Have a good east coast battle this Sunday between the #23 Pittsburgh Panthers & the #18 Lehigh Mountain Hawks. 7 of the 10 matches stick out in particular.
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| #16 Nick Babin Vs #15 Sheldon Seymour 125 |
Ranking & result favor the Mountain Hawk in this match up. Sheldon Seymour is one spot higher than Nick Babin in the rankings and he won their last head-to-head by a 7-2 decision.
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| #30 Vince Santaniello Vs #1 Ryan Crookham 133 |
This match ended in bonus points for the Mountain Hawks the last time the two met. A 10-2 major decision for Crookham over Santaniello. It very well could end in bonus points again. Crookham finished 3rd in the DI nation last season. His only loss to the national champion, whom he had beaten twice earlier in the year. So far he's #1 until someone proves otherwise. If Santaniello can keep this match to a decision, that in itself would be a victory.
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| U.R. Anthony Santaniello Vs #20 Malyke Hines 141 |
Another match that heavily favors the Mountain Hawks. However, I do believe that Anthony Santaniello is much better than his current unranked status. I believe he will contend for NCAA DI qualification this season & I think he'll display that potential this Sunday against #20 Malyke Hines. An upset? Probably not, but I do think he makes Hines work for his points and I see this match ending in a decision.
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| #29 Finn Solomon Vs #30 Kelvin Griffin 149 |
In dual situations, these are the types of matches you love to see. Although these two have never met collegiately, rankings suggest that these two are neck and neck. An opportunity for either wrestler to come alive and earn and important win for himself and his team.
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| #18 Luca Augustine Vs U.R. Rylan Rogers 174 |
I think we have a similar situation to 141 lbs, except this time the match heavily favors the Panthers. I do think Rylan Rogers will prove to be a valuable asset within time for the white and brown, and I think he'll display some skills against Augustine, even if the match ends in a loss. 3 points on the board for Pittsburgh is my prediction here.
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| #6 Michael Beard Vs #14 Mac Stout 197 |
Right now the talk of the town is Terrell Barraclough. How he transferred out of Penn State & has proven himself to be a contender at the 165 lbs weight class. How he was lost in the shuffle at PSU & how he's one of the hottest names in wrestling at the moment now competing for Utah Valley. Well, he isn't the only example. Michael Beard has and continues to prove himself much in the same manner. He's been an excellent addition to the Lehigh squad. How he matches up against the likes of Buchanan, Cardenas, Ferrari & Elam this year, I don't know. What I do know is that he's a two time All American with a very strong shot at becoming a three time. The last time he wrestled Mac Stout, he took it to him in an 18-3 technical fall. Do I think Stout can keep the match closer this time? Yes, I do. I think he can even keep it to a decision.
To be honest I don't know a thing about either wrestler at 165 lbs. Have no idea how to predict how that match will go. (I follow DI, DII, DIII, NAIA & NJCAA wrestling to the best of my ability. I can admit when there are wrestlers I'm unfamiliar with.) 157 quite heavily favors Lehigh, while 184 quite heavily favors Pittsburgh. My point here is that while lost on the 165 lbs match, to me the over/under favors Lehigh in 5 matches and Pittsburgh in 4. Getting bonus or not giving up bonus could be very crucial in this match. Both Aaron Sweazy and I believe that Pittsburgh for years has often had the artillery but for some reason or another been unable to fire those guns at full capacity. This dual against Lehigh gives the Panthers an opportunity to showcase what they have.
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| U.R. Owen Trephan OR #10 Nathan Taylor Vs #13 Dayton Pitzer HWT |
A lot to digest here.
I knew that with the rules being the way the rules are, that we would see some in-season transfers this year. Owen Trephan wasn't able to get past Isaac Trumble for the varsity spot at North Carolina State, so now he's at Lehigh. The question here is, is he beating out Nathan Taylor for the varsity position? Taylor is no slouch himself. Obviously, he's ranked #10 for good reason.
What to take away here?
Head to head, Nathan Taylor actually owns a 6-2 decision over Trephan. HOWEVER...let's compare the two in their matches to Dayton Pitzer, the wrestler that one of these guys will face this Sunday.
Trephan has defeated Pitzer twice. 7-3 and 3-1 s.v. decisions.
Taylor has lost to Pitzer twice, a 10-1 major decision & a 2-0 decision.
Makes it fun doesn't it?
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