125 lbs
Most likely our 125 lbs Southern Scuffle championship match will be between Oklahoma State's #4 Nick Piccininni and North Carolina State's #6 Sean Fausz. Piccininni is undefeated, coming off a recent championship run at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Fausz, an ACC champion defeated Piccininni in their only meeting last season 9-5. This should prove to be a fast paced and exciting match.
As to our other six place-winners I feel fairly confident about four of them. Four of them that I am pretty sure will be participating in the tournament anyway. Led by #19 Shakur Laney of Ohio, who will not only be challenged for a higher spot on the award stand, but also for a spot in the rankings.
Gabriel Townsell of Stanford has shown in previous years that he can be a contender but its been a while since he's done anything of significance. Last season he was one match shy of placing at the Scuffle and he could use a good showing here. He has the talent to place as high as third.
For the home crowd one of their biggest questions should be answered in who will be Chattanooga's 125 lbs starter at the Southern Conference in March. It is possible that both Fabian Gutierrez and Alonzo Allen could finish in the exact same spot. After all, that's exactly what happened last year when both finished in the round of twelve. However, the likelihood is more along the lines that one will have a better showing than the other. Whoever places higher here, bar injury or something of that nature will be who they put on the mat come NCAA qualification time. Mark my word. That's how significant this tournament is.
Again, a lot depends on who all will be here and who all won't, but Iowa State's Alex Mackall has caught my eye. Currently 9-2, what catches my attention the most is oddly enough his 13-4 major decision loss to Iowa's #1 Spencer Lee. The fact that he kept it within 9 points and managed not to get tech'd or pinned makes me wonder how good this former Scarlet Knight, now Cyclone really is. Maybe I'm making too much of it, but I'm excited to see him against the rest of the field.
It takes talking to me about college wrestling for about two minutes to figure out that in regards to NCAA Division I wrestling I don't put much stock into what someone did in high school. I have to see you in your first collegiate competition against a top 33 wrestler before I am sold on just how good you are or you aren't. Yet when it comes to Penn State recruits, Cael Sanderson usually hits 10 for 10. As of right now, 12-23-2018, Gavin Teasdale isn't on the Penn State roster. Yet Sanderson enjoys teasing, or perhaps I should say teasdaling us that he "could" be back by the Scuffle. Key word being "could." I'd like to think that this could give us a decent glimpse into how close hype comes to reality, but there are too many other variables that come into play here. Personal issues, time off the mat and both his mental and physical condition. Lots of questions, none of which, some of which or all of which could be answered here.
It's been over a year since we saw Lehigh's Connor Schram take fifth place at last year's CKLV. Since that time he as well as thoughts about him have quietly slipped into oblivion. Will we ever see him compete again? Will it be at the Southern Scuffle? If so, how will he wrestle? Yet another question that the Scuffle may answer.
133 lbs
When it comes to who we'll see on the award stand in Chattanooga, Tennessee come the first of the year, I'd say #10 Austin Gomez of Iowa State will be one of them. He more than showed us what he's capable of when he tossed #11 Austin DeSanto of Iowa half way across his own home mat in a 14-9 decision. It'll be interesting to see how well he does here.
Korbin Myers of Virginia Tech has wrestled well enough so far this season to garner himself a #15 ranking. With both the Midlands and the Scuffle taking place back to back, he'll need to continue to wrestle well to maintain or improve upon that rating. He's been known to have some strange losses in the past. Now isn't a good time to have them.
As for #16 Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State, we all saw what he could do when he picked on someone smaller than himself in a 14-1 ole fashioned rear end kicking of Ryan Millhof of Arizona State who is currently ranked #7 at 125 lbs. Now it's time to see how he does picking on ranked guys his own size. More rear end kicking ahead of us or will that eight pounds of muscle make all the difference?
I really, really wanted to put #20 Sean Nickell of Bakersfield on the likely place-winners list but I just can't. He's too inconsistent for me to have that much faith in him. He did place seventh last season but he also failed to place recently at CKLV. He's a hard guy to predict. On an ability and talent level, seeing him on the award stand is a very easy sight to picture. Yet history as my guide, I can just as easily see him going 0-2.
Mason Pengilly of Stanford recently returned to action. In fashion may I add against Northwestern's Yayah Thomas who I have slated as a possible Midland's medalist. I can easily see Pengilly wrestling well here and back in the rankings shortly after the first of the year.
Matt Kazimir of Columbia is another I see possibly placing. He's thus far having himself a pretty decent start to his career as a lion with a 10-2 record that includes an impressive 6-5 victory over Cal Poly's Yoshi Funakoshi.
Lastly, in my opinion Rider's Anthony Cefolo is one of the top wrestlers yet to qualify for the NCAA's. In two attempts he's came up short. It'll take some impressive performances for him to earn himself a bid in March. Wrestling well at the Scuffle would certainly help.
I'm sure there are people out there that have an answer as to the status of Lehigh's Scotty Parker but I ain't one of them. I'll say this though, if Parker is wrestling at the Scuffle and he's 100%, then you can add him in with Fix and Wilson as a threat to the title. But I don't think we're going to see him and even if we do, I highly doubt he'll be 100%.
Coach Barber informed me that Jimenez is currently fighting for the 133 lbs spot. Even if he isn't the varsity starter for the Falcons, the Scuffle allows (albeit unattached) multiple wrestlers from the same team to compete. Seeing how Jimenez placed 8th here last year, it only makes sense to enter him in the tournament.
141 lbs
I think the likely championship match we'll see here will be between #4 Nick Lee of Penn State, who finished 2nd here last year and Oklahoma State's #9 Kaid Brock. Brock has been on the receiving end of quite a bit of criticism this season. Many fans skeptical of his potential at 141 lbs. With recent losses to #5 Mitch Mckee of Minnesota and #8 Dom Demas of Oklahoma it isn't completely unwarranted. No doubt about it, a Scuffle championship isn't going to get any know it all wrestling fan happy to run his mouth in a negative way about Brock to admit he was wrong, but it will likely silence him.
Let me make out like a politician and talk out of both sides of my mouth for a second. While I go to bat in defense of Brock, I'll be the first to say that neither he nor Lee strike me as invincible. I can see either one of them getting beat and I can see either one of them getting beat early on. I think the Scuffle provides great opportunity for a number of wrestlers at 141 lbs to make a name for themselves and win the championship.
#15 Jamal Morris of North Carolina State is having his best year yet. He'll not only be looking for his third NCAA qualification, but also his first All American honor come season's end. A win over Old Dominion's #13 Sa'Derian Perry gives reason to think that a win over Lee or win over Brock isn't at all out of the question.
#18 Nic Gil of Navy is a guy I can see doing well here. Didn't quite have the finish he wanted at CKLV, finishing one match shy of placing, but he placed fifth here last year and should have another favorable showing. When sets clears rankings and past results, he's about as good as anyone. Maybe not anyone in the NCAA, but certainly anyone in the Scuffle. Do I think he's good enough to win it? Yeah, I do.
Much like his former teammate Ronnie Pery was last year, Lock Haven's Kyle Shoop is one of the most overlooked wrestlers in the nation. Not only did he place fourth here last year, he has nearly twenty wins already this season. One of which is over Pittsburgh's L.J. Bentley and another is a 9-0 major Wyoming's Sam Turner who placed eighth at CKLV. It could be a fatal mistake for anyone who doesn't do their homework on Shoop and thinks they can get away with choosing down against him.
Looking over the field, it's pretty easy to narrow it down to who I think will be the top six place-winners at the Scuffle. Trying to determine places seven and eight, is a little more difficult. I got some guys in mind though.
D.J. Fehlman of Lock Haven could most certainly make some noise. As much as I hyped up Shoop's potential to do well here, it might be Fehlman who starts for the eagles after all. As of right now, they're 1-1 with one another. Shoop tech'd Fehlman 18-2 at the Clarion open, but Fehlman recently beat Shoop 4-2 at the Black Knight Invitational. Much like it is between Gutierrez and Allen of Chattanooga, Scuffle results could determine who gets the nod come conference.
I normally wouldn't put this much trust in Chris Debien but I can see him placing at this year's Scuffle for one reason. It is his home tournament. There's something special about wrestling in front of a hometown crowd. Something special about having everyone cheering you on and wanting to see you do well. For that reason alone, I can see Debien stepping it up a notch and securing himself a spot on the award stand.
We have yet to see ACC champ Brent Moore of Virginia Tech or NCAA qualifier Cam Kelly of Ohio in action this season. If either show up at the Scuffle, both pose a serious threat to medal.
149 lbs
On the surface it may not make much since why I would have the #13 and #11 ranked wrestlers listed as title contenders and the #8 Jarrett Degen of Iowa State as a darkhorse but there are a couple of reasons for it. A, Gfeller was a champion here last year. B, I don't think anyone is taking Degen that seriously. Other than Cyclone homers, I don't see too many picking Degen to win this weight class or even putting him on the radar as a threat. With that said, so many of his losses last year were tight, close decisions. Fixing a little mistake here and a little mistake there, can turn those close losses into wins. He's a student of the sport, already proving that he does this. His only loss this season, a 12-6 decision to Missouri's Brock Mauller, he's already avenged in a 7-4 victory. The more this guy fine tunes his skills, the more of threat he becomes.
As well as Kaden Gfeller is wrestling this year it is difficult to believe that there still isn't a guarantee that he'll be the Cowboys' starter by season's end. All American Boo Lewallen wants that spot every bit as much as he does. While injuries have slowed him down and will probably effect his Scuffle appearance there is still a chance that he could come into this tournament, win the whole damn thing and secure his spot back on the team.
The inconsistency and unpredictability make it near impossible to have too many thoughts or feelings when it comes to Bakersfield's Russell Rohlfing. He failed to place at recently at CKLV, but he also owns a 10-9 decision over #9 Pat Lugo of Iowa. Not to mention, he placed 8th here last year. With Rohlfing it's always a gamble worth making, but one that doesn't always pay out.
Stanford's Require Van De Merwe. Say that ten times fast. It's been a while since the wrestling community has had a native South African. Shaun Williams of Oregon not quite twenty years ago and in more recent times Heinrich Barnes of Oregon State I believe was from South Africa as well. Thus far this season Van De Merwe has wins over Northwestern's Shayne Oster and Fresno State's Khristian Olivas.
Trevor Elfvin of Drexel is having a bit of a rough go of it so far this season, but it is worth noting that he placed sixth here last year.
Air Force's Alec Opsal opened up some eyes at CKLV a month ago, with a 10-6 victory over Minnesota All American Tommy Thorn. Finishing one match shy of a medal their, it is safe to think that he may have a few more upsets left in him. It also helps that he has one of the coolest pairs of headgear in the NCAA.
He wrestled recently at the Wilkes open and went 4-0 with three technical falls. I would like to think that means he'll be wrestling at the Scuffle but I have no idea. What Lehigh does and why Lehigh does it, remains a mystery to me. Sometimes I feel like taking the Mystery Machine into Bethlehem and along with Scooby, Shaggy and the gang trying to figure out what in the Hell is going on. If Schuyler indeed competes here, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. I would go as far as to call him a title contender.
157 lbs
After watching #5 Hayden Hidlay of North Carolina State at last year's NCAA championships, I would not only predict him to be Nolf's finals opponent, but I would have given him a shot at a possible upset. He only lost once last season and it was in the NCAA finals to Nolf. This year, with a loss to #3 Larry Early of Old Dominion and #4 Tyler Berger of Nebraska, he has already lost twice. I wouldn't call this seriously alarming but it does suggest a few possibilities. One of which is that Hidlay doesn't even make the finals. If he does, I see Nolf controlling the match and winning by a comfortable lead.
I called Bakersfield's Russell Rohlfing inconsistent and unpredictable earlier, but I think even more so is Stanford's Paul Fox. In the film FORREST GUMP, Tom Hanks was referring to a box of chocolates, when he said, "You never know what you're gonna get." In wrestling, we're referring to Paul Fox.
At first I found it strange when he was the only Stanford wrestler to compete in Reno, winning a title. Then I realized what it really was, was brilliant coaching on the part of Jason Borrelli. Got a wrestler that is in need of a confidence booster? Have him win a major in season tournament.
Fox placed 7th at the Scuffle as a freshman and 3rd last year as a junior. Talent wise, a win over Hidlay may shock the rest of the wrestling community, but it wouldn't surprise me any. I know how good Fox is. It's simply a matter of whether he wrestles that well or not. When it comes to Paul Fox you may get runner-up honors or you may get not even making the round of twelve. No matter what prediction you make for him, you always have at least some chance of being right.
Fox being a part of this as much as anyone, securing one of what should be six of eight remaining spots on the award stand, will be an all and all out war. Lots of eligible candidates in this one.
If you want a feel good story, one of true perseverance look no further than Columbia's Dan Reed. After losing records his sophomore and junior seasons, he took a redshirt this past year to come back this season and earn himself a #14 ranking. The Scuffle gives him a great opportunity to test that ranking.
#18 Andrew Shomers (sorry I put Alex, meant to put Andrew. This is a blog. I'm an amateur) of Oklahoma State will certainly be in the mix.
As will #20 Josh Humphreys of Lehigh, who has thus far done a great job filling in for an injured Ian Brown who placed seventh at last year's Scuffle. His most impressive win thus far is pinning former Princeton NCAA qualifier Mike D'Angelo at the Binghamton Bearcat open.
#12 Tyler Marinelli has been a highlight for the Gardner-Webb wrestling program the past couple of seasons. A 26-8 record with a Southern Conference championship last year, he is currently 9-0 looking to become the first two-time Southern Conference champion in school history. Adding a medal from the Scuffle to his resume, objectively could make him the best wrestler to ever compete for the runnin' bulldogs.
Virginia Tech's B.C. LaPrade is another wrestler to look out for this tournament. A 9-3 victory of Jarrett Jacques of Missouri and a recent 14-2 dismantling of West Virginia's Zach Moore more than show what he is capable of.
It has been rather dark times for the Edinboro program as of late. It was only a few short years ago that the Fighting Scotts were bringing home team trophies from the NCAA's. Today, most of their 2017-2018 starting lineup is now competing for other schools. The one sparkle of light that remains is in current redshirt Peter Pappas who currently owns 18 wins so far this season. A medal here would be important to both him and the program.
Last but certainly not least is the Air Force's Alex Mossing. A hot and cold wrestler that gets to damn near freezing temperatures when he's cold, but can get hotter than blazes of the sun when he's hot. He's shown what he's capable of in brilliant glimpses in the past. He owns a win over Stanford's Paul Fox and he had North Carolina's Kennedy Monday beat at the CKLV until he ran out of steam. He was one match shy of a medal here last year. If he can get his conditioning to the level of his ability, I think he could surprise many, including himself. The guy has talent.
165 lbs
There aren't many guarantees in life but death, taxes and Vincenzo Joseph winning the 165 lbs Southern Scuffle title are among three of them. I would like to think that Lock Haven's #3 Chance Marsteller has a fighter's chance against him but until proven otherwise Joseph isn't a guy you bet against.
In the spirit of Steve Marinelli and Darrion Caldwell, I am going to throw it out there that Marsteller could pull off the upset though. Might as well, stranger things have happened.
With the talk of a Joseph Vs Marsteller finals, pardon the pun, by there is a chance that Chance might not even make the finals. He has some stiff competition standing in his way. He had two close matches with #8 Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech last season (one of which was for third place at the Scuffle) and one with #10 Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State.
Although he's currently unranked Gordon Wolf of Lehigh has done enough in his career, including placing fifth at last year's Scuffle, to make me think he's more than capable of making the award stand again.
#16 Ebed Jarrell of Drexel has only lost once so far this year and it has been to #1 Joseph. Among his wins, he has defeated #20 Jesse Dellavecchia of Rider (also mentioned here) 5-2 and #6 Isaiah White of Nebraska 6-3. He placed sixth at last year's Scuffle.
NCAA qualifier Zach Finesilver of Duke is another wrestler to watch for. It seems among his hot and cold streaks he keeps the temperature cool more often than warm, but as he showed last year in wins verses May Bethea of Penn, Andrew Atkinson of Virginia and Brian Hamann of North Carolina State, he is capable of doing big things.
One of the biggest pleasant surprises for the Cardinal this year has been sophomore Dominick Mandarino. Among upsetting teammate Paul Fox, he defeated B.C. LaPrade of Virginia Tech and gave #4 Tyler Berger all he could handle in a 10-7 loss. Granted that was all at 157 lbs. It'll be anxious to see if he can make his mark 8 lbs up.
I'm still a big believer that transfer Colston DiBlasi will be a first in a number of categories for the Patriots in his remaining two years of eligibility. He certainly won't be the first conference champion in school history in respect to Bagna Tovuujav and Cayle Byers, both of whom won CAA titles but since George Mason's move into the EWL, he could be there first champion there. The Patriots have placed wrestlers at the Scuffle in past seasons, but it has been a while. A wrestle that seems to make it up as he goes and invent new techniques, he can score on you with moves that not even Ken Chertow can describe.
174 lbs
Here we go!! Bar none, the toughest weight class at the Scuffle in terms of winning a title.
First off we have #1 Mark Hall of Penn State who won the title last season. He is undefeated Vs #6 Jordan Kutler of Lehigh in three matches, one of which took place what will soon be a month ago. He's never wrestled Joe Smith of Oklahoma State or David McFadden of Virginia Tech.
Kutler finished runner-up to Hall at last year's Scuffle and won a title two seasons ago as a freshman. He too has never wrestled Smith or McFadden.
Smith has two runner-up finishes at the Scuffle. He's never faced Hall, Kutler or McFadden and that's the kicker. We got a small glimpse of him at Reno, where he shared a title with teammate Jacobe Smith and tore Michigan State's Drew Hughes apart in a 16-3 major decision. Yet, that's all it was, a preview. It's almost like Smith is a secret weapon, waiting to be unleashed. Think about it for a second. Whether it's him or teammate Jacobe, one of these guys is sitting on the bench come year's end. You'd think that if Joe wins the Scuffle, he'd be the starter for sure but head coach John Smith has made decisions 15 years ago I still can't make sense of. So I'm not assuming anything. Can you imagine someone winning a Scuffle title, with a win over #1 Hall, not even being the starter at the Big 12 conference tournament? I don't know about you, but it blows my mind.
Then there's also McFadden. #5 David McFadden of Virginia Tech. He's never faced any of the others either. I still question his effectiveness at 174 lbs after being at 165, but I trust he'll show me soon enough that he's more than fine up a weight class.
If for some reason #7 Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State happens to come across this blog, I imagine he won't be none too happy about me leaving him out of the discussion in terms of a title. Unfortunately or fortunately for him, he didn't wrestle teammate Joe Smith at Reno. Therefore I didn't get to see for myself whether he is or whether he isn't better and until I do, I'm not buying it. With that said, I see him placing no lower than fifth. I can even see him beating one of the four I have listed above in route to a higher finish. Give me another helping of crow if he wins it.
#19 Matt Finesilver of Duke placed eighth here last year. Wouldn't it be the shit if all four Finesilvers were to medal at this year's Scuffle? It'll have to be this year or never, consider two of the four are seniors this season.
#17 Spencer Carey of Navy was a match away from placing at last season's Scuffle and he recently placed an impressive fifth at CKLV. I would think he makes the award stand this year.
I really don't know to be honest. If I had to guess, I'd narrow it down to one of three people.
Iowa State freshman Marcus Coleman has looked pretty good. He's won a couple of small tournaments so far this season.
Then we have NCAA qualifier Dean Sherry of Rider and Vincent DePrez of Binghamton. Both seem to be in a bit of slump so far this year. Sherry's lost some matches that I would think last year's EWL champion to have won. DePrez who won 23 matches last season, who I hope to see earn his first NCAA qualification this year as a senior, had a terrible CKLV tournament. He went 0-2, verses having won matches there in three previous tournaments. A good showing at the Scuffle would be good for either one of these guys.
184 lbs
Four wrestlers stick out at 184 lbs as plausible Southern Scuffle champions. With one major decision and the rest being techs or pins, #3 Shakur Rasheed makes yet another Penn State wrestler poised for a title. Winning a title at 197 lbs last season, he has yet to face any of the other candidates.
#4 Nick Reenan of North Carolina State owns a sudden victory over #9 Zack Zavatsky of Virginia Tech and is split thus far with #8 Ryan Preisch of Lehigh. He owns a 4-1 victory and he lost an 11-5 decision. He placed fourth at the Scuffle last year.
Zavatsky along with what has already been mentioned, owns a 3-1 suddeven victory over Preisch.
So as you can see plenty of parity to go around. Semi-finals could be every bit as good, if not better than the finals in this one.
With the likes of guys like #17 Corey Hazel on board, Coach Scott Moore is quietly continuing to build on last year's unexpected success. It won't be long before, under his leadership, the Golden Eagles soar to the heights of yesteryear. Thus far this season Hazel owns victories over #10 Lou DePrez of Binghamton and #19 Noah Stewart of Army. He kept Preisch to a 1-0 decision at Journeyman back in November.
Could be wrong and if I am, I am but I see Geer at 184 for the Scuffle and Weigel at 197. It was recently changed on intermat's rankings, but back when they had Weigel at 197 and Geer at 184 he was #15. Like I said earlier I don't always get what's going on inside John Smith's head. To me it makes more since to wrestle Geer at 184, where he's already proven he's capable and to wrestle Weigel at 197, where he's good enough to win it. To me that makes more sense than to wrestle Geer at 197 and have Weigel sit. That's me though. With that said, if Geer is at 184 I most certainly see him placing. He's already racked up 45 wins at 184 in past seasons, with wins over All Americans Jacob Holschlag of Northern Iowa and Chip Ness of North Carolina.
It's not easy to replace a guy like Steve Schneider but it didn't take Binghamton long at all. As soon as the three time NCAA qualifier departed due to graduation, in walked freshman Lou DePrez who has quickly made a name for himself earning the #10 ranking. At CKLV not only did DePrez place fifth but he did so in fashion clobbering #18 Jelani Embree of Michigan 9-0 and defeating #6 Max Dean of Cornell 5-3 s.v.
Iowa State rookie Sam Colbray has earned himself a #18 ranking and it'll be fun to see if there is more to that ranking than just a win over #14 Cash Wilcke of Iowa.
Virginia Tech has nothing to worry about when Zavatsky graduates this may. Current redshit Hunter Bolen will fill in beautifully. He's currently 7-0 throughout open tournaments this season, including a win over All American #11 Chip Ness of North Carolina.
The true darkhorse here is Appalachian State's Alan Clothier. I feel a little funny calling him a darkhorse considering that he placed sixth here last year, but he's not looking so hot this year. A losing record including his last four matches. He could use a good showing at the Scuffle.
197 lbs
Brandon Slay has an Olympic gold medal, but in strict collegiate terms we are looking at the best wrestler to ever come out of the state of Texas. Arguably the best wrestler of the 2018-2019 season. A candidate for the Hodge. Like other members of Penn State #1 Bo Nickal at the present time looks to be about damn near unstoppable.
If it wasn't for all of the damn injuries he's suffered during his career, I wouldn't even use the term "darkhorse." I know a 100% healthy #6 Preston Weigel of Oklahoma State is good enough to hang with Nickal. I have no doubt about that. What I doubt is whether Weigel is 100% or not. Injuries kept him to only fourteen matches last season. Nevertheless even in a shortened season, he defeated eventual NCAA champion Michael Macchiavello of North Carolina State among many other highly notable wins. After his injury he lost to Kent State's Kyle Conel 5-0, who he easily tech'd when he was 100% healthy 15-0 in the first period earlier in the year. I don't think many are aware of just how good Weigel is when health and injuries aren't hampering his performance. Love to see him at his best here. At his best, he can beat anyone.
With that said, it's only fair to add in Iowa State's #5 Willie Miklus to the mix. No excuses here. When he met Weigel last season, he beat him legit, fair and square 10-4. Miklus is a tournament wrestler. He doesn't always place as high as I sometimes think he will, but one way or another he always seems to find his way onto the award stand.
After the first three wrestlers, I feel that fourth through eighth place at Scuffle 197 lbs are totally up for grabs. This weight class has a ton of parity, guys neck and neck with one another and between the Midlands and the Scuffle I wouldn't want the headache the rankings will be. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see results that shake up the rankings more than any other weight class.
Seven ranked wrestlers, all with quality wins and quality performances.
#8 Nathan Traxler of Stanford, 12 wins so far this season including #9 C.J. Brunner of Purdue, #14 Greg Bulsack of Clarion and #17 Stephen Loiseau of Drexel. Traxler recently took 4th at CKLV.
#15 Tom Sleigh of Virginia Tech placed 7th at CKLV.
#16 Malik McDonald of North Carolina State with a recent win over #12 Eric Schultz of Nebraska.
#17 Stephen Loiseau of Drexel placed 4th at the Scuffle last season. This year wins over #12 Eric Schultz of Nebraska and #18 Randall Diabe of Appalachian State suggest he can do it again.
Speaking of Diabe, he's a six match win streak, which includes victories over #16 McDonald and Jake Woodley of Oklahoma.
I can no longer call Air Force's Anthony McLaughlin the best wrestler in the NCAA to not be ranked as he finally has the honor of being ranked #20. Could be hire by the end of the Scuffle.
There there's #8 Jake Jacobsen of Lehigh who at the current time seems a little high to me. He placed 8th at last year's championships.
You'd think I'd be done talking about potential medalists but I'm not.
Gotta include NCAA qualifier Chris Weiler of Lehigh.
Then there's also Sawyer Root of the Citadel. Already close to twenty wins this season, a match shy of placing at CKLV and an impressive 3rd place showing at Reno.
What a crazy weight class!
HWT
I would like to think that Cassar and Nevills will be on opposite sides of the bracket. If they are, then I stand by my prediction that the two meet up in the finals. If for some reason they're on the same side of the bracket, and meet up before the finals, then I predict whoever wins to face #3 Derek White of Oklahoma State in the finals. While he did win a Reno title recently, White has yet to really be challenged this season. He didn't look good vs #2 Gable Stevenson of Minnesota, but other than Tanner Hall of Arizona State, neither has anyone else. It'll be interesting to see if White holds up against the competition.
On paper, the 2019 Southern Scuffle HWT medalists seems pretty straight forward to me. You have seven ranked wrestlers and the best backup (speaking in HWT terms) in the country vs a field that at least "on paper" doesn't seem that deep in comparison.
#7 Billy Miller spent a redshirt and three varsity seasons at Edinboro, is now at Virginia Tech in his final season. The Scuffle gives the Hokies an opportunity to evaluate exactly where he is and how much of an impact he brings to the team.
#6 Jordan Wood of Lehigh is another guy I can see doing well here. His one loss this season is a 12-3 major decision to Cassar, so I don't see him making the finals but I can see him finishing as high as third. In his only meeting with White, he lost a tight 3-2 decision, that could potentially turn into a win.
#10 Thomas Haines of Lock Haven should place.
#17 Joey Goodhart of Drexel recently placed eighth at CKLV and should also place.
#16 Matt Voss of George Mason has close to twenty wins already this season, one of which was a 5-2 decision over #10 Haines. A good showing could see him jump up the ladder on the rankings quite a few spots.
And there you have it. Individually speaking that is what I see going down at this year's Southern Scuffle.
WHY DIDN'T YOU INCLUDE NORTHERN COLORADO!?!!!? AH!!?!?!?!?!??!?!
Because, AH!!!!!! They're Not listed!!!! https://gomocs.com/sports/2018/10/15/2019-southern-scuffle-participants.aspx
They're not included on this list. I've heard from others that they're going to be there. After I wrote this, I checked and indeed the Southern Scuffle is on their schedule. Why they're not included in the list I linked above, I have no idea.
With that said....
I think Northern Colorado could possibly place two wrestlers at the Scuffle.
I would like to think Rico Montoya, two time NCAA qualifier would be one of them. The 13-3 major decision loss to Hofstra's Dylan Ryder doesn't sit well with me at all, and it makes me wonder if the cut down to 125 lbs was really the bet thing for Montoya or not. Yet, he remains ranked #17 in the country and he's not the first wrestler to ever suffer a bad loss. Years ago Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin suffered two headscratcher losses in a row, only to turn around a short time later and win the Midlands. To add further oddness to the situation, both wrestlers who beat him (One of which was Northern Iowa's Trent Washington, the other escapes my mind at the moment) were also in the bracket and failed to place. So with that said, it can certainly be done.
The real bear to watch here though, I think is Jacob Seely at 197 lbs. Yes, Seely did have a losing record last year, but he was also 10-0 before an injury got the best of him. Among those ten wins was a 3-1 sudden victory over #20 Anthony McLaughlin of Air Force and a 10-8 victory over former All American Kevin Beazley of Michigan. If he's no longer hampered by injuries, I look for Seely to throw yet another wrench in the 197 lbs weight class. If it isn't chaos enough as it is.
TEAM
I almost feel as if I'm patronizing you by saying this. As if it even needs to be said. Penn State is winning this thing. Unless for some reason they don't enter a lot of guys, no one else even comes close. They're just too good. It'd be nice to think maybe Oklahoma State could give them a run for their money but 165 through HWT, the Nittany Lions are a Tsar bomb. Unstoppable destroying everything in their path.
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