voiles and two time NAIA qualifier Angel Banda.  Banda competed at 125 lbs last season & is looking for that big win to propel himself within the 133 lbs weight class.  This would be that big win if he can pull it off.  Voiles wins here, it's another quality victory to add to his already long list of W's. 

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    #10 Devin Griffen Vs #11 Chris Kelly

This is going to be a great, exciting match between two very talented wrestlers.  Devin Griffen is no stranger to pulling off huge wins in big moments.  Two seasons ago he pulled off a huge upset over former Southeastern NAIA champion Andreus Bond.  Earlier this season, he wrestled a very good Patriot Open, making the finals.  With that said, Chris Kelly knows a thing or two about winning big matches himself.  He nearly made NAIA All American last season & finishing top 8 is within his plans for '24-'25.  In order to do so, it'll take beating guys like Griffen.  

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                    #5 Matt Jenkins Vs #3 Trace Braun

I know earlier this season Matt Jenkins was a little banged up and not 100%, but I sure hope that isn't the case come Friday night.  I hope he's 100% and ready to go, because if he is, this is going to be an outstanding match.  Trace Braun was 7th in the NAIA nation last season, as Jenkins was one match shy of earning an All American medal of his own.  Looking very forward to this one.  Should be a barnburner. 

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                #25 Wyatt Higgins Vs #2 Graham Calhoun

Graham Calhoun finished as the NAIA runner-up last season & thus far has been looking pretty good this season.  I really thought he'd win the Patriot Open, but he fell to Dylan Preston of Cumberland in the finals. Nonetheless, I still (and I'm pretty sure everyone else does too) consider him to be a contender for the NAIA title this year.  The real question this Friday is, can Wyatt Higgins hang with him?  Can the Eagle keep the Fire's flames from getting too hot and too violent? 

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                   #13 John Lovett Vs #8 Gentry Smith 

 Duals are often wars of attrition and Southeastern has more Fire(pardon the pun)power  than does Reinhardt. Nonetheless, when facing a team 9 spots ahead of you in the rankings, you want that final score to be as close as it can get.  These types of matches are as important to the team as they are to the individual.  We have two NAIA qualifiers in John Lovett & Gentry Smith, looking to duke it out in our second to heaviest of the weight classes.